My SO and I spent four whole days and two travel days going on what was my first trip outside the U.S.

The reasons why we went to Banff:
1) It's affordable thanks to the strong USD compared to the CAD. When I got to the airport in Calgary I withdrew $120 Canadian Dollars and my account was only charged $93. Its been hovering around a 1.31 to $1 ratio
2) We like cold weather. We wanted to experience a real winter, and that we did. Morning temps got as low as -6 F and day time highs never exceeded 25 degrees F. We had occasional light snow (it rarely snows hard in Banff).
3) I love to ski and haven't done so in four years. Also the tickets and rentals are exactly half the price of Breckenridge for reference. That's a fact. I looked it up to compare.
4) Alberta, from Canmore to Jasper is simply stunning, Banff being in the middle of those.
5) A good primer for international travel.

TRAVEL and LODGING:We flew United for $425 per ticket round trip from BTR to YYC (Calgary) with a stop in Houston both ways.
Calgary airport is really easy regarding customs and check in. Everything is automated and the process took 5 minutes.

We took a bus (Banff Airporter) from Calgary for about $60 CAD each. Worth it. Must reserve in advance.

Each day from Banff we took a shuttle to the ski resorts or points of interest (Lake Louise). All of this is free with a valid SkiBig3 lift ticket, which was purchased online in advance.

We walked in town. It was cold but it was always just a few blocks due to our staying in town at the Elk + Avenue Hotel, which was small but modern, nice, and convenient, and extremely affordable at $90 something USD per night.

We took a Greyhound back to downtown Calgary ($30 CAD each) and a taxi to the airport ($36 CAD). This wasn't as unpleasant as it may sound.

RESTAURANTS: exceeded expectations
Night one: Balkans - awesome
Day two: Lake Louise Lounge - must do (views were great and food was as good or better)
Night two: Ticino Swiss and Italian - awesome
Night three: Park Distillery - This recommendation from Travel board did not disappoint.
Night four: Elk and Oarsman - great place and atmosphere for above average pub food. Elk and Bison Burgers. Their nachos appeared to have fed six people.
Other notables: Melissa's Missteak for breakfast, Skokis for a crepe or froyo, Evelyns Coffee Bar for a bomb arse latte and biscotti.
SKIING:

Day one - Sunshine Village. Twenty five minutes from Banff. This resort is fairly massive boasting three separate mountains and a really really long trail to the bottom. The snow wasn't bad and the views were great. This probably isn't the place if you like tree skiing, and I didn't get a good chance to really explore the entire resort because I was trying to learn the other two resorts in case I ever ski in Banff again.
TERRIBLE beginner area. FAR TOO SMALL. I wished my girlfriend would have started at Lake Louise, which has a large area for beginners to get comfortable with. Also, her instructor did not push her hard enough...probably because the carpet area was so small.

Day two: Lake Louise: A great beginner's learning area, but most actual green trails are pretty scary for first timers. I found this out the hard way with my gf. She did pretty well, but decided that the heights, narrow trails with edges, and steeper downhills really freaked her out. This is partially my fault for bringing her up too high too soon. I also blame her two hour lesson for not being challenging enough. She only skied 2 of 3 days, but regretted not going back on day 3.
Lake Louise is stunning, and the mountain contains three areas. The snow is slightly better than Sunshine, but it's also 45 minutes from Banff.

Day Three: Mt. Norquay
I got to spend all day at this one alone, so I was able to cover it like I wanted to...plus its much smaller. Yeah it's largely neglected by tourist and outdated, but if ever I go back to Banff I'm spending my first full day at Norquay. The blues on this mountain were a good challenge for me, and the views equally rewarding.

The trip was a nice getaway and the feel of Canada and Banff was far more international than I thought it would be. Also, their money is cool.

DOWTOWN BANFF (our hotel was the brown one that appears to be in the middle of the road below the large mountain).