Banff, Alberta Canada

Banff is a delightful town lined with shops, restaurants, and apres-ski places. It reminded me of Aspen, Colorado, but without the Hollywood glitter. Many Japanese skiers flock to Banff. Shops all seemed to have at least one Japanese speaking clerk. Two majestic hotels in the area are the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise--a breathlessly beautiful place in winter or in summer. The sharply carved Canadian Rocky peaks look different than their southern cousins.

Lake Louise has long runs, especially on the backside of the mountain. They have 12 lifts and 105 runs.

Sunshine Village has an interesting variety of runs of different lengths and difficulty.

A third ski area is Norquay and is the most difficult of the three.