Why Jasper?
The town of Jasper is situated in the heart of the Rockies and its scenic ski area, Marmot Basin, is a 15 minute drive from the town. Although the skiing is not extensive, there is plenty of variety including high open-bowl skiing, glades and trails through the trees.
The ski resort, which has a reputation for uncrowded slopes and no lift queues, is known as 'The Big Friendly'. As such, Jasper is the perfect location for a family skiing holiday. In the December 2011 edition of the highly regarded travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Marmot Basin was the only Canadian Rockies ski area to be rated as one of Top 20 places to ski in North America.
Marmot Basin installed another two chair lifts in the summer of 2011, the Paradise High Speed Quad Chair, and the School House Triple Chair. These new lifts have been a great improvement to this already magnificent Canadian Rocky Mountain ski area.
As it is a popular tourist destination in the summer, Jasper has excellent facilities and a good range of accommodation, restaurants and shops. Activities on offer include crawling through a canyon of frozen waterfalls, snowmobiling, dog sledding and heli-skiing.
The town's location on the banks of the impressive Athabasca River means that you might catch a glimpse of a moose drinking, or deer and elk crossing the road outside the town. There is a shuttle running between Jasper and Marmot Basin that is covered by your lift pass.