Sun Peaks Resort: What's New?

Wine and Culture a Magical Mix

July 3, 2009 – Sun Peaks, BC – In a place where adrenaline meets elegance and alpine adventure mixes with urban sophistication, Wine and Culture Festival at Sun Peaks, July 17-19, is a perfect blend. Hike in the alpine as the natural and rugged peaks are filled with the sweet sounds of classical music from the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. Head to the Sun Peaks Bike Park to hammer the single track and hit some features, then cruise into the village for an art show and wine tasting. After a successful day on the golf course, sample fresh, gourmet cuisine paired with a selection from one of BC’s boutique wineries. It is all happening during Alpine Blossom Season at Sun Peaks.

To book event tickets and accommodation, please call 1-800-807-3257 or email info@sunpeaksresort.com.

Symphony of Flavours - $55.00 plus tax
Friday, July 17, 6:30pm to 8:30pm
A celebration of fine wine and exquisite food set to the rhythm of orchestral sounds from the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra (KSO) on the Delta Health Club Terrace. Guests will sample tapas, prepared with products from local farmers and ranchers located in the Thompson Valley, and spectacular wines from BC’s Boutique wineries including Misconduct Wine Co., Twisted Tree Vineyards and Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery.

Wine Seminar: BC Varietal Showdown - $30.00 plus tax
Saturday, July 18, 12:30pm to 2:00pm
Compare and contrast varietals from BC’s Boutique wineries, exploring different wine making styles and understanding what makes each varietal distinct.

Art Walk - $39.00 plus tax
Saturday, July 18, 2:00pm to 4:00pm
In partnership with Tree Line Studios and Lone Wolf Gallery, artists will have their work on display at various Sun Peaks restaurants. At each venue, guests sample wine from BC Boutique wineries and tapas from Sun Peaks’ chefs, while learning from the artist about their inspiration and techniques. Artists in attendance include Pavel Barta, Joanne Hastie, Kendra Smith and Bill Jeffrey.

Sunburst Salmon BBQ – $49.00 plus tax
Saturday, July 18, 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Sunday, July 19, 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Ensembles from the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra will perform at both Sunburst Salmon Barbeques. A truly unique BC experience in the mountains, the evening begins with a chairlift ride up to the mid-mountain Sunburst Restaurant, where a mouth-watering meal awaits you. Highlighted by a citrus grilled wild salmon, dinner also includes local organic greens from Thistle Farm topped with edible flowers, roasted new potatoes and steamed asparagus with chervil butter. Finish off your evening with cherries jubilee served over vanilla bean ice cream.

Music in the Mountains
Saturday, July 18
Sunday, July 19
The natural and rugged mountains of Sun Peaks will be filled with the sounds of classical music throughout the weekend. Ensembles from the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra will be performing in the village, including a String Orchestra and the Vancouver Chamber Brass. During two of the musical sets on Saturday, artist David Oram will be painting a mural along with the melodies from the KSO ensembles.

Quilting in the Mountains
Quilt Class
Saturday, July 18
Sunday, July 19
Quilters can participate in a two-day class by Dianne Jansson of Diversity Quilting, using Mary Ellen Hopkins machine piecing Level II techniques.

Sun Peaks Farmers' Market

June 23, 2009 – Sun Peaks, BC – Sustaining the local economy is even more important this summer and visitors and residents at Sun Peaks Resort will once again be supporting local farmers, ranchers and artisans. The award winning Sun Peaks & Region Farmers’ Market is returning for a 4th season and will be set up in the heart of the Sun Peaks Village on Sunday, June 28 from 10am to 2pm and will continue every Sunday all summer.

The Farmers' Market at Sun Peaks had a record breaking season in 2008, with an average of 16 vendors each week and close to 20 during the BC150 Feastival Celebration during the August long weekend. The Sun Peaks Market was awarded the Best Small Market from the BC150 Farmers’ Market awards for its continued efforts to promote sustainable agriculture in the region.

Local vendors are extremely pleased with how the Sun Peaks Market has grown and say they are hoping people will continue to recognize the value of supporting local producers.

