This was my first Banff mountain to visit for 2024. When you arrive there is manually scanning at the lifts. The lines are pretty short- crowds were not bad on a Saturday. The runs were reasonable challenging and length was good for an intermediate skier. Disclosure, just accounting for the green and blue runs- was not able to visit the black diamond. We were able to get a close parking spot on a Saturday- so overall can't really complain. The only thing that may slow you down is the manual scanning but your aren't elbow to elbow waiting in line. read more

This family friendly and smaller ski resort is amazing to get away from the crowds. If you are staying in Banff downtown, grab the free Norquay shuttles it picked us up from Ptarmigan Inn. They are on time and extremely efficient, if one bus gets filled another one is called immediately. We didn't wait more than 5 min for the second bus. It takes about 15 min to get to the mountains depending on the traffic. The mountain only has a few lifts but it's a wonderful experience, the minimal crowds to the friendly atmosphere I don't think it gets better than this. The snow sport culture can sometimes have a very pretentious and obnoxious vibe but this place is the absolute opposite. The runs are steep with plenty of options for every level. The ski school was so good, my 5 yr old son was in the two hour 1pm time slot with Ryan and he did a fantastic job. The ratio was 1 teacher and two kids. The magic carpet is long and you can get a good run as it isn't too short. The school check in is next to the rental building, the lesson starts with the instructors meeting by the check in building. The main lodge is old school and homey. The staff are all sweet and relaxed. We had the chili and the smoked salmon to go sandwiches both are fairly priced and solid. Multiple lockers and a ton of shelves for bags etc. Small gift shop inside for some souvenirs. Parking is free if you decide to drive up yourself but I'd say take the shuttle, it's an easy and hassle free experience. Stay safe and have fun shredding! read more

Ski Norquay - Ski Resorts Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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We were looking to do something fun at night while on vacation. Snow tubing popped up, so we figured we would give it a try since we hadn't gone since we were kids. It ended up being such a good time, and probably laughed the hardest we had our entire vacation put together! The walk up the hill in the winter was more than I was expecting, but definitely doable. Pricing wasn't too bad, and they give you a tag to pin to your jacket that they scan each time you go up the conveyer belt to the top. The workers at the top made the experience even more fun by spinning the tubes if you chose to. They really get you going, and you feel like you're moving 100mph lol We we're tired by about the 7th go around, but it's an experience we will remember forever. read more

We came here for tubing and had the most AMAZING time! The resort itself isn't fancy, but I admit I only spent time at the the tubing level which has a lodge with a small cafeteria style dining area, lockers and a gift shop. The staff at this lodge were AMAZING, though. Really friendly and got us set up with our tickets and such with ease. The tubing was a BLAST. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect and I admit I'm a bit of a scaredy cat, but I loved it. It looks less intense that it is so when you pick up speed it's a little freaky. But once you get used it, it is SO fun! You can go down in pairs and I never went down alone, which increased my enjoyment, being able to share the experience with my husband and my aunt. We stuck to the toilet bowl route and the rattlesnake, which was my favorite, although after a while I got a bit too dizzy! We also had the sightseeing lift passes as part of our packages so my husband and I went up that. I have to admit I'm not terribly scared of heights but watching those folks at the top of the lift going down the double black course got me really freaked out and my hands got incredibly sweaty as we jumped on and off the lift! I can't imagine skiing down that steep of course and it made me queasy. The view from the top is spectacular, though. It's a tremendous vantage point and second only to the top of Sulpher Mountain for best views I experienced in the park. Worth a ride up, even if you'll be dodging the experienced daredevil skiers and snowboarders the whole time. It's easy to do in a half day since it's so close to downtown Banff. And I'm now hooked on snow tubing! read more

