Mt. Norquay

Mt. Norquay is a ski resort on the slopes above Banff. In winter it is a base for downhill skiing and snow tubing; in summer and early fall, visitors ride the North American Chairlift into the high alpine for a view over town, the Bow Valley and Mount Rundle. If you want to get above Banff without a long climb, the chairlift is the clearest reason to come. The resort also has guided Via Ferrata routes and the Cliffhouse Bistro.

The open-air North American Chairlift climbs to more than 2,000 m. From the upper area, the view opens across Banff and toward Mount Rundle; the Cliffhouse Bistro is beside the lift experience. The ride and the panorama are the point, so allow time to linger at the top. For a photo that reads as Norquay, keep some of the cut ski runs in the foreground with the Bow Valley beyond them.

Ski runs were first cut here in 1926 by ski-camp pioneer Gus Johnson, and the Banff Ski Club built a cabin in 1928. The North American Chair opened in December 1948; it was the second chairlift in Canada and became known locally as the “Big Chair.” The resort hosted its first World Cup slalom and giant slalom events in 1972.

A teahouse opened at 7,000 feet in 1952, giving people a place to stop above the chairlift. It closed in the 1980s, reopened in 2012 and was renovated in 2014; today it is the Cliffhouse Bistro. The upper station, lift and bistro make this more than a ride to a viewpoint.