Despite unseasonably warm temperatures across Western Canada and the US, Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) kicked off its winter season with steady turnout, resilient operations and a surge of early-season enthusiasm.
Originally scheduled to open earlier in the month on Nov. 22, the resort pushed its official opening after mild weather delayed natural snowfall. The revised date served as a soft opening, while the formal opening weekend festivities continued as planned on Saturday, Nov. 29.
“We had a good turnout on Thursday, a lot of locals and season-pass holders,” Christina Antoniak, director of brand and communication for SPR said. “About 1,500 people came out for the official opening day and the energy continued through the weekend.”
The timing coincided with American Thanksgiving, bringing a notable wave of U.S. visitors alongside local skiers eager for their first laps of the season.
Limited terrain, high spirits
The resort opened with minimal terrain available: the 5 Mile and Cahilty route and Gentle Giant via the Village Platter. Although early-season coverage was limited, Antoniak said skiers and riders were simply excited to be back on snow. Since opening day, a series of snowfall events has gradually improved conditions. As of this week, Sun Peaks has 54 alpine trails open, primarily at higher elevations on Tod Mountain, a full Nordic trail network and Crystal and West Bowl chairs providing access to the majority of the current terrain.
However, several major areas including Mount Morrisey, Sundance Mountain and the Orient chairlift, remain closed while the resort awaits an additional 15-20 centimetres of natural snowfall.
Opening at all this season required an intensive snowmaking push.
“We really didn’t have the natural snow,” Antoniak said. “Our snowmaking team worked tirelessly right up to opening morning. The runs that were open were almost entirely man-made snow, quite an exceptional effort for us.”
Current conditions
Snow conditions remain variable. While valley temperatures continue to fluctuate above freezing, the upper mountain has maintained better coverage.
“For the terrain we’ve opened, conditions are good,” Antoniak said. “We only open areas where we’re confident in the snow base. There are still many closures and we really need guests to respect those for their own safety.”
More snowfall is expected in the coming weeks, which will help expand terrain further into December.
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