Banff Sunshine

Sunshine Village is a ski resort in Banff National Park, Alberta. Located in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Sunshine Village spans the continental divide and the Alberta-British Columbia border. Parts of the ski area are in British Columbia, however access is solely from the base area in Alberta. It is fifteen minutes away from the town of Banff, and one hour and thirty minutes away from the city of Calgary, Alberta.

Sunshine Village has 3,358 acres of skiable terrain, with its top elevation at 8,954 feet (2730m), its base elevation at 5,440 feet (1660m), and its total vertical 3,514 feet (1070m). There are 107 named runs spreading out over three mountains and the two provinces, (Alberta and British Columbia).

The Sunshine Inn, located in the centre of Sunshine Village ski area at 7200 feet, is Banff's only ski in ski out hotel and is accessed by the resort's high speed 8 person gondola. Road access to the Sunshine Inn is not possible during winter months.

Prior to the construction of the high speed gondola the base area was accessed by buses from the resort's parking lot further down the mountain. The narrow access road used by the buses was dangerous due to it's narrow width and snow conditions. The road is no longer open during the winter months and has become the resort's ski-out, allowing skiers to ski down to their parked cars.

The average annual snow fall is up to thirty-three feet (approx nine meters). The ski season begins mid-November, and ends in late May making it one of the longest ski seasons in North America. Sunshine Village has hosted many world class alpine ski events.

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Sunshine Village ski area at dawn, Feb 2005.

SkiBanff