Top 5: Ski hills in Alberta

Skiing is my absolute favourite way to get out of the house and get active in the winter, and I’ve been to my fair share of ski hills. While I may not have been to every ski resort in Alberta, I’ve gotten to know which are the best. Backed by almost 16 years of skiing experience, I can say that while every place has its perks, there are some that stand out more than others. 

1. Sunshine Village

Sunshine Village in Banff is probably one of the best places for skiing in Alberta. With three mountains and 145 trails, it offers a lot of diversity for skiers of different experience levels. Banff is already a gorgeous spot for a vacation, and a trip to Sunshine Village is always worth it. There’s a lot of open terrain with less tree runs than other places, so it may seem less intimidating for less experienced skiers. With restaurants and places to shop for equipment as well, Sunshine Village has more than just ski hills to offer. Overall, it’s a pretty great place if you’re looking to get away for a couple of days and hit the slopes. 

2. Lake Louise

A roughly five hour drive away from Edmonton lies one of the best ski resorts in Alberta — Lake Louise. Not only are the trails good, but the area that surrounds the resort is beautiful. It has quite a few lakes and scenic areas that always makes a trip there worthwhile. It has an even distribution of beginner, intermediate, and experienced runs. It’s often the choice for more experienced skiers, or anyone that loves varied terrain in their runs. Lake Louise also has some back bowls that are great for powder. The cost for a day pass is a bit pricey at around $120-$155, but it’s well worth it. If you’re willing to make the drive out and pay a bit more, it’s an absolutely beautiful spot with amazing trails for all skill levels. 

3. Marmot

In my opinion Marmot Basin in Jasper is the classic ski resort for a weekend getaway from Edmonton. It’s close enough to warrant the drive and has a good variety of trails and tree routes. I may be a bit biased towards Marmot as I skied here competitively every Saturday in 6th grade. But the fact that I don’t find myself getting too bored of any trails after I’ve been on them dozens of times shows how good it is. With only about 91 runs, Marmot has fewer than other places. But the runs are long enough that you don’t feel like you’re spending more time on the lifts than the trails. Marmot is a more affordable choice if you get the Marmot escape card, which puts a day of skiing at around $90.

4. Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain is a popular choice for a ski getaway. With the closest site in Pincher Creek, it’s a fair distance away from Edmonton. However, if you’re planning for a couple days of skiing it’s well worth it. I find that Castle Mountain’s beginner zone is a bit small, and venturing out of it can seem intimidating for beginner skiers. On the flip side, it has a lot of runs for more experienced skiers, which is always a plus in my books. It has a big area devoted to cat skiing (guided exploration through untouched powder), which is a bonus because not as many resorts offer that. 

5. Rabbit Hill

While Rabbit Hill can’t compete with other ski resorts in the mountains, it’s great if you’re looking for somewhere closer to home. It’s one of the better ski hills in the Edmonton area and provides a little more trail diversity than the others. It has a run or two that are better for more experienced skiers but overall the runs are pretty easy. There’s enough beginner runs that you can try a variety of routes as a new skier. City ski hills are tougher to rank because most of them boil down to the same problem — runs are short and there aren’t very many trails. Yet, Rabbit Hill is the largest ski resort local to Edmonton and offers enough trails to not leave you feeling bored.