IT’S CALLED SUNPEAKS FOR A REASON
Note to self, never ski a run with the word “bluff” in it. It wasn’t a bluff, despite its name, rather a never-ending run of moguls that got progressively steeper after each ridge line. By New Zealand terms I’m a pretty good skier, but as I’ve got a little older, I’ve learnt that my legs don’t turn quite as quickly as they used to and moguls and me are not ‘friends’.
Everyone else in our group had checked the trail status board at the top of each lift line and noticed that “Bluff”, a black run, had not been groomed and therefore chose to ski a different line down. I, on the other hand, blindly followed my wife who didn’t care what she skied and instantly regretted the decision. As she dipped and dived and bunny hopped with ease over the never-ending array of ‘bumps’, I ground my way with increasing expletives that grew in volume as she slowly disappeared. I eventually arrived at the long-awaited bottom, her cute little face flushed with exertion and enjoyment, smiled and yelled, “wow that was challenging”. I collapsed, my legs finally handing in their notice of compliance, mental note to never ski a run with the word ‘bluff’ in it.
We were at Sun Peaks Resort, Canada, 45 minutes’ drive from Kamloops in British Columbia. Getting here was super easy, with flights directly to Vancouver from Auckland followed by a short connecting flight to Kamloops. Sun Peaks is the quintessential Canadian Ski Resort, it is everything you would expect; the resort has 16 square km of rideable terrain making it the second largest ski field in Canada. With over 5 metres of snowfall annually and over 2000 hours of sunshine, it’s a good bet for a great ski location.
The options to ski in Canada are varied, with each resort offering something unique, so choosing a place to go can be a bit overwhelming. Most importantly you must consider the people you are going with and chose something that will suit everyone. If you are all at the same level then it’s an easier task but if your group is of mixed ability then you have a bit more to consider, we fell under the latter.
There are a lot of things most Kiwis look for in an overseas ski holiday and Sun Peaks seemed to tick all the boxes:
Picturesque ski village…check.
Ski in ski out accommodation…check
Ski runs for all levels of ability…check
Relative ease to get to from New Zealand… check
It had been almost ten years since we last visited Sun Peaks, and although I couldn't remember exactly why, it had always been one of our favourite places to ski in Canada. When we arrived this time, with a mixture of boarders and skiers of varying levels of ability, it was easy to see why Sun Peaks was the perfect choice. The sun was shining and even though it was only our first day skiing, we were all able to catch the Burfield lift to the very highest point on the mountain and all ski down. Not every ski field can boast that.
The view from the top of the mountain is spectacular and the runs from here vary from green to double black. Although only classed as a green run, ‘5-Mile’ into ‘The Other Way’ became one of our favourite routes down. It drops off the back of Tod Mountain and meanders 5 miles to the bottom. There are plenty of trees to scoot in and out of, which is such a novelty for us kiwis, and jumps to be found in the tree lines, as well as perfectly groomed wide-open spaces to practise your technique or simply to ski with a little less pressure.
Sun Peaks is also the home of former World Champion ski racer, Nancy Greene. To sum up her contribution to Canadian sports, she was named female athlete of the century alongside former professional hockey player, Wayne Gretsky, she is skiing royalty. Nancy is now Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks and most days makes herself available to ski, free of charge, with the visitors to the mountain. Nancy Greene is a phenomenon, two minutes with Nancy and she has summed you up. She is very disarming and before you know it you’re chatting about everything and anything. Before we headed out, she apologised that she had a sore knee and would only be doing blue and green runs. Thank god, for that! In the next moment she was gone like a skiing version of the silver bullet, how someone can ski that fast with so little effort is impressive and a little humbling. But she did stop and give amazing tips that you only learn from a life-time of skiing. Nancy is the heart of Sun Peaks, everyone knows her, loves her and is a little scared of getting on the wrong side of her. She is one of those women that is a force to be reckoned with both on and off the slopes.
