Ski area

Sun Peaks / Ski area

Sun Peaks’ ski area, the second largest in British Columbia, stretches over three heavily-wooded mountains, a layout that earns it the nickname of “Little Whistler”.

However the ski area is far from little – it is Canada's third largest ski area by acreage with 3,678 acres of skiable terrain. Such is its stature that the Austrian National ski team has chosen it as its early season training ground in the run-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The mountains are diverse: Tod, the original ski area, is the most challenging and the gateway to the area’s cat skiing terrain; Mount Morrisey faces north and catches the snow; and Sundance Mountain is sunnier and home to most of the resort’s easiest ski runs. Each mountain is fed by a high speed chairlift from the village base and the top of every lift offers green and blue runs allowing skiers of differing levels to board the same lift, ski a piste that suits their ability and meet up at the bottom. The longest run measures 8kms (5 miles) – short by European standards but long for North America.

For Nordic skiing enthusiasts the resort boasts 28kms of cross-country tracks, some along the valley floor and the rest accessed from the top of Mount Morrisey.

The resort plans to open up ski pistes on two additional mountains to further extend the ski terrain and lift system. The skiing in Sun Peaks typically opens in mid/late November in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Snow junkies will be dismayed to learn that the ski area closes on the second Monday of April every year even if there’s still good snow cover to give them time to dig out the greens of the underlying golf course.

Sun Peaks

Base	4,116 ft (1,255 m)
Summit	7,060 ft (2,152 m)
Elevation	2,891 ft (881 m)
Snowmaking
Ski area	3,678 a (1,488 ha)
Beginner	10 %
Intermediate	58 %
Advanced	32 %
Number of trails	121
Longest trail	5 mi (8 km)
Snowfall	208 inch (528 cm)
Season start	early Jan
Season end	early Jan

Tree-hugging
Huge tracts of forest cover all three mountains offering endless opportunities for tree (or glade) skiing, the North American phenomenon and one that tests your ability to put in a turn when it matters most. All but three of the map-marked glade runs can be reached from the Sunburst Express chairlift on Tod Mountain. Trees aren’t just used for ski target practice. Each year families decorate the firs along the lower pistes with Christmas lights and baubles.

The human touch
One of the best ways to see the ski area is to join the twice-daily mountain tour with Nancy Greene, an ex-Olympic champion and Sun Peaks’ celebrity ambassador. If anybody is “Sun Peaks” Nancy is. Look out for “Nancy is skiing today” sign and the trademark red one-piece and be prepared for a critique of your ski technique. Complimentary ski hosts, in addition to Nancy, guide resort guests around the mountain, dividing groups by ability.