JAW DROPPING NATIONAL PARK SCENERY AND GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY

Spectacularly set in Canada's original National Park, Banff and nearby Lake Louise are primarily summer resorts that luckily happen to have some excellent skiing at their doorsteps. This, coupled with short transfers and regular charter and scheduled flights into Calgary make skiing in the Canadian Rockies extremely attractive to the UK visitor.

The town of Banff is mostly spread along the central thoroughfare of Banff Avenue, with the majority of hotels, apartments, shops, bars and restaurants being on or just off the central stretch (although some hotels on Banff Avenue are a good walk to the centre of town). Lake Louise Village, about a 45 minute drive away, is less of a village, more an accumulation of accommodation with a few shops and a petrol station. Lake Louise itself, with the imposing Victoria glacier looming over the lake and famous Chateau Lake Louise, is a couple of miles further up the road.

Lodging in Banff has something for every budget, from the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs to a local youth hostel. Other accommodation options include the Rimrock, next to the Upper Hot Springs, and Banff Avenue hotels including the Banff Caribou Lodge, the Fox Suites and the good value Inns of Banff.

Accommodation options in Lake Louise are more limited, with the luxury end of the market being centred on the aforementioned Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Relais & Chateaux rated Post Hotel. The Deer Lodge provides a good alternative for those on more of a budget.

The skiing is spread over three separate areas, now being labelled under the Ski Big 3 banner: Mt Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise, all covered by the aptly named Tri-Area lift pass.

Lake Louise, the largest of the three areas, offers a good selection of pleasant gladed tree runs on the Front Side and Larch area, with runs of all grades. This is especially useful for a mixed ability group looking to spend the day meeting up. From the top of the mountain, experts can reach Lake Louise's "Powder Bowls"; open, treeless, predominantly North facing and in parts, very steep. The Ptarmigan area is also reached from the top and offers more tree skiing for all abilities.

Situated on the Continental Divide, the watershed between the Pacific and the Atlantic, Sunshine Village (actually a hotel and day lodge at the top of a 20 minute gondola from the base) is the main ski area for Banff based visitors. Due to its location, Sunshine boasts an average of around 360-400 inches of snow a year. The skiing is split across several separate but well connected areas: Goat's Eye Mountain is expert territory, with a good selection of single and double blacks, with a couple of blues for better intermediates. Lookout Mountain, on the Divide itself, offers good cruising runs and entry to Delirium Dive and Silver City, where guides are recommended and bleepers mandatory. Beginners and the less confident will find plenty of good cruising on Mt Standish and below the village around the Jackrabbit chair.

Mt Norquay, overlooking Banff, is a nice tree lined area ideal in bad weather or for a first day warm up. It also offers night skiing on Fridays.

Snowboarders are well catered for, with excellent freeriding terrain at Sunshine and the Powder Bowls at Lake Louise. Each mountain has its own board park, mostly with reduced access passes available for avid freestylers.

Snow conditions vary from area to area. Sunshine prides itself on not requiring artificial snow, with Mt Norquay having snow making on all green and blue slopes. Lake Louise has about 40% of its terrain covered by snowmaking facilities. All in all, lack of snow is rarely a problem in a normal season.

Nightlife in Banff is lively with a good selection of bars, almost all serving food. The Rose & Crown regurlarly has live music, the St James's Gate offers the best pint of Guiness west of Ireland and Wild Bill's often has country and western and line dancing - Alberta is cowboy country after all! Other good options include Melissa's and The Elk and Oarsman.

Eating out has a wide range for all tastes and budgets, from fine dining at the Banff Springs, to brilliant steaks at The Keg and the excellent value Old Spaghetti Factory. Other good options are Tony Roma's for ribs and The Bison for Canadian with a twist.