Travel to Jaspers Marmot Basin with ski insurance from Essential Travel

The remote town of Jasper is situated in the Kananaskis Valley, 414kms northwest of Calgary. Stunning winter scenery can be seen in Jasper National Park (Canada’s largest and most northerly Rocky Mountain park). The town of Jasper has a warm, inviting and peaceful atmosphere. The town was founded in 1911 as a railroad site and many of its original buildings are still standing, including churches, stone houses and vintage cottages.

Bus transport is available to take you the 19kms from Jasper’s lodging (1,823 beds in 15 lodges – the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is the most famous) to the ski area. One unique feature at Marmot Basin is the well designed car park that gives you the opportunity of skiing to and from your vehicle.

Among the 84 prepared pistes is something suitable for all levels of skier. The Little Rascals Nursery takes children ages 19 months to seven years. A day lodge is situated at the base area, and two others are mid-mountain. First-aid is on site and the nearest hospital is in Jasper town. Recent improvements to the resort include 25 new runs, a new quad chair and a state-of-the-art rental shop.

The ski season at Jasper’s Marmot Basin starts in late November and continues through to late April. The biggest discounts can be found at the beginning and end of the season.

Skiing in Jaspers Marmot Basin

Jasper’s Marmot Basin is 285kms from Banff, 360kms from Edmonton and 414kms from Calgary. A wide variety of alpine terrain can be explored at Marmot Basin, including forests, meadows, lakes and the two ski peaks of Caribou Ridge and Marmot Peak.

There are 84 trails covering 678 hectares of uncrowded terrain. Tree-lined trails populate the lower area, while in the higher area open bowls and chutes can be found. The longest runs are about 5.6kms. The slopes are divided into 30 per cent for beginners, 30 per cent intermediate, 20 per cent for advanced and 20 per cent for expert level skiers. A total of nine ski lifts (one high-speed quad, one quad, one triple, three doubles and three surface lifts) service the area and have a capacity for 11,931 passengers per hour.

Marmot Basin has a season that runs from the end of November to the end of April. Discounts can be found at both ends of the season. Flying to Edmonton and taking the train, bus or hiring a car is the best way to get to the resort.

Après-ski in Jaspers Marmot Basin

Après-ski at Jasper is not particularly lively, but a few bars, an Irish pub and a dance club should keep you entertained. The restaurants in Jasper offer many styles of food, including Japanese, Greek and Italian.

Alternative activities at Marmot Basin include snowshoeing, telemarking, backcountry ski trips (with guide), ice-climbing, ice-skating, ice-fishing and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Snowboarding is allowed on the slopes and a terrain park and quarter-pipe are provided. Swimming, tobogganing and tubing are all available nearby.

If you are looking for a break from the slopes, a guided walking tour is available to take you to superb ice falls and into icy caverns and caves; the tour lasts for three hours. For ice-climbing, camping and sightseeing, a Snowcoach tour bus takes you to the Athabasca Glacier.

Transportation to Jaspers Marmot Basin

Located in Alberta’s spectacular Rocky Mountains, Jasper is situated northwest of Calgary and west of Edmonton. The route from Edmonton Airport is closer and more practical than the route from Calgary. Both cities have frequent connections to the resort by bus, or you may prefer to take a hire car.

By car from Edmonton International Airport, the route to Jasper takes you west on the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway (smooth all-weather surface) and the Yellowhead Trail highway 16 (362kms; four hours). From Calgary, the route takes you to Banff on provincial route 1, and then on a scenic drive through the Icefields parkway, passing the Columbia Icefields (414kms; 8 hours, 30 minutes). From Jasper town, Marmot Basin can be reached by heading south on highways 93 and 93A, and then the Marmot Basin road (19kms; 25 minutes).

To access Jasper by train, you can board the Snow Train to Jasper either in Vancouver or Edmonton. From Edmonton, you can depart on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday at 08:55 and reach Jasper at 14:15 (5 hours, 20 minutes).

Flight time from London to Calgary or Edmonton is approximately 8 hours, 30 minutes. The nearest international airport to the resort is at Edmonton. Transfer options include the Sundog Tour Company shuttle service that runs from both airports to Jasper, as well as from Banff to Jasper. The closest domestic airport is Jasper/Hinton, located 64kms east of Jasper. Buses travel to Jasper from Edmonton and Vancouver, four times a day.

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