"The money you spend at my booth, I spend at the grocery store or the farmers market or the gas station," says Kelsey Kashaluba of Fisherman’s Catch. "It’s a great big circle."

The Sun Peaks Farmers' Market will continue be an integral part of the community this summer. The Village will be alive with buskers and entertainment, creating a unique ambiance for customers while they shop for fresh fruits, organic vegetables, meats, seafood and crafts from local artisans.

Come up for the market and stay for the day in the natural mountain environment surrounding Sun Peaks. Ride the chairlift and hike in the alpine, go mountain biking, horseback riding or canoe at McGillivray Lake.

For more information on the Sun Peaks Farmers' Market click here.

Bike Parks BC and Anthill Films Urge Mountain Bikers to FOLLOW ME…

June 10, 2009 – Vancouver, BC – Bike Parks BC, a marketing consortium of lift accessed bike parks including Sun Peaks, Whistler-Blackcomb, Mount Washington, Silver Star, and Tourism Fernie is pleased to announce its sponsorship of Anthill Films’ new movie, FOLLOW ME... Made up of key members of the award winning film crew The Collective, the film features some of the best mountain bikers in the world, including Sam Hill, Gee Atherton, Brandon Semenuk, Cam McCaul, Thomas Vanderham, Matt Hunter, Ben Boyko, Kurt Sorge, Steve Smith, and Geoff Gulevich.

FOLLOW ME... will highlight many incredible riding locations around the world, including the four bike parks that make up Bike Parks BC. FOLLOW ME’s central concept is ‘no one rides alone’ - focusing on the idea that the best times riders have on their bikes is when they are out riding with friends. This theme fits perfectly with Bike Parks BC’s goal to encourage mountain bikers to get out and explore bike parks around the province and experience their amazing trails and diverse landscapes.

“We are really stoked to be working with Bike Parks BC on this project,” says Anthill’s director Darcy Wittenburg. “The film is all about riding with your friends and one of the best ways to do that is in a park. Sessioning trails, pushing each other to try something new, joking on the way back up the chair – this is what we love about riding in the park, hopefully we can share a bit of that through the film.”

Visit www.anthillfilms.com for more about the film.

Canadian Ski Council Announces Research Award Recipients

June 9, 2009 – Toronto, ON – Best in the snow business recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Canadian ski and snowboard industry.

The Canadian Ski Council (CSC) is pleased to announce the five recipients of the 2008-2009 Canadian Ski Council Industry Recognition and Excellence Research Awards.

The CSC Industry Recognition and Excellence Research Awards are presented to ski areas from each province or region of Canada whom have proven to have an outstanding record of customer loyalty, excellence in customer satisfaction (as reflected in the net promoter concept), and strong commitment to increasing growth in skiing and snowboarding (again as reflected again in net promoter scores and the best overall composite measure of on-mountain ratings). Each of these traits were measured based on the results of the customer service and satisfaction questions that were included in the CSC National Consumer Profile and Satisfaction Survey. The net promoter score is the percentage of customers who are promoters of the resort (i.e. scoring the resort 9 out of 10 on various customer service practices) minus the customers who are detractors of the resort (scoring the resort a 6 or less). Net promoter scores are used by many businesses and corporations to help measure a company's rate of growth and success.

This year's provincial/regional research award recipients include:

Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia
Sunshine Village Resort, Alberta
Oshawa Ski Club, Ontario
Massif du Sud, Quebec
Marble Mountain, Newfoundland

In addition to regional/provincial winners, an overall national award winner was selected from the provincial/regional award winners, based on which ski area had the highest overall results. This year's national winner of the CSC Industry Recognition and Excellence Research Award is Sun Peaks Resort located in the province of British Columbia. This is the second time that Sun Peaks Resort has won the overall award. The last time that they won this award was in 2007.

"On behalf of the Canadian Ski Council Board of Directors, staff and the entire ski and snowboard industry, we would like to congratulate and thank each of these award winners for their contribution, dedication and commitment to conducting research and enabling our industry to increase growth and participation in our winter sports", stated Colin Chedore, President, Canadian Ski Council.

