Banff, Alberta — When it comes to SkiBig3, Mt. Norquay is the one that seems to be forgotten about. Despite it being right in Banff, skiers and riders tend to gravitate towards Banff Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort due to their massive terrain networks and modern lifts. Comparatively, Mt. Norquay has a modest terrain network and older, slower lifts.
That’s likely going to change. As part of their Norquay 100 Vision, the Alberta ski resort is envisioning new lifts and other infrastructure projects. This includes a new gondola, expanding the Cliffhouse Lodge, and adding a new Via Ferrata route. Getting these approved is a challenge, as the ski resort is located inside Banff National Park.
In an episode of the Overhead Podcast, Andre Quenneville, the General Manager of Mt. Norquay, is interviewed. In the video below, they discuss the projects that make up the Norquay 100 Vision. If you’re passionate about Banff or SkiBig3, it’s an interesting conversation to listen to or watch.
The main project that’s part of this vision is replacing the North American Chair with a gondola. Currently, the North American is a pulse chairlift from the 1960s. Norquay calls it the “most outdated chairlift in Western Canada.” The plan is to replace it with a two-station gondola and move it to the base area rather than near its current location (nearby the tubing area).
They want to open this new gondola on December 1, 2026. However, the proposal is still going through the wringer with Parks Canada, so while this is their goal, it’s not definitive yet. When I checked out Mt. Norquay’s website, I was greeted by the following notification.
A big chunk of the conversation was devoted to the traffic issues in Banff, and how Norquay’s proposals of reinvigorating train travel/the train station would help reduce vehicle traffic in the community. The other notable proposal they have is another gondola that would connect the station to the ski resort to reduce traffic. While train travel that connects Calgary to Banff may come back someday, Parks Canada appears to be reluctant to approve the transit gondola to Mt. Norquay. Last year, they rejected the gondola proposal for the second time.
Near the end of the conversation, Andre raised a question that sums up their conversation: “What if we do nothing?” Norquay sees a crowded tourist town that’s flooded with cars. They ultimately believe that their gondola solutions and infrastructure enhancements will improve the current experience.
Image/Video Credits: Overheard Podcast, Mt. Norquay
