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Banff skiers: I need some advice

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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741

So I recently won a local competition and got a free trip for two (already picked the friend to go with haha) to Banff for 4 nights and 3 days, and I was wondering if there are any runs I definately should not miss/any runs I shoulnt bother with/any skiers who live around there who wanna ski.  I get to ski adll three mountains, but im not sure if I get to ride one a day or if i can ride one more than once.

Ive never hit pow before cause im from ottawa, but im "more than stoked" to hit it. im borrowing a friend's pair of pow skis.

So yea, help would be much appreciated for : what runs (not) to hit, what mountains your favourite and why, and if there is anyone who wants to ski hit me up.

Feb 28 2010 7:14PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
Sunshine= Wild west and Delirum Dive for steeps.
The Lake= All the ERs, myself I like 6
Feb 28 2010 7:23PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
and also what about their parks?
Feb 28 2010 7:28PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
To be honest I haven't been to any of them since 2007, but from what I understand sunshine has the best park, but Norquay and Louis are ok too jsut depends on what type of features you dig.

try posting in the Calgary/ Banff forum
Feb 28 2010 8:04PM
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Barsevskis
Posts: 183 - Karma: 138
as said before above at lake louise all the ERs my favourite is er3 and the chutes off of the summit platter.  sunshine has the best park but louise has a decent one.  and norquay has an alright park but the hill isn't nearly as good as either louise or sunshine
Feb 28 2010 8:05PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
BUT on the rare occasion that Norquay does get dumped on North America is sick
Feb 28 2010 8:15PM
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j.scott.
Posts: 22 - Karma: 10
Its a really shitty snow year, and it sucks. but id chose lake, they have some pretty smooth jumps and def hit up all the ER's and whitehorn. Sunshine is usually sick but i havent been there this year. if you go sunshine hit up the cliff lines to the left of the standish chair.
Feb 28 2010 8:37PM
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ike.
Posts: 2292 - Karma: 93
i like sunshines park the most. also ski the summit at louise, got some sick runs off of it
Feb 28 2010 8:51PM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,624
Check out north cornice and brownshirt at louise. as well as Whitehorn 1 and 2a-h. havent skied louise since december though
Feb 28 2010 11:28PM
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flatland
Posts: 726 - Karma: 77
I was at Sunshine a week ago and it was getting pretty tracked out.  Standish was pretty much a skating rink.   Angel and divide were standard sunshine conditions (hard and windy).  The best snow I could find was far skiers left on goats eye, but that all could have changed now.  The park setup was unreal however...
Feb 28 2010 11:33PM
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Brentizzle
Posts: 1584 - Karma: 1,871
Dont bother bringing your pow skis (or bring them and expect them to not be used) because we havent gotten snow in very long and both sunshine and lake louise are pretty bare unless you go out to the backcountry, which is pretty tracked up also. As far as parks go, Sunshine has the better park. They have an amazing selection of rails and a big jump line that is super smooth. Louise does have bigger jumps and if you like hitting booters with really mellow take off's that you need to haul ass into and big gaps and really short and flat landings then you should go there. Their rail selection pails in comparison to that of sunshine. If your looking for steeps, go to louise. The accessibility of all the chutes (ER chutes and summit gullies) is 10 times easier than taking all the effort to get in and out of delirium dive at sunshine. And you can burn laps super fast on the backside of lake louise that most tourists dont even know it has (thats where all the chutes are). So for park, go to sunshine, for big mountain, go to louise and not expect much or any pow at either of them. You could also go to norquay, which is much much smaller than louise and sunshine but its only about 5 mins from banff and they have a good reputation for having a very decent terrain park.
Feb 28 2010 11:43PM
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SweatyBallShack
Posts: 2857 - Karma: 58
Where I am we've gotten at least 80 inches. Alot of the snow was actually dry too.
Feb 28 2010 11:47PM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
just don't do the ski out at the lake and if you have to go to norquay make sure you go up North American and go to the far edge for a good look at Banff and Tunnel Mountain, also a good place to find hard, crusty pow and ice...
Feb 28 2010 11:56PM
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annex_
Posts: 1659 - Karma: 1,499
sunshine' has the best park. louise is ok. and the runs are getting shitty. we haven't gotten snow for so long.
Mar 1 2010 1:29PM
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backyardbooter
Posts: 188 - Karma: 108
I will give you my secret run. Go up goat's eye then start hiking skiers left. Hike till you get "around" the face. Drop in there. I haven't been to banff in a few seasons but I remember when goat's eye was relatively new over there sued to go off.
Mar 1 2010 2:04PM
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Maximumsushi
Posts: 7837 - Karma: 3,351
Like everyone has said, it hasn't snowed in a while. Don't bother going to Norquay unless you just want to do a few laps of night riding (Wednesday and Friday nights). Sunshine's park is much better than the Lake this year. The big jumps at the lake have flat landings and it's incredibly hard to get speed for them. The lake recently moved around their box line a bit and screwed it up. Sunshine's park is mint with a ton great jumps and jibs. You're going to have a good time even if we don't get any new snow. When are you coming?

