Category Archives: christmas in the rockies

Free Skiing and Riding Christmas Day at Mt Norquay

Banff National Park,  AB – Mt. Norquay’s third annual Santa Shreds for Free takes place Christmas Day, 2014 offering a free day pass to those that arrive fully dressed as Jolly St. Nick, Mrs. Claus, an Elf or even a Reindeer.

“It’s less expensive to go buy a cheap Santa Suit than to pay for a lift pass, and you get to keep the suit”

“It’s less expensive to go buy a cheap Santa Suit than to pay for a lift pass, and you get to keep the suit,” said a Norquay guest taking advantage of the offer in 2013.

High Alpine Dining – The newly renovated Cliffhouse Bistro, will be open daily throughout the holiday season starting December 27th to January 4th. Norquay guests are invited to ride the historic North American Chair and take in legendary views of Banff whilst savoring the inspired flavors of new Executive Chef Morne Burger.

Experience winter in Banff from a whole new perspective. No longer exclusive to skiers and snowboarders, winter sightseeing from the North American Chairlift is available all season long, offering foot passengers the option of taking the chairlift up and down the mountain.

It’s going to be a great winter at Mt. Norquay – discover all that Banff’s closest resort has to offer.

What’s happened to the Kicking Horse Powder Express?

I can’t tell you how many calls and emails we have received over the past few weeks from return and new guests regarding the Kicking Horse Powder Express. There seems to be a lot of confusion over what the Kicking Horse Powder Express is this season. Where has it gone? What has replaced it? How much does it cost? We have already spent a lot of time answering these questions and to make it easier and to save us some time answering individual calls and emails regarding this topic, here are some questions and answers below.

All of our guests seem disappointed and frustrated about these changes. Feel free to comment on this post as we would like to hear your thoughts.

Okay, let’s start with the questions and answers below:

1) Is the Kicking Horse Powder Express operating this season?

The Kicking Horse Powder Express with the dedicated return transportation and lift pass included at a rate of about $100 including all tax is no more.

2) Is there a replacement to this service?

Yes. There is a scheduled service which is about $100 plus tax return for just the transportation and in addition to this, you must purchase the lift pass. There is no discount on the lift pass – you must pay full price making this ski-away day quite pricey compared to the old service.

3) How is this service different?

This service is not a dedicated Powder Express ski shuttle as in previous seasons. It is a scheduled service connecting Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Golden and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The advantage of the scheduled service means that minimum numbers are not required.

The return time of 3:30pm means that you do not get to enjoy a full ski day on the mountain but you do have the convenience of catching a one way shuttle for a reasonable price.

4) What is the schedule for this new service?

This is the new schedule correct as of today:

FROM CANMORE / BANFF / LAKE LOUISE / GOLDEN TO  KICKING HORSE

Depart Canmore 5:30
Arrive in Banff 6:00

Depart Banff 6:15
Arrive in Lake Louise 7:15

Depart Lake Louise 7:30
Arrive Golden (Prestige Inn) 8:50

Depart Golden 9:00
Arrive Kicking Horse (Glacier Mountain Lodge) 9:30

FROM KICKING HORSE TO GOLDEN TO LAKE LOUISE / BANFF / CANMORE

Depart Kicking Horse (Glacier Mountain Lodge) 15:30
Arrive Golden (Prestige Inn) 16:10

Depart Golden 16:10
Arrive Lake Luoise 17:40

Depart Lake Louise 18:00
Arrive Banff 19:15

Depart Banff 19:45
Arrive Canmore 20:00

5) When does the above new service operate?

Daily: December 20th, 2011 through March 31st, 2012.

6) Are there other ski-away options out of Banff?

Yes, the Panorama ski bus is operating again this season with a minimum of 4 required to guarantee a departure. We are finding most guests are booking this ski-away day instead this season to experience another ski resort in the Canadian Rockies at a fraction of the cost.

7) Will the original Kicking Horse Powder Express be offered for the 2012-2013 season?

We have no idea but hope so! If it does, we will be sure to get the word out!

❓ How do I book this new service?

Contact Ski Holidays Canada.


Happy Holidays to you all and thanks for reading. We hope that we have answered your questions okay? Remember to visit www.SkiHolidaysCanada.co.uk for ski package deals and specials.

Looking forward to your comments!

Santa Claus is coming to Banff and Canmore!

Santa Claus is coming to town!

1) “Light up Canmore” on FRI Nov 23 2007 (tonight) from 6-8pm at the Civic Centre Plaza. There will be hayrides, hot dogs and hot chocolate to celebrate this annual event in Canmore.

2) “Parade of Lights” in Banff on SAT Nov 24 2007 at 7pm. Please note that Calgary has cancelled it’s parade due to construction this year, so the turn-out in Banff is likely to be high.

The “Parade of Lights” in Banff will be preceded by “Christmas in the Rockies” which includes an afternoon of activities including Ginger Bread decorating!

3) Photo opportunities with Santa are from 2 to 6pm on SAT Nov 24 2007 in Banff. Just follow the reindeer tracks or the trail of cookie crumbs to find him!

Good luck with finding him!