Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta, See Historic Snowfall as SkiBig3 Surges Into Winter

At Lake Louise Ski Resort, December delivered 282 centimeters (111 inches) of snow, breaking a 75-year-old December record and marking the snowiest single winter month the resort has seen since 1970. By the end of December, Lake Louise was sitting at 226% of its seasonal average snowfall, an extraordinary benchmark this early in the season.

Nearby, Banff Sunshine Village logged 268 centimeters (106 inches) during December, ranking as the fifth snowiest month ever recorded at the resort. From opening day through the end of December, Sunshine accumulated 416 centimeters (164 inches) of snow, making it the fourth snowiest season start in the resort’s history and placing it at 147% of average.

Even Mt. Norquay, traditionally the driest of the three SkiBig3 resorts due to its lower elevation, saw a dramatic turnaround. Norquay recorded 120 centimeters (47 inches) of snow in December alone—up sharply from just 10 centimeters in December 2024 and 32 centimeters in December 2023.

But the snow didn’t stop with the New Year. Over the past week leading up to January 9, additional storms dropped:

• 38 cm (15 in) at Lake Louise

• 46 cm (18.5 in) at Banff Sunshine

• 6 cm (2.5 in) at Mt. Norquay

Combined with December’s totals, nearly 94% of terrain across SkiBig3 is now open, including marquee zones like Sunshine’s Delirium Dive and Wild West, as well as Richardson’s Ridge at Lake Louise—a major terrain expansion that debuted three months ahead of schedule. SkiBig3 points to geography as the defining factor behind the exceptional conditions. Banff National Park’s northern latitude, colder winter temperatures, and high-alpine terrain consistently produce lighter, drier snow, often referred to locally as Prosecco Powder™, and support one of the longest ski seasons in North America.

Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine typically remain open into May, with all three SkiBig3 resorts accessible on a single lift ticket through late April.

With snow totals already rivaling full-season averages elsewhere in North America, the early indicators suggest the Canadian Rockies are poised for a banner year. Mt. Norquay’s early opening of the North American Chair and the debut of the Norquay 100 Glades before Christmas further underscore how quickly conditions have aligned this season. As much of the western U.S. contends with warm temperatures and snow drought concerns, Banff National Park is experiencing the opposite reality: deep snow, widespread terrain access, and a winter that is already rewriting the record books.