Banff Sunshine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Banff Sunshine
Banff Sunshine Village ski resort
Banff Sunshine Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Banff Sunshine Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Location	Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
Nearest city	Banff – 15 km (9 mi)
Coordinates	51°04′43″N 115°46′56″W / 51.07861°N 115.78222°W / 51.07861; -115.78222
Vertical	1,070 m (3,510 ft)
Top elevation	2,730 m (8,957 ft)
Base elevation	1,660 m (5,446 ft)
Skiable area	13.6 km2 (3,360.6 acres)
Runs	120 15% easiest 37% more difficult 40% most difficult 7% Expert
Lift system	1 Gondola (8) 7 High-Speed Quads 2 Quads 2 Magic Carpets
Lift capacity	20,000 / h
Terrain parks	2
Snowfall	914 cm (360 in; 30 ft)
Website	SkiBanff.com

Banff Sunshine Village is a popular ski resort in western Canada. It is located high in the Canadian Rockies, right on the Continental Divide of the Americas. This means it sits partly in Alberta and partly in British Columbia.

Sunshine is one of three main ski resorts in Banff National Park. Because of its special location on the Continental Divide, it often gets more snow than other nearby resorts. The main area of Sunshine is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) southwest of the town of Banff. If you drive from Calgary, it takes about 90 minutes.

To reach the ski runs and lifts, you ride an eight-person gondola. This gondola takes you from the parking lot up to the mountains. It reaches Goat's Eye mountain in 10 minutes and the main village area in 18 minutes. Banff Sunshine has 9 chairlifts and 134 trails. These trails are spread across three mountains: Mount Standish, Lookout Mountain, and Goat's Eye Mountain. In the summer, you can take a shuttle bus to explore the beautiful walking trails and flower-filled meadows.

History of Banff Sunshine

Early Explorers and Guides

The first explorer to pass through the Sunshine area was Governor George Simpson in 1841. He was looking for new routes for the Hudson's Bay Company. He wrote about "Hole in the Wall" Goat's Eye mountain. He even left a mark on a tree that is now in the Banff Natural History Museum.

Later, in the 1850s, the Palliser Expedition explored the area. One of its members, Mt. Borgeau, has a mountain named after him.

Things really changed when the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived in Banff in the late 1880s. Bill Peyto was one of the first people to bring tourists to Sunshine. He was a trapper and a prospector, but also a very good guide. In the 1890s, Bill Peyto would lead tourists through the Sunshine Meadows. They would go to the base of Mt. Assiniboine, which is the highest peak in the southern Canadian Rockies.

Becoming a Popular Spot

By the 1920s, Sunshine Meadows was a popular place for camping. Pat Brewster, whose family owned a dairy, started bringing tourists for overnight camping. This area was called Tee Pee Town because of all the tents. Today, when you reach the top of the Tee Pee Town chair lift, you are looking at the same meadows where campers stayed many years ago.

In 1928, the Canadian Pacific Railway built a log cabin lodge. This was for a group called The Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies. This cabin is now the oldest building at Banff Sunshine. It is known as the Old Sunshine Lodge. It sits above what was called Wheeler’s Flats, near wide open alpine meadows.

In March 1929, two local skiers, Cliff White and Cyril Paris, tried to use the CPR cabin for an overnight ski trip. They couldn't find it and had to sleep in the snow. They were the first people to ski what is now Banff Sunshine.

Developing the Ski Resort

In 1934, Jim and Pat Brewster leased the cabin from the CPR. They started offering ski vacations. They bought the lodge in 1936. In 1939, they hired Bruno Engler, a Swiss guide, as the first ski instructor. A rope tow was added in 1941.

The Brewsters owned the area until 1951. Then, George Encil bought it. He added "Village" to the name and made many improvements, including a "Ski-Kuli" lift.

In 1961, Cliff White, Jr. and his wife Bev bought the resort. They had a big vision for Sunshine. They built the Sunshine Inn (now Sunshine Mountain Lodge) and the Daylodge. They also opened up new ski areas. In 1980, they opened the first gondola, which made it much easier to get to the ski area.

In 1981, Ralph T. Scurfield bought the resort. After he passed away in 1985, his sons, Ralph, Sergei, and John, continued to run it. They made many more improvements. In 1988, the first high-speed quad chairlift, the Angel Express, opened. In 1995, the resort expanded onto Goat's Eye Mountain with a new high-speed quad. The Great Divide chairlift was replaced with a high-speed quad in 1996. More chairlifts were upgraded in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, and 2015.

Banff Sunshine now welcomes about 500,000 skiers and snowboarders each year. The ski season runs from early November to late May. In 2019, Parks Canada and the resort agreed on a long-term plan for the resort's future.

Amenities at Banff Sunshine

Banff Sunshine has a huge area for skiing and snowboarding. It covers about 13.6 square kilometers (3,358 acres). The highest point is at 2,730 meters (8,957 feet). The base is at 1,660 meters (5,446 feet). The main skiing area is at 2,160 meters (7,087 feet). This gives you 570 meters (1,870 feet) of vertical drop from the top of Lookout Mountain.

There are 134 named ski runs across three mountains: Goat's Eye Mountain, Lookout Mountain, and Mount Standish. These runs are in both Alberta and British Columbia. The resort has a gondola, chairlifts, and magic carpet lifts. Banff Sunshine was the first ski resort in Canada to have a high-speed quad chairlift with heated seats and bubbles. This chairlift, called Teepee Town XL, was built in 2015. The resort gets a lot of snow, often over nine meters (30 feet) each year.

The Sunshine Mountain Lodge is a hotel with 84 rooms. It is located right in the "village" at the tree line. It is the only hotel in Banff-Lake Louise where you can ski right to and from the door. Guests can buy a Marmot Card for discounts on lift tickets. This card also gives free ski days at Banff Sunshine and Marmot Basin.

Parking at Banff Sunshine can sometimes be limited because it's in a national park. When the main parking lot is full, visitors can park along the access road and take a shuttle bus. In 2021, the parking lot was made bigger, adding 250 new spots.

Fun Events

The ski season usually starts in early November and ends in late May. The last event of the season is called the Slush Cup. This happens on the Victoria Day long weekend. People dress up in crazy costumes and try to ski across a long pool of water. If they make it to the other side, they get a big cheer! Banff Sunshine has also hosted many other ski and snowboard events.

Ski Terrain for Everyone

Banff Sunshine has ski terrain for all skill levels. There are gentle slopes through trees for beginners. There are also wide-open areas above the trees for intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders. Some visitors also go into the backcountry areas like 'Wawa Ridge' or Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. If you go into these areas, it's important to have Avalanche rescue equipment. For special expert areas like Delirium Dive and Wild West, you need an avalanche transceiver to enter. The resort also has a 5-kilometer (3-mile) ski-out run that takes you from the village back to the gondola base.

Lift System

Banff Sunshine has 10 chairlifts and 2 magic carpets.

Banff Sunshine in Pop Culture

Many movies and TV shows have been filmed in the Sunshine area. For example, Banff Sunshine was a challenge location for the final episode of the TV show The Amazing Race 5 in 2004. The teams rode the gondola and then snowshoed up Lookout Mountain.

Images for kids

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  Continental divide monument between British Columbia and Alberta at the top of Standish chair

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  Banff Sunshine, 2020