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!

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!

The tea house was first built in the early 50s and is a big part of Banff Norquay’s history, “reborn”. You can now ride up the North American Chair to enjoy  picture perfect perspective of the town of Banff.

TEA HOUSE CHAIR LIFT RATES

SNOW TUBING RATES

Family pass 2 adults 2 children** of the same family 
2hrs 58$ +tax
Full Day 74$ +tax
Add on kids 12$+tax (combined with a family package)
**Children must be 42″ in height and 4 years or older to use the tube park.

HOURS OF OPERATION*

*Please note: Hours subject to change based on snow conditions.

GST (tax) is currently 5%.

You can visit Banff Norquay’s website direct for more information: banffnorquay.com

Banff Norquay resort statistics

Cheers to Banff Norquay!

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!

The meteorite is en route and Bruce Willis’ gang of pro-drillers are not proving up to the task. We have 24 hours to live and I have some decisions to make. Suffice it to say, my final meal will be steak with every known variety of potato (chipped, mashed, roasted, dauphinoised etc) washed down by gallons of fantastic, robust red wine, but we’ll get to that later. Where will I go? What will I do?

And so we’re off to Banff…

Given the impending death and destruction that is coming tomorrow, I am very much in the “get-up-early-camp” and so The Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which is Banff’s only ski-in/ ski-out hotel, is the ideal place to take a hearty lumberjack-style breakfast. First track’s breakfast allows diners to eat and head out for…yes…first tracks before the punters arrive! We’ll plump for the traditional Canadian breakfast of pancakes, crispy bacon, maple syrup and icing sugar! Isn’t it just wonderful that the restaurant staff and lifties are happy to work and not spend the hours before Armageddon in the bosom of their families? Such is the industrious nature of Banffers!

I did my ski instructor course at Sunshine Village in 01/02 and, to this day, it remains my favourite ski resort – I like to think of it as the back garden of Banff, my spiritual home! To start the day, we’ll grab a chair and do some carving down some of Sunshine’s wide-open pistes. Continental Divide is always a good place to start to get the leg muscles pumping! After that, we’ll hit Mount Standish a few times with runs down black areas; Headwall, Garbage Chutes and Dirty Little Corner – short pitches but super-steep and pretty intense. Before breaking for lunch, we have time to explore Wawa bowl, dropping the cornice (lip!) into Paris Bowl and back through the always-icy Waterfall and a beautiful run through the trees on Shaken Not Stirred!

Now for lunch, taken in Chimney Corner which offers awe-inspiring views over the jagged peaks of Sunshine Village. It is a view that never gets boring! Sticking with the old Canadian favourites, I’ll be dining on Poutine: a wonderful dish of crispy fries topped by cheese curds and a chicken based sauce washed down by some Canadian Dry!

After lunch, we don our transceivers, pack up probes & shovels and we’re off up to Delirium Dive which plays host to, without doubt, the most insane in-bounds terrain in Canada, if not the world. We hit line after line of steep pitch with cliff drops, narrow chutes, wide-open bowls and a ton of fantastic natural hits. The whole area is covered in the lightest, fluffiest powder snow that provides us with endless face-shots as we whoop and holler our way down!

With tired legs, we ski down the final run and end up at Trapper’s Bar. As we move onto the terrace with an après-ski beer, the sun starts beaming and the temperature gauge on the mercury moves up to 25C. What a stroke of luck!

Not wishing to waste too much time, we head back downtown for a soak in Banff’s famous hot springs. There is nothing like lolling around in deliciously hot water to shake off the aches and pains of a tough day on the slopes.

For dinner at Saltlik (arguably the best steak-house in the world!), I will be joined by Billy Connelly, Smithy from Gavin & Stacey, George Best (I know!) and my best-mate-from-home, Jamie. Eva Longoria Parker will play the part of my love interest. She will sit at my side and gaze longingly at me all night. As indicated earlier, I shall be having at least one steak, but probably two, with a blue-cheese sauce and served with fries, roast potatoes, a little mash potato and a large dish of dauphinoise potatoes. The wine will be French, very old and expensive!

