Sunshine Village set for extended summer ski season

Sunshine Village is opening Saturday for a 16-day summer ski season through July 5

Don’t put away those skis just yet.

Sunshine Village in Banff National Park is set to open on Saturday for an extended 16-day summer ski season, running from June 20 to July 5.

“We got to the end of our ski season and we’re looking around and we said ‘Holy mackerel moly, we still have a ton of snow left.’ It is a certainty that we’ll be able to open for summer skiing,” said Kendra Scurfield, the vice president of brand and communications at Banff Sunshine Village.

The ski resort received more than 1,000 centimetres of snow through its winter and late-spring season, Scurfield said.

“It is definitely a summer ski experience. So the snow is softer, it’s a little bit slushy. It is not March, mid-winter ski vibes, but it’s après spring vibes,” she added.

For the first time in 35 years, the summer ski season will have two chairs operating -- Standish and Strawberry -- along with seven runs and three terrain parks.

Sunshine also opened for summer skiing in 2022, but for just six days. The two chairs and runs are anticipated to all be open for the full 16 days this year.

A lift ticket for the summer season will be free for anyone who has already bought a Sunshine season’s pass for 2026/27 and discounts are available for those who has passes for the season that just ended.

A regular adult lift ticket is $80, young people aged 13 to 17 will pay $50 and children under 12 years old will pay $30.