FAQ

Banff Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is located 8 km west of the town of Banff and about 138 km west of Calgary on the Trans Canada Highway (Highway 1).

If you've lost or misplaced your pass, or you think your Sunshine Season Pass may have been stolen, please contact our Guest Services Department. We will issue you a new season pass free of charge the first time. If you lose your pass a second or third time, we will replace your pass for a fee of $50.

You can buy your Banff Sunshine Village lift ticket at Sunshine, at our Calgary Snow Central office, at AMA (if you are a member), at Costco or online at skibanff.com. You can also buy your lift tickets at the Ski Hub in Banff. Next day lift passes are available for purchase after 3:00pm at Guest Services.

There's snow way we want you to miss a day on the slopes!

To get a forgotten pass lift ticket please visit our Guest Services centre, located on the mountain, and they will issue you a forgotten pass ticket for the day. You will be asked to show ID in order to claim your forgotten pass lift ticket.

We recommend that all guests check the weather conditions prior to visiting Banff Sunshine Village. In the Canadian Rockies, the weather can change quickly and it's advised that all guests dress in layers and ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN. Thermals are recommended under ski pants. If you need a base layer, check out Sunshine Sports for all your gear and clothing needs.

At Banff Sunshine Village, the cost of operating a world class resort has increased with changes in policies from both the Alberta provincial government and the federal government of Canada. At Sunshine, we are not a minimal wage employer. Changes to salaries, taxes, parking, and other policies have directly increased our costs. In order to cover our costs and continue to provide a great guest experience, our lift ticket prices have had to increase.

At Banff Sunshine Village, we have a large lot for patrons. Starting Winter 2017/18, all Sunshine Season Pass holders and ticket purchasers can park in Banff and ride the Sunshine Shuttle Busses for free.

At Banff Sunshine, we have 2 Tesla destination chargers. You will find 1 charging station in the Reserved Parking Lot and 1 along the wall heading towards our Back Parking Lot (this one is for 8:00AM - 5:00PM use only).

We also provide 2 additional spots where an electric vehicle can plug into a wall outlet. You can find 1 of these outlets in the Reserved Lot beside the Tesla charger and 1 in front of the Reserved Parking Booth beside the Bus Parking. The wall outlets for both spots are located on the side of the Reserved Parking Booth. People using these wall outlets must provide their own charge adapter and extension cord should they require longer reach.

All our charging locations work on a first come, first served basis. If the 4 charging locations are occupied, please proceed to the regular parking lots.

Banff Sunshine Village season pass holders receive discounts on food, stays at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, lessons, and more. 2017/18 pass holders receive: 15% off the best available room rate at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, 20% off ski and snowboard lessons at our Snow School, 10% off gear tune ups, 20% off at the Creekside Grill, and FREE shuttle bus transport between Banff and Sunshine.

Sunshine Super Card holders receive great deals at Banff Sunshine Village. With your Sunshine Super Card, you'll save 10% off of the best available room rate at Sunshine Mountain Lodge, 10% off lessons at our Snow School, 10% off gear tune ups, and 10% off at the Creekside Grill.

To use the terrain in either of our freeride zones, you will need to have an avi safety pack. This includes a beacon, shovel, probe, and a buddy. Knowledge of how to use your gear and basic avalanche safety is required. If you don't have your own gear, you can book a dive lesson with our snow school. To learn more about avalanche safety, we recommend taking a AVI One course. Find one near you at: http://www.avalancheassociation.ca/?page=level_1

Banff Sunshine Village is an independent, privately run, family business. At Banff Sunshine Village, passion for skiing, guest experience, and our unique environment is in our blood. Delivering a world class guest experience while being stewards of our mountain park is what we do best. To learn more about Banff Sunshine Village, check out our history.

Our unique location high on the Continental Divide makes us a natural magnet for snow. As storms move from the Pacific, every last drop of moisture gets squeezed out over the mountains. As we're often the final snow storm as the snow passes over the mountains, our snow is light, dry, and cold. At Sunshine, we don't make snow, we farm it. Our snow is never machine made, or hard packed. It is always packed powder. That's why we're home to Canada's Best Snow.

Snow farming is a technique employed by our mountain operations team to capture (almost) every snowflake that falls at Sunshine so that we can use it to cover our vast expanse of skiable terrain. Our trail crew team sets up snow fences to catch the snow, and our cat crew pushes the snow to where it is needed. This allows us to open up a wide variety of terrain for you to enjoy. From an environmental standpoint, snow farming has great benefits. The practice of snow farming helps to slow down the snow melt and allows for maximum use of water from snow melt. The pracitice has also been shown to reduce flood risks, by reducing the speed of snow melt.

At Banff Sunshine Village, we operate within Canada's National Park System. Operating within Banff National Park has some unique operational challenges that prevent us from expanding and upgrading some of our facilities. We at Sunshine work hard to deliver a world class experience, and we invite you to help us in keeping Banff Sunshine Village accessible and sustainable by sending your comments regarding our limitations in lodge space, parking, and activities to Parks Canada.

We're a ski resort, in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. Sometimes it's not very sunny at Banff Sunshine Village. When it is sunny, you can see mountains for miles. Our name references our incredible spring skiing conditions, big blue skies, and endless mountain views.

Banff Sunshine Village is located at 7,200 feet with a top ski elevation of 9,000ft. The altitude may affect those who aren't acclimatized. We recommend that all guests stay hydrated and wear sunscreen while recreating at our resort.

A National Park Pass is required when entering a national park. Banff National Park entry fees help support visitor services and facilities.

The Day Pass or Annual Discovery Pass includes admission to all national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada. Pre-purchasing the Park Pass provides faster entry and greater convenience. You can pre-purchase your Park Pass here -

https://www.banfflakelouise.com/park-pass-purchase