trying to decide on which resort for sking holiday
looking forward to seeing canada, but will be first time sking so wanna make sure the resort is right, banff is cheaper so would be prefered but is there enough to do of the slopes or should l pay the extra and go to the larger resort of whistler

l think you should go to Samoa. It will be much warmer.

Both r great I've been to both. Whistler is a bit more tacky & commercialised as u would expect thats why it is dearer. So it depends on what ur after. Could u split ur time & visit both. Banff is a must see cos its beautiful & unspoilt - will give u a taste of real Canada. The scenery is just amazing. Your money will go much further here. There r restaurants, bars & clubs in Banff but they r less aimed at the tourist & more aimed at the local. So its just as good. Personally l would go to Banff & spend a few days in Whistler. Enjoy

depends what your into. If you enjoy scenery more than riding hard then go to banff. If you like Powder and tons of terrain pf all kinds go to whistler.

They are both good though. Id go to both personally. Whistler generally gets way more snow so the chances of getting some powder skiing are about 5 times more likely. In banff sometimes it wont snow for two months at a time. Very dry area.

Both r great. Whistler has two resorts right next to each other with lots of terrain at both, much like Snowbird/Alta. You wo not really need a car when u get there. And the village at the bottom has a great nightlife, good restaurants & bars like Aspen. Banff is cheaper & the scenery is beautiful. But the resorts r much more spread out, like u find at Lake Tahoe. You will drive a good distance to get around to the various places.

You should also take into account the time of year u r going. Whistler is a very low elevation resort near the coast, so the winter does not last as long. The snow arrives later & becomes very wet on the bottom half of the mountain in late March, early April. Banff has a much longer season, being inland & at a higher elevation, but can be bitterly cold in the middle part of the winter.

My personal preference is Whistler. But l would make sure u go between Christmas & mid March. I'd stay away from Banff in January/February unless you're willing to risk sub-zero skiing. But early or late season, u will have a much better chance of good snow in Banff.

If u dont mind going down the same runs over & over again, then yeah, there r enough things to do at Banff. The ski resort at Banff only has 28 runs total (only 9 r for beginners)

l would rather go to Whistler because there r more beginner runs (some of them r kind of long) & there r more things to do there. l think paying extra for Whistler is worth it given the amount of runs & activities they have..

btw, l saw Whistler-Blackcomb on a top places to ski list recently (forgot where though) l am pretty sure it was #1 on the list

l have not been to either but have a friend who has, she used to live in America and used to ski at Banff all the time and even when she returned to the UK to live went every year back to Banff to ski. She said it is fabulous and not as commercial as Whistler. Wherever you go have a great time!

whistler has some slopes but its not grate 4 much else. Banff (one of my favourite cities) has better slopes and there is so much 2 do as well. go 2 banff springs and sullfer mountain it is so cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Previous give good information -- if u r a new skier who also seems to be interested in off-slope activities then Banff might be better (Whistler does have more challenging slopes but many would be beyond a beginner). There r a lot of shops, restaurants, bars, a book store & several cool museums in the town of Banff, also hiking trails that follow the Bow River & a hot spring spa up on Sulphur Mountain outside of town. Sounds like you've already looked at accommodations -- check out the YWCA is hotel & hostel (Google ''Banff YWCA'') --it is really inexpensive, has nice rooms (like a double with private bath for less than $60/night), a cafe & u can walk anywhere in town from there. Great place for a younger person -- u can even stay in dorm-type bunks if u really want to save $$ -- then u could afford to go to both! Maybe start at Banff & then, once you've had a few days practicing, move on to Whistler for the challenge.

One tip: remember that US citizens now need a passport to visit Canada (not to get in, but to get back to the US). It is now taking from 4 to 6 months to get a new passport -- u have to pay more to get it faster.