Nakiska Ski Resort, Canada Review

I have been a couple times now and in general I like the hill. I don't like how the first day I was there one of the runs my friends thought would be open was closed due to training. It limited a lot of the hill for me since I was easing my way back in to skiing. The double chair lift pretty much launches you off which is quite scary since it's mostly for kids. They could slow that down for sure!! The main lodge gets really busy and it's annoying how people leave their stuff at a table all day. Makes it hard to find a place to rest.

Great place to learn how to ski and snowboard. Somewhat packed during the weekends

Great location. Been 5+ times. Well groomed runs at the expense that it may be icy.

Generally good. The ski conditions may not always good due to Chinook which could melt snow and cause icy conditions. Pretty close to Calgary and does not need national park pass is a plus.

Nakiska is departing from the profile known for years drive less ski more , the perfectly groomed runs what regulars are looking for- are shrinking in numbers and quality.
Parking lots are full and closed really early in the day; main lodge is not accessible due to excessive overcrowding.
The overcrowding on the limited number of runs (pistes) results in unpleasant and unsafe skiing.
Mixing skiers with completely different skills on the same icy run, closing frequently the limited available number of runs for racing-training >only part of what one gets there.
Having designated some of the main runs for free skiing ?!? as Red Crow (ungroomed for second year) ->makes very little sense for the skiers there and depicts a management approach of spending cuts and arrogance. Even with the record revenue this year.
In total this year Nakiska is nothing known for years, but something that is far away from the spirit of it, with management that is not able to address the overcrowding or to deliver services which are expected there, the fundamental results are unsafe skiing, negative experience with critical accidents that might be just around the corner.
Bottom line stay away (at least on the weekends) from Nakiska if you value your time and emotions.

Close to Calgary, but too icy and too many young kids that sit randomly on the runs.

Had a great time, still a little bit early so all the runs aren't quite open yet and it's just a tad icy on the common runs at spots, can't wait till there's more snow up there to get back out

I went hear just after I imigrated from africa. It was a very nice plcae, and being 76, i enjoyed all the runs. I brought my friend daveed (lean on the ee) for a fun day, and this guy hes really good at ski boot skiing. So we went on the gold chairlift, and we found some bumps like many of the them on the snow looking kinda like a bunch of camels laying there. So daveed went on on on his boots and he got stuck between two rocks and faceplanted into a third one that none of us noticed. well we frorgot our glasses at home and daveed at 69 years old was very nimble and quick so we got him out. as i was putting his boot back on, i accidentally elbowed his stomachee and as expected he got a stomacheachee. then he puked... he puked a freshly bought salt and vinegar rice cake onto my lap it was a miracle of nature. So being hungry in the woods, i ate it, got food posining but continued snowboarding. i fell two to times Second time snowboarding after my experience at cop

The cafes food is quite expensive, but it is a beautiful mountain with many ski slopes.

It's the closest ski resort from Calgary, great place for the family to spend the whole day playing in the snow. I have been a season pass Holder for the last few years. I love it. I go ski in the morning then go to work in the afternoon, life is good.

Smaller resort...less party atmosphere, more family friendly than some

The mountain is very well groomed and maintained. Staff is super helpful. I went in -30 so the conditions were a little icy and cold

Visited during the week. Lots of racers (which is fair because it is an Olympic training area). One lift closed. Beautiful scenery. Just make sure you know which runs are closed off for racers. We inadvertently ended up having to re-route the family to a black because the racers were on the blue.

Nice family friendly ski hill but the lodge is way too small and needs to be improved!

Great for people who suck at skiing. As a novice, it was comforting to see people of all ages wipe out with me every 5 minutes.

Nice cruiser mountain with best views of any mountain I've ever been to

Great resort for families or if you love extremely groomed trails. It's a lot busier than Norquay which is another family hill close to Calgary but worth it in my opinion as the trails are longer and skiers more spread out throughout the mountain.

Too crowded. Unhelpful staff. Everything takes extremely long. Better options around.

