Sun Peaks - What's New For Winter 2021-22
From mountain operations to restaurants, retail shops, sports school and more, the teams have been hard at work preparing to welcome you back for another season of skiing and snowboarding. They’re as excited as you are to get back to doing what they love most – shredding fresh pow, cruising cord, and soaking up those unmatched mountaintop vistas. Here’s a look at what’s been taking place behind the scenes to elevate your winter experience:
- NEW LOADING CONVEYOR AT THE CRYSTAL CHAIRLIFT. Things will look a little different at the base of the Crystal chairlift this season. A new conveyor has been installed to smooth out the loading process; chances are you may not have used one of these slick devices before. Skiers and snowboarders will make their way into the lift maze as normal and up to the closed conveyor gate. When the gate releases, you’ll glide onto the conveyor which will carry you to the designated loading spot. You’ll be positioned exactly where you need to be for the chair to pick you up, eliminating the need to rush to the loading spot or for the lift operators to brace the chair.
- VILLAGE PLATTER DAILY EVENING OPERATIONS. Parents rejoice! The Village Platter will now be open and lit until 7:00pm daily, giving groms a spot to hang and practice their moves in the Platter Park. The learning slope adjacent to the platter is also lit, so any guest working on new skills can continue practicing into the evening
- NEW EVENING LIGHTS AT THE TOBOGGAN AREA. The complimentary toboggan area will now be lit through the evening, giving families a place to get together and let the kids expend their last bits of energy from the day. The toboggan hill has also been built up and graded to provide a better slope for sledding. Located at the base of the Morrisey and Orient chairlifts, there is convenient parking available adjacent to the toboggan hill in parking lot 5.
- MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS UPGRADES. They are continuing the process of transitioning the grooming fleet to lower emissions models with the purchase of another new snowcat that meets Tier 4 emissions standards. They’re proud that over half of the fleet now falls into this category. This season wthey’ve also added two additional snow guns, providing even more coverage to help Mother Nature set a solid base for early season.
- WEST BOWL T-BAR RETIRES. After a hiatus last winter season, the West Bowl T-bar remains closed for winter 2021-22. This lift has provided decades of memories and lift rides, but has now reached the end of its useful life and will transition into a well-deserved retirement. The good news is the West Bowl terrain remains open to the public. Guests can hike into this area (similar to Gil’s zone) obeying all ski area boundary markers; groomers will continue to tend to the trails. Those with the desire to earn their turns will be treated with cruisy fresh lines and peaceful surroundings. Planning is currently underway for future lift access in the West Bowl and they look forward to a new direction for this key alpine area of the resort. Stay tuned for updates in 2022
- PASS HOLDER PERKS REINSTATED! All of the usual pass holder perks are now available again after a short break last season due to COVID-19 implications. This includes discounts on in-resort retail, rental, tuning, lessons, and restaurants, as well as buddy passes and reciprocal ski area deals. Click here for more information.
- 60 YEARS OF SKIING AT TOD MOUNTAIN. Back in 1961 the iconic Burfield chairlift started spinning, carrying eager skiers to the upper reaches of Tod Mountain where they were lucky to be some of the first to explore this brand new ski area. This season they’re reliving memories from the past 60 years and commemorating the occasion with a piece of commissioned artwork by talented local artist Zuzy Rocka. Zuzy’s artwork, titled ‘Dreams Aglow’, is featured on special edition Mountain Cards this winter, a limited print run of posters available for sale, and on the label of a collaborative beer brewed with Red Collar Brewing Co. To find out more check out the blog dedicated to all things 60th anniversary.
- SPORTS SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION. After a winter of pared back programming due to COVID-19, Sports School is back in full swing this season to offer you a full line-up of lessons. Returning for 2021-22 are a variety of Tots, Kids, Teens, and Adult group lessons, along with Childminding services. Click here to check out the full line-up.
- NEW LOOK AND NEW BRANDS FOR RETAIL. Sun Peaks’ only dedicated snowboard shop is growing this season! Southside Board Shop is moving into a new, larger site located inside the existing Elevation Bike, Ski, and Board shop. New brands Stranda Snowboards, Jones Splitboards and Karakoram bindings are joining their line-up. Elevation’s high performance rentals and demos are moving into the existing Fall Line Tuning and Repair Centre, which will now be directly accessible from inside of Elevation and Southside. Talk about easy access to all your retail, accessories, rentals and tuning needs. On the apparel side, they continue to align with innovative lifestyle brands focused on sustainability practices; they’re excited this season to bring in mountain favourites KÜHL, Fjällräven, and KAVU. You’ll find their products featured at John Tod Trading Co., located underneath the village clock tower.
- EXPANDED ONLINE STORE. In addition to being able to conveniently purchase Alpine or Nordic tickets and season passes online, they’ve now added more products to the Online Store. This season, you can:
- Reserve ski and snowboard equipment rentals
- Purchase snowshoe and fat biking trail passes
- Reserve group ski and snowboard lessons offered by Sports School, including Locals Programs
- Reserve RV parking
- Masa's Bar + Grill at Sun Peaks Resort
- TIME TO DINE. The restaurant teams have new offerings in the mix for you this season too! Here’s what you can look forward to at key on-mountain dining locations:
- The Sunburst Lodge: Along with regular dining service upstairs, a convenient grab-n-go kiosk is located on the ground level, along with an indoor, casual eating area. Proof of vaccination is required to dine-in upstairs. The ground level area does not require proof of vaccination.
- Umbrella Café: A large dining tent has been added adjacent to the café, providing a covered space to enjoy your ski or ride break. Proof of vaccination is not required.
- The Annex Food + Drink: The entrance for dine-in (proof of vaccination required) is now located at the west end of the building, on the parking lot side. A new sectioned off area to access the coffee bar and baked goods for grab-n-go service (proof of vaccination not required) is accessible through the slopeside eastern entrance.
- Masa’s Bar + Grill: In case you missed it last season, a new draft system now offers 20 taps, the most in the village of Sun Peaks! The 60th Anniversary collaborative brew is now available in a can or on draft. The restaurant itself has also received an aesthetic refresh, with brand new furniture and flooring.
- NORDIC TRAIL NETWORK UPGRADES. A significant focus was given to maintenance and upgrades of the Nordic trail network over the summer, including widening of the McGillivray Lake, Stellar Jay Loop and Raven Return trails, and improved drainage on Moose Track, Great Grey, Holy Cow and Otter Loop trails. This will allow grooming equipment to get onto these trails sooner. In addition, a new Yellowstone Track Systems roller/compactor was purchased to set the surface, and, together with the ginzu groomer, this means that snowmobiles and side by sides will be able to prep trails early season, as well as make more frequent maintenance runs during the day. Other changes to the network include the shortening of En Garde to accommodate a new snowmobile access route. This was necessary due to construction and land prep for future developments in the East Village. A new section of trail has also been added next to Whiskey Jack to provide an additional short beginner loop.
- NEW REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS. Several months after the weekend sellout of the new Altitude townhome development, Powder Heights is now available for sale and already 40% sold. This new collection of 2- and 3- bedroom ski-in, ski-out homes in the East Village offers quick access to the Orient and Morrisey chairlifts, along with unobstructed views of Mt. Morrisey and Sun Peaks’ famous valley sunsets.
- BACKCOUNTRY TOURS & AVALANCHE TRAINING. New this season, long-time Sun Peaks area resident, guide, and ski instructor Bodie Shandro has launched a company dedicated to backcountry tours and avalanche training. A number of courses and tours are now available to Sun Peaks guests, focused on backcountry exploration, safety, and education.