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This was our first time going tubing and wow what a blast we had!!! I would definitely recommend this activity to anyone who is either new to Canada, visiting the Rocky Mountains, or anyone who is physically capable of some interval type exercise (not too intense) and who wants to try something new, relatively safe, and super fun!!! We did not bring the kids on this trip but we as adults had a blast. When you first drive up to Norquay it's about 10 minutes drive from downtown Banff to the parking lot. There is a very winding, somewhat steep, road that leads up to Norquay. Definitely you should take this road slow and steady as it can be slippery and is a bit narrow. Once you arrive to Mt. Norquay there are two parking areas, the first one is for skiing, the second parking lot further up the mountain is for tubing. After we parked we had to walk up a bit of a climb (first spike in your heart rate on this mini climb) to get to the chalet and grab our tickets. The chalet has snacks, drinks, and bathrooms to use should you need to. Once you grab your tickets you head down to the tubing area and you will be given a tube depending on your size. Once you have your tube you get onto a magic carpet that brings you up to the top of the tubing hill. At the top, you have to climb again to reach one of the 5 runs to go down the hill on. This climb was the most intense part because it is a bit steep, a bit icy, and slightly crowded. My heart rate again spiked every time we climbed this part. Once you pick which run you want to go on, you line up (the wait is very short in most cases). You can choose to go down the hill alone, linked up with a partner, group of 3 or even group of 4! The staff at this resort are AWESOME!! They are all so friendly, outgoing, helpful, and just look like they're having a great time enjoying their jobs. They will spin you down the hill if you want to go faster and twirl or they will give you just a gentle push if you prefer that. I recommend bringing your helmet (we were the only ones on the hill with helmets) if you have one, just in case. We didn't see anyone fall at all so I don't think it's extremely necessary but for me, helmets are always a must with any kind of snow sports. I also recommend bringing ski goggles! If you go down without anything the wind and snow will get all over your face as you go down the hill so you'll likely need to close your eyes but with goggles you get to really see everything and experience the beauty that is tubing down this mountain. All in all, tubing is a blast! If you haven't tried this yet, do it!!! We paid about $156 for 4 people so about $39 per person and definitely worth every penny!! read more

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Norquay Lodge was a great place to unwind with drinks and food after our Via Ferrata excursion and you get a discount at the restaurant too! You have to take the lift up which makes it much quieter. The locals come up here to relax and take in the view. My nachos were delicious with the homemade chips and it was a huge portion. The drink selection was great too! I'd be back here. read more

Ski Norquay - Delicious nachos - Ski Resorts Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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Mt. Norquay is a mountain and ski resort that lies directly northwest of the Town of Banff. I skied here as a "training" hill before I tried Sunshine and Lake Louise. It's also a wonderfully scenic drive whether I'm skiing or not, especially backwards towards the Town Site. The mountain was named in 1904 after John Norquay, premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. Norquay climbed the mountain that now bears his name. The first ski runs date as far back as 1926, with the opening of the ski lodge in 1929. Rope tows were installed in 1942 and the mountain was the first in Canada to install a chair lift in 1948. Since 1978, Norquay has partnered with Lake Louise and Sunshine to promote its activities. This created a joined up tri area lift pass system, which includes transport to and from the resort. Today the Mount Norquay is one of the most important ski resorts supporting alpine ski racing in Canada. There are a total of 28 runs and a vertical of 1650 feet. The ski area has 3 quad chairs, 1 double chair and a magic carpet. The double chair services some pretty hard terrain for those of you who might dismiss this hill as being too "small". And there's also night skiing on certain Wednesdays and Fridays. read more

My boyfriend and I bought tickets to the tube park for a nice Valentine's Day getaway. We're 22 years old and would NEVER recommend coming here for tubing to anyone in our age-range. After the third time going up, we were so bored that we ended up leaving and we're quite disappointed that we had spent $40 per person to go. My advise: If you're in this age-range and have heard "how fun it is"... DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. I wish I had asked for a refund because this was not worth the 3 hour round trip we made. read more

Good, little ski hill for beginners or intermediate looking for 1/2 day within a short drive from Banff. For young families, its cool that lift tickets include tubing. For more advanced skiers/snowboarders, you'll be bored quickly. Staff is excellent and crowds are usually small except for Toonie Days when Locals can get lift tickets for just $2 (you want to avoid those days!). read more

