The skiing at Marmot Basin sits about twenty minutes up the valley from the town of Jasper, set on its own in the middle of the national park. That sense of space and an unhurried feel carries through to the slopes, where you have wide runs, big open views, and room to ski at your own pace. Terrain rises through three broad zones, and there's something rewarding at every level. Down at the base, gentle green runs and a dedicated learning area give beginners a calm place to start. Easy terrain reaches high up the mountain too, so first-timers can ride to the top and come down on a green with the same views as everyone else. Through the middle of the mountain, long, well-groomed blue cruisers open out through the trees, giving intermediates plenty of room to build speed and confidence, with single-black runs close by whenever you fancy a step up. Above the treeline, the mountain turns wild, exposed alpine ridges, steep chutes, and open bowls that hold windblown powder, including the expert terrain of Eagle East and high-alpine Marmot Cirque.

Getting around is simple. The terrain is arranged in stacked zones, each served by its own chair, so you can lap an area you like without much faffing between lifts. From the base, two high-speed quads do the heavy lifting: the Canadian Rockies Express carries you most of the way up the mountain in around eight minutes, while the Eagle Express serves the lower-mountain runs and terrain park. Higher up, the Paradise Express opens out mid-mountain blues and blacks, and the Knob and Eagle Ridge chairs reach the highest alpine terrain, some of it fixed-grip and a little slower, but serving the best of the steep and open skiing. There's a beginner triple chair and a magic carpet down in the learning area too. Seven lifts in total spread skiers around comfortably, and because the runs are long and varied, it rarely feels like you're queuing more than you're skiing.

Important for international visitors: If you’re used to the European system, North American trail ratings work a little differently. Green circles are beginner runs (much like European greens and easy blues). Blue squares are intermediate but cover a wider spread than European blues, so some will feel closer to a European red. Black diamonds are advanced, and double black diamonds are expert-only, think steep chutes, moguls, and exposed alpine lines. There's no direct equivalent to the European red, so as an intermediate, expect blue squares here to vary quite a bit in steepness, and start on the gentler ones to get a feel for the grading.

Skiing for beginners in Jasper

Marmot Basin is a great place to learn, largely because it lets you take your time. You'll start on the lower mountain, where a dedicated learning area sits right by the base lodge served by its own triple chair and a magic carpet for your very first slides. The terrain here is wide, mellow, and set apart from the busier runs, so you can find your feet without anyone barrelling past. Once you're linking turns, green runs like School House and Tranquilizer give you long, gentle descents to practise on, with big Rocky Mountain views through the trees the whole way down.

When you're ready to go further, you'll find the step up gentle and the pitch builds gradually as you move onto easy blues. A great one to aim for first is Basin, the wide, cruisy run that brings you down from the top of the Canadian Rockies Express, so you get a proper top-of-the-mountain descent early on. From there, the mid-mountain blues off the Paradise and Eagle chairs let you keep building at your own pace, with the mid-mountain lodge as an easy meeting point to regroup over lunch.

WeSki insider tip: One of the best things about learning here is that you're not stuck on the nursery slopes while everyone else rides to the top. Marmot has a green or gentle-blue way down from almost every chair, even the highest one, the Knob chair, where a groomed traverse lets confident beginners come down from the summit itself.

Intermediate skiing in Jasper

Intermediates are well looked after at Marmot Basin, with plenty of long, well-groomed blue cruisers that hold their pitch nicely, so you can build a good rhythm without any sudden surprises. Some of the best cruising comes off the top of the Canadian Rockies Express, and named runs like Dromedary and Paradise are exactly the kind of wide, flowing groomers you'll want to lap a few times over. The runs off the Eagle Express are worth your time too, sustained blues with enough gradient to let the skis run and carry some speed.