Our family loves Nakiska. Affordable, great staff and is a short drive from Calgary and surrounding towns. This was my family's first time getting the family pass. It's truly a great deal if you buy in the summer. If you can master Nakiska you can ski anywhere.

Great runs, aren't many but eight to waste a day. Food was way over priced and the burgers were gross, maybe bring a lunch. Otherwise a fun day.

Great experience here in Kannanaskis Despite the fee being very pricey the hills were very great. I do think they need a less steeper trail for beginners. The staff were very friendly at this location, and the food restaurant was great. Nice ski experience.

Fabulous hill, well groomed criusing runs. Good variety. Not as crowded as other mountain hills and excellent food in the lounge.

The discounted family seasons pass it's so cheap I cant NOT but it.

Good stuff, nice warm up before hitting Kicking Horse

I'm sure the skiing is better when the season is in full bloom Skiing is always difficult with melted hard packed snow

Icy and challenging to ski on ,but I say pretty good.

Good variety of intermediate runs. Close to Calgary. No park fee.

Nice ski resort. Bring your own food. 24$ for a turkey sandwich and bottled water and cup of soup.

Nice hike of about 1.2km. Good scenic view of the Troll Falls.

Nakiska is equidistant from my home in Canmore as it is to Sunshine Village. And although the snow and variety of terrain isn't comparable, I still go to Nakiska because it's less crowded, has more parking and most of all, is a great value! It's a good place to train because if you can master your technique on the icy slopes of Nakiska, you can ski anywhere in the Rockies.

Well groomed, fast lifts. Food upstairs is better, but more expensive

It was better than nothing. Not much snow, lots of ice, lots of people. Long lineups and not many run options. The more advanced section of the hill was closed so everyone was forced into the lower lifts. We skied the half-day, and that was more than enough to see the hill. If we had to pay for the full day, there's no way we would have gone - the full day pass is nearly as expensive as the better hills further down west. Nakiska worked for our trip because we were only stopping on the way to BC hills, but I would say that if you have time for better options, go for those instead.

Great family hill close to Calgary. The lodge is jammed any time it is busy.

Some days its good, other days its very icy due to extensive man made snow

We went here for tobogganing which we did but the slide was not that high, it was a little bit dissapointing to be honest since the one's in town seem bigger, the background is gorgeous though. If you really want to go tobogganing and get your money's worth then go to norquay instead.

Easy access, good runs for intermediate, not overly crowded during weekdays

50-minute wait in the line up to get on the chairlift. Very icy conditions.

Beautiful view close to Calgary. With the mild weather in southern AB in late 2018 early 2019, a lot of the more advanced hills were not open. However the Alpine area was a blast, and the staff were very friendly.

Cozy little (comperably to big3) ski resort, friendly and knowledgeable staff, big parking lot and no lines. I like slopes they made, crazy pro and easy ones where you can chill out while skiing.
PS I would reccomend to install a safety net under gold chair lift unloading zone (They are installed everywhere in Europe), when people open safety bar it gonna be painful to fall in that precipice, hopefully It will never happen

Wow!! Took a drive out here when visiting Calgary. The views are unbelievable!

It's the closest thing to ski near Calgary but it's a bit scary. I do not recommend it for newbies

The length of the downhill is longer than Muju.
Good skiing practice with tree run and irregular mogul

Amazing runs for beginners to advanced. Extremely close to Calgary which makes it convenient. Rates are quite comparable to rest of the hills.

Decent ski hill. One of the more expensive though. Not worth the price unless all runs are open

Good hill for the average person and kids. Well groomed
Easy to get to. Shouldn't have to pay extra to use ski/snowboard park

Great weekday of skiing. No lines! Unfortunately one of the lifts wasn't open but most runs were accessible.

What's another great day skiing the conditions were great the ski hill wasn't crowded in the lifts weren't busy.

