Sun Peaks Resort
Sun Peaks Resort is an alpine ski resort located in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada, 56 km (35 mi) northeast of Kamloops.
| Sun Peaks Resort | |
|---|---|
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| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest major city | Kamloops, 56 km (35 mi) |
| Coordinates | 50°53′38″N 119°53′35″W |
| Vertical | 882 m (2,894 ft) |
| Top elevation | 2,152 m (7,060 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,255 m (4,117 ft) |
| Skiable area | 4,270 acres (1,730 ha) |
| Runs | 137 including 17 gladed areas 10% beginner 58% intermediate 32% expert |
| Longest run | 8 km (5.0 mi) |
| Lift system | 13 total 3 detachable quads 3 quads 1 triple 6 surface lifts |
| Lift capacity | 12,000 riders per hour |
| Snowfall | 559 cm (220 in) |
| Website | sunpeaksresort |
The summit of the ski area is at an elevation of 2,080 m (6,820 ft), with an 881 m (2,890 ft) vertical rise from the base of the peak. The resort has 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) of skiable terrain (second largest in Canada), and receives an average of 5.6 m (18 ft) of snow per year. Sun Peaks area averages over 2000 hours of sun a year.
The resort has 13 lifts with a total capacity of 13,400 riders per hour, with the Burfield chair being the longest at 23 minutes total ride. There are 137 runs, including 16 gladed areas and 40 km (25 mi) of cross country trails. The ski area comprises three mountains: Tod Mountain, Sundance Mountain, and Mt. Morrisey.
History
The ski resort is being constructed on unceded Secwepemc First Nation ("Shuswap") land as a part of historical colonialism against Canadian indigenous peoples by European colonists. The land is part of ongoing land claims settlement negotiations between the Canadian First Nations in British Columbia and the governments of British Columbia and Canada. Prior to July 1993, Sun Peaks was known simply as Tod Mountain, named after the highest ski mountain at the resort. The first chair lift, the Burfield chair, as well as the Burfield lodge, opened in 1961. In 1968, the lift was damaged by fire and was forced to close for repairs until December 1970. In 1992, Tod Mountain was purchased by Nippon Cable of Tokyo. Since 1992, Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners Ltd. has acted as prime consultant and project planners for the transformation of the Tod Mountain Ski Area into Sun Peaks Resort.
The Burfield chair is the longest fixed grip chairlift in North America, and is the 9th longest in travel length (9,510 ft (2,900 m).[1]
Nancy Greene Raine is the Director of Skiing at the resort.
In 2014, the previously out-of-bounds area known as Gil's was added to the in-bounds area of the resort.[2]
Downhill ski trails
| Green | Blue | Black | Double Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Mile | Alley | 5th Avenue | Challenger |
| Anticipation | Ausfahrt | Agitator | Challenger Glades |
| Burfield Outrun | Back In Time | Back Door | Chute |
| Cahilty | Blazer | Bluff | Expo |
| Connector | Blazer Glades | Bluff Glades | Green Door |
| Cowabunga | Blue Line | Broadway | In Tatters |
| Crystal Lane | Cahilty Glades | Bug Out Glades | Kookamungas |
| Downtown | C.C. Riders | Cariboo | Offset |
| East Village Ski Way | Ça M'a Fait Plaisir | Cariboo Glades | Static Cling |
| Fairways Ski Back | Carpe Diem | Chief | Terrain Park- Black Zone |
| Gentle Giant | Chikamichi | Chief Shoulder | |
| Home Instead | Cruiser | Coquihalla | |
| Home Run | Cruiser Glades | Coquihalla Glades | |
| Homesteader | Crystal Run | Cover Shot | |
| Mt. Morrisey Connector | Cześć | Crystal Bowl | |
| Rambler | Distributor | East Bushwacker | |
