Twin centre ski holidays are perfect for experiencing more than one ski resort in Canada. If you are not sure, try out a ski-day trip such as the Kicking Horse Powder Express or the Panorama ski bus trip – they both leave from Banff and return in the same day. If you like the ski resorts, then you can come back the following year and stay a little longer!

Ski Holidays Canada just put together the sample quote below to give you an idea of price. If any part is not suitable, they can change it. It is based on 4 adults, all with separate beds, staying in 2 rooms.

Arrive: Saturday, February 27 2010
Depart: Saturday, March 13 2010
Nights: 14
Pax: 4 adults
Rooms: 2 (2 beds per room)

Twin Centre Ski Package includes:

- Scheduled airport transfers – Calgary YYC to Banff (Saturday, February 27 2010)
- Banff Aspen Lodge – Premium Room with breakfast included – 7 nights
- 6, 7 or 8-day Tri-Area Ski Pass (Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise) with FREE ski shuttle from hotel
- 3-day club ski (Banff Norquay, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise) – starts Sunday February 28 2010
- Scheduled transfer to Jasper (Saturday, March 6 2010)
- Jasper Whistlers Inn – standard room – 7 nights
- 6-day Jasper Marmot Ski Pass with FREE ski shuttle from hotel
- 3-day “ski week” tuition – starts 9:30am, 12pm and 2pm daily. Includes video analysis.
- Private airport transfer – Jasper to Calgary YYC (Saturday, March 13 2010)

Discounted Package Rate (includes all taxes, promotions and early-bird discounts): CDN$7,380 for 4 adults, two rooms, and two beds per room (CDN$1,845pp). No additional discounts permitted – this is their lowest rate.

Every ski package Ski Holidays Canada put together is unique, as each one is created based on your preferences. For more information, contact Ski Holidays Canada direct.

Things to consider before deciding where to go on a ski holiday in Canada. The following is based on statistics gathered direct from the ski hills by rocky-peak Ski Holidays.

? Price

We all have a budget to stick to, well, most of us anyway!

Best value ski resort: Jasper Marmot Basin

Most Expensive ski resort: Whistler Blackcomb

? Terrain (Based on % of resort)

Mostly beginner: Jasper Marmot Basin

Mostly intermediate: Nakiska

Mostly advanced: Whistler Blackcomb (Kicking Horse is close second)

Mostly Expert: Panorama

? Time of year

Earliest opening: Sunshine Village, Banff

Latest Closing: Whistler Blackcomb

Be aware that the coldest months are January and February. Some of the best rates of the season are in January and as long as you have plenty of warm clothes just in case, it is definately worth taking advantage of these rates.

? Duration

Longest season: Whistler Blackcomb (Sunshine Village, Banff close second)

Whistler Blackcomb opens November and closes in early June – how great is that?! Blackcomb Mountain also has a glacier which can be skiied on in the summer.

Sunshine Village, Banff closes end of May. If you are wanting to stay a season then go for the resorts with the longest season. If you are coming out for just week, it is best stick with just one resort, that way you will get to know the runs well. For two week ski holidays think about spending one week in one resort, and the other week in another.

If you don’t want to do the split resort ski holiday, Banff, for example, has access to Banff Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village and if you are prepared to travel a couple of hours, Kicking Horse onboard the popular Kicking Horse Express Ski Bus. Lake Louise also has easy access to all these resorts too.

? Snow Quantity

Greatest average snowfall: Whistler Blackcomb (Fernie is close second)

This might be why Fernie was rated number 5 best ski resort in North America in Skiing Magazine’s “Top 25 Resorts in North America”. Whistler Blackcomb was number one again!

If you are after deep powder, then increase your chances by visiting the resorts with the highest average snowfall. One thing to remember though is that you can have a powder day in most resorts if your timing is right (and you are lucky!), however, skiing while that snow is coming down is not that much fun as you can not see too much so don’t pray for too much snow at once!

? Snow Quality

Best quality: Sunshine Village, Banff

Quality not quantity comes to mind. Head to the higher resorts for the best quality snow. If the temperatures rise a bit, you still know you will be getting good quality snow, not that horrible slushy stuff. The higher the resorts, the lower the temperatures are going to be so that is something to bear in mind.

In my opinion, Sunshine Village, Banff has the best quality snow. It is ideally located on the Continental Divide and is a high resort and so Sunshine Village, Banff often receives snow when the other ski resorts aren’t.

? Best Powder

Kicking Horse without a doubt! Kicking Horse has it’s famous "champagne powder" that you can just cruise through. The air is so dry, you will find it is almost impossible to make snowballs out of this light fluffy powder. If it looks like the snow is going to hit Kicking Horse Mountain Resort while you are out here, be sure to hop on the Powder Express Bus to Kicking Horse.

? Racing

Do you like to Race?

The best for racing are Lake Louise and Nakiska. With their groomed runs you fly!

? Greatest Vertical

Do you like long runs?!

Whistler Blackcomb has the greatest vertical in North America (closely followed by Vail) and Kicking Horse has the greatest vertical in the Canadian Rockies. You will find your ankles will burn if you try to do the run from top to bottom in one go. It is certainly a buzz when you do a great last long run from top to bottom to finish your day.

? Skiable Terrain

Whistler Blackcomb comes first to no surprise. Lake Louise has the greatest skiable terrain in the Canadian Rockies. Both these resorts have enough runs for you to be finding new runs year after year!

? Family friendly resorts

All the resorts cater to families, some more so than others. Sunshine Village, Banff, Banff Norquay, Lake Louise, Jasper Marmot Basin and Whistler Blackcomb are all excellent for families of mixed ages and abilities.

? Accommodation preferences

You may want to decide what sort of ski accommodation you would like before you choose the ski resort as not all accommodation types are available at every resort. Larger resort homes are available in Whistler Blackcomb and Fernie unlike Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper which have just mostly hotel rooms. Ski-in, ski-out properties can only be found at Kicking Horse, Fernie, Kimberley, Panorama, Whistler Blackcomb, and Sunshine Village .

I hope I have been able to give you a few things to think about when planning your ski holiday in Canada. For more information and expert advice, be sure to contact rocky-peak Ski Holidays for your ski holiday in Canada.

Banff dog sled tours are a great way to get around and see the snowy wilderness in the Canadian Rockies!

The dogs love what they do – it is their full-time job in the winter months! Before your Banff dog sled tour you can have photos taken with the dogs, they are all really friendly, so this is a must if you are a dog lover! On the longer tours you can give it a try yourself – make sure you have the anchor ready just in case you need to stop! Guides will assist you to give you a helping hand and you can just sit back and relax in your sleigh as you speed through the winter wonderland.

The great thing about Banff dog sled tours is that you can fit it around your skiing time so that you do not lose precious ski holiday time off the slopes.

Now there are increased transfers from Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and for 2008, dog sled tours out of Panorama, getting to the dogs has never been easier this winter 2008 ski season!

The best way to book is to contact rocky-peak Holidays direct and they will take care of everything.

Booking with rocky-peak Holidays also means you pay no booking fees!