History of Sunshine

Now an internationally acclaimed ski resort, Banff Sunshine Village was first established in 1928-29 by the CP Rail company as a summer lodge. In the late 20's and early 30's, ski pioneers enjoyed exploring the wide open terrain of Sunshine Meadows.

Every time we do building renovations, we upgrade them to the highest environmental standards. These environmental enhancements are highlighted in the new West Wing of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which opened in December 2009, and the new Creekside building, which opened in November 2010.

The new Sunshine Mountain Lodge received many upgrades to meet these high environmental standards. Some of the highlights of the new lodge include:

- The use of passive solar through high-efficiency windows to maximize heat gain

- Reduction of water consumption by 44 percent

- Reduction of energy consumption by 20 percent

The Sunshine Mountain Lodge was built with natural stone and styled with a colour palette chosen to be in harmony with its surroundings. The Lodge site includes vegetation native to the area as part of the post-construction site remediation

As downhill skiing grew in popularity to become a must do Canadian family activity, so did Sunshine Village. In 1962, Sunshine's second lift, the modern 't-bar,' was built. Thanks to continued public demand for skiing and snowboarding in 1965, Sunshine was allowed to build a new hotel and the resorts first chairlift, Standish. In 1969, Angel Chairlift was built, followed by The Great Divide Chair.

Reaching new terrain opened Sunshine up to a new audience of winter enthusiasts, who quickly began to rave about the incredible, soft, dry, Canadian Rocky Mountain snow. With our world class snow, and growing resort throughout the 1970's, Sunshine began to transition into a bucket list ski destination.

In 1981, the Scurfield Family (the current ownership family) purchased Sunshine Village. The Scurfields were attracted to the family friendly feel of the resort, and its unparalleled natural beauty. Under Ralph Scurfield's leadership, Banff Sunshine Village has truly morphed into a premier winter ski destination. His vision saw the expansion of the ski resort to include Goat's Eye Mountain and Wolverine Ridge. As avid skier, Ralph saw the importance of improving his lift-facilities to allow people to ski more. In 1989, Sunshine built the Rockies' first high-speed quad. Today, Banff Sunshine Village is proud to offer its guests the most modern lift-system in Canada. This includes Canada's first heated chairlift, Teepee Town LX.

Banff Sunshine Village is committed to delivering service excellence to all guests. It is our goal to be the leading alpine resort in Canada. With our high elevation (we’re Canada’s highest ski & snowboard resort) and location on the continental divide, we’re a natural magnet for snow. The future looks white and delicious