Should you downhill ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? They are both fantastic options for families and couples. They both offer a variety of beginner green runs to the more advanced double black runs. Costco members can purchase two adult full-day lift tickets for $189.99 + GST at Sunshine and $219 + GST at Lake Louise.
Sunshine has many runs that turn into bowls on Mount Standish and straight runs on Goat’s Eye Mountain while offering spectacular views. The views can come at a cost though with incredibly high winds making it cold to ski and sit on the chairlift. Looking at the weather forecast before heading to Sunshine is a wise idea, to have a spectacular day of skiing. Lake Louise can also have high winds but the runs are generally protected in the trees. The runs exposed to the sun can get icy at Lake Louise. The conditions depend on whether it snowed at both ski hills.
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Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village is located twenty minutes west of Banff and forty minutes east of Lake Louise located on Sunshine road. It’s a popular downhill skiing hill that attracts many visitors every year. When we went on reading week in February, the hill was at its busiest I had ever seen. Unless skiers arrive early to park in the parking lots, they should be prepared to park on the road and take a shuttle bus to the gondola. They have sections marked with signs along the road to indicate to the shuttle drivers where to drop you off at the end of the day. Busy parking along the road also means a packed hill with many skiers.
A reminder, that if the option is available to go when it isn’t Christmas or reading week, the hill will be less packed and more enjoyable.
Gondola to Sunshine Village
To reach the village, take the gondola from the base of the parking lot to connect to Goat’s Eye Mountain at mid-mountain if you’d like to spend your day skiing there, or travel higher up to Standish Hill. Strawberry Express Chair takes skiers to access the left side of Standish Hill and another chair allows skiers to access the summit of the right side of the mountain.
When people get tired of skiing, they can take the gondola back to the bottom or ski on the ski-out to the parking lot. The ski-out is narrow, especially with multiple skiers. It can feel nerve-wracking to maneuver back and forth down the hill without enough personal space to get to the bottom.
The gondola can bring you back and forth between Standish Hill and Goat’s Eye Mountain depending on where you’d like to ski and what conditions you find when you arrive at the different hills.
A Variety of Runs with Different Levels of Difficulty
Run Difficulty
Once you disembark the Standish Chair lift to the right you’ll see this wonderful landscape. The sign in the middle of the run shows different directions a person can take depending on their ski level. The green runs for beginners or those not confident in their skills yet are marked by a green circle. These runs tend to give you lots of space to turn and aren’t very steep to help build confidence. The blue runs marked by blue squares indicate that they could be more narrow and a bit steeper. The black runs indicated by a black diamond suggest that the runs could be narrow, steep and challenging with rocks or trees in the way that might require fancy maneuvering.
Disembarking the Chair Lift
The first part of the hill can be busy before skiers choose their direction. Before deciding which way to go, make sure to enjoy looking at the scenery and the beautiful landscape. Especially during the winter, it’s not very common to have bright sunny days that offer a mix of sun and cloud. After all, a ski hill requires much natural snow!
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Busy Runs at Sunshine
With so many people on the ski hill, the runs can be busy depending on the day a skier decides to go. The black runs tend to be less busy with most skiers feeling less confident to attempt those runs. If skiers feel up to it, they can consider those runs as options. Early in the morning or during lunch are fantastic times to go as most people won’t have arrived on the ski hill early or will be breaking for lunch making the ski hill less busy.
Snacks
Tip: Take some bars with you for a quick snack along the way to keep yourself from getting hungry while everyone else is eating. If lunch can be delayed by an hour or so, more time will be enjoyed skiing without having an entourage of skiers. The less populated restaurants will be more enjoyable for eating as well.
Bowls on Standish Hill
Once a decision has been made as to where a skier would like to head, many different runs join up together in a bowl making it extremely crowded with lots of skiers that could be maneuvering their way down.
Tip: Be patient and take your time if you don’t like skiers right beside you. Let them go and then you’ll have your own space to ski. Go earlier or around lunch on these runs as they will be less crowded or choose a different direction to ski. Be mindful of the days that could be busy and plan accordingly.
When it is windy, this hill is protected from the wind allowing for wonderful skiing conditions with lots of snow to ski. If you don’t mind the busy hill with lots of skiers, you’ll definitely enjoy Standish Hill.
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Spectacular Views at Sunshine
The landscape with a mix of sun and cloud offered gorgeous views! Make sure to take pictures and enjoy the moment by taking it all in. This day was extremely windy which made for a brisk wind sitting on the chair lift and while skiing.
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Layers at Sunshine
When the wind is brisk, which can often happen at Sunshine, be prepared to dress warmly with numerous layers to avoid being frozen on the chair lift and while skiing.
Chair Lifts
I don’t especially like chair lifts but I work through it to make it to the top of the hill. When there are high winds the chair can feel uneasy and extremely cold. Depending on which chair lifts a skier takes, the wind can make for an unpleasant ride up. Keep that in mind.