Apart from, meeting Nancy (and trying to keep up) a must do is the Alpine Fondue and Starlight Descent. When the slopes were cleared for the evening, we caught the chair up to the Sunburst Bar and Eatery, with our skis and ski gear still on. The day café had been transformed into a Swiss chalet, complete with Swiss music and we were sat at a long table. With drinks ordered from the bar we were treated to a delicious three-course fondue dinner. It was a great way to meet other people and we had a real laugh and bonded with a group from Perth, who shared the table with us. Before long it was time to leave and head off into the night with a head torch and a bit of liquid courage, we donned our skis and headed down the mountain under the lights of the stars (and the head lamp if you needed it). It is such an incredible experience and one that I have only ever seen available in Sun Peaks. Many resorts offer night skiing, but this is really something different. To ski at night with no lights is only possible when the mountain is groomed as well as they do at Sun Peaks. I don’t want to sound like a tourist brochure, but you must put that on your bucket list.
We were in Sun Peaks for 11 days and we had sunshine nearly every day. This was both a blessing and a curse. The sun shone, which made for the most beautiful scenic skiing conditions and slightly warmer temperatures. However, that also meant that we didn’t see a lot of fresh snow in the time we were there. But like anywhere you go, you are only experiencing a small cross section of what a place is like. The week after we left it was forecast to bucket down, it was just the luck of the draw.
Two weeks in Sun Peaks and we managed to ski every day. One of the things about staying in a place for that long is you do start to feel like a bit of a local, knowing where to go to get the best skiing at each part of the day. There’s not such a rush to get out the door at the crack of dawn and you can pace yourself and enjoy everything that the mountain has to offer. When our legs needed a rest, we managed to find plenty to keep us occupied, from exploring the restaurants and shops in the village to ice fishing, dog sledding and more.
While in Canada ice fishing was high on my itinerary. At seven we were picked up by Campbell, the owner of Elevated Fishing Adventures. Not far from the village is Heffley Lake, a 7.2km long lake ranging in depth from 6 - 30 metres. A popular swimming spot in the summer, during the winter months the whole lake freezes over. I thought ice fishing would be a bit of a novelty, but it was a lot more than that; it was heaps of fun and truly unique. You trudge out through the snow across the ice, literally grind a hole, put down some bait and wait. What is strange is that when you make the hole it is as black as night, then Campbell puts up a tent and in that instant the hole becomes as clear as a fish tank; you can see all the way to the bottom. We waited as trout of various sizes came by and some ended up on the ice and one even came home for dinner!
One afternoon the kids went dog sledding. They skied until just after lunch, skied directly to the village and were picked up and driven down to meet the mushers. They had a great afternoon and the fact that all this was on offer directly from the town itself meant that even though we were there as a group we were not all required to do the same thing at the same time. This is one of the pros of Sun Peaks as a destination.
You do get a feeling in Sun Peaks of being a part of a community rather than just another tourist. The village has become a thriving community and even has two schools on the mountain that cater for around 120 pupils from Kindergarten to Year 12. They spend 4 days a week in class and Fridays is race day.
We are fortunate to travel a lot for both work and pleasure and we get asked all the time where is the best place to ski, what country, what resort? The answer rests not in the location but in who is going. If you have a bunch of teenagers who want to party hard then there are those that cater for that, if you have a group of people who are hardcore and want steep and deep, there are those that cater for that and if you are family of mixed ability there are those that cater for that too. But for those going first time to Canada and want a guaranteed fun filled winter experience, Sun Peaks is a great option; it offers something for everyone, it’s easy to get to, affordable and extremely well run as both a village and a destination – we loved it – we will be back!
TOP TIPS: If you are looking at going to Sun Peaks I would recommend booking early. Although there is plenty of accommodation on the mountain, much of it is privately owned, and consequently there are fewer beds to rent. The upside of this is that there are less people on the mountain, particularly during the week. We stayed in a self-contained unit in Stone’s Throw, a ten-minute walk into the village itself. Each day we’d put our skis on outside our apartment and ski down to the closest lift, either the Orient or Morrisey. At the end of the day we’d ski directly to our apartment for a hot spa before walking back into the village for dinner.
There’s a small shop in the village that stocks plenty of food or you can order online at the supermarkets in town and for a small fee they will deliver directly to your door and even put your food away in the fridge if you are out skiing!