   |
|
|
|
|
| |
THE SNOWBOARDING
The Banff winter season is one of the longest in the world running from early November to late May. With such a long winter there's always a decent snow pack and Sunshine get receives an average annual snowfall of 33ft (10m) which allows it to offer quality snowboarding for six months of the year!
Combined the three resorts offer an awesome variety of snowboarding and you'll find the snow conditions and type of terrain differs noticeably between each resort. NONSTOP Snowboard provides a season pass which covers all three resorts. Each day we ride at a different location and our instructors will assess where the best conditions are to be found. This unique set up provides our clients with a huge training ground for improving their skills and working towards their snowboard instructor qualifications.
LAKE LOUISE
Lake Louise is probably the most famous of the three ski areas. It's renowned for the extensive terrain, dry light powder, modern services, and stunning scenery. The vast ski area is spread over four mountain faces to give a massive 4,200 acres of pistes, bowls chutes and tree run. The wide well groomed pistes and the extensive off-piste make it many of our client's favourite resort.
Lake Louise is also famous for having one of North American best snowboard parks. The Showtime Park has received increased attention from the snowboard media and has almost doubled in size over the last year. There are different lines laid out for varying levels of snowbaorders. Beginners have the choice of planty of small tables, hops and rollers that provide a perfect introduction to park riding. The intermediate and pro lines offer more experienced riders larger table features and technical rails. The Lake Louise park sets the standard for all other resorts in the Canadian Rockies.
SUNSHINE
As mentioned, Sunshine has a really long winter and a lot of snow! It's not surprising therefore that it's renowned for having some of Canada's most reliable snow conditions. On average Sunshine receives a staggering 33ft of the white stuff a year and at an altitude of 8,954 feet (2730 meters) Sunshine is the highest resort in Canada so there's very little melt.
The resort has a wide range of terrain from groomed pistes and winding cat tracks to gladded tree runs and wide powder bowls. In general Sunshine is not a particularly steep ski area offering snowboarders a wide choice of cruising runs. However, the resort recently expanded to offer 'Delirium Dive', an awesome double-black extreme snowboard area that will push even the most experienced riders.
NORQUAY
Located just outside the town of Banff, Norquay may be the smallest of the three local resorts but many of your best days riding will be spent here. The terrain park is large and always well maintained with easy lift access. There is a good sized half pipe, differing sized kickers and table tops and a wide variety of rails. With the ability to do lap after lap it's a great place to improve your freestyle skills quickly.
Norquay isn't just about its park though, there's a wide variety of terrain including amazingly groomed pistes and some challenging lines on steep double black diamonds. This resort has a quieter and more mellow atmosphere and when there's new snow this is one of the best places to get fresh tracks without long queues for the lift.
Every Friday evening Norquay is light up for night snowboarding so you can make some late turns or session the park before enjoying beers in the Lone Pine Pub at the base of the resort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
THE TOWN
Surrounded by awesome mountain scenery the town of Banff is located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Banff National Park. Banff is an energetic party town whose population of 8000 is supplemented each winter by large numbers of visiting skiers and snowboarders.
There's no shortage of places to eat, drink or party in Banff. There are loads of good bars and pubs as well as several clubs that are open until the early hours. The food is good too with some excellent restaurants and cafes. As you would expect, there are several snowboard shops most of whom offer NONSTOP Snowboard clients a 10% discount. There's also a cinema, gym, swimming pool and several museums and art galleries.
The town has a huge snowboard scene with riders from all over the world spending the season in the area. Added to this the fact that Banff is one of the world's most popular winter holiday destinations and you'll quickly realise why the bars are nearly always lively, with regular music and a great party atmosphere.
If you're looking for entertainment after a day snowboarding there are plenty of things on offer including indoor climbing, ice hockey, skating, husky rides, and bathing at local natural hot springs.
The Banff Centre is a fantastic local facility that holds regular art and music events with regular performances by well known bands and artists. The centre also has a large gym including an indoor swimming pool, climbing wall and squash courts. To find out more about the Banff Centre:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Banff is a world famous mountain town and one of North America's most popular snowboard destinations. There are three local ski resorts: Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Norquay. Together they make up the largest ski area in Canada (7,558 acres) and NONSTOP Snowboard is the only company able to offer snowboard improvement and instructor training at such a wide variety of resorts. 
THE VOYAGER HOTEL
If you are keen to spend a longer time snowboarding we can offer flexible flight dates and additional accommodation before and after the course. Most people tend to decide to stay on after the course. Please call us for further information. 
We serve breakfast each weekday before the NONSTOP shuttle bus takes you away to the day's chosen resort. We offer supper five nights/week; three nights per week supper is held in the Lodge's licensed dining room and on the other two nights we head to one of the many popular restaurants in town. 
Tysen Pickett
Click here to close...
info@nonstopsnowboard.com 
