I'm going to Banff next week for 5 days. First time there.

Where should I ski to find some powder (nothing too extreme, I'm an ok skier but haven't skied in 10 years. I'm in good shape though.)

Where should I go for Ice climbing (WI3-4)? Is there a good place to go climb at night? What are the classics?

In short, what would you recommend doing for 5 days when staying in Banff?

Thanks!

Richard

I would suggest you get this book: Waterfall Ice Climbs in the Canadian Rockies
by Joe Josephson.
But here a few suggestions:

Cascade, multi pitch WI3 (Canmore)
Professor`s Falls, multi pitch WI4 (Canmore)
Weeping Wall left side Multi Pitch WI4-Wi4+ (Icefield Parkway)
Snivelling Gully Multi Pitch WI3 (Icefield Parkway)
Moonlight 2Pitches WI4 (Evan-Thomas Creek in Kananaskis Country)
Ghost river valley has a lot of good stuff in WI4 but you need a good 4WD car.

thanks for the recommendation. I checked to buy the book on amazon but they need 2-3 weeks for delivery... I'll look for it in Banff.

I have added about 50 waterfall ice routes (WI 3 to WI 6) I have personally climbed in the local area to summitpost. Google Canadian Rockies Ice and the index page normally sorts to the top. Should help you prepare, will let you determine the classics. You can see my rating of the route in terms of how much I liked it in the upper left hand of the respective route page. Quite a few folks are using it instead of a guidebook now days, but I encourage you to spend money on Joe's book in Banff, he did a good job with it.

I have added a few backcountry ski routes to SP, but quit due to liability issues. You can peruse my membership page for those gems as well as buy Chic's (Scott) book when in Banff . Enjoy your trip. Cheers.

Thanks Dow! Awesome page!

I still have to figure out were each sites are but a little googling should solve that.

Hello all,

I got back from Banff last week and had an awesome time. Ended up doing this:

Day 1: climbed Cascade. Beautiful climb, perfect weather. The best pic of the trip was taken there just before the first WI3 wall from the anchor on the left. Amazing spot.

Day 2: Skied at Sunshine. Ski was ok althought no powder. Amazing view on the left and right hand. Must be amazing climbs! Spectacular!

Day 3: Climbed Professor Falls. Really nice climb. Dry at the bottom, last two pitches soaking wet. Had an amazing day.

Day 4: Climbed Lake Louise Fall. The bottom was really, really dry. Like -20C ice.

Day 5: Went to see the Nordic center and planned to climb the Calgary tower but we were not allowed to used the stairs!!! So we did no go.

Thank you all for your help. We had an amazing trip!