Good snowboarding but the food was really expensive

Love Nakiska and the Kananaskis area. blessed to have a beauty day exploring silver and gold chair and this land we call home

For me it was my first day of skiing in Canada with Cris having a great time. A beautiful Rockis station

Ski hill is what it is. Very expensive lift tickets for what you get but what ski hill isnt. Food is ok but very expensive. After ski Beer for 12 bucks is outrageously expensive.

Great place near to Calgary so ideal if you fancy a day out , three ski area's four chairlifts enough runs , blue runs being good distance .
Possibly not the best for advance skiers ,but their is a ski lodge up the mountain doing beer and burgers unfortunately didn't have the time to check it out but worth noting for the future, friendly vibe so glad to have experienced

Great Hill for Family trips. Kids are Ages 3, 5, 7, & 9; each of them can find runs comfortable for them including chairlifts.

Drove almost 2 hours and when we arrived there was no power. Wish we would have been notified somehow. Also nowhere can I find info if the power is back on yet. Probably won't risk a 4 hour trip again tomorrow. Hope they have it fixed for next weekend

When we lived in Calgary we liked this place. We were there each weekend during the ski season. It gets crowded after 12PM. If you are an advanced skier go early mornings!

I really like this place!! Really go for families, it is not very crowded, close to calgary. Also the prices are good.

If you really want to learn ski one of very good place, near to Calgary, reasonable price for ski gears...

Close to Calgary. Good lodge and daycare facility. Slopes are well groomed. Can get really icy sometimes and not a lot of natural snow.

The hill was in better shape than I anticipated so early in the season. There were some icy sections on the bottom runs, which is typical. The Glades had some fresh snow, so that was fun.

Lovely hill close to Calgary. Long wide runs not too technical for the most part. (There are technical areas if that's your thing though). Chalet and facilities are good. Only downside was my son wanted to go in the rail park, but they charge an extra fee and need another waiver signing, for which you have to return to the chalet. At the price a day of skiing/boarding costs I thought that was a bit "nickel and diming". Still had a fun day out though, and will return.

me and my two children went on a hike to Troll Falls. I was a nice easy hike and the falls were frozen over, it was a great place for pictures. We also were followed by two deer, they allowed us to take pictures of them. Kids had a great time!

Nice resort but primarily aimed at skiers and I snowboard

Great time to go skiing or snowboarding near Calgary without spending an arm or a leg. Just make sure conditions are good ahead of time!

Well they have snow and hills. The customer service is slow and terrible. So enjoy that. Private ski instructor slowed up 5 min late and drop off 10 min early. At $2/ min 15 minutes count. Lounge is slow. go to the bar for your first drink to let the server know you are serious about wanting more than just a chair.

Great groomies, always open early in the season to shake the rust off the legs.

Great mountain for people learning and getting better at skiing while still having challenging runs for more experienced people

An embarrassment of a ski resort. They should be ashamed. All runs were dangerously overcrowded and extremely icy. Staff were unpleasant and rude. Only three runs were open. An absolute scam to pay and ski here.

As a competent beginner, the slopes at Nakiska were perfect for a longer run with more challenging sections, if wanted. There were suitable runs coming down from at least 3 of the 4 chairlifts (I didn't push myself to use the gold lift this time) but there were definitely some more advanced black runs available too, with a new, expanded section now open. The lift passes are manually scanned but this didn't seem to slow things down too much. The lodge became very busy around lunch, as expected, but fellow skiers were happy to make space. There is also a smallish shop that sells all the essentials in case you forget anything. Closest slopes to Calgary, friendly staff, runs were easy to navigate and the whole area was family friendly - enjoyed my day here and would definitely recommend a visit!

Supposedly, a fun experience for my two kids since this was their first time snowboarding in the mountains. The employee who was stationed in the chair lifts yelled too loud to my kids when they accidentally and slightly touched the bar of the chair lift that was in front of them. It was too loud even the guys who were in the far chair lift which was in front of us can hear him yelling. Everything that happened was captured by my GoPro.