Banff Sunshine has been voted the best overall ski resort in North America by OnTheSnow users for the 2025-26 season – beating out every glacier, every purpose-built mega-resort, and every mountain with a heated gondola and a celebrity chef on site.
The award comes from OnTheSnow's annual Visitors' Choice Awards, where real skiers rate the resorts they've actually skied on terrain, apres-ski, family amenities, terrain parks, and more. Sunshine didn't just place. It won outright.
It's the kind of result that will surprise exactly nobody who has skied here, and absolutely stun anyone who hasn't.
What OnTheSnow Users Actually Said
The people casting votes weren't travel writers on a comp trip. They were skiers who paid for their lift tickets, drove through the park gates, and formed an opinion based on what they found.
One reviewer called it “one of the most underrated places,” noting they'd never once been disappointed by the variety of runs or snow coverage. Another simply offered: “Great mountain especially when there's fresh POW” – which, in ski resort review terms, is practically a sonnet.
Why the Banff Sunshine Best Ski Resort Title Holds Up
Sunshine sits across three mountains with more than 130 marked trails, 3,300 acres of skiable terrain, and over 3,500 feet of vertical drop. The resort relies entirely on natural snow – no overnight snowmaking to patch a thin base – and receives an average of more than 350 inches a year.
That combination of elevation and natural snowfall gives Sunshine one of the longest non-glacial ski seasons in North America. Beginners, intermediates, and experts with a taste for serious off-piste terrain all find something to justify the drive through the park gates.
The Rest of SkiBig3 Is No Afterthought Either
Sunshine's win is the headline, but it sits within SkiBig3 – a trio of resorts inside Banff National Park that few ski destinations anywhere can match.
Mt. Norquay, just outside the town of Banff, is the training ground for Olympic and World Cup athletes and the only park resort with night skiing. Lake Louise, 59 kilometres up the Trans-Canada Highway, covers 4,400 acres across four mountains – and a single SkiBig3 pass covers all three.
What This Means for Your 2026 Ski Trip
The award will bring attention, and attention in Banff National Park tends to translate into full car parks and busy lift queues. Book accommodation and lift tickets well in advance – peak season fills faster than most visitors expect.
The full 2026 OnTheSnow Visitors' Choice list also includes Jackson Hole for Best All-Mountain Terrain, Telluride for Best Apres-Ski, and Wolf Creek for Best Small Ski Area. Good company. Sunshine still took the top prize.
For more on planning a ski trip to Banff National Park, visit thebanffguide.com.
Turns out 350 inches of natural snow and a mountain that doesn't need a celebrity chef to justify the lift ticket will get you pretty far.