The mountain also prides itself on its impeccably groomed beginner
and intermediate cruising runs. In fact, they guarantee their
groomed conditions or your money back.
SUNSHINE VILLAGE: FAMILY-FRIENDLY
Sunshine Village touts itself as a family resort, but that doesn't
stop them from offering some extreme excitement. Newly reopened
Delirium Dive, which had been closed for almost 20 years,
is enough to make even the most confident skier think twice.
Located on the north face of Lookout Mountain, the incline ranges
from a challenging
39 degrees to a mind-numbing 50
degrees. Because of the danger of avalanches, all skiers and
snowboarders must pass through a check-in gate, wear an avalanche
transceiver, carry
rescue shovels, and go with a partner. Anyone who doesn't want to
sign his life away can take advantage of the
other 91 runs at the resort, a comfortable mix of beginner,
intermediate, and expert trails, with the longest run stretching a
rambling five miles.
Sunshine's biggest appeal is its on-site lodging and 100 percent
natural snow. Cars aren't allowed in the village and the lack of
them at the ski-in, ski-out resort is a pedestrian pleasure. A
high-speed gondola carries skiers from the parking lot up to the
lodge, restaurants, and lifts. When you're ready to leave, you can
go back in the gondola or ski right down to the parking lot.
Each of Banff's top three resorts has recently gone through
renovations - like improving its lodge and adding high-speed quad
lifts - in the hope that this will increase the number of
international visitors hitting the slopes. But be careful what you
wish for. Every winter, the quiet town of
Aspen swells from between
6,000 and 7,000 residents to include nearly 30,000 ski buffs.
Prices are raised, velvet ropes go up, and the slopes are overrun.
Would it really be so bad if we kept this Canadian Rocky Mountain
secret just between us? AW