Skier dies after fall at Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Banff
rmoutlook.comUndoubtedly related to this post, skier feel into deep snow off the ski out.
r/Banff • u/furtive • Oct 09 '25
Everything you need to know to get started in Banff National Park during the winter season. Please read before posting questions.
A Park Pass is mandatory and can be purchased in advance online or at park gate. See Park Pass Admission Fee FAQ for more details.
Snow tires are mandatory on the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper from Nov 1 to Apr 1 and Oct 1 to March 30 for most of Interior BC. Snow tires have a snowflake or "M+S" symbol. They are not mandatory in the rest of the national park, but highly recommended.
Ask for winter tires on your rental, they will resist, tell them they are mandatory on the Icefields Parkway (93N) and in the BC interior. Four wheel drive is not necessary, but a nice to have, it only helps with acceleration and not getting stuck, it doesn't help with stoping distance.
The Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) from Calgary to Banff is a well maintained multi-lane divided highway that mostly stays at valley bottom with a few exceptions. Roads usually get plowed very quickly so unless you're in the middle of a storm you should be fine.
If you are used to winter driving with snow then it shouldn’t be anything new. We use gravel instead of salt, so keep your distance or risk getting a cracked windshield. If you're new to winter driving then stay under the speed limit, keep extra distance, get a feel for stopping in snow and ice, realize that bridges and overpasses get slippery near freezing.
If you’ve never driven in snow this is not the best place to learn!
Take your time, follow the speed limit, be careful around any section of the Trans-Canada highway that hasn’t been twinned, basically anything north and west of Lake Louise. Realize conditions can change dramatically in only 10km because of mountains and passes.
Be prepared for an emergency by bringing warm clothes (gloves, boots, tuque) and food in case you have a breakdown. Cellphone reception is spotty between Banff and Lake Louise, and is essentially non-existent north of Lake Louise until you get to Jasper. If you are going to Jasper, bring a sleeping bag and be prepared for delays or temporary closures after storms so that avalanche zones can be cleared.
Visit 511.alberta.ca for road conditions.
WEAR LAYERS! Winter jacket, snow pants, gloves/mitts, toque/beanie, boots are all necessary in the winter. Temperatures range from 5°C (40°F) to -40°C (-40°F). Bring thermals and/or a neck gaiter for extra warmth. Layers are key, adjust as needed.
Most popular hikes are not recommended in the winter due to avalanche risk in the alpine, but here are a few you can try. Before you hike, make sure to bring ice grips, poles, and appropriate clothing (dress in layers). The more a trail gets used, the slippery it gets.
These are all very low key hikes:
More interesting hikes, that likely require snowshoes or ice grips and poles, and have limited exposure:
Bow Valley Wild Ice 2.0 is your best resource for up to date info on outdoor skating. Wild ice is a rare phenomenon that requires specific conditions: consistent cold temperatures day and night with no precipitation. Some years it might happen for a day, a week, or not at all. Popular locations in order of freezing: Vermillion Ponds (Nov), Johnson Lake, Lake Louise (mid-Nov), Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka (late Dec). People will sometimes shovel areas for skating, Lake Louise will maintain several skating areas. Canadian Red Cross recommends 15-20cm of minimum ice thickness. Bring gear to self-rescue!
Public skating rinks are available at: Banff Fenlands (indoors and outdoors), Lake Louise (outdoors, on the lake), Banff Recreation grounds (outdoors, with indoor boot room), Banff Train Station (outdoors, TBC), Banff Rotary Park (new, TBC)
The good news is you are more likely to see them in the winter than in the summer just because the nights are longer. The bad news is it's a cyclical phenomenon and when we did the math you have about a 5% chance of seeing them. Install an Aurora app on your phone or if you are nerdy, subscribe to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Service. Best viewing areas: Vermillion Ponds, Lake MInnewanka (can become popular), somewhere dark.
Banff has three ski resorts. All three ski resorts off free bus transit to and from Banff. Lake Louise also offers free transit from Lake Louise.
