Coming out of a rocky 2023/2024 winter season province-wide, this year’s consistent snow and reliable international visitation helped boost the numbers for the 2024/2025 winter season in Sun Peaks.
Despite a delayed start, Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) saw over 4,000 visitors on opening day, according to Christina Antoniak, SPR’s director of communications.
“We are very happy with how the season played out in terms of both snow conditions and visitation, especially compared to the previous winter season,” Antoniak said.
Last year’s low snowfall and overall “challenging weather patterns,” impacted visitation Antoniak said. However this year brought steady snow, especially in the week leading up to opening day Nov. 23, boosting guests’ confidence as they booked their stays, Antoniak added.
“Right out of the gate, we had very good snow in early winter that set us up for a good, solid snow base, which you need in this business,” Antoniak said. “December was a really good snow month, consistent, continuous snow [through the month] leading up to our two busiest weeks of the year, which are the holidays over Christmas and New Year.”
At the beginning of the season, the resort opened its new alpine chairlift, West Bowl Express. It was a three-year project at the highest elevation on Tod Mountain. Additionally, SPR also worked with Powder Ventures for snow cross course.
With new infrastructure, reliable snow and consistent temperatures up to the end of the season, SPR closed the season at high numbers with December and March as the two biggest snow months, which helped bring in guests through the spring break period.
“Overall, by the end of the season, we had surpassed our record for the most skier visits in one season,” Antoniak said. “We had our best season to date.”
The 2024/2025 winter season with Tourism Sun Peaks
Tourism Sun Peaks (TSP) had a record-breaking season this year, with a 90.7 per cent occupancy rate from November to February and an increase of visitors from the US, according to Naomi Kerchinsky, TSP’s executive director.
“We had more US visitation this year than we had in previous years or other international markets,” Kerchinsky said. “Australia, New Zealand and the UK were pretty on par, but US visitation was up as in previous years, especially people coming out of Washington. I think that was aided by our involvement with the Ikon Pass.”
Ikon Pass is a collaborative ski pass that allows its holder to attend multiple resorts in Canada, USA, Chile, Andorra, Austria, Japan, France, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
Despite record numbers through the winter, early spring brought a dip in visitors, attributable to a shift in weather patterns at lower elevations.
“We certainly saw warmer temperatures at the resort, but the snow held. That did pull people’s attention away from skiing, from mid-March onwards,” she said.
One of the biggest challenges TSP faced with guests included lost luggage for international guests at the airport and long lines for amenities during peak visitation periods.
On the other hand, there were a number of memorable moments throughout the season.
Along with successful events such as the Savour Culinary Event in March, other community based events brought in the holiday spirit.
“We did, for the first time ever, a tree light up event up in the plaza by the park,” Kerchinsky said. “It was one of those nights it was snowing, and everyone was gathered there, and there was music. The school did a bake sale, and we had 250 people gather for the light up. It just kind of felt like that Grinch/Whoville moment. It was really, really magical.”
“Over the Christmas period, we had a couple of magical days when it was just snowing and then it was sunshine,” she said. “ Mother Nature gave Sun Peaks some beautiful powder days.”
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