Featured Imagery: Sam Egan, Courtesy of Sun Peaks
When my partner, Sander Hadley, and I pulled up to Sun Peaks earlier this month the clock was approaching midnight. The village at the base of the mountain still lit up like Cinderella’s fairy godmother added her special touch, not a pumpkin in sight. We checked in and unloaded our gear as quickly as possible, knowing we had an early wake-up call for our first day skiing at the new-to-us resort. The next morning, the grandeur of Canada’s second-largest ski area was on full display as the sun rose and we hopped on the Sunburst chairlift for some early morning groomer laps.
I will admit that my expectations coming into this ski trip were fairly low. Sure, Sun Peaks has the skiable acreage to compete with the best resorts in North America, but I was unsure if the terrain would measure up to the likes of neighboring resorts. After a few cruiser warmup laps on perfect corduroy, it was time to see what the ski resort was really made of. Turns out, there is so much more to Sun Peaks Resort than meets the eye.
With over 4,200 skiable acres across Sun Peaks Resort, the village is set up in the belly of the action—surrounded by inbounds ski terrain on all sides. South of the village is Mt. Morrisey, with its own “little ski hill” vibe affectionately referred to as the local’s hill. While the majority of the skiing is on the north, east and west sides of the village, Morrisey often holds some of the best snow and secrets of the area because it never sees direct sunlight and tourists don’t often explore on this side. It also maintains a steep fall line on the western reach of the mountain with plenty of features to get creative in the trees and bump runs top to bottom. As the sun rises over Mt. Morrisey and lights up Mt. Tod, it’s time to make your way up to the new West Bowl Express.
The trek to West Bowl starts with a ride on the Sunburst lift with a connection over to the Crystal chair. Formerly the highest lift on the mountain, along with the 22-minute Burfield lift, the Crystal chair leads to a plethora of intermediate and advanced ski terrain, including the new West Bowl area. Predominantly beginner and intermediate terrain, the West Bowl expansion opens up the top of the mountain to less advanced skiers looking to progress and who enjoy a gorgeous view as much as the next skier. The best part about the new West Bowl Express lift, however, is the quicker access to what used to be a required hike up to Gil’s and Skunk.
Dynastar Athlete Sander Hadley (left) and Nordica Athlete Erin Spong (right) made Sun Peaks their playground
While you can still access Gil’s and Skunk from the Crystal chair using the tried-and-true traverse-to-bootpack, the higher lift from the West Bowl Express makes it much easier to get to some of the marquee terrain on the mountain. Just follow the snow ghosts and you’ll end up in the best steep tree skiing on the entire mountain. This is also where you’re going to find untouched snow days after a storm and maybe even a handmade jump or opportune wind lip to get a little jibby. If you’re feeling like your landing legs are engaged, the top-to-bottom terrain park off the Sundance lift has everything for kids and beginners as well as progressively bigger features for the die-hard park rats to send it.
After all is skied and done for the day, roll into the village and kick your skis off for hot après appetizers and drinks. In our three days at Sun Peaks, Sander and I hit Vertical Cafe & Bistro five or six times—it’s that good. Locally owned and operated, Vertical caters to meat eaters and veg-heads alike for breakfast, lunch and early evening bites, all with locally sourced ingredients served with the truest Canadian hospitality.
These days, it feels almost impossible to find good skiing without hoards of people, long lift lines and the subsequent powder panic but at Sun Peaks Resort, there’s enough to go around for everybody in this chill little ski town. Between the sizable ski terrain and the resort’s layout, Sun Peaks is able to spread skiers out from the base and if you know where to go, there’s plenty of soft snow to go around—even if it hasn’t snowed in a few days. Whether you prefer groomers, park jumps, steep bumps or unique natural features, there is fun skiing to be had for every style and level of rider. Not too big, and certainly not too small, Sun Peaks is the perfect fit for your next Canadian ski vacation.
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