When you're ready to push a bit harder, Marmot makes the step up feel manageable. A lot of the black runs here are groomed rather than left to bump up, so they're a gentler introduction to steeper terrain than you might expect, Highway 16, which drops off the top of the Canadian Rockies Express, is a good first black to try, steep enough to test you but not technical. From there you can start dipping into the ungroomed edges and mogul patches at your own pace. And when you want to feel like you've covered some ground, the top-to-bottom run down the mountain stretches 5.6km and rolls through a real mix of terrain before a long, gentle glide back to the base, a satisfying way to round off the day.

WeSki insider tip: Keep an eye on the daily grooming report before you set off, it's the key to skiing Marmot well as an intermediate. The resort grooms a rotating selection of its black runs, so on any given day there are usually one or two normally-bumpy blacks rolled out into smooth, fast corduroy. Skiing a freshly groomed black is one of the easiest ways to build confidence on steeper pitches, and the report tells you exactly which ones to seek out that morning.

Advanced and expert skiing in Jasper

Marmot Basin is where strong skiers really get rewarded, and it's worth knowing your way around the three main expert zones before you set off. The most accessible is Eagle East, a whole ridge of powder-filled bowls, steep lines, and advanced glades where you can drop in wherever you fancy and each run funnels back to the base. Off the Paradise quad you'll find Tres Hombres, a big, north-facing, treeless slope with five gated entrances leading into powder bowls and chutes on a consistent 32-to-45-degree pitch. Then, highest of all, there's Marmot Cirque. This is proper high-alpine skiing, with open bowls and steep chutes below the ridgeline between chairs, with plenty of it lift-served and the boldest lines a short hike away.

If you're happy to earn your turns, a few short hikes open up the best of the mountain. From the top of Eagle Ridge chair you can boot up to Cornice for a taste of the ridgeline and a superb peak-to-bottom descent. Charlie's Bowl and the Dupres Chutes are other local favourites for steep, committing lines. One thing worth knowing as a first-timer here: the expert terrain opens and closes based on a daily assessment by the patrol, so the alpine zones and gates come into play as conditions allow.

WeSki insider tip: When you reach the top of the Knob chair, look to your right. The lower part of the Marmot Cirque can be reached simply by traversing skiers' right off the chair, no hiking required. It's the easiest way into the resort's most exciting terrain, and a great way to test the water before you decide whether to hike for the bigger lines above.

Snowboarding in Jasper

Marmot Basin is a rewarding mountain to ride, largely because so much of its terrain plays to a snowboard's strengths. It's a mountain that lets you mix fast carving, tree runs, and freeride terrain in a single descent. The wide, well-groomed runs through the middle of the mountain are made for laying out big carves, with a consistent pitch that lets you hold an edge and keep your speed up. When you want something more playful, the open glades and the natural bowls and gullies of the upper mountain give you side-hits, rollers, and powder pockets to work with, all in the cold, dry snow that this high setting holds well.

There's one practical thing worth planning for on a board. Marmot has a few flat cat-track and traverse sections, particularly lower down and on the run-outs from the expert zones, and they can leave you unstrapping if you lose momentum. The fix is simple: carry your speed into them and stay high where you can, and you'll roll straight through.

Off-piste skiing

Most of the off-piste worth seeking out at Marmot Basin sits high on the mountain and, importantly, inside the ski-area boundary. Up in the alpine, the open bowls and steep chutes of Marmot Cirque, the powder fields of Tres Hombres, and the lines off Eagle East and the Knob chair give you terrain with a real backcountry feel, but with the reassurance of patrol and avalanche control behind it. Some of this in-bounds alpine terrain sits in open avalanche zones, so pay attention to the signage and any closures, and carry a transceiver, shovel, and probe when you head into it.

If you want to go further, the wider Jasper National Park is one of the great ski-touring landscapes in the Canadian Rockies, with valleys, ridges, and glaciated peaks stretching out in every direction. This is proper backcountry, uncontrolled, unpatrolled, and often in serious avalanche terrain. The best way in is with a qualified local guide, and there are good ones based in Jasper who run day tours and multi-day trips and supply the safety kit.

