BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA–I woke up at 8am on a fresh spring mountain morning, stepped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, put my sunglasses on and grabbed my skis. Temperatures peaked yesterday at 20 degrees Celsius in Banff and yet still the snow conditions were absolutely perfect for skiing or snowboarding. There are few places in the world where you can be on top of a ski hill while watching people sitting on patios sipping beer in t-shirts but this is the Canadian Rockies and everything is a little bit special up here.
There are few better places in the world for spring skiing and boarding than Banff National Park.
Though the lower part of the mountain is closed at this stage of the season, it doesn’t really matter as all the best runs come from north of the main gondola. The snow is slightly slushy but it doesn’t slow you down much at all. In fact, at times it seems to speed you up if anything. The sun’s heat has caused certain parts of the slope to be a bit on the bare side of things with the odd rock on show but this just makes tricks and jumps all the more fun. You can do things that you may never have been able to do all winter.
Next weekend in Sunshine Village is the last weekend of the season finishing with the not-so-sober slush cup which is technically a competition but is more like a big party to celebrate making it through the season in one piece! Skiing in Banff National Park is one of the most fun activities in the world you can do and it is all the more enjoyable in spring with the sun shining and the atmosphere electric. Whether it is the Lake Louise ski area or Sunshine, you are bound to have the time of your life.