Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) is currently constructing a ski and snowboard cross course with Powder Ventures Excavating to be a permanent addition to the ski hill starting this winter season.
Located close to the village, director of communications for SPR Christina Antoniak said the ambiance of the resort will be elevated when events are hosted at the new Powder Ventures Ski and Snowboard Cross Course.
For the last five years, the current site on Sundance Mountain has been home to a snow-based ski cross course according to Seth Worthen, slopes manager for SPR..
“Having it built out of dirt will allow us to save on that snowmaking of about two million gallons of water,” he explained. This dirt foundation also ensures more consistency during low-snow seasons.
“We built [a cross course] for two years right off the bat and then we had a two year stretch we didn’t build,” Worthen said, explaining that if they have a bad year for snowmaking, all their efforts went into keeping the mountain open rather than building up the course.
Construction began mid-July, and the course is now ready for seed, Worthen said.
Building a permanent ski cross course using dirt as a foundation is something most other resorts haven’t considered, according to Jason White owner and operator of Powder Venture Excavating. His hope is that SPR is on the cutting edge of something other resorts will soon adopt.
“The legacy for me is big,” he said. Powder Ventures is celebrating 25 years of doing business in Sun Peaks and White is glad they get to bring this course as a fixture to the resort.
What it offers
“We have a blueprint for the course to be pretty uniform every year,” Antoniak said about the new model.
“For elite athletes, it can be built up to a large, extreme track all the way through to the X Games if you’d like,” Worthen said. “So it’s a foundation that we can build on and change from year to year.”
The ski cross course will continue to be used for the Telus Nancy Greene Alpine Classic, along with other events, and will be open to the general public as well.
“I think this year is really going to be about showcasing the course and having people come through Sun Peaks [to] see what we have to offer,” Antoniak said. After the season, they’ll look into bidding to host high level competitions such as NorAm and World Cup events.
Another racing venue can help business development within the resort as well.
The Nancy Greene International Race Centre has been running here for years now, Antoniak said, and it’s brought a lot of business into the resort as teams visit for training.
“We have a model that’s proven to work, and now we can kind of open the door to a whole new discipline coming in,” she said.
Teams have already been inquiring as to when it will open, Worthen said.
With the Powder Ventures cross course as a staple of Sun Peaks, young skiers and snowboarders in town also have the chance now to be introduced to and immersed in a new realm of competition.
“I know, there’s probably 10 kids right off the top of my head that would be immediately great at skier cross, even though they’ve never done it before,” White said.
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