Canada:

Sunshine Village

Sunshine has three mountains, each with a different character and skiing experience. Mount Standish is the smallest of the three, but is big oninteresting terrain... where you'll find places to meander through the trees, or challenge yourself in some steep chutes off Standish face, to skiers left of the chair. Goat's Eye is the newest terrain — opened in '95 — with a great high-speed quad to 1,900 vertical feet of terrain for all levels of ability. Lookout Mountain is the original big mountain at Sunshine, where the recently installed Continental Divide Express takes you well above the treeline to wide open spaces with spectacular views.

Access to all three mountains starts witha ride up The Gondola, from the parking lot (which sits 1,000 feet below the Goat's Eye base area). Because most of the skiing is at elevations between 7- and 9,000 feet, snow is never an issue. Sunshine refers to itself as "Banff's Ski Area", and the majority of skiers and snowboarders are destination travellers. For those coming from other countries, the reviews are generally 'two thumbs up!'

Here in the Banff region there is real value for your ski vacation dollar. At Sunshine, new lifts and terrain in recent years means it will take you many days to discover all the resort has to offer ... but it will only take you a minute or two to realize the views alone are worth the price of admission!