
Banff Sunshine Village's summit reaches 2,730 metres, dropping 1,070 vertical metres to a base at 1,660 metres across 145 runs spread over roughly 1,360 hectares straddling the Alberta-British Columbia border inside Banff National Park. Terrain splits 48 per cent advanced, 26 per cent intermediate, 18 per cent beginner and 8 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 9.3 metres. The resort carries Ikon and Mountain Collective affiliation. Twelve lifts, including nine quad chairs and one gondola, serve the mountain alongside two surface lifts.
Sunshine holds a genuinely distinctive position among Canadian Rockies resorts, spanning three separate mountains, Lookout, Goat's Eye and Standish, entirely above the treeline, which gives the resort naturally reliable snow retention. This above-treeline setting, combined with slope-side accommodation at Sunshine Mountain Lodge, has built the resort's reputation as one of the more self-contained major ski destinations in the Rockies.
The area began as a CP Rail summer lodge established around 1928-29, and ski pioneers explored the open terrain of Sunshine Meadows through the following decade. Jim and Pat Brewster leased the cabin from the CPR in 1934 and began offering ski holidays, buying the lodge outright in 1936, before hiring Swiss guide Bruno Engler as the resort's first ski instructor in 1939 and building a rope tow in 1941.
George Encil purchased the area in 1951, adding 'Village' to the name and installing the Ski-Kuli lift, before Banff businessman Cliff White Jr and his wife Bev bought the resort in 1961. The Scurfield family has controlled Sunshine since 1981, with Ralph Scurfield's leadership expanding the resort to include Goat's Eye Mountain and Wolverine Ridge. Adult daily tickets run from 140 to 170 Canadian dollars.
Banff Sunshine Village spreads 145 runs across 3,358 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 48%, with 26 beginner runs to find your feet and 82 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
The 2025-26 season at Banff Sunshine Village ran from 2 November 2025 to 18 May 2026, a remarkably long roughly twenty-eight-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 9.3 metres. This extended season is widely regarded as the longest in the Canadian Rockies, reflecting Sunshine's above-treeline elevation and reliable early and late-season conditions.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across Sunshine's three connected mountains. As an Ikon and Mountain Collective resort, Sunshine draws substantial visitation from pass holders alongside destination travellers seeking Banff National Park's alpine scenery.
Sunshine's slope-side lodge and above-treeline terrain continue to support strong visitor capacity through the peak winter months. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's varied terrain and considerable scale across three mountains.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since the Scurfield family took ownership in 1981, Sunshine has continued building on nearly a century of history since its origins as a CP Rail summer lodge around 1928-29. The resort's exceptionally long season and above-treeline setting remain central to its enduring popularity.
Banff Sunshine Village sits within Banff National Park, straddling the Alberta-British Columbia border, with a base elevation of 1,660 metres and a summit at 2,730 metres across a 1,070-metre vertical drop over roughly 1,360 hectares spread across three connected mountains. This setting places the resort among the most dramatically situated ski areas in the Canadian Rockies.
The town of Banff, a genuinely historic national park townsite, offers extensive lodging, dining and services within a short drive of the resort, while Sunshine Mountain Lodge provides slope-side accommodation directly at the base of the gondola.
The Trans-Canada Highway provides direct access to the resort's parking area near Banff. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled highway is regularly maintained given the resort's status as a major national park destination. A dedicated shuttle service connects the parking area to the gondola base.
Calgary International Airport, roughly a 90-minute drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into the Canadian Rockies, with Sunshine's relative proximity to Calgary supporting substantial day-trip and destination visitation from across Western Canada and beyond.
Hotels and lodges near Banff Sunshine Village, powered by Stay22.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.

Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.

Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.

We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.

Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.

An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
Live open status isn’t available right now.
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
Days 1–7
1.3cm
Days 8–14
0.0cm
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 1660m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 1070m higher at 2730m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Banff Sunshine Village's base and summit.
Snowfall and depth figures for Banff Sunshine Village come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 12 lifts, including 9 quad chairlifts and a gondola.
Snow reports are typically updated early morning and late afternoon. For the most current conditions, check back regularly, especially if a winter storm is approaching.