Banff Ski Holidays

Mountain Daylight Time (UTC/GMT - 6 hours).

Heathrow offers a direct flight to Calgary airport, which is approximately a 1.5-hour drive from Banff town.

The drive from the airport to Banff is approximately 1.5 hours and follows a spectacularly scenic route. After about 45 minutes, you’ll be met with the impressive mountains that surround Banff town. Alternatively, you can opt for a pre-bookable shuttle bus or a private transfer.

March is an ideal time to visit Banff with warmer temperatures than December and January, which are far chillier. Plus, you can still expect frequent dumps of snow at this time of the year, so you’ll still get all the powder you could want!

Impressively, the ski season runs from mid-November to late May. The ski season often only ends due to national park regulations rather than a lack of snow!

If you are driving from the airport, you will need a Park Pass, or you’ll risk a fine. These can easily be paid for and picked up upon entry to the national park from the arrival booths.

Banff town and all three ski resorts accept both forms of payment. However, our tip would be to carry your card zipped in a secure pocket separate from your ski pass while skiing as this can confuse the ticket barriers.

With a wide range of accommodation, bars, and restaurants in Banff town and the surrounding ski resorts, value for money here is generally better than in smaller, more remote destinations.

Winter is also considered Banff’s off-peak season, giving you greater flexibility to secure affordable accommodation in advance.

As a year-round working town, Banff offers excellent amenities, including supermarkets and self-catering options such as the Basecamp Suites. The town itself has plenty of dining choices to suit all budgets - from casual eateries and fast-food spots to more upscale restaurants.

It’s worth noting that the SkiBig3 Pass covers three large world-class resorts, so naturally, the pass costs a bit more than a pass that only covers one resort. A 9-day adult SkiBig3 lift pass costs between £516 and £934.

Despite this, you can trust that you will get great value for money due to unlimited access to all lifts, shuttle service between the resorts and a range of exclusive perks and discounts.

Tipping is a common feature of culture in North America, and it’s expected that you’ll tip an additional fee on top of your bill, depending on the quality of service. As a general rule of thumb, 18% for ‘fair’, 20% for ‘good’, and 25% for ‘excellent’ service.

Yes - Banff National Park is home to 379 different species across its 6,641 square kilometres, and 65 grizzly and between 20-40 black bears call this park their home. But as they tend to hibernate from November to March, we've yet to see any up close!

While a car provides the most flexibility for reaching the 'Big 3' ski resorts and exploring into Banff National Park, the town itself is easy to explore by foot and shuttle buses to the resorts are included on your lift pass. So you definitely don't need a car!

Yes! And take it from us, they’re beautiful and you’ll be thinking of them for years to come. As Banff is nestled in a huge national park with far less light pollution than other built-up resorts, it’s possible to see the Northern Lights from October to mid-April.

The temperatures of late December to mid-February can often be very cold. Our tip: pack all of your layers! Better to be safe than sorry, and wear good quality, tried-and-tested gear that is sufficiently waterproof.

We recommend inner gloves and merino wool thermals for the colder days, and you can always wear a small rucksack while skiing to leave any extra layers in case you change your mind!