What's New for Winter 2017/18

Posted October 27, 2017

Autumn colours are crowning the mountains and the first snowfalls have dusted the village – including 25cm of snowfall on Saturday, October 21! Our anticipation for ski season is at its height and we’re eagerly counting down the days to the opening of the chairlifts on Saturday, November 18. Here’s the low down on what’s new for winter 2017/18.

Food & Beverage Revitalization Projects

If you haven’t heard, the biggest and most exciting changes for this winter are happening with our on-mountain dining experiences. A multi-million dollar building renovation project and complete menu overhauls will have The Sunburst Bar + Eatery at mid-mountain and The Annex (formerly Bento’s) looking and feeling like brand new facilities. Masa’s Bar + Grill in the Village Day Lodge has also received a culinary refresh, ready for all your après needs.

The original announcement and in-depth look at the concepts for these dining facilities can be found here. A recent update on construction progress through the summer and information on what to expect can be found here.

New Glading

This past summer, as part of our ongoing forest health management program, contactors and our slopes crew have been busy selectively clearing trees in specific on-mountain zones. While the primary focus of the efforts are to remove beetle kill and/or dangerous trees and lower our risk of forest fires, the work opens up some fun new gladed terrain to explore. We’re most excited about the extensive work focused around the lower part of the Crystal chairlift, which has opened up five pods of trees to the right and left of the lower half of the lift. There has also been additional work completed in and around the run ‘Three Bears’ on Sundance mountain.

New Snowcats

Lovers of perfect corduroy rejoice! Our grooming team, responsible for the immaculately groomed cruisers for which Sun Peaks is renowned, has received an upgrade to their fleet. Two new PistenBully 400 groomers - a winch cat and a terrain park cat - have been purchased, replacing two older models and increasing the overall capability and reliability in delivering our groomed terrain and terrain park features.

Resort Construction

If you haven’t been to Sun Peaks since last winter then you will notice a few changes around the village. 2017 has been our busiest year for construction since 2007, with crews on the go throughout the valley all summer long. A brand new Sun Peaks Health Centre, a replacement for the Sun Peaks International Hostel, and several housing developments are all new landmarks that have started to spring up since the lifts stopped turning last April. You can find out more about the summer construction here.

New Provider for Airport Shuttle Service

The journey to Sun Peaks is about to get even easier and more comfortable this winter. Local Kamloops company, TasteFull Excursions, has been selected by Tourism Sun Peaks as the new service provider for the airport shuttle service from YKA, as well as inter-resort shuttles and chartered transportation services. TasteFull Excursions will transport guests to and from Sun Peaks in comfort and safety, with their top-of-the-line 14-seat Ford Transit Vehicles offering complimentary water, cell phone chargers, pillows, blankets, and (where available) WiFi.

Joe Poutine

There’ll be a fresh spot in the village for that post-shred refuel this winter as new restaurant Joe Poutine gets ready to open its doors for ski season. Serving up a variety of poutine combinations from classic Quebec style to more exotic concoctions, it’s sure to be a hit with fans of cheese curds and gravy. Joe Poutine is located in the Hearthstone Lodge between Mountain High Pizza and Bella Italia Mediterranean Kitchen.

2018 Winter Olympic Celebrations

Go Canada Go! The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang kick off on February 9th and Sun Peaks is ready to cheer on Team Canada. The games will be splashed across screens in bars and restaurants throughout the village, so you can catch all the action after (or during!) a day on the slopes. Olympic themed events will also be part of the fun as we enjoy the world’s biggest celebration of winter sports.

Renovations for Cahilty Creek

Cahilty Creek Bar & Grill is getting a facelift this autumn. The restaurant is being fully transformed into the Cahilty Creek Kitchen & Taproom, with a renewed focus on showcasing local beers and spirits. A partnership with award winning local distillery Okanagan Spirits will keep fans of gin, whisky, vodka, and liqueurs happy, while 16 new draft taps will quench the thirst of beer fans. Renovations are planned to be complete in time for the start of the winter season.

New Brands for Retail Stores

Sun Peaks Resort LLP stores are excited to announce the addition of iconic Canadian outdoor brand Arc'teryx to the  retail line-up this season. It joins other high-quality brands like Patagonia and The North Face to provide you with plenty of great gear choices for your winter needs. Additional new brands being carried this winter include YES Snowboards, DC, 686, and Now bindings.

World’s First Virtual Snowboard School

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Watch & Ride, the world’s first online snowboard