Ski Norquay - Ski Resorts Near Me - Banff, Alberta

"Where the locals ski" might have something to do with them giving free passes to elementary and high school kids. This is a great ski hill if: a) you've never skied before b) don't feel like going more than 5 minutes out of town (Sunshine is 15 min away, Lake Louise is 35 min away) c) only snowboard (they have a snow park) d) want to snowboard on a friday night (they light up the park) e) just drove in from Calgary and are desparate to get anything f) there was so much snow that roads to Sunshine and Lake Louise are closed g) when the powder is deep, you want steep (see previous point) So it definitely serves a purpose, but if you came out to the rockies to ski or shred, I suggest you try Sunshine (powder) or Lake Louise (long runs) first. read more

Expert skiers with find themselves bored on this mountain after 3/4 of a day, but it is a fun little hill with some good terrain of the North American. The passes are very affordable at $59 and the short drive makes it a perfect 1/2 day ski hill. The hill also offers tubing which is included in the price (most hills charge extra) and stunning views of the Banff townsite and Cascade mountain. What really impressed me about Norquay is the staff, they are extremely friendly and helpful. read more

Bought a pass that included 3 attractions, snowtubing being one of them. Walking to the actual lodge to pick up our passes was a hard trek up hill, so get ready for this. When we saw the line on the hill, we thought it would have taken forever to get a ride, but we were wrong. The lines go by really quickly since there are 6 different hills that people can ride. Each hill being a different height and have more or less bumps on each. I highly suggest going on the last hill as it's the highest hill with the most bumps on it. The staff were all really nice and accommodating. They were able to group 5 of us together and was still able to spin us to the best of their abilities. The conveyer belt that takes you up is probably like a 2 minute ride up, and let me tell you, the walk up the hill to the actual lines to slide is killer (it really wasn't that bad, but once you start trekking up hill while pulling a snow tube, it can get pretty tiring). They also have ski hills as well on the other side of the park. At the bottom of the hill, there's a lodge with a restaurant and seating area inside. read more

Summary: A subpar facility really meant for locals. Transportation: There is a shuttle service that will take you to and from the ski lodge. It is a relatively small bus with limited seating. On busy days it can be hard to find a space. Be aware that the bus drop off for tubing is at a different location than where they pick you up. They do not tell you this and considering that the bus only runs once per hour it would be good information to have. 1/5 Lodge: There are two lodges, one for skiing and one for tubing. The tubing lodge is much smaller than the skiing lodge. Both are adequate but neither have a lot of food options and only offer the basics for what you are looking for in a ski lodge. 2/5 Staff: This is where things really break down. Virtually none of the staff are from Canada. Most of them are barely out of their teens and are seasonal employees traveling the globe. They do not care about customer service or safety really and aren't very helpful. 1/5 Slopes: The slopes themselves are nice for both skiing and tubing. The runs available are plentiful, though you should call ahead to ensure that all the runs are open. Also note, they shut down several of the tubing runs depending on how busy it is. 3/5 Parking: There is plenty of parking available. Though you should be aware that it is gravel and you may have to walk up a muddy hill to get to the lodge if you are going tubing. 2/5 Overall: Not worth planning a vacation around. There are better slopes nearby. 1/5 read more

I've spent lots of time at Louise and Sunshine but never went to Norquay until this week. I was in Canmore and brought my board along in case one of my family members wanted to join me on the hill. Nobody did, so I decided just to sneak away to Norquay to squeeze a few runs in, since I brought my board with me. By the time I decided to go, it was getting late in the day, so I bought the Last Hour ticket which was $17 and was valid from 2:45-4 pm. I got in six runs. It's not in the same league as Sunshine or Louise, as it's much smaller, but I still enjoyed myself. It's biggest benefit is it's literally five minutes from Banff. If it wasn't so close, I probably wouldn't have gone there. I'd go back if I was in Banff or Canmore and didn't feel like driving too far or if I was a little light on the wallet. read more

