Sunshine Village is a bit of a misnomer: it’s really a rag-tag collection of basic resort buildings on the Continental Divide where poor weather often reigns supreme. But the skiing’s awesome. Acres of wide-open bowls, pockets of thrilling trees and abundance of light snow make Sunshine Village one of the region’s best places to ski or ride no matter what your ability.

The ski area combines the faces of three mountains – the slopes of Lookout Mountain and Mt. Standish – which broadly face one another – and Goat’s Eye Mountain a little further down the valley. The ski area’s unconventional layout means that almost everyone’s day begins with a 13min gondola ride from the base station (with restaurant, rental shop and bus stop for shuttles from Banff), to the Village itself, though you can get off midway for Goat’s Eye Mountain. Before navigating between mountains, study the ski map carefully to avoid flat spots.

At a glance