109 km
1660 m - 2730 m
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Test report Sunshine Village
Skiresort.info Test of the ski resort Sunshine Village
Total result: 4 out of 5 stars
Test Sunshine Village
The review Sunshine Village was created by Skiresort.info, the world’s largest test portal for ski resorts.
Top evaluation criteria
These evaluations count double in the total result.
Further evaluation criteria
Evaluation criteria for special interests
In detail: Test report for ski resort Sunshine Village
Top evaluation criteria
These evaluations count double in the total result.
Runs/slopes
Altitude difference
1070 m (Valley 1660 m - Mountain 2730 m )
Lifts/ cable cars
10
Number of lifts to get from one end of the ski resort to the other
→ 3 ← 2
Number of lifts to get from one end of the ski resort to the other
→ 3 ← 2
Runs/slopes
Total 109 km
Easy
25 km
(23 %)Intermediate
50 km
(46 %)Difficult
34 km
(31 %)
Longest run
8 km
Run location
above tree line, under tree line
Worth knowing
- Valley run available
Number of ski lifts
10
Total capacity
19950 Passengers / hour
Length of all lifts
14.5 km Total
Lifts and cable cars
1
9
Additional
2
Worth knowing
- Artificial snow-making
2 Snow canons
1 % of the slopes have snow-making capabilities
- The valley run is often open.
Season 2008/2009
210 Days open
155 Days when valley run open
155 Days when valley run open
Photos
The slope preparation is very good.
Tip: By new snow, an optimal slope prepartion is not always possible, even with a large effort. In addition, the new snow can not combine with the snow lying underneath and moguls are created quickly. For safety reasons, usually no slope preparation is possible during operating times.
Photos
Further evaluation criteria
Access via Highway 1, Ausfahrt Sunshine Road
- Sunshine Village Gondola (Banff), Ideal entry for day visitors
Distance: 8 km · approx. 12 Minutes driving time
Roads: Side road, Mountain road, well-developed, with significant incline
Parking spaces: enough available, Tarred parking lot, Stone parking lot, free of charge
Public transportation/ on-site mobility
- No direct train connection
- Ski busses
- Scheduled busses
Ski-in/Ski-out
There is only one accommodation with direct access to the slopes and to lifts (Ski-in/Ski-out)
Towns/villages
- Banff
Distance to ski resort 10-20 km
Guest beds 12230
Note: For the evaluation, only the accommodations which are located directly on the slopes and lifts, or have very easy access to the ski resort have been considered.
Photos
Evaluation criteria for special interests
Information for families and children
- Kid's Land/ separated area for children
- Wave ride for children
- Adventure course
- People mover
- Children's lifts
- Beginner's lifts in ski resort directly at the feeder lift
- Ski kindergarten
- Ski school for children
Photos
Information for beginners
- Easy and manageable slope offering, which is easy to achieve
- Wide slopes
- Beginner's area
- Special slopes for slower skiers / beginners
- Easy valley run
- Beginner's lifts in ski resort directly at the feeder lift
Photos
Information for advanced skiers, freeriders
- very many freeride / deep snow areas
- very many mogul slopes
- very many extremely difficult, steep and unprepared runs (Double Diamonds)
Slope offering advanced skiers
Runs/slopes
Total 109 km
Difficult
34 km
(31 %)Note: Always mind the avalanche warnings and barriers, please. Never ski into a closed and unsecured area.
Photos
Information for Snowboarders
- some cat tracks
- no runs with ascent
- very many freeride / deep snow areas
Snow parks
- Rogers Terrain Park
Offering snow parks
- Snow park/ Fun park
- No halfpipe
- Kicker (Jump/ Ramp)
- Rails/ Slides
- Boxes
- Wallride
- Corner / Hip
- Boardercross
- Waverides
- Pro Line
- Medium Line
- Beginner/ Easy Line
- Chill area
- No cross-country trails available
Cross-country trails are actually outside of the leasehold - i.e. in the National Park area that is not leased to Sunshine. The closest access point is up the WaWa ski lift, and then directly forward to a marked exit point. The trails are not marked.
Conclusion
wide runs, free ride areas, no t-bars
many flat runs, no chair lifts with Bubbles and foot rests, expensive restaurants (especially drinks)
Detailed description of the ski resort
From Banff you have an easy 16 km drive to Sunshine Village. Here you will find only natural snow, they don´t need snow-canyons, because they have enough snow. From the base station you take the new 8-passenger-gondola up to Sunshine Village. After a curve you reach the mid-station, here you can take the high speed quad to Goat´s Eye Mountain, or you can stay in the gondola up to Sunshine Village, the top station. The Goat´s Eye Mountain is a terrain for advanced skier, here you find wide deep-snow runs. The run "Hell´s Kitchen" is a very steep run through the forest and then along the quad only for extreme skier. After skiing the Goat´s Eye Mountain it is time to ski Sunshine Village. Here you can choose between different lifts. The best way is to take the Angel High Speed Quad and then the Continental Divide High Speed Quad up to the Lookout Mountain, with 2730m the highest point at Sunshine Village and on the way to the top you go a short piece through British Columbia with the quad. At Lookout Mountain you can ski the "Delirium Dive", an expert run, but you must register at the patrol, before you ski this run and you can choose between easy and intermediate runs back to the top station of the gondola. At Mt. Standish you have the Strawberry Triple Chair, especially for beginners and the new high speed quad Mount Standish Express which open up easy to advanced runs. To ski down to the valley, just take the short quad Jackrabbit (back to Goat´s Eye Mountain, too). There is also the top station from the high speed quad Wolverine Express, which starts at the middle station. The valley run, called "Banff Avenue" is a very long and flat way back to the base station...
Test Report issued on 2010-03-01
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