What the 2025/26 ski season lacked in the western U.S., Canada more than made up for, especially around Banff and the legendary SkiBig3 resorts. The snow totals were absolutely massive, stacking up so deep around Sunshine Village that the resort basically looked at summer and said, “Why stop now?” Instead of letting all that snow melt away, Sunshine is firing the lifts back up for summer skiing in 2026. Yep… you read that right.
Built for Late Season Skiing
How is this even possible? Well for starters, Banff Sunshine already has a reputation for stretching the ski season far beyond what most resorts can pull off. Thanks to its high elevation, colder temperatures, and terrain that naturally protects snow from melting too quickly, the mountain is practically designed for spring skiing. While other resorts start shutting lifts down and watching brown patches creep across the slopes, Sunshine is usually still serving up soft turns, deep coverage, and long sunny laps well into the end of May. It’s one of the reasons the resort has become legendary for late season riding in North America.
Add in Snow… LOTS of Snow
Mother Nature isn’t ready to give up winter just yet. Nearly 10 inches of fresh snow fell, with another 3 inches possible tomorrow, setting the stage for some seriously good summer skiing and snowboarding.
Image appears courtesy: Banff Sunshine Village
Then came the winter of 2025/26, where Mother Nature basically refused to stop snowing. Storm after storm buried the resort in cold, dry Banff “Brut” powder, helping Sunshine rack up more than 402 inches of snowfall by mid May. It made it the snowiest season there in over a decade! December alone delivered 105 inches of snow, while March stacked another 82 inches in just 31 days. With that much snow still sitting on the upper mountain heading into summer, Sunshine looked at the calendar, shrugged, and decided ski season deserved an encore.
The Winter That Keeps on Giving
The resort will be reopening on June 20, 2026, and spinning lifts through July 5, 2026, serving up more than two weeks of summer skiing and riding. Strawberry Express is expected to run daily, delivering everything from groomer laps to terrain park sessions under the June sun. Yep, actual summer turns in Banff.
Free for Upcoming Passholders and Guests
Even better, 2026/27 Sunshine and SkiBig3 passholders ski free, while lodge guests get summer skiing included with their stay. If you’ve ever dreamed of carving turns in a T-shirt while everyone else is mountain biking, this is your year.
Has this Happened Before?
As wild as summer skiing in Banff sounds, this actually isn’t the first time Sunshine Village has pulled it off. In the resort’s nearly 100 year history, Sunshine Village has stayed open into the summer only twice before. First they did it in 1991 and again in 2022. Now, it’s set to happen for a third time in 2026, making this an incredibly rare event. And honestly, skiing or snowboarding in June or July is one of those bucket list experiences every true skier or rider should do at least once in their life. If you’re anywhere near Banff we suggest putting this on your itinerary because you never know when it’ll happen again.