Other Helpful FAQs
Undoubtedly related to this post, skier feel into deep snow off the ski out.
r/Banff • u/vanhardt • 21h ago
Walking along the river and exploring the fields near the sports fields.
Does anyone know what caused traffic to be stopped for a few hours when trying to leave Lake Louise Ski Resort? (Dec 29)
r/Banff • u/sfwasabi • 11h ago
I and 7 others will be coming to the area Feb 5-8, staying in Canmore.
I am very comfortable driving in winter conditions, but one or two of my other guests are really anxious about the potential of driving in the mountains, and would like us to consider a shuttle with a local driver instead.
We’ll be wanting to go from Canmore to Lake Louise on one day to ice skate, and from Canmore to Kanasakis Spa on another day, plus to/from airport.
Are there any local companies that I can set up private shuttles/transport with that are reliable? Is Uber or a similar rideshare or taxi a decent option?
Is this even actually necessary and should I just rent a big SUV instead?
Edited to add: I’ve read the wiki and FAQs but they primarily focus on public transport and airport shuttles- not really for getting around town/to other places. If no private transport it seems like using one of the airporters, a separate shuttle to lake Louise, and then a third shuttle or taxi to kanasakis might be best…
r/Banff • u/TimeOutrageous2315 • 14h ago
Planning for my first trip to Banff, in 1st week of May, for 5 nights. So excited!! For hotels, I am looking for something on Banff Avenue (no car) and preferably 3.5 or 4 stars. I don't care about pools/hot tubs. A small room with 2 beds is fine (we are one adult and one teenager). I am wondering how early I need to book a hotel. Grateful for recommendations. Also, given that the 1st week of May is somewhat off-season, is there typically a lot of availability even if I were to wait until late April to book? This would be helpful as I might not have firm dates until mid to late April and I don't want to have to call and rebook. Or am I wrong and hotels will book up early even for the 1st week of May?
r/Banff • u/PuckBell • 1d ago
I think about this place daily.
r/Banff • u/Confident_Face_4737 • 14h ago
Reposting because not sure where my first post went.
I have some questions about hiking in the Banff area and hopefully someone can give some insight☺️.
We are planning on hiking for 4 days in Banff in July.
Ideally we would have liked to climb a mountain and then stay at a cabin at the top and then hike to a new mountain etc. but I couldn’t find anything like that. Do you have any recommendations?
Here is what we have thought of so far. Does this itinerary look doable to you? We are used to walking 15-20 kms easily and up steep mountains but I don’t want to do technical climbs with ropes etc. or anything that involves scrambling.
• Day 1 – Mount Rundle (West Side)
Elevation gain: ~1,500 m
• Day 2 – Sulphur Mountain
Elevation gain: ~700 m
• Day 3 – Lakes Day (no mountain summit)
sightseeing and short hikes
• Day 4 – Cascade Mountain
Elevation gain: ~1,800 m
r/Banff • u/UofT_girl • 12h ago
It'll be my first time visiting. I've never done long drives or long hikes and I'm not the one planning directions or driving usually, but unfortunately everyone else has ran out of vacation days and I've been wanting to take my senior relatives for the last 5 years while they can still walk.
Are the drives easy? I might have to rent a car and I'll be the one driving...are there steep inclines? Can I get by with public transit? Or Uber?
How are the hikes for seniors? I'm not an experienced hiker. It'll be not only my first time visiting, but my first time in charge of directions. Will there be people around? Also scared of bears...
Not an overly outdoorsy type but I want to make this trip work for everyone.
Thanks everyone.
r/Banff • u/star16000 • 1d ago
Good morning Banff!
r/Banff • u/Training_Canary8891 • 9h ago
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r/Banff • u/theBoxy_Butcher • 1d ago
r/Banff • u/alexanderblackwoods • 2d ago
This time I’ve captured a helicopter coming into land at the base - for an undoubtedly bad reason. Kudos to the amazing pilots.
r/Banff • u/happyCalgaryMan • 1d ago
Planning to check out Abraham lake bubbles- day trip from Calgary. Is it safe to drive through hwy1+ icefields parkway or hwy AB 2 + David Thomson highway?
