Sunshine Village
Categories: Active Life Hotels & Travel Ski Resorts Active Life, Ski Resorts [Edit]
Banff, AB T0L 0C0(403) 277-7669
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Sunshine Village
11 reviews in English
-
Review from Eric B.
6/5/2011
Sunshine Village is located 15 kilometers Southwest of Banff. This ski area offers ski runs and lifts that are accessed via an eight person high speed gondola, which takes people from the parking lot to Goat's Eye mountain in 10 minutes and to the upper Village area in 18 minutes. There are 10 chairlifts and 107 trails within the alpine valley formed by the three mountains (Mount Standish, Lookout Mountain, and Goat's Eye Mountain) that constitute Sunshine Village.
Sunshine Village has 3,358 acres of skiable terrain, a healthy vertical drop, and you can really ski in 2 Provinces here. This place also get a lot of snow and the season sometimes lasts until the long Victoria Day weekend. There's also a slope-side Lodge here, along I've never stayed.
Sunshine Village offers terrain for all levels of skiers and boarders. It offers a mix of gentle tree lined beginner slopes, wide open above tree-line intermediate and expert terrain. I love skiing here, and I'm very careful (especially at Goat's Eye), as there's some double black diamond stuff that could get me in trouble very quickly. I also love the beauty of this place and my 1st honeymoon memories, especially with the view of Mount Assiniboine at the distance. -
Review from Alicia N.
Calgary, AB
1/4/2012
The skiing is sub-par, good for beginner and intermediate but advanced and expert skiers will nto be satisfied. The one thing saving this hill is delirium dive and Wild West, but those are hardly open and the service you receive at this hill is awful.
As a season pass holder last season I was shocked to hear one of the snow hosts tell someone in the line at the gondola to "go ski at COP" and this year, they snapped a friends skis in half on the gondola due to the lifties not putting them in the holders properly.
On another occasion, we got to the top of the gondola only to find that only 1 chairlift was open due to employee strike.
If you want an enjoyable experience of skiing in Banff for the same price head to Lake Louise who offers better service, terrain and views. -
Review from Carina Z.
4/4/2011
As an avid skier I can say honestly that this is my least favorite mountain in the Canadian Rockies.
The runs are just sub-par as once you are up the gondola there is very little vertical and the layout focuses more on being spread out horizontally. This makes the runs feel very short. Additionally this hill is ALWAYS packed, meaning long lines at all the lifts and the snow gets packed down really quickly. Goat's Eye (which is the advanced area) is always windy which blows the snow right off the side of the mountain so even with new snow you cannot avoid rocks.
Once you arrive to Sunshine you have to ride a gondola up to get to the main resort area and this takes an additional 20 minutes out of your skiing time (the gondola does open half an hour before the lifts on the hill but this never seems to help).
As this Mountain is in a National Park (meaning the environment is protected) they have had problems getting approval for buildings and therefore have trailers in lieu of a chalet at the bottom of Goats Eye. The main chalet feels small and they have the tables so close together it is nearly impossible to get through when people are seated.
If you are considering skiing Sunshine my advice is drive the extra 45 minutes to Lake Louise. -
Review from meno t.
Edmonton, AB
2/24/2011
I knew of the issues that are currently going on with the SVV staff and resort, but I had a discount card so thought I would check it out..
I went here the day before louise.. I find it to be big, overwhelming at first and VERY busy even on a Sunday. Only place to board that was worthwhile was GoatsEye, everywhere else I pretty much had to walk, so many flat spots!! :(
I didn't see one patroller my entire day there...
I also didn't see any of the "awesome powder" that they proclaim, and I was there in January, maybe that comes in March?
Either way, yes close to Banff but for that reason busier, I would go the extra mile anytime and hit lake louise before going back to Sunshine... -
Review from Bill N.
8/1/2011
Powder ..........Powder .......and more Powder! Breath taking views and it's a 5 mile run to ski down to the parking lot.
-
Review from Scott m.
