Sun Peaks Feature - International Traveller

Let it snow
Secret
snow
business
Tucked away in the Interior of BC, Canada, is a little ­known gem of a resort
Words Megan Arkinstall
W
e’ve got a secret to share with you. There’s a
little ski resort that you probably haven’t heard
of hidden in the south-central interior of British
Columbia, halfway between the Rockies and the Coastal
mountain ranges.It’s nowhere near as crowded as the bignames of Whistler or Banff (read: no queues for the lifts and
wide runs practically to yourself), with a small and relaxed
European-style village of pastel-coloured, low-rise gabled
roof buildings.
But when it comes to the mountain, this little-known
resort is a serious contender for the best skiing in Canada.
Surrounding the ski-in, ski-out village, its three towering
mountains boast the country’s second largest ski area
(Whistler Blackcomb is the biggest) with more than 1700
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hectares of 133 well-designed runs, catering to beginners,
intermediates and experts alike. To top it all off, this region
experiences consistent light, dry powder and more than
2000 hours of annual sunshine, which means frequent
bluebird powder days. Amazingly, this little Eden of skiing
delights is just 45 minutes’ north of Kamloops airport.
Its name: Sun Peaks Resort. Whether you’re an
amateur or intermediate wanting to scrub up on your skills,
an expert in double blacks schussing your way around the
country, or a family wanting a fun-filled
snow adventure, Sun Peaks is a fantastic all-rounder
and a little gem among Canada’s ski resorts.
We experienced the best it has to offer in one
perfect winter wonderland day.
We arrive at Sun Peaks fresh (or not so fresh)
from the overnight VIA Rail train from
Vancouver. Despite my sleepy head, the sight
that greets us on arrival has me bright eyed
and bushy tailed. The village is cloaked in a
blanket of thick white snow. Soft flakes fall
steadily, quietly dancing around in the crisp,
mountain-fresh air. The surrounding pastelcoloured buildings are topped with snow so
thick it looks like marzipan icing. After an early check-in to our hotel, we
head straight out to discover this cute alpine
village. We trudge through fresh snow to Tod
Mountain Café, just a few minutes’ walk down
the village walkway. We’ve heard the breakfast
crêpes are delicious (our tremendously friendly
cab driver gave us an extensive run down of
the village on the 45-minute drive here from
Kamloops). At the counter, an Australian girl
asks us what we would like to order (the first
of many familiar accents we are greeted by
here at Sun Peaks); I choose a spinach, feta,
tomato and avocado crêpe, which I gobble
down with a decent coffee.
A good snow day will get you moving
quickly. Thirty minutes later I’m being fitted
for skis. I’m a complete beginner at skiing –
I’ve dabbled in snowboarding a few times
and let’s just say, I wasn’t a natural.
“Are they meant to feel like this?” I
apprehensively ask Sam, a young Australian
guy, as he fits my boot. Apparently, yes. He
waits for me as I robot-walk to the sales desk.
Looking longingly out the window at the falling
snow, it’s obvious he’s counting down the
moments till he knocks off. “I’ve heard it’s
wicked up there today,” he says. Beginner’s luck
I’m waiting at the Rendezvous Area near
the base of the Sunburst Chairlift for my ski
instructor. I have butterflies in my stomach:
back home, the precocious kids in Milo vests
instilled in me a fear (and slight humiliation)
when I was learning to snowboard; the kids
here are even more naturally gifted in the
snow, whipping around on skis and boards
seemingly before they can walk.
But my instructor Axl, who comes from
Sweden, puts me completely at ease. After
a few practice slides down a bump of a hill,
he takes me up the carpet to the top of
Gentle Giant for a few runs, some great
pointers and lots of encouragement. Before
I know it, I’m heading up the quad lifts and
coming down green runs that intertwine
with blues – I’m beaming! Indeed, the
ultimate blessing of skiing in the country’s
second-largest ski area, is the wide, wellgroomed runs that you practically have to
yourself and there’s plenty of room for more
advanced skiers and snowboarders to fly
past as I learn. Even better, there are no lift
queues, so plenty more time is spent up the
mountain (and in Sunburst Lodge enjoying
one of the fresh cinnamon buns; the aroma
is just irresistible and the views up here
aren’t bad either).