After dinner, we’ll party the night away in Hoodoos and Auroras before Eva and I repair to the Presidential Suite at the Banff Springs Hotel for a night that I will never forget.

The perfect day to see in the Armageddon…!

Some early-bird deals have been extended until January 15 2011 – not what I would call “early” as we are already well into the season (but best not to complain). Deals include 50% OFF loding at Panorama Ski Resort for stays of 5+ nights as part of a ski package through Ski Holidays Canada. Panorama was sold by Intrawest last year, and the new management at Panorama are really making an excellent attempt with providing tour operators with awesome deals. There is also a scheduled Panorama service from Calgary YYC airport making it easier to get to Panorama ski resort. If you have not tried Panorama – you should make it your next ski holiday destination.

Discounted Banff ski passes are still on sale too. The Tri-Area pass covers Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. The ski shuttles from Banff currently only pick up from three locations with exception to the Lake Louise ski bus which now picks up at most hotels in Banff. Thank you Lake Louise – we salute you!

Now, what about this fresh snow we’ve been talking about? Here is what we have received at our featured ski resorts in the last 12-24 hours:

• Sunshine Village – 4cm (1.6in) over last 24 hours
• Kimberley – 5cm (2in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing
• Panorama – 6cm (2.4in) over the last 24 hours
• Lake Louise – 6 cm (2.4in) over the last 12 hours
• Fernie – 9cm (3.5in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing
• Jasper Marmot Basin – 10cm (4in) over the last 24 hours
• Kicking Horse – 13cm (5.1in) over the last 24 hours
• Whistler Blackcomb – 26cm (10in) over the last 24 hours and it’s still snowing! MEGA-POW baby!

Okay, now what  are you doing still sat reading this blog post – get out and enjoy and we look forward to any comments you have!

Best wishes for 2011 from Canada-Ski.com!

The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is the single harmonized value-added tax that will replace the GST and PST in British Columbia on July 1, 2010. The HST will apply at a rate of 12 per cent to those goods and services that are subject to GST. In other words, the PST will be eliminated and a 7 per cent provincial rate will be added to the 5 per cent GST. This 12 per cent combined tax will be called the HST.

Which of your featured ski resorts are affected?

All ski resorts in British Columbia (BC), Western Canada, will be affected by this new HST. Out of our featured ski resorts, these include Fernie, Kimberley, Kicking Horse, Panorama and Whistler Blackcomb.

Will my ski holiday in British Columbia cost me more?

In short, yes. The main impact is on the lift passes which will now be subject to 12% tax (instead of 5%) at all the ski resort in British Columbia. A full list of ski resorts in BC can be viewed HERE.

How can I avoid this tax?

If you book and pay in full by the end of this month, April 2010, then you will not have to pay the additional 7% tax for next season. May 1 2010 onwards, you will have to pay the additional tax.

If you want to avoid the tax completely after May 1 2010, take your ski holiday in Alberta where goods and services are only subject to 5% GST. Out of our featured ski resorts, these include Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, Jasper Marmot Basin and Nakiska. I suspect suppliers in British Columbia may lower rates or at the very least keep rates the same as last winter to keep competitive with suppliers in Alberta.

Booking in advance will save you money as there are some great early-bird ski deals available. Ski Holidays Canada for example have free ski days, hotel nights and kids ski and rent for free at select ski resorts as early-booking incentives.

The ski resorts are bracing themselves for a tough winter season and are offering wholesalers such as rocky-peak Ski Holidays excellent early-bird lift pass rates and promotions such as “kids ski free”. With deposits of just 10% required for most ski packages, it is well worth getting your ski holiday in Canada booked early.

Jasper Marmot Basin this year are offering International guests travelling with rocky-peak Ski Holidays FREE ski shuttles to the ski hill when the lift passes are pre-booked as well as kids ski and rent free.

It is not just the ski resorts who are offering their best ever rates. Ski rental shops are also offering promotions such as “kids rent free” as well as price freezes and ski package discounts.

There are also great early-bird accommodation deals with the hotel and property owners wanting to secure bookings early.

There will no doubt be some last minute deals, but booking in advance will certainly save you a money!