Stress-free and easy, Sun Peaks maximizes your slope and trail time

You can look forward to a stress-free vacation once you arrive. Cars are unnecessary because you can walk everywhere in a matter of minutes. Whatever you need to do can be done quickly and easily. Take ski rentals for instance. My experience went like this. I walked out of my hotel, the Sun Peaks Lodge, crossed the snowy street / ski trail and three seconds later entered Elevation Bike, Ski and Board. I plugged my information into their computers which in turn spat out binding settings so in less than 10 minutes I was ready to go with rental gear. Not only that, I was able to get lift tickets for both downhill and Nordic skiing, check out their cute shop full of all the latest gear, and take note of hand and toe warmers should it get bitterly cold. Now that's what I call speedy.

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Sun Peaks, with its quasi-European feel boasts a colourful pedestrian and ski-friendly village filled with shops, cafes, bistros, restaurants and hotels. If you're staying in the village you can put your skis on at the doorstep of your hotel and ski to the lift. If you've chosen to stay in a condo there’s still a good chance you can ski right to the lift but it might take an extra minute or two. Tops.

The skiing at Sun Peaks is sublime. There's so much variety with 135 trails over three mountains, covering the full range of trail types from gorgeous corduroy groomers to long cruisers, glades, bumps and powder.

On a recent bluebird weekday, I never waited more than 30 seconds in a lineup and most hills I skied were close to empty. Even more remarkable were the powder stashes I could find in the three days after the most recent dump of snow. Amazing!

There aren't many places in Canada where you can find a senator who is willing to spend some time skiing with you either. But Nancy Green Raine, a 1968 gold medal Olympic athlete, remains the director of skiing at Sun Peaks and is committed to spending as much time with the public as possible. At the age of 73, “she still skis like a young woman, says Doug Avery, a long-time skier and the chief engineer at Sun Peaks Grand hotel. If she's on the hill, there's a sign that alerts you about where and when to meet her. Ski with her. She's charming and very personable.

If you love Nordic skiing you’ll be in heaven with the 34 kilometres of impeccably groomed trails at Sun Peaks, even more so in the future with potential growth plans on the horizon. A Nordic lift pass gives you access to the Morrisey Express Chairlift. At the top of it you’ll find signage directing you to a trail called Holy Cow. It lives up to its name with trees shrouded in snow, wide trails for both classic and skate skiers and some awesome vistas.

Off of Holy Cow are numerous backcountry trails, though you’ll need to be prepared to break trail on those ones. What you won’t find again is many people, at least until you’ve skied down closer to the Nordic base area.

Make a detour and visit the cozy McGillvary Lake Outpost. You may have to pinch yourself at day’s end that these trails are real. Yes, they're that good!

Not only will you have an easy stress-free holiday at Sun Peaks but according to a New Zealand couple who told me over coffee at Bolacco, “You can expect more sunshine here than any other resort in the B.C. interior.”

Lots of bluebird days and light as air snow equals one remarkable holiday in my books.

If you go

For more information about Sun Peaks and to start planning your trip, head to the official website.

Contact Sun Peaks at +1 250-578-7222

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