Banff is home to three varied ski areas – Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mount Norquay, collectively known as the Big 3. Between each, there’s powder, steeps, trees, open faces and parks, plus jaw-dropping views everywhere you turn. Combined, there’s 8,000 acres of ski terrain and 30ft of pow to slash.

Lake Louise is the largest of the Banff trio with 4,200 acres of terrain. A vast and varied resort made up of four faces, there’s a real mix of slopes, epic top-to-bottom runs and some of the best panoramic views in Canada. We love the remote Back Bowls for freeride lines, and you’ve got the notorious World Cup downhill routes to get your thighs burning.

Sunshine Village is the highest of Banff’s resorts with 3,300 acres of sprawling terrain that crosses from Alberta into British Columbia. You’ll find silky soft snow across the mountain with 30ft falling on average each winter, plus beautiful scenery, open slopes, and one of the longest seasons in Canada thanks to the high elevation. We love the freeride options here; the infamous Delirium Dive zone offers access to expert backcountry lines and has been voted one of the best off-piste descents in world.

Mount Norquay is the local gem and closest to Banff town, rich in history with immaculate grooming, tree-lined trails, bumps and steep pitches to challenge your skiing. Norquay has a laid-back feel to it – and is a great place to score freshies on a powder day. A training ground for Olympic and World Cup athletes, there’s also weekly night-skiing under the lights.

The Big3 of Banff boast 30 feet of feather-light, dry Canadian Rockies powder annually. Sunshine Village enjoys the biggest snowfall thanks to its location and elevation, with up to 9 metres (30 feet) of snow in a season. With a base-area altitude of 7,200 feet, the snow stays light, dry and incredibly skiable. Lake Louise enjoys an average of 5 metres per season, while Norquay receives 3 metres.

Banff is one of Canada’s freestyle hubs with a world-class scene. Each of Banff’s three resorts boast at least one terrain park with features of all shapes and sizes, from XL kickers to beginner boxes. Sunshine Village and Lake Louise go toe-to-toe in shaping their set-ups, with Sunshine’s 12-acre Great Divide Terrain Park home to 50-or-so features. Testament to the scene, Sunshine also plays host to unique freestyle events like Holy Bowly.

Banff is a bouncing town in the heart of the Rockies, located in a national park with beautiful views, stunning vistas and big energy. A typically friendly Canadian town, Banff acts as a hub to access the three nearby ski areas, connected via regular free ski shuttles.

As a tourist hot spot, there’s a lot going on and heaps of shops, bars, restaurants, brunch venues and entertainment for down time. The main street has a bustling feel and lively atmosphere, with a cinema, bowling, an ice rink and thermal hot springs too.

There are regular events hosted by the town, from rail jams to film festivals, and you’ll often share the streets with the local wildlife like elk and deer.

Banff is a party-town with a buzzing nightlife, and the ski scene takes it up a level. There are numerous pubs and bars throughout the town which each host different vibes and events, like High Rollers for pins, pints and pizza where you can bowl, dance and eat, or Wild Bills for a classic Canadian atmosphere. There’s a nightclub too, Dancing Sasquatch, for the big nights, where you can shimmy and shake until the early hours with epic DJ sets and house music.

Whatever resort you ride, you’ve always got to catch the bus back to Banff – so the resort après is more chilled. There are a few bars at Sunshine Village and Lake Louise where you can enjoy some end-of-day beers and soak up the sun in spring, but the scene is more about the evening in Banff.

Surrounded by the frosted peaks of the Canadian Rockies, Banff is located in the heart of Banff National Park. Canada’s first National Park and a UNESCO Word Heritage, the scenery is wild, beautiful and vast – with snow-capped mountains, frozen lakes, glaciers and sweeping vistas. There are plenty of options to explore the area, via local hiking trails, snowshoeing or dogsledding.