Ski and ride for just $2 at Banff Norquay on the following Thursdays in 2013:

1. January 17th
2. February 21st
3. March 21st
4. April 11th

For those of you who aren’t Canadian, a “toonie” is a name we use to refer to a $2 coin.

Hope you get chance to enjoy this incredible value – this has to be the best ski deal IN THE WORLD – what do you think??!

Happy skiing and riding!

All you have to do is follow @HolidaysCanada on Twitter, then retweet (RT) the tweet below and you are immediately entered. A winner will be selected at random this Friday so get your skis on and good luck!

FOLLOW US, RT THIS & WIN a 2012-13 Tri-Area 3-day Ski Pass – Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine. Winner will be chosen at random on NOV 9 @ 10am PST

— rocky-peak Holidays (@HolidaysCanada) November 5, 2012

This is the earliest ski resort opening in Canada as a result of the incredible early season snowfalls we have been receiving.

Banff Lake Louise Sunshine is already on track for another record smashing ski season – let’s hope it continues…

Mt. Norquay is leading the way in the record books with its earliest opening in its history and the first ski resort to open in Canada. Nakiska ski resort announced yesterday that they were going to open on the weekend and Banff Norquay have pipped them today by announcing that they are opening 2 days earlier.

Banff Norquay will be open for skiing tomorrow, Thursday October 25th at 12noon – will you be there?!

The combination of 30 cm of natural and manmade snow has provided the best opening skiing you can imagine! Norquay will also be open 10am-4pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Following closely on the heels of Mt. Norquay is The Lake Louise Ski Area and Sunshine Village with opening dates currently scheduled for November 9th, completing the big three ski resorts in Banff National Park. Banff National Park boasts the longest ski season in North America. Your Tri-Area ski pass covers all three and deals such as 7+3 days free and kids ski free end on DECEMBER 15 2012 and are currently available through the U.K. website SKI HOLIDAYS CANADA (you need to contact for rates).

This is fantastic news for skiers and snowboarders to Banff Lake Louise Sunshine.

Banff National Park and its three world-class resorts look forward to a season of fresh powder, great skiing and smooth riding in Canada’s Protected Playground, where open runs and iconic views come naturally to us

I hope you are as excited as us as regarding this announcement!

What do you think skiers and riders? Comment below and let’s get this conversation going…

Happy Christmas everyone and hope Santa brings you a nice new set of skis or snowboard!

We get contacted a lot about heli-skiing and heli-snowshoeing in Jasper National Park. Just like all National Parks across Western Canada, you can not do either of these winter activities within the National Parks and so you will always have to travel a little way out to get to the heli-base. Out of Jasper, you can drive to Robson Helimagic’s base in Valemont, British Columbia. This is about a 1.5 hour drive along the scenic Yellowhead highway. You drive out of Jasper National Park and through Mount Robson Provincial Park to get to the heli-base. You may even see a moose, elk or deer enroute! If you don’t have a vehicle, transportation can be arranged.

We were just notified today by Robson Helimagic that they are revamping their ski program for the 2011-2012 winter season. No more vertical (yes you heard me right!). Basically you will buy heli-time. With these proposed changes, a group of 1-4, for example, will pay one price regardless of how many are skiing.  This gives skiers and riders better skiing options and makes private group skiing incredible value.

Robson Helimagic has access to about 1,000sq Kms of terrain in the remote western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Their season typically runs from January until the end of March.

For more information, visit the official website of Robson Helimagic.

Check out their latest video for a taster of what to expect:

We love comments – feel free to post your heli-experiences below!

The Lake Louise Ski Area was the first ski resort to open in Canada on November 5th 2010. Jasper Marmot Basin opened today so too did Banff Mount Norquay and Nakiska which started opening weekends until early December at which time they will open full time for the season.  Whistler Blackcomb is opening six days EARLY on Friday, November 19 at 8:30am.

Opening dates for the rest of our featured ski resorts in Western Canada:

• Banff Norquay Ski Resort – Open for weekends until FRI Dec 3 2010
• Sunshine Village Banff Ski Resort – To open THU Nov 18 2010 / “One snowfall away”
• Lake Louise Mountain Ski Resort – Opened FRI Nov 5 2010 (First in Canada)
• Kicking Horse Mountain Ski Resort – To open mid-December 2010
• Jasper Marmot Basin Ski Resort – Opened SAT Nov 13 2010
• Fernie Alpine Ski Resort – SAT Dec 4 2010
• Kimberley Alpine Ski Resort – “Preview weekend” – Dec 11 and 12 2010
• Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort – FRI Nov 19 2010
• Panorama Mountain Ski Resort – FRI Dec 10 2010
• Nakiska Kananaskis Ski Resort – Opened SAT Nov 13 2010

There are another 37 ski resorts in Western Canada not mentioned here – 11 in Alberta and 26 in British Columbia –> more ski resorts in Western Canada.

For immediate updates on ski news in Western Canada follow @HolidaysCanada for their ski holiday news.

Prices for the bus to Mount Norquay, The Lake Louise Ski Area & Sunshine Village are as follows:

Adult Return: $15 (Included with pass*)
Adult One-Way: $10 (Included with pass*)
Child Return: $10 (Free**)
Child One-Way: $6 (Free**)

*A Tri-Area lift ticket includes the bus trip.

**Children SKI FOR FREE with a minimum purchase of an adult ski pass through Ski Holidays Canada. Up to 4 children can SKI FOR FREE per adult.



This schedule is subject to change. Please speak to the hotel front desk or concierge for exact times.

It will be playing soon at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Canada on Saturday, October 30, at 12PM and is definitely worth checking out!

You can view the trailer below or check out their website for more information.

Sunshine will hold the 2nd Annual BIKINIS FOR BREAST CANCER to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This event is open to all women of all ages. All participants will ski or snowboard down Strawberry Face at the same time in an “S” formation and finish in the village area.

To enter all you have to do is just raise a minimum of $125 in pledges through friends, relatives, co-workers or make a donation yourself. Pledges or donations that are collected can be as little or as much as an individual wants to give, just as long as your total is $125 or more.

There will be lots of prizes including top fundraiser so we encourage you to raise as much money as you can! For more event information or to register for Bikinis for Breast Cancer, please email events@skibanff.com or call 403.762.6508 or 403.762.7890 ext 1218. All registrations must be in by May 20th 2010. Once you sign up you will be given your fundraising pledge sheet and event day information.

Please pass this along to as many women you know and help to save lives! If you would like to make a donation to our Bikinis for Breast Cancer event please contact Karen Guidos at 403.762.6508 or email events@skibanff.com. For more information about the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation please visit www.cbcf.org.