Jasper ski school and lessons

Marmot Basin's Snow School runs both group and private lessons for adults, whether you're clicking into skis for the very first time or a confident skier looking to sharpen up. Group lessons keep numbers small, so you get plenty of attention, while private lessons can be shaped entirely around what you want to work on. Book a private a day ahead and you can even get a quick phone chat with your instructor beforehand to set your goals, with video analysis of your skiing sent through afterwards.

Every day at 10:30 the school runs a free guided mountain tour, a relaxed way to have an instructor show you the best of the terrain for your level and learn your way around the hill, which is well worth doing on your first morning.

Jasper terrain parks

Marmot Basin has three terrain parks, set up so you can build freestyle skills at your own pace.The crew reshapes the parks through the winter, so what's on offer shifts as the season goes on and the snow builds up. The main park runs down Lower Lift Line, right below the Eagle Express chair, which makes it quick and easy to lap. It's the biggest of the three, with a progression of jumps, from smaller tabletops up to larger hits, plus a good spread of rails and boxes to play on.

If you're just starting out on features, the two smaller rail parks are a good place to find your confidence. One sits at the base of the Eagle Ridge quad and the other just to skiers' right of the mid-mountain chalet. Both are set up with gentle rails and boxes that are perfect to try your first slide or work up a new trick before taking it to the bigger features in the main park.

1. Jasper Family ski holiday
2. Things to do in Jasper
3. Planning your trip in Jasper
4. How to get to Jasper
5. Jasper FAQs

Jasper family ski holiday

Jasper makes a wonderful family ski destination, with an easy set up and plenty for you to enjoy together. Marmot Basin has long had a reputation as a family mountain, its old nickname is "The Big Friendly," so you'll be in good company with other families on the slopes and around the base. The mountain's manageable size counts for a lot here, since you can keep tabs on more independent children while still getting your own runs in, and the three mountain chalets give everyone an easy place to regroup and warm up. Down in town, everything sits within short, walkable distances, and the restaurants and cafés are used to welcoming families, so evenings are relaxed and fuss-free.

On the mountain, there's a natural path for children to progress. Complete beginners have a gentle, separated learning area at the base with a magic carpet to start on, and the ski school runs lessons and part-day childcare programmes for little ones, so even the youngest can have a go while you ski. For children who already have their ski legs, the mountain’s wide green and blue runs give them room to build confidence and range, and as they get stronger there's plenty of steep terrain to grow into. The terrain parks are a fun next step too, an easy, low-key way for them to try their first features and get a taste of freestyle.

Off the slopes, the national park is where a Jasper holiday really comes into its own for families. Wildlife is part of everyday life here, with elk and bighorn sheep often seen around town and in the valley, and there's snowshoeing through the forest, walks amid frozen canyons, and evening stargazing under some of the darkest skies in the Rockies. These are the sort of experiences children remember long after the holiday. When it comes to eating, the town's dining is casual and easy-going, with plenty of relaxed, welcoming places to round off a day in the mountains together.

Things to do in Jasper

A trip to Jasper gives you a proper national-park holiday alongside the skiing, and there's plenty to fill the moments you're off the mountain. If you're after adventure, you can head out for activities through the forest and valley. If you'd rather take it easy, there's more laid-back things to do, like stargazing, a soak in a hotel spa, or an afternoon poking around the shops and galleries in town. When some of your group aren't skiing at all, they'll find plenty to keep them busy. It all sits within a small, walkable town wrapped in spectacular mountain scenery.

Snow activities

• Ice walks through a frozen canyon: Guided walks along a frozen canyon floor past ice caves, frozen waterfalls, and towering rock walls, with all the grippers and gear provided.
• Snowshoeing: Guided and self-guided trails through old-growth forest and along frozen lakeshores across the national park.
• Cross-country skiing: Groomed Nordic trails around Jasper and through the surrounding valley, set against a backdrop of Rocky Mountain peaks.
• Dog sledding: Husky-pulled sled rides through the valley with mountain peaks on every side.
• Ice skating: Outdoor skating on frozen lakes and rinks in and around town, including some wonderfully scenic spots in the park.
• Fat biking: Ride specially set-up bikes along groomed winter trails through the forest and beside the Athabasca River.
• Sleigh rides: Horse-drawn sleigh rides through the snowy valley, with mountain views and a good chance of spotting wildlife along the way.
• Wildlife tours: Head out with a guide to look for the elk, bighorn sheep, deer, and other animals that winter in the valley, with the best sightings usually early or late in the day.

