Mountainguide
Chairlift summit above a sea of cloud in the Bow ValleyMountains reflected in the still Bow River

WinterSummer edition · One app · Banff · Canmore · Lake Louise

Know the ski hills like a local.Know the Rockies like a local.

Lift stats, beginner routes and where to eat at Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay, plus where to rent skis and what the locals know. Free, for all three towns.Pocket guides for the summer visitor: where to rent bikes and boats, what to hike, paddle and climb, and what the locals know.

Free download See the ski areas

The ski scene

Every lift, every run, every hill.

Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay, broken down the way a local would explain them: ride time and vertical on every lift, beginner-to-advanced runs in my own words, and where to eat once you're up there.

  • Lift stats: vertical, ride time, people per hour
  • Skiing it by level, from first-timer carpets to advanced lines
  • Where to eat and drink, grouped by lodge
App screen showing Sunshine Village lift stats: vertical, length, ride time and people per hour App screen showing a beginner skill guide for Sunshine Village, written by Joe App screen showing Lake Louise ski run waypoints, filtered by difficulty

Why the app

Everything you'd ask a local, already in your pocket.

Ski rentals, mappedBike rentals, mapped

Every ski and board rental shop in town on one map, so you can gear up on the way to the hill.Every bike, e-bike and boat rental in town on one map, so you can find gear close to where you are.

What to do, by season

Ski days, backcountry touring, hot springs and winter walks, picked for the season you are actually visiting.Hikes, paddles, climbs and bike rides, picked for the season you are actually visiting.

Local knowledge

Tips from someone who was born here and has spent a lifetime guiding, climbing and patrolling these mountains. The stuff the brochures leave out.

One app, three towns

Pick your basecamp.

Joe McKay in a red ski patrol jacket on a snowy ridge above the Bow Valley
Joe on patrol at Mt. Norquay

Built by a local

Not a tourism board. A guide.

I was born in Banff, and I've spent most of my life in these mountains as a climbing instructor, mountaineer and guide. These days my winters are spent on ski patrol at Mt. Norquay.

I built these apps to answer the questions visitors ask me every day, so you spend less time searching and more time out there.

Joe McKay

Free, and live now

Banff, Canmore and Lake Louise, summer and winter editions, free on the App Store. Android coming soon.

Free download on the App Store Android · coming soon
QR code to download the Mountain Guide Banff app on the App Store
Scan with your iPhone camera to download on the App Store

Android, and what's next.

Send a quick email and I'll let you know when Android lands, plus when I add new ski area guides. Nothing else.

Email me to get on the list