Sun Peaks has made it through to the second round of the Mackenzie Top Peak Challenge, a contest that crowns Canada’s most invested ski community. It is now the task of everyone who visits, lives, works or plays at Sun Peaks to vote every day until March 3 in the Canada Votes segment of the contest.
Daily voting from across the country could ensure Sun Peaks a spot on the coveted top three podium and a shot at the $100,000 prize. Each vote from B.C. must come in before 9 p.m. as that’s midnight in Toronto where Mackenzie Investments is based.
Up against nine other ski areas, including Mount Washington, competition is already fierce in this fourth annual challenge, with Quebec’s Mont Adstock charging ahead with over 1000 votes per day.
Driving the Sun Peaks campaign is Nancy Greene Raine, who has the podium in her sights. One of her favourite ski racing-inspired sayings is: “Come out of the start gate strong, because it’s harder to catch up than it is to keep the lead.”
Sun Peaks needs to make up some time – but the good news is that the leaderboard can change daily, and now is the time to spread the word via friends, families and social media networks.
Designer of the Sun Peaks submission, Colleen Hannigan has been involved in the project since the start. One aspect of this increasingly collaborative effort is that other resorts are lending a hand.
“We already have other alpine peaks not in the top ten that are coming on board to help us,” Hannigan said. “If we can get everyone to vote every day until March 3, we can show the country how invested everyone is in our tiny village.”
Slated for the winnings, a sustainable ski cross course will add to the resort’s attractions and amenities for residents and visitors.
“People who come to Sun Peaks get hooked on all the great things there are to do for the entire family,” Hannigan said. “A permanent ski cross course just adds one more reason to support the place your family loves. So, we all have to vote, vote, vote!”
Having run this contest since 2021, Mackenzie Investments has some insight into how previous winners have notched up votes.
“It’s so impressive how well these ski clubs are connected to their communities and surrounding area,” said Melanie Smith, Mackenzie’s brand and sponsorship lead. “Engaging local politicians, local media, local community centres, asking teachers to engage their classrooms, getting lots of people together to rally and vote.”
With the environmental component of the contest new this year, Smith explained that it is part of Mackenzie’s corporate responsibility initiative.
“Skiing in Canada is becoming more precarious every year. We want to help preserve skiing in this great country as much as we can.”
If Sun Peaks wins, the prize money will be spent on creating an environmentally-friendly permanent base, mostly out of dirt, for the ski cross course. This will dramatically reduce the amount of snowmaking, saving millions of gallons of water.
Once it’s decided which three resorts have the most votes, a panel of judges will pick the most “invested” community. Third place gets $10,000, the runner-up will be awarded $20,000 and the winner of the Mackenzie Top Peak Challenge – and $100,000 – will be announced live on Friday, March 9 during CBC Sports Presents.
What did you think of this story?
Your feedback after we publish a story helps ensure we're always improving our reporting to better serve you.