Here is an edit from last week at sunshine's park:

Courtesy of Newschoolers.com



Mar 1 2010 2:04PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
Maybe this Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And if not this weekend, then April 10th - 12th.

And thanks for the advice guys! I think im going to go to sunshine 2 of the 3 days and then try lake the other day and if i dont like it ill go back to sunshine instead of skiing the rest of the day at lake.


Mar 1 2010 4:23PM
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Maximumsushi
Posts: 7837 - Karma: 3,351
I'd wait for April 10th - 12th if I were you. April is usually a pretty good snow month, and if there's no snow, there is a better chance of sun.

It's about a 50 minute drive from the Lake's parking lot to Sunshine's parking lot. Then you have a 20 minute gondola ride at Sunshine before you can get on a chairlift. It probably isn't worth leaving the Lake half-way through the day, you'll have more than enough stuff to explore at Lake Louise and the park is fun enough. I'd say two days at sunshine and one at the lake is a good idea.
Mar 1 2010 4:40PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
Oh alright.  Ill think about it now, but i still want to go this weekend, i hate waiting to go on big trips.
Mar 1 2010 4:51PM
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Brentizzle
Posts: 1584 - Karma: 1,871
ya i would wait till april to come although this weekend is supposed to be really sunny and nice. There is a slopestyle comp and louise saturday so the park will be closed for the day. Hope you have a good try whenever you come man.
Mar 1 2010 7:18PM
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j.scott.
Posts: 22 - Karma: 10
goddamn canada's sposed to be cold haha
Mar 1 2010 7:55PM
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Mister.F
Posts: 1206 - Karma: 169
chyeeeeaaa
Mar 1 2010 8:14PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
I leave this friday (april 9th). whats the hills like? which hills should i hit the 3 days? i can hit a mountain more than once
Apr 3 2010 11:24AM
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WinSt[]NadAMz
Posts: 137 - Karma: 395
this time of the year sunshine is your best bet for mountain skiing, but lake louise and shine both have a sick setup in their parks! have fun dude!
Apr 3 2010 8:56PM
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Barsevskis
Posts: 183 - Karma: 138
lake louise has finally gotten a little bit of snow recently.  on the backside the snow is still quite nice in places.  and a lot of the runs on the back get wind blown in over night so every morning you can find some nice fresh tracks to put in.  H gulley off of summit is nice right now and so is ER 7
Apr 3 2010 11:17PM
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Jaymon
Posts: 860 - Karma: 1,213
Stay at sunshine village!

Wild West hasn't been open at sunshine for a long time. If you have an avi pack (doubtful cause your from Ottawa) delirium dive at sunshine is a necessary. Also Healy Creek and Back Door but you would need a local as they are both out of bounds and not on the maps.
Apr 4 2010 12:29AM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
lol, none of these runs mean anything to me.

so another option:
anyone going to be skiing this saturday and sunday (april 10-11) that wants to take some laps in the park for half the day and in some back country the rest?
Apr 4 2010 12:16PM
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Brentizzle
Posts: 1584 - Karma: 1,871
I will most likely be there one of those days. pm me closer to the date if you wana ski.
Apr 5 2010 2:06AM
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