Non-snow activities

• Stargazing and the planetarium: Jasper sits in one of the world's largest Dark Sky Preserves, and the Jasper Planetarium runs evening dome sessions and telescope viewing of the night sky.
• Jasper Art Gallery: A relaxed spot to warm up and take in visual art, prints, and collectibles by local and Canadian artists, showcasing work from the town's own artists' guild, and a short walk off the main street.
• Jasper-Yellowhead Museum: A local history museum exploring the town's railway roots and its long relationship with the national park.
• Spa and wellness: Several Jasper hotels open their spa facilities to day guests, with hot tubs, saunas, and massage treatments to ease tired legs.
• A guided food-and-drink walking tour: A short guided stroll through downtown taking in several local restaurants, with tastings paired with drinks and a few of the town's stories along the way.
• Pottery and craft studios:Spend a relaxed couple of hours at a local paint-and-pottery studio, an easy indoor option for a cold afternoon or a non-ski day.
• Jasper Aquatic Centre: A large indoor pool with a water slide, hot tubs, a steam room, and a climbing wall, a warm, easy way to spend a couple of hours out of the cold, and a good one for families.

Jasper restaurants

Jasper’s dining scene is intimate and full of character, built around independent, family-run spots that embrace the mountain setting. Canadian cooking is the thread that runs through it, and you'll find Rocky Mountain game on plenty of menus, alongside fresh fish, wood-fired pizza, hearty pub plates, and a good scattering of international kitchens. The mood is warm and easy-going across the board, and it’s the sort of place where you can come in off the slopes still in your base layers and settle in for a long dinner without a second thought. Here are some of the spots worth visiting.

• Evil Dave's Grill: Creative Canadian cooking with bold flavours, a strong cocktail list, and a lively evening buzz.
• Fiddle River: A well-loved spot overlooking the main street, known for its fish and its Rocky Mountain game dishes like elk and bison.
• The Raven Bistro: Mediterranean-inspired cooking with a focus on local, sustainable ingredients, served in an intimate, buzzy room, and one of the strongest choices in town for vegans and vegetarians.
• Jasper Brewing Company: A craft brewery and restaurant pouring house-brewed beers alongside pub classics, with a friendly, sociable feel.
• Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria: Certified Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas made with imported "00" flour, a reliable, crowd-pleasing choice for groups.
• Bear's Paw Bakery: The essential morning stop, with fresh pastries, famous cinnamon buns, and proper coffee.
• Downstream Restaurant: Relaxed dining with globally inspired comfort food, local beers, and an easy mountain-town atmosphere.
• Olive Bistro: A cosy, well-regarded spot serving fusion cooking with plenty of options for mixed groups and dietary needs.

WeSki insider tip: Make a point of trying the Rocky Mountain game while you're here. Elk and bison feature on menus all over town, and they're a local staple. The beef is leaner and richer than you might be used to, and this will give you a real taste of the region.

Jasper après-ski

Après-ski happens in town rather than on the mountain, so once the lifts stop you’ll head back down into Jasper for the evening. The mood is warm and low-key, a mix of cosy pubs, craft-beer spots, and hotel lounges, most within a short walk of one another. You can settle in for a pint and pub food, catch live music, shoot a round of pool, or find somewhere quiet for a cocktail before dinner. Many places run après deals for skiers and boarders, and several welcome families into the early evening. Since Jasper sits in a Dark Sky Preserve, stepping out into a clear night sky is a fitting way to round off a day on the slopes.