Keeping in mind that this is a relatively small hill, the terrain and variety is impressive. Norquay has one of the better parks in the area for progressive/intermediate runs. I really like how you can hear music on the park run and that it has a dedicated lift. Downhill chargers are also really fun, especially towards the far right of the mountain. The wait is short, if any, and the staff is also very nice. Proximity to Banff is a huge plus, especially if you'd like to reserve time for post-ski activities. Finally, the fact you can buy hourly tickets is a huge plus, making Norquay one of the most affordable hills around Banff. read more

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We took the lift up to the top "Bistro Cafe". Awesome views! Some of the best in Banff ;) read more

Ski Norquay - View from "Bistro Cafe" - Ski Resorts Near Me - Banff, Alberta

I would say that the mountain is a 3, but the daycare is a 5 (so that averages out to a 4). We got in late on a Friday and wanted to take a more relaxing day skiing so we waited until the afternoon to show up. When we arrived, we were pleased to find on-site daycare. Unlike Lake Louise and Sunshine, they had openings on a Saturday (which was good because we had not made a reservation). They even had a 2-hour option (vs. full day or half day), which we took advantage of. They took such great care of our child. Outside of daycare, Norquay is somewhat on the small side, but it is conveniently located (the closest resort to Canmore) and significantly less crowded than some of the other resorts. Some of the lifts are rather slow, but they do have a good selection of blue and black runs considering the size of Norquay. I thought the runs were well-groomed. As an added bonus, they do have night skiing (which we opted out of). I could definitely see us returning here in the future. read more

It's a good mountain for us, a family with small kids. It's a good place to learn to ski! Our last trip ended quickly after one of the kids got sick and the staff was really kind to us and offered us passes to come back another day. We were really impressed by that. The tubing is AWESOME! read more

Poor customer service. Nobody knows what they are doing, didn't even get to ski. Not impressed. First time skiing here ever and I am definitely not coming back. I've been skiing only 6 times in my life, and have been more than happy with other resorts. I am not a picky person. However, today when we showed up at norquay the parking lot attendants had to discuss where we should park (out of 2 parking lots - 1 clearly full 1 empty) for about 5 minutes. Once being directed to parking lot 3 we get out with all of our skiing stuff and are directed but VARIOUS staff members to the tube park 'great North American lodge' which was not that great. We go in, and talk to some employees up there who roll their eyes and talk to me like I'm stupid because of where THE OTHER STAFF had directed me. They almost charged me for tubing even though I was specific in asking about skiing. Then, I head to the ladies room where NONE of the toilets flush and they are all clogged. None stocked with toilet paper. None of the sinks work to wash hands in either. Virtually no plumbing up there. Thank god I brought wipes and hand sanitizer. As I was leaving, I realized the rest of the staff doing nothing but riding snowmobiles and talking with other staff. Not surprising after that. read more

Ok- here is the update- the worst part was Norquay has only 3 real lifts. One of them services ONLY unbelievably steep doubleblack diamonds so its very very rarely busy. So the other two are under alot of pressure as on weekends and twoonie days (ie the day I was there it cost only $2 per person, which happens once a month) they get very very very busy. Which the MANAGEMENT staff should know how to ACCOMMODATE and ANTICIPATE!! RIGHT??? Its not too much to ask that staff be beefed up on a day when customers are paying only $2 per person instead of $80, obviously its going to be busier on those days, right? NOOOOO of course not. The two lifts both had over 45 minute waits, both of them. What a huge waste of time. The biggest problem is that for a four person lift, most people are idiots and dont know how to count to four. Therefore instead of 4 people sitting on each lift, I kid you not, I watched about 50 percent of all chairs going up the mountain with either NO ONE On them or just 1 or 2 people. That means that the lift lineup clearly needs a traffic director, they just point and yell and force people into groups of FOUR ( I know that sounds easy but most people literally CANNOT FIGURE IT OUT ON THEIR OWN!!! LEARN TO COUNT TO FOUR !!!!!) I called the front desk literally 8 times over the course of 4 hours, telling them what was happening and asking for them to send staff to direct traffic to each lift. Each time I got a stupid different excuse. At one point two teenagers with dreadlocks stinking of the pot they just finished smoking got off a snowmobile, stood around and stared for a while, and then got back on their snowcat and left. That was it, that was all the help they sent. Screw you Norquay, I was thinking of getting a yearly membership for my family of 6 next yr as you are closer to me than Lake Louise but FORGET IT ! PS If you are looking for a restaurant locally; Whatever you do, NEVER go to the Calgary restaurant The Guild. The insane manager literally called the police and tried to put me "under citizens arrest" for accidentally knocking over a glass of wine- see my full review here https://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-guild-calgary read more