There’s something so cool about skiing
straight back to your accommodation – no
buses, no laborious walks with your ski
gear... it’s so simple. I store my skis and
head straight to my room.
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Skiing with champions
My husband and I reconvene at the clocktower. He had taken
off with his snowboard to try out the steep black and double
black runs; no doubt we’ll tackle a few together when I’ve fully
graduated from the carpet...
The warmth of Bolacco Café is immediately welcoming;
I pull off my beanie and gloves and look around for Al Raine.
I spot him sitting on the window bench all snug in his knitted
sweater. He waves us over. “They do the best coffee in the
village,” he insists when we sit down. Not a bad endorsement
from the mayor of Sun Peaks. I order a grilled cheese and
pickle sandwich and ‘the best coffee’ in the village.
As most conversations do here, talk quickly moves to
the current mountain conditions. Former head coach and
program director of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team (from
1968–1973), Al’s love of skiing started when he was a young
boy living in Vancouver. “I’d catch the local bus to the road
that all traffic to Mt Seymour would head down and I’d hitchhike
a ride from there.” He laughs when he admits he was only
about nine!
His wife Nancy Greene is director of skiing at Sun Peaks
(not to mention an Olympic gold medallist and World Alpine
Skiing Champion). They moved to Sun Peaks in 1994 and
opened Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge; they continue to be
strong advocates of Sun Peaks and extremely passionate
about skiing (and all other Alpine sports).
Al hits the slopes every morning – “I’ve banned morning
municipal committee and council meetings!” – and he loves
sharing this experience with visitors. Being such a down-toearth, friendly guy people always take him up on the offer:
he’s skied alone less than 20 of the 122 days he’s been out
this season. Just as accommodating is Nancy who offers
weekly complimentary mountain tours throughout winter
– so if you’re here on the right day, you might find yourself
exploring the runs with a champion.
Breathtaking backcountry
An ethereal mist sits low on the mountain
shrouding the view further ahead; towering
snow-topped pine trees line the track that
we’re zipping along on a snowmobile like 007
in A View to a Kill.
We’re on a snowmobile tour with two local
guides (Ty is leading and Carmen is sitting at
the tail of the group) and two visitors from
Germany. My husband is driving and I’m on
the back holding on for dear life. My face is
stinging from the cold air: I brave it and let
go for a moment to pull my neck warmer up
over my face.
Flying through Sun Peaks’s backcountry is
exhilarating. It’s like another world up here, far
away from the buzz of the village. Occasional
breaks in the treeline offer spectacular views
of the Thompson–Nicola region, as we ride
round winding tracks and over wide frozen
lakes. We stop in an open meadow so we can
each take the snowmobiles for a cheeky spin
– it’s actually tough work this snowmobiling,
but a lot of fun.
Flying through Sun Peaks’s
backcountry is exhilarating. It’s like
another world up here.
Time for s’mores
I have a bit of time to kill, so I take my time wandering down
the village walkway (you can walk or ski from one end of the
village to the other within minutes). I stop at Sun Peaks Sports
and buy my husband a Sun Peaks T-shirt sporting a goggletoting bearded dude (an essential souvenir, no?) and spend
far too much time deciding between a Cookies ‘n’ Cream and
Cheesecake Chocolate Bomb from Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory. And maybe a caramel apple topped with s’more?
(See ‘For snow novices’, p76) I walk back past the ski rental
store: Sam is still watching the clock.
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Traditional fare
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We decide we’ve done enough exercise today
to warrant another feast, so we walk to the far
end of the village to Kookaburra Lodge to dine
at Voyageur Bistro, which is inspired by the
North West Company fur traders of the early
1800s who voyaged across Canada from
Hudson’s Bay. The place is decorated with
Canadian artefacts (a 1930s canoe graces
one wall), local antiques, and the menu
showcases many ingredients that were the
staple for fur traders and First Nations people
from those days, such as bison, berries,
bannock and fish, cooked with a contemporary
flair along with some fantastic BC wines.
