YOUR GUIDE TO AREA SKI RESORTS

Sunshine Village

Like so many resorts across Western Canada, Sunshine Village is going big this weekend for Avalanche Awareness Days. The Banff National Park resort has three hours (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) of interactive activities organized for both Saturday and Sunday designed to help skiers and snowboarders learn how to safely enjoy the winter backcountry. With temperatures rising in the area this week, conditions are set for some killer days on the slopes too. Mother Nature sprinkled 9 cm of snow on Sunshine in the past seven days, bringing the total this winter to 395 cm. www.skibanff.com @SunshineVillage

Lake Louise

Year after year, guests from around the world flock to Lake Louise at the tail end of January for the Ice Magic Festival. The annual event goes from Jan. 18 to 28 and is highlighted by the Ice Carving Competition at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, where world-class carvers create mindblowing works of art from 300-lb blocks of ice. There’s lots of snow to go along with all that ice, too, as the ski resort saw 9 cm of new snow fall on its sweet slopes in the past week and has received 366 cm so far this season. www.skilouise.com @SkiLouise

Nakiska

With the clock ticking down towards next month’s Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Albertans are getting a unique opportunity to see their heroes-of-the-future up close. From Jan. 19-20, Nakiska will be hosting the 2018 Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup, and fans can catch all the action in the Festival Finish Area to get an exhilarating look at the guys and girls who will be representing Canada next month. www.skinakiska.com @SkiNakiska

Norquay

We’re only a couple weeks away from Norquay’s next Toonie Day, which means skiers and snowboarders should start getting ready to take advantage of one of the very best deals they’re likely to find anywhere in the Rockies this season. On Feb. 7, the folks at the Banff resort will be selling lift tickets for only $2 — although a donation to charity is encouraged — in an effort to make the sport they love accessible to anyone and everyone. As the frigid weather system that enveloped Western Canada recently moved out of the area, 5 cm of new snow fell on Norquay, and the season total now stands at 242 cm. www.banffnorquay.com @MtNorquay

COP

Just because the kids aren’t in school, that doesn’t mean that they need to stop learning. This winter, WinSport is offering a wide range of camps for kids when the school schedule delivers up a PD Day. The Calgary hill provides full-day lessons for everything from kids who have never skied before to kids looking to refine their already-impressive skills.

www.winsport.ca

Marmot Basin

It’s January and we’re talking about Jasper, so inevitably we’re going to need to talk about Jasper in January. The two-week festival showcases the very best that Jasper has to offer, and from Jan. 13-28 guests will have the chance to take in all the best art, food and outdoor adventure that one of the country’s coolest mountain towns has at its disposal. www.skimarmot.com @MarmotBasin

Kicking Horse

Even at a resort as huge as Kicking Horse, an event like the Freeride World Tour has a tendency to monopolize the conversation. This year at Kicking Horse, they’re understandably excited about hosting the only stop in North America for the world’s best big mountain ski tour. The event goes Feb. 3-9, and right now conditions are shaping up nicely to guarantee some powder-heavy racing. In the past week alone, the Golden, B.C., resort had 16 cm of powder fall on its slopes and the season total now sits at an incredible 563 cm. www.kickinghorseresort.com @KickingHorseMTN