Après-ski spots to know:

• The Whistle Stop Pub: TA well-loved pub in the Whistlers Inn with pool tables, plenty of screens for the game, live music, and hearty pub food
• The De'd Dog Bar & Grill: A Jasper institution going back to 1927, with craft beer, pub classics, live entertainment at weekends, and a daily happy hour.
• O'Shea's: The lounge at the historic Athabasca Hotel, an easy spot to catch a game over a drink and some sharing plates.
• Evil Dave's Grill:Creative cocktails and an extensive wine list make this a strong choice for a more polished evening drink alongside its dining.
• The Hearthstone Lounge: A relaxed lounge that's an easy place to unwind with a drink after the slopes.
• Jasper Royal Canadian Legion:A lively local pub atmosphere where you can catch the game, shoot pool or darts, and hear live music, with families welcome into the early evening.

Planning your trip to Jasper

Jasper accommodation

All accommodation sits in the town of Jasper, about twenty minutes' drive from Marmot Basin, since national-park rules mean there's nothing built at the mountain base itself. Hotels here are comfortable, well-run two- and three-star places with a relaxed, mountain-lodge character. Many come with the amenities that suit a ski trip well, with indoor pools, hot tubs, saunas, and on-site restaurants or lounges, so there's somewhere to warm up and unwind after a cold day on the hill. A number of rooms also offer kitchenettes if you'd like the flexibility of self-catering, and self-contained apartments are perfect for anyone who wants more space and their own kitchen.

Wherever you stay, you're in the heart of a small, walkable town, so the restaurants, pubs, shops, and cafés are mostly a short stroll from your door, and you're never far from the essentials. The town sits about twenty minutes from the slopes along a well-maintained road, and a ski-season shuttle runs between Jasper and Marmot Basin, so getting to the mountain each morning is straightforward.

Jasper ski pass

A Marmot Basin lift pass gives you access to the whole mountain, all seven lifts and the full spread of terrain across roughly 1,700 acres. If you're here for several days, a multi-day pass is the simplest option and works out better the longer you stay.

Check for multi-day pass options when booking your Jasper ski holiday through WeSki to find the best fit for your trip.

Equipment hire

You can hire gear either up at Marmot Basin or in Jasper town. The rental centre in the base lodge is well stocked, with a full range of skis, snowboards, boots, and helmets, and a choice between standard packages and high-performance gear. A handy touch is that you can store equipment overnight, so you don't have to ferry it back and forth each day. If you'd rather get sorted before you reach the mountain, there are several long-established ski and snowboard shops in Jasper town where you can be fitted out at a relaxed pace the evening before and start your first morning straight on the slopes.

Getting around Jasper

Jasper town is small and easy to get around on foot, with the restaurants, shops, and most accommodation all within a short walk of one another, so once you're settled in you can leave the car and wander. Getting to the slopes is straightforward too. Marmot Basin is about twenty minutes south of town through the national park, and a daily ski shuttle runs through the season, picking up from hotels around the townsite and dropping you back at the end of the day.

Hiring a car gives you the most flexibility, especially if you'd like to head out and explore more of the national park during your stay. If you're relying on taxis, it's worth knowing the town has only a couple of local firms, so booking ahead for an evening out or an early start is a good idea. Roads through the park are well maintained, though winter tyres or chains are required on the surrounding mountain highways through the season, something to check when you arrange a hire car.

How to get to Jasper

The nearest major airport is Edmonton International Airport, approximately 385km to the east. Calgary International Airport is roughly 435km to the southeast. From both airports, the drives are scenic though winter conditions can affect travel times, and snow tyres are essential. Flights from international airports connect through Edmonton or Calgary, with direct transatlantic services available to both. Jasper is also accessible by VIA Rail, with the Canadian train service connecting through Edmonton.

WeSki offers car rentals from the airport as well as private and scheduled transfers to Jasper. Add them to your Jasper ski holiday package for a smooth door-to-door journey.