4/22/2010
About 20 minutes from Banff, this was the first time I had ever skied outside of Colorado and I must say I really liked this mountain. Jaw droppnig views, an incredibly nice/helpful staff, and despite the initial impression of flatness, there are some challenging areas to to be found.
Goat's Eye seemed (by far) to be the best part of this Mountain. From the top of the lift there is some great hiking (to the right as you exit the lift) that gives one access to some really nice chutes that wind between giant granite rock outcroppings.
Although the snow was a little thin on my April visit, this mountain (according to all the locals) get's more snow than any other in Alberta. This along with the fact that there is a lot of steep places to explore makes me want to come back again! -
Review from Chad W.
Calgary, AB
11/6/2008
Sunshine Village is one of the most delicious mountains in Alberta. Situated just outside of the Banff town site, the place is almost as if three resorts got smashed into one. They offer the challenging pitches, steep inclines, and the jagged edges of Goat's Eye Mountain, some select black runs and the many intermediate challenges of Lookout Mountain, and a few green and easier runs associates with Mount Standish.
Of course, this is how they're able to provide their customers with an outstanding 107 runs of varying difficulty. Sunshine receives ample snowfall and I've never run into icy patches that I couldn't avoid for the entire day. Their runs offer winter beauty and a fair bit of work for the intermediate snowboarder. There is just so many places to go.
I could ride here for an entire season and still not quite know my place around this enormous winter resort. -
Review from Kristin K.
1/7/2010
This resort is OK. It's better than Norquay, but no where as nice as Lake Louise. To me it seems like it would be a great place to learn how to ski, or to snowboard. The runs are wide open with barely any obstacles such as narrow runs or trees. There was a ton of snow there and I only skied on powder. It was much colder than Lake Louise though; I had to wear my face mask most of the day I was there.
I would give this resort more stars if so many of the runs did NOT require cross country skiing. I came here to downhill ski and was mad that at least 50% of the bottom of even the BLUE runs required me to take off my ski's and walk until the run went downhill again. What is the deal with that? -
Review from Louis P.
4/1/2010 3 photos
Of the Big3, Sunshine is pretty good. The trails here are great to snowboard and there are plenty of varying levels of slopes to suit pretty much anyone's skill level. The mountain(s) themselves are grand in scale. You probably want to start off on Goats Eye to get warmed up. Goats Eye has lots of Green/Blue runs to get started as well as some Blacks to spice things up. Once you've gotten your legs back under you, you can hop the gondola over to Mt Lookout for the real fun.
Mt. Lookout has the famed Delirium Dive as well as their terrain park. This in addition to even more trail runs and Mt. Standish too. The runs on Lookout are a bit more advanced than Goats Eye but even more enjoyable. If the terrain park is your thing, they have a pretty decent one here that will all skill levels.
TO wrap the day up, you can head over to Mt. Standish for some longer trails and more laid back tracks. From here, you'll be able to ski back down to the parking lot or head back to the base lodge for some food.
Overall, I really enjoyed this place. You'd be better off skipping Norquay since that's only 200 some acres (barely even worth the lift ticket) and heading to Louise or Sunshine for a great time snowboarding/skiing. -
Review from jef C.
3/9/2009
Sunshine Village is the closest you will get to skiing with the gods in North America. The mountain is epic in size and beauty. Happiness and enlightenment!!
-
Review from Sy N.
2/27/2010
Spent my first day in Banff at Sunshine Village and I have to say that it was quite disappointing. The snow was good but the terrain is definitely underwhelming. After taking the gondola all the way to the main area, you have quite a few choices of lifts. However, the runs were short and flat at the top. It even felt a bit like Snow Summit or Bear Mountain out in Southern Cal.
There is one area where it basically made me give it 3 stars. Goat's Eye mountain is sort of in the middle of the first gondola ride. It had the right terrain for anyone that is intermediate or better. The snow there was also softer.
While I wouldn't tell people not to go to Sunshine Village at least once, I would recommend that most people spend most of their time at Lake Louise. It is a night and day difference. When I was at Lake Louise, one of the lifties there had written on the white board the following: "Friends do not let friends ski/snowboard at Sunshine". I couldn't help laughing and agreeing at the same time.