At the top of Goat’s Eye Mountain, it felt nerve-wracking with the wind trying to blow me in a certain direction with so much open space skiing.
Tip: Be mindful of which chairs to take when it’s windy. Sitting on the edge of the chair can make you feel more comfortable knowing that you can grab onto the handle for added comfort. It it is windy, to help feel confident, stay where there’s lots of tree coverage to block the wind. It will feel safer to ski without being pushed around.
If you don’t mind chairs, and you’re used to braving the wind, you’ll be all set. You’ll have a fantastic day of skiing.
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Different Mountains at Sunshine
Mount Standish offers a variety of runs for different levels of skiers. When choosing the Strawberry Express, blue and green runs can be taken straight to the bottom of the hill. To the right, blue and black runs can be skied but can get congested with all of them dropping into a bowl with skiers.
Goat’s Eye is for more skilled and confident skiers who are capable of blue and black runs. This is wonderful hill as long as it isn’t too windy. If it is windy, the conditions could feel unpleasant at first above the tree cover but once you power through that area, the conditions with lots of snow can be spectacular. Multiple blue and black runs can be found at mid mountain with plenty of opportunity to try different ones throughout your day.
Lake Louise
Lake Louise also gets a lot of snow but depending on the amount of sun exposure, the runs can ice up quickly, especially on the front-facing hill, where most beginners spend their day. It’s recommended to spend most of the day on the back hills such as Larch for intermediate to advanced skiers and only return to the front of the hill for the last run of the day or when you’re needing some easier runs before quitting time.
Trees Break Wind
The trees break wind on most runs as they are in the tree line at Lake Louise. Larch hill makes for the Best Downhill Ski Day at Lake Louise. It has a variety of blue runs that a skier can take over and over or switch up over the course of the day. The runs offer beautiful views while being protected from the wind. The left side of the hill doesn’t tend to be as busy, as it caters to more advanced skiers whereas the green runs further to the right of the hill or on the front side of the hill, where more skiers tend to spend their time.
Skiers can have lunch at the bottom of the hill at Temple Lodge. They offer a variety of food choices. If you choose to eat after the lunch rush around one or two in the afternoon, it will be easier to find yourself a spot to sit with your family or your partner.
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Runs are Straight Down at Lake Louise
Lake Louise has many straight runs instead of multiple runs narrowing themselves into a crowded bowl. The runs allow enough space for skiers to pass each other while also allowing each skier space to move comfortably while turning. The blue runs at Lake Louise allow you to go fairly fast while still feeling under control.
Tip: When finding an icy patch, the trick is not to stop but proceed cautiously. If you stop, you might lose your confidence and freeze on the hill, unable to move. If it’s required to stop on the hill, do so on a relatively flat part of the hill.
My Chaos Multi Tubular Headwear – Unisex kept my neck and cheeks warm throughout the day. It’s easy to move up down my face depending how cold I felt. It cost $14.95 at MEC. It’s super useful to wear while hiking, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing.
Downhill Ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Mountain Possibilities at Lake Louise
The west and back bowls offer many runs for advanced skiers interested in doing double blacks. Larch offers a variety of runs ranging from green to black. Larch offers gorgeous blue runs that are protected from the wind and go straight down to the bottom of the chair lift. It has spectacular scenery to take pictures and enjoy the day skiing. The front side has many green, blue and black runs that can be found depending on where someone would like to ski. The hill has opportunities to make it the best day possible.
Chair Options
Compared to Sunshine Village, at Lake Louise taking a gondola isn’t required to get to the base of the village. There are different options at the base of the hill. The front side has a gondola to take you to the top of the mountain as well as a chair to take you to the midsection of the mountain. The front side of the hill has wide runs to help skiers work up that confidence to turn as they please without crowding up the hill and feeling in the way. There’s lots of space to move around and give skiers of different skill levels the opportunity to feel free.
Final Thoughts
Now comes the decision, is it best to downhill ski Sunshine or Lake Louise? Is one better than the other one? They just might be different from each other and that’s okay. I prefer downhill skiing at Lake Louise. I like the open space to turn as I please without feeling crowded, compared to landing in a bowl at Sunshine. It often feels less windy at Lake Louise as there is more tree cover. On the other hand, Sunshine has more runs for advanced skiers and most often the runs are covered with snow. It’s up to you to decide what you prefer or simply enjoy skiing at both ski hills and make it the best day possible.
Additional Links
- Guide to Downhill Skiing in Avoriaz, France
- Guide to Downhill Ski in Marmot Jasper
- What are the Benefits of Skiing?
- 9 Extraordinary Winter Wonderland Banff National Park Activities
- Hiking to Cross-Country Skiing Near Edmonton
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