Bigger not always better for skiing
IT’S easy to be seduced by size when choosing a ski resort. Big is nearly always seen as best: big mountains, big runs, big dumps, big lifts. The most famous resorts bend the scales from outsize to ginormous. But there’s a case for compact ski hills that fly under the radar. Often that’s where you’ll find the locals skiing.
Mt Norquay is a good case in point. Nestled into a steep mountain valley just outside the resort town of Banff, it’s often overlooked by visitors who burn right past on the road to the Bow Valley’s bigger, more famous resorts, Sunshine and Lake Louise. They are missing something special.
For one thing, Norquay is built for speed. Its upper slopes are steep, banked like race tracks and groomed to perfection with ski racers in mind. Norquay hosted the Alpine Ski World Cup in 1972 and its local race team remains one of the fastest in Canada. If you’re game, you can point your tips down a world-class slalom course and feel your skin peel back as you bullet to the bottom.
The resort’s pioneering history is as impressive as its racing pedigree. Skiing began here in the 1920s when fit locals hiked up from Banff and built a lodge and then installed some rope tows. It became only the second resort in Canada to put in a chairlift, The North American, which still accesses some of the most challenging inbound terrain in the region. On a powder day you’ll see many of Banff’s best skiers and boarders queuing here for the first chairlift of the day.
At the other end of the scale, Norquay is well suited for families and beginners who can glide the gentle slopes directly in front of the mountain base. There’s a magic carpet ride, a busy ski school and enough green and blue runs to entertain all ability levels. Because it’s so compact and rarely busy, there’s a friendly atmosphere and little chance of misplacing a child.
Non-skiers are catered for too. The Norquay Tube Park has the longest and fastest sliding lanes in western Canada. Tubing provides many of the thrills of skiing — speed, adrenaline, the chance to wear mirrored goggles — without the difficult-to-acquire skill set. You just plonk yourself in an inflatable tube and try not to die laughing as you zoom down the banked course. Gravity does the steering.
On Friday and Saturday nights they bring the party to the hill, lighting up the mountain’s lower elevations including the terrain park. It’s the only night-skiing in the Bow Valley and is popular with locals who like to start their weekend with a few beers and a nocturnal shred.
Of course, if you’ve made your way to Banff you’ll also want to ski at Lake Louise and Sunshine to find out for yourself if bigger really is better. All three resorts can be easily accessed on a SkiBig3 Pass, which offers free shuttle transport from Banff and better value if you buy in advance. There are many passes available including a threeout-of-five-day pass. Visit skibig3.com.
To get to Norquay, fly to Calgary via Vancouver. It’s a stunning 90-minute drive into the Rocky Mountains to the town of Banff (ask for snow tyres). Airport shuttles are also available.