Terrible program for your little one. Took our 3 year old granddaughter for a ski lesson at Norquay. The instructor took her over to the side of the lodge and not even 10 minutes later we were there where she was saying that our granddaughter was cold and wanted to go in and wouldn't do the drills. She is 3 and this instructor is doing the same drills as the adult next to them. We took her back and stayed outside with her for half an hour not one complaint about being cold. F you are going to have instructors who teach small children you need to do exactly that. They need to feel comfortable in their equipment and the surroundings and this instructor dod no such thing. We live in Canmore and thought Norquay would be great place to start however Sunshine will be our next choice. More options and more experienced instructors. To bad read more

Spent a few hours at the top of the chair, enjoying the coffee and having our minds blown by the view! It is truly breathtaking. Seeing Banff from up above like that is a sight you can't fully prepare yourself for. All of the staff was lovely and friendly and knowledgable! read more

Did you know that Norquay is a fantastic venue for weddings and events? Spectacular views, phenomenal staff, wonderful service, outstanding food. I do many events in and around Calgary, and for the first time in my life, I was told not to worry about cleaning up the decor etc, they would do it for us and we could swing by and pick up our stuff the next day! If you want an amazing venue that's hassle free, check out Mt. Norquay! read more

During our spring break my friend and I spent the week exploring beautiful Alberta. When we checked into our hostel in Banff and asked for recommendations for the area the gentleman at the front desk casually mentioned that Norquay would be having $0.90 lift tickets in celebration of their 90th year. Excuse me, WHAT?! We actually didn't believe him and had to ask multiple people to confirm..I mean $0.90 for a lift ticket is a dream come true when you're used to spending almost $100. We had not planned on snowboarding during our trip and we both had left our boards at home but we knew we would regret it if we didn't take advantage. We found a rental shop in town where we were able to rent our boards, boots, and snow pants and drove the short 15 minutes to the resort. Upon arrival we were ready to embrace a huge crowd but we were shocked that the mountain was relatively quiet. This seems like a nice mountain for families - it looks like it's the smallest of the three mountains in Banff and I saw a lot of children when we were getting our lift tickets. For a small mountain the runs are really fun! We headed straight for the blues since we had heard that they're comparable to the blacks in the U.S but I think they're actually a little more difficult than the blacks. The runs were long and other than the beginning there were never really more than 3 or 4 people around me. On a couple runs I actually got to enjoy it all alone. The views of the mountain are amazing and I really want to come back! read more

I decided to go with 5 friends tubing for my birthday. We got there excited for a fun day, had been warm that day and we were thinking we would be getting some good speed which would add to the excitement. On our first run down 3 of us went down individually, my sister and her boyfriend went together after us. I waited for my sister and her BF at the bottom of the hill. I could see them the whole way down. As they are coming down they seem to be coming very fast, they are almost all the way down the hill not losing any speed, then fly past the mesh carpet and then blast through the barricade. They fell off the 5 foot pathway, landing on the pathway to get off the hill. My sister hitting her head on the ice first, and her BF landing on his ribs, then rolling on each other on the way down. Freak accident!! We sat there for an hour with ski patrol, we were irritated since we had just drove from Calgary and it was our FIRST run. We left with a refund from the manager (I assume) They should really be looking at upgrading safety nets, my sister is 4 foot 11 a size of a kid, she pulled through but a kid would have left with a broken bone or concussion or worse!! BWARE!!!!! read more