| Sunbeam | Exhibition | Father Tom's | |
| Sundance Return | Exhibition Glades | Hat Trick | |
| Terrain Park (Green Zone) | Fair Dinkum | Headwalls | |
| The Sticks | Fall Line (West Bowl) | Highway 22 | |
| Grand Return | Highway 22a | ||
| Grand Return Glades | Highway 22b | ||
| Grannie Greene's | Inner Gil's Glades | ||
| Grannie Greene's Glades | Intimidator | ||
| Harry's Run (West Bowl) | Juniper Ridge | ||
| Hot Shot | Lint Trap | ||
| Hully Gully | Main Face Glades | ||
| Lone Fir Centre | Nose of the Chief | ||
| Lone Fir West | Peak-A-Boo | ||
| Lonesome Fir Glades | Pink Flamingos | ||
| Long Draw (West Bowl) | Rice Bowl | ||
| Lunch Time | Roller Coaster | ||
| Mid Mountain | Sacred Line | ||
| Mid-Life Crisis | Spillway | ||
| Munro Ridge | Spin Cycle | ||
| OSV (Race Training) | Sting | ||
| Out Of The Woods | Sunny Side | ||
| Round A Bout | Tighten Yer Boots | ||
| Runaway Lane | Toilet Bowl | ||
| Runaway Lane Glades | Tumble Dry | ||
| Second Growth | White Rabbit | ||
| Shiner | Wringer | ||
| Short Draw (West Bowl) | |||
| Shortcut | |||
| Showboat | |||
| Still Smokin' | |||
| Sun Catcher | |||
| Sun Downer | |||
| Sundance | |||
| Sunrise | |||
| Telly Gram | |||
| Terrain Park- Blue Zone | |||
| The Other Way | |||
| The Spine | |||
| Three Bears | |||
| Three Bears Glades | |||
| Trans Canada | |||
| West Bushwacker | |||
| Westsyde |
Other facilities
Sun Peaks Mountain Bike Park
In addition to skiing, Sun Peaks also operates a downhill mountain bike park with over 2,000 vertical feet of terrain. The Sunburst Express quad chair takes riders to a trail park at the top.
Golf course
Sun Peaks has a 6,400 yard, 18-hole golf course. It is the highest elevation course in British Columbia, at over 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.[3]
Tubing
In 2003 Sun Peaks opened "Tube Time" to allow for recreational tubing at the resort.
Banked slalom
In 2016, a new permanent banked slalom course was opened alongside the Sundowner and Suncatcher runs.
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Ski lifts
Sun Peaks has an all-Doppelmayr fleet of twelve ski lifts on all three mountains, Tod, Sundance and Morrisey.
| Name | Lift type | Opening date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunburst Express | High speed quad | 1993 | Tod Mountain |
| Sundance Express | High speed quad | 1995 | Sundance Mountain |
| Burfield | Fixed grip quad | 1998 | Tod Mountain |
| Crystal | Triple chairlift | 1979 | Tod Mountain |
| Elevation | Fixed grip quad | 2006 | Tod Mountain |
| Morrisey Express | High speed quad | 2002 | Morrisey Mountain |
| West Bowl T-Bar | Surface lift | 1993 | Tod Mountain |
| Village Platter | Surface Lift | 1993 | Sundance Mountain |
| Village Carpet | Magic Carpet | Sundance Mountain | |
| Tube Time Carpet | Magic Carpet | Sundance Mountain | |
| Morrisey Platter Surface Lift | Surface lift | 2002 | Morrisey Mountain |
| Orient | Fixed grip quad | 2018 | Sundance Mountain, Orient Ridge |
Removed ski lifts:
- Original Burfield - double chairlift - Murray-Latta - 1961 - Tod Mountain (replaced by Burfield)
- Shuswap - double chairlift - Hall - 1971 - Tod Mountain (replaced by Sunburst Express)
- Original Sundance - fixed grip quad - Doppelmayr - 1993 - Sundance Mountain (replaced by Sundance Express and relocated to Burfield)
- Broadway T-Bar - Doppelmayr - 1979 - Tod Mountain (relocated to West Bowl)
Gallery
Covered bridge in Sun Peaks
Sun Peaks downtown in autumn
Sun Peaks downtown
Tod Mountain lifts
References
- "Top Ten Longest Chairlifts in North America". 25 July 2015.
- Hill, Cale (22 December 2014). "Locals not loving Gil's access".
- http://www.sunpeaksresort.com/summer/golf/