Delta Sun Peaks Resort Hotel Honoured by BC Tourism Industry

February 17, 2009 – Sun Peaks, BC – The continued commitment of the Delta Sun Peaks Resort Hotel to reduce its footprint on the natural beauty of Sun Peaks has been recognized by the province’s tourism industry.

The four diamond hotel property was awarded the Foresight Sustainability Award at the 10th Annual BC Tourism Industry Awards in Vancouver last week as a direct result of several initiatives put into practice by the hotel surrounding energy, waste reduction and recycling, and food & beverage.

A lighting retrofit, in partnership with BC Hydro Power Smart, saw a 9% decrease in consumption. In addition, a hybrid heating system installed with Sempa Power contributed to $25,000 in savings, and a reduction of 83 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in just the first 6 weeks.

“We are very fortunate to work for a company like Delta Hotels and Resorts with very supportive owners,” says Doug Avery, Chief Engineer at Delta Sun Peaks Resort. “They allow our team lots of freedom and creativity to work with local partners to find sustainable solutions that work best for our environment, making our community a better place for all.”

The Delta Sun Peaks has also taken significant steps in their food & beverage department by showcasing local and organic products to guests. Executive Chef David Tombs purchases fresh produce and meats from area farmers and ranchers, which not only encourages local and sustainable agriculture but provides guests with the freshest product available. These relationships with local farmers have also contributed to the success of the award winning Sun Peaks & Region Farmers’ Market which takes place in the Sun Peaks Village Square every Sunday during the summer months.

“We are extremely proud to share this award with our community partners and staff who practice responsible and sustainable environmental stewardship here at Sun Peaks,” comments David Tombs, Executive Chef at the Delta Sun Peaks Resort.

Ensuring long-term sustainability in the tourism industry is something the BC government has been working towards with a new program announced last October. The province, industry organizations and businesses joined together with $560,000 to create a new BC Partnership for Sustainable Tourism. That program is working to establish best practices for sustainability in tourism, among other initiatives.

“We are thrilled with the Delta Sun Peaks’ recent award,” says Anne Haight, Director of Marketing & Sales with Sun Peaks Resort Corporation. “It mirrors our ongoing commitment to conduct our operations in an environmentally responsible manner which respects the land, flora, fauna, and natural processes. Sun Peaks Resort Corporation recognizes that maintaining the natural environment is essential to preserving the quality of life we enjoy now and wish to protect for future generations.”

Sun Peaks Resort Corporation was recently recertified by SAI GLOBAL, an independent auditor, for its environmental policies and controls under the International Standards Organization 14001 (Certification #026082).

The Foresight Sustainability Award isn’t the first environmental award bestowed upon businesses at Sun Peaks. In 2006, Sun Peaks Resort Corporation was presented with Tourism BC’s Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award, and in 2007, Sun Peaks was awarded the BC Hydro Power Smart Excellent Award for an Outstanding Energy Efficiency Project. Also in 2007, the Delta Sun Peaks Resort Hotel won an Energy & Environment Award from the Hotel Association of Canada.

Delta Hotels Partners with Air Canada to Provide Big Savings

February 5, 2009 – Toronto, ON – Pack your bags as Delta Hotels is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Canada’s largest full service airline. The partnership provides guests who book and stay at any Delta hotel or resort with 15% off their airfare with Air Canada to any destination where a Delta hotel is located. This 15% discount offer is available on Air Canada’s Tango Plus, Latitude, and Executive Class fares for guests who have booked to stay at Delta from February 4, 2009 until June 30, 2009.

“Delta is delighted to be the first Canadian hotel brand to offer this type of savings to our guests,” said Hank Stackhouse, President and CEO, Delta Hotels. “We are listening to our customers who are looking to save during this difficult economic time and we are happy to provide this promotion for those who want to experience the best of what Canadian cities have to offer.”

