What You're Actually Getting
With only the Strawberry Express operating, don't expect much beyond a few groomed runs and the Strawberry Terrain Park, which will feature seven features across beginner and intermediate lines. The terrain park focus makes sense—you can build park features on minimal snow coverage, and it gives freestyle riders something to work with beyond endless laps on the same groomer.
On-mountain facilities are similarly limited. Trappers, Alpine Grill, and both Java locations will be open, along with the Bourgeau rental shop and select retail outlets. It's enough to keep people fed and caffeinated, which is really all you need when operations are this scaled back.
The resort's full stats remain relevant for context, even if most of that terrain won't be accessible for weeks. Sunshine operates across 3,358 acres spanning three mountains—Goat's Eye, Lookout, and Standish—with a vertical drop from 5,440 feet to 8,954 feet and an average annual snowfall of 360 inches. The resort typically runs from early November through late May, which genuinely is one of the longer seasons in North America. But claiming this as the "earliest opening ever" feels like splitting hairs when we're talking about a difference of perhaps a week compared to previous years.
The Canadian Opening Race
Canadian resorts have been increasingly aggressive about early openings in recent years, driven partly by genuine snow conditions and partly by the marketing value of being "first." The competition usually comes down to a handful of Alberta and BC resorts racing to spin chairs in late October or early November, weather permitting.
What matters more than the actual opening date is whether conditions justify it. Opening on marginal snow coverage just to claim bragging rights is a recipe for disappointing early-season visitors and damaging terrain. The fact that Sunshine is limiting operations to a single chair and gondola access suggests they're being reasonably conservative with their snowpack, which is the right approach even if it's less exciting than promoting full mountain operations.
What This Means for Skiers and Riders
For anyone planning to take advantage of this early opening, set expectations accordingly. You're looking at limited terrain, potentially variable conditions, and crowds concentrated on whatever runs are actually open. The $70 ticket price reflects this reality, but you're still paying for what amounts to a few hours of lapping the same runs.
Pass holders who were going to ski anyway and locals looking to shake off the off-season rust will find value here. Anyone considering a dedicated trip to Banff for opening weekend should probably wait a few weeks until more terrain opens and conditions stabilise.
The broader trend of Canadian resorts pushing earlier openings reflects both improving snowmaking technology and the competitive pressure to capture early-season attention. Whether this benefits skiers and riders or just generates marketing content for resort social media accounts remains an open question. In Sunshine's case, they appear to be threading the needle reasonably well—opening early without making unrealistic promises about what's actually available.
The 2025-26 season is officially underway in Canada, though whether that's genuinely newsworthy or just a calendar milestone depends largely on your perspective. Either way, if you're in the Banff area with a pass and low expectations, you could do worse than getting a few early runs in before the crowds show up.
