Freezing on Sunshine Ski Field - Banff

The morning temperature

It was a sluggish morning in our condo, we headed down to reception (trekked) for a buffet breakfast and got ready for the fields. We are the 11.05 bus - not as bad as it sounds given how late the sun comes up! 

It was a chilly -33 degrees, and my hands froze carrying my skis without gloves. I didn't think. Our nostril hairs froze, icicles formed on our eyelashes.

Casual waiting at the bus stop attire

Sunshine Ski Field was a 35 minute bus ride through dramatic jagged mountain covered in snow and trees. Then it was a frosty 20 minute gondola ride up into the mountains. The gondola was iced up and with the sun still rising through the ice across the glass, we couldn't see the top - it felt like it went forever!

The field was enormous and reminiscent of Cardrona in New Zealand, due to it's shape and lack of trees. After one chairlift ride I had lost feeling in my fingers and it hadn't returned in the top of my middle finger by the bottom of the run.

A rare moment when I considered taking off my glove to take a photo of Lucy and the view

We had to stop after two runs to warm up in the cafe. After our break of chilli con carne (let's be honest, it was after midday now), I bought some hand warmers at the shop that saved me from frostbite and allowed us to explore more chairlifts. The girl who served me couldn't understand my accent, even though she admitted she was from Sydney herself.

Outside the cafe, ready for another run

The snow was thick, hard packed and surprisingly sticky - it was hard to get off the chairlift when you didn't slide forward!  Perhaps it was freezing onto the skis. Around 3pm the sun was going down and the temperature dropping quickly, making it unbearable again. We caught the gondola to the bus by 4pm.

At home 'the Inns', I was so freezing I curled up on the couch while the others ventured to IGA, the supermarket. I spoke to Josh on iMessage. We had a pre-cooked roast chicken, garlic bread and pre-made salads for dinner, then watched some random action movie. I was tired but didn't go to sleep until nearly 2am.




Due to my late night, I slept straight through until 9am when Dad put the TV on to wake us up. We had cereal in our room and managed to make the 10.20am bus, despite Hugo still looking for his gloves at 10.10am.

Hugo and his gloves

The bus and gondola seemed a lot quicker today and the air wasn't as freezing. We had a good few run in similar areas to yesterday but Hugo and I split off to some black diamond runs when we knew we could meet the others further down the track. One was reminiscent of Nga Wai Heke on Mt Ruapehu, but longer and maybe steeper. A snowboarder bailed the whole way down in front of us and we couldn't see the terrain (moguls or not) from where we were standing at the top - I was feeling the adrenaline!

On the chairlift

We couldn't find a spot for lunch until this nice Korean family shared their table with us. We got a hot drink but then we saw the burgers that family was eating, so we had to order those to. It was after 1pm so we decided to try ski to the bottom of the gondola.

We got down just before 2pm and made the call to get the 2.30pm bus, because the 3.45pm was freezing yesterday. There were lots of moose and ram statues around the bottom cafe and hotel.

Waiting for the bus

When we got home I was really keen to go out while it was still light, to take pictures of some of the mountains I'd been looking at on the bus. I hadn't touched my big camera yet. Luckily, Mum was keen to go to her big hotel so after much fussing about bus passes and timetables, we left (and walked the whole way). I accidentally left my pass at home I discovered once we were back.

The sidewalk was slippery and icy in parts, and I was nervous carrying my camera. The town was like a gingerbread town, surrounded by these massive slanting peaks.

My favourite mountain

Another random moose

Lucy looking warm

It was about 3km to the Fairmont Hotel, it appeared like Hogwarts out of the trees, the pool steaming away. Inside was just as grand, like the Chateau Tongariro but more perfect, huge and symmetrical. We went up a staircase through the building to a bar with wide windows overlooking a tiered balcony with the most incredible valley and mountain view, also symmetrical in line with the building's corridors.

Hogwarts?

Beautiful sunset from the balcony

We ordered drinks while I captured the sunset on the balcony. We had 'hot snocolate' with peppermint liquor. Less glamorously, we also had cheesy nachos.

Hot Snocolate at the Fairmont Banff Springs

We then began our trek through the Christmas lights and snowy paths home. Dinner was lasagne and broccoli. It took ages to cook and even then it had cold patches after an hour.