This type of partnership is the first of its kind in Canada, providing travelers with incredible savings on their flights. In addition, Delta hotels across the country are offering fantastic March break promotions, including family packages and special programs. From the sights of our nation’s capital to the world renowned skiing of British Columbia, there is something for everyone when planning a Canadian holiday.

“This is a made-in-Canada solution. We’ve brought together the only national, Canadian-owned hotel chain, and Canada’s largest airline, serving the most destinations, with the widest range of products and services to suit all budgets,” said Stackhouse. “We’re committed to meeting the needs of the Canadian traveler and this meaningful travel cost reduction will help make family travel more affordable this year.”

Delta hopes that this offer will help Canadian families to experience a new Canadian city and offer them an incentive to support the Canadian travel industry.

“Air Canada is pleased to offer Delta Hotel guests even more value for their money when traveling on Air Canada,” said Charles McKee, Air Canada’s Vice President of Marketing. “Air Canada’s partnership with Delta Hotels offers customers the very best from two leaders in the Canadian travel and hospitality industry: unbeatable choice and convenience for travel and lodging in cities across Canada. It’s a great time to travel.”

This savings is applicable on new bookings, group bookings and corporate travel made with Delta Hotels. The 15% discount is available on eligible fares at the time of booking. This special discount may not be used in conjunction with any other promotional code discount. All bookings must be made at aircanada.com by the guest or their travel agent.

For more information or to book travel, please visit www.deltahotels.com/flyaircanada.

Sun Peaks Launches onto World Stage in Conde Nast Poll

December 10, 2008 – Sun Peaks, BC – Sun Peaks has splashed onto the international stage with a top ten ranking in one of the world’s leading travel publications. Sun Peaks Director of Skiing and Olympic Champion Nancy Greene says, “We are thrilled with the results of the recent Conde Nast Traveler poll which ranks Sun Peaks as the 2nd best ski resort in Canada, and 10th best in North America.”

Over 32,000 Conde Nast Traveler readers voted in this 13th Annual Ski Poll. Conde Nast Traveler was named one of the top 10 magazines in the United States in 2008 and its 3.1 million readers are considered well-versed and well-educated on travel destinations.

Resorts were judged on terrain and conditions, lifts and lines, après-ski/activities, dining, and town ambience. Five Canadian resorts made the Top 20: Whistler Blackcomb (#1), Sun Peaks (#10), Mont Tremblant (#12), Big White and Lake Louise (#16 tie).

“We are excited that Sun Peaks has been recognized as the top Canadian resort behind Whistler/Blackcomb,” comments Christopher Nicolson, President of Tourism Sun Peaks. “This positions Sun Peaks on the international stage as a resort that can stand up with the best ski destinations in the world.”

This isn’t the first international accolade for Sun Peaks Resort. Cadogan Guides of the United Kingdom declared Sun Peaks the Best Family Resort in North America for 2008.

Nicolson says there’s no question the three unique mountains of Sun Peaks surrounding a charming, alpine village impressed the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. “The results indicated that our lack of lift lines, variety of terrain and extensive non-ski winter activities all influenced the readers.”

Sun Peaks is considered one of the best planned resorts in North America, designed for ease of the guest during their stay. The resort was designed by Ecosign Mountain Planners, who have recently been hired to design the village and slopes at Sochi in Russia, site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. “With our resort design, we have been able to provide our guests with ski-in/ski-out accommodation ranging from residential properties to a 4 diamond hotel in the heart of the village,” says Darcy Alexander, General Manager of Sun Peaks Resort Corporation.

Sun Peaks Resort is also the official North American training site for the world’s leading alpine racers, the powerful Austrian National Ski Team. The team has been training in Sun Peaks for the past four years prior to the commencement of the North American World Cup races held in late November, and will be training in Sun Peaks in preparation for the 2010 Olympics in Whistler.

The Top 10 includes:

1. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
2. Telluride, Colorado
3. Deer Valley, Utah
4. Aspen, Colorado
5. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
6. Sun Valley, Idaho
7. Vail, Colorado
8. Beaver Creek, Colorado
9. Park City, Utah
10. Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia

For more information on Conde Nast Traveler click here.