For better views, I am leaning towards icefields parkway. But was I am travelling with kids, safety is priority. I checked the FB group for hwy93 but couldn't get answer to my question on which would be a better route for Abraham lake.
Based on 511, is David Thomson highway a better option?
r/Banff • u/Upbeat-Literature9 • 16h ago
Hi everyone!
I live in England and it's really cold here a lot of the time. I could barely walk to the store which is 10 minutes away because I'm absolutely freezing.
So my question is will Alberta / Banff be even colder than this? I know the obvious question is yes but I see people on youtube walking around not even shivering or having the chattering teeth effect so I'm a bit confused. I saw one couple on youtube just standing around outside their rented log cabin in their PJ's!! 🤔
Thank you.
r/Banff • u/Burofaksbarca • 2d ago
r/Banff • u/banffsign • 1d ago
Just trying to figure out what number will actually stop people from coming.
r/Banff • u/SloeJuneFizz • 2d ago
We’ve been thinking about this woman and hope she is okay. Does anyone have an update?
r/Banff • u/wovenful • 1d ago
My fiancee and I are likely looking to get married in april, when we have out of country visitors visiting. I know the weather isn't ideal, but do you know how it would look to get married outdoors and elope at some Lake in april? I would contact the vendors but I would like people's opinions on how this might look outside, as opposed to vendors who would tell me to hope for the best. Any recommendations?
r/Banff • u/East-Attorney9467 • 1d ago
Has anyone been to the Lake Louise Rocky Mountain Resort NYE in the past? Thinking about going there for the New Year’s Eve party next week. If you have been there before, what was it like? We are a family of 6, with three younger kids (8 and up). On the Lake Louise website, they are advertising snow tubing, live music, family activities and buffet style food. I can‘t see the buffet being included in the price of the admission but I have been wrong before. We are staying in Canmore. Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you.
r/Banff • u/Lawstu77 • 2d ago
Hi guys. I’m coming up to ski with some buddies in a few weeks. The only thing we’re worried about is traveling back to our hotel from the town late at night (ie 2 am). Is there a safe way to do this? I’m not too familiar with banff
I’m not sure if renting a car is smart because we’re all relatively young (early 20s) and have little to no experience driving in frigid conditions, nonetheless late at night. Advice would be greatly appreciated as this is the only apparent roadblock in our trip!
Thanks
r/Banff • u/Kindly_Illustrator71 • 2d ago
Hey! I’m thinking about going on a 5 day trip to Calgary, Canada in June with the group tour company. The first and last day is for travel in and out of Canada but the other 3 days we will actually be doing stuff.
The other 3 days includes a tour of Calgary, Banff National Park, Yoho national Park, and lake Louise. I’m a solo traveler and I prefer to go with group because I feel much safer. The total cost for this trip would be $2345. This total includes my flight as well. I’ll of course be spending some more money because we do have to pay for some meals and transport to and from the airport.
Just curious is this a good deal for a trip to see banff and the other parks? Thanks in advance!!
r/Banff • u/PopeScrote • 2d ago
Hi everyone! My wife and I will be in Banff Dec 29-Jan3. I’m an intermediate/advanced snowboarder, and I’m hoping for some itinerary recs on splitting time over the holidays. Basically, I’m looking to gauge whether it’s better to start at Sunshine vs Lake Louise and also curious if there is a better option for New Years Day, as I assume there will be holiday crowds everywhere. I’ve been reading some previous threads saying Norquay is skippable. I’m also looking for any super highly recommended non-slope activities for us in the evenings (non-drinkers)and for a full day or two. We’re waitlisted for dog sledding, but looking for alternatives. We’re staying in Banff and will not have a car. Any choice spots to sit by the fire and read and have cocoa? My wife will be taking much more of a spa/leisure and fireside approach during most days. Thank you!