BOW VALLEY – Mother Nature was smiling down on Rockies’ resorts this winter.
Between record-breaking snowfall and early winter powder, all the ingredients were in place for an “unforgettable” ski season across Banff’s Sunshine Village Ski Resort, Lake Louise Ski Resort, Mt. Norquay Ski Resort and Nakiska Ski Area.
“This season was one of those fairy tale dreamlike seasons,” said Kendra Scurfield, vice-president of brand and communications for Sunshine.
“Our season started early on Nov. 2, thanks to a great dumping of snow from Mother Nature herself,” she said, noting it was the hill’s earliest recorded opening in the past 39 to 40 years.
With a final hurrah on the slopes at Slush Cup on May 18, Sunshine clocked in at 1,024 cm of snow, marking the hill’s second snowiest season on record.
“We’re very excited to welcome skiers and snowboarders back June 20 to July 5 at Sunshine Village,” Scurfield added, noting the record snowfall means summer skiing is a go.
Lake Louise Ski Resort also had its own entry into the record books, marking its snowiest season yet.
“Everything aligned. It was just an absolutely epic season, so many perfect days, so much snow,” said Emmett McPartlin, director of sales and marketing at the resort, noting the season total of 941 cm snowfall blew by the hill’s 2013-14 record of 759 cm.
The non-stop dump of powder meant the resort’s newest terrain, Richardson’s Ridge, opened in December – three months earlier than planned.
“It was absolutely a historic year,” McPartlin added, noting the hill is looking to add more runs to Richardson’s Ridge next season.
Entering its centennial year, the season at Banff’s backyard hill was equally a “long and snowy one.”
“It was a great season in terms of coverage all year long,” said Jasper Johnson, marketing and communications manager at Norquay. “We had really, really good conditions compared to the last couple of seasons which were a little bit lower.”
Opening the hill on Nov. 15, it was the resort’s 10th snowiest season since 1971.
“It was a top ten year, which is good, and we had 321 cm of total snowfall,” Johnson said.
In the front range of the Rockies’, Nakiska, which operates Western Canada’s largest snowmaking system, also had its fair share of fresh flakes.
“We were able to start in early November and provide consistent and quality skiing and riding experience throughout the main part of the winter and then even Mother Nature hit us with some huge storms of which skiers and riders enjoyed powder days at Nakiska,” said “Powder” Matt Mosteller, senior vice president of the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies in an email.
“We are seeing Albertan’s continue to love skiing and riding and we are seeing increased interest from every age group.”
The 2025-26 season came through with the La Niña conditions, a weather pattern characterized by snowier, colder temperatures, that were predicted for the region last fall.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Jun 01, 2026 at 08:44
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