Later at our hotel, the gas fire is glowing;
my husband is fast asleep. I’m sleepy too, but
I’m mesmerised by the view from our window
of the little village before me, all lit up and
covered in snow like a perfect little winter
wonderland. The looming mountains
surrounding us have disappeared into the
night, hopefully still being dappled with snow
ready for a bluebird powder day tomorrow.
Twilight hiking
Après fun
Ruby’s favourites
«
Unlike its bigger BC rival Whistler Blackcomb, Sun Peaks is no wild
party town. Instead, it is unpretentious, laid back and very family friendly
with a host of kid-themed events (it’s dog-friendly too; there’s a number
cross-country trails suitable for furry friends). But there’s still plenty of
après ski action. We head to the local’s local, Bottoms Bar & Grill, for
a quick afternoon drink. The sun has made an appearance and despite
the lifts closing at 3:30pm, people are out and about on the lower
slopes. The mood is euphoric, with groups of friends fresh from a
great powder day, still in their snow gear enjoying glasses of BC beer.
We hop, skip and jump over to the Village Day Lodge after our
sundowner, where we are given some sexy snowshoes, gaiters
and headlamps for an easy one-kilometre twilight tour by
snowshoe. We follow our Canadian tour guide Gordon out of the
village, over a covered bridge to the entrance of a lovely forested
trail. Here we put on our snowshoes and begin to walk (it’s a lot
easier than you might think) alongside the trickling McGillivray
Creek to a bird feeding station. We stop here for a quiet moment.
Gordon brings out a bird-call whistle to entice the birds to come
but instead we are greeted by a cute-as-a-button squirrel who
ducks into a log and pokes his head out a moment later proudly
showing off a nut that he’s collected.
We continue walking through the pine forest, out over the
frozen, snow covered golf course and cross over the Nordic
trails. Up until 7:30pm every day you may see cross-country
skiers gliding past, making this heart-pumping sport look
relatively easy (there are 36 kilometres of impeccably groomed
and track-set trails here).
We pass the bottom of Mt Morrisey’s ski runs and back into
the forest to a cosy winter camp where we relax under a blanket
of stars with delicious s’mores and hot chocolate cooked over a
roaring fire. Once suitably warm (inside and out) we begin our
return walk past a lookout with views over the village, all pretty
with sparkling lights.
De tails
Get there
luxurious Sun Peaks Grand (from $114
December to April. From $45 per
For snow novices
Sun Peaks is 45 minutes north
a night) and Coast Sundance Lodge
person + $20 snowshoe rental.
• Bluebird powder day A beautiful
of Kamloops. Air Canada and
(from $143 a night).
• Snowmobiling Choose from a
sunny day after overnight snowfall.
two-hour tour (from $167 per person)
• S’more Roasted marshmallow and
WestJet fly daily from Vancouver
110
and Calgary from $160. Airport
Play there
or a four-hour tour (from $268 per
chocolate between two biscuits;
shuttle to Sun Peaks is from $45
• Ski school First-timers can
person) or an evening tour with wiener
a North American delicacy.
per person. sunpeaksresort.com
book private lessons from $120
roast (from $180 per snowmobile).
• Nordic skiing Cross-country skiing.
per person for one hour.
• Other winter must-dos While you’re
• Après ski Refers to anything
Stay there
• Snowshoeing There are a number
here, we recommend dog sledding
social after a day of skiing.
Most accommodation in the village has
of different options including a
($250 per sled), ice-skating ($5 per
• A run-down of runs Green is
ski-in, ski-out facilities. Our picks
Sunrise tour, Winter Wonderland and
person), fondue dinner at Sunburst
for beginners, blue for intermediates,
include Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge
Moonlight Snowshoe and S’mores.
Mid-Mountain Restaurant and
blacks for advanced and double
(studio from $97 a night), the more
Tours depart on selected days from
evening descent ($75 per person).
blacks for the brave (AKA experts).
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