There aren't many Rocky Mountain resort
towns that offer world-class skiing without the usual winter
crowds. And if you don't visit Banff soon, you may never get
to experience one.
Nestled in the heart of the
Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park
is the type of rugged wilderness that almost convinces you to give
up your PalmPilot, cell phone, and motorized scooter to hunker down
among the snow-capped mountains, glacier-fed lakes, and evergreen
forests and live a simpler life. Even in its storybook-looking
village, you might just as likely encounter an elk rambling through
the streets as a pedestrian.
With all its natural beauty, it's easy to see why Banff has become
popular among outdoor enthusiasts. Problem is, the majority of
visitors show up May through September and leave without ever
having gotten a taste of the area's best natural resource - layers
of fluffy white snow they call champagne powder.
What most of the summer visitors don't realize is that the park
offers three top-notch ski resorts covering over 7,500 acres of
groomed trails and dry-powder runs, all within a 45-minute drive of
each other: Banff Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise.
On weekdays, there's even enough ski terrain in Banff to equal one
acre per skier. And it gets better.
Since winter here is considered off-season, hotels slash their
prices in half, dinner reservations become a moot point, and the
mountain trails are reclaimed by local wildlife - elk, red
squirrels, snowshoe hares, and in-the-know skiers, snowboarders,
and the like. Add to that a steal of an exchange rate and there's
no doubt this is a skier's paradise, without the crowds or attitude
of more well-known resorts.
So why aren't there lines stretching from the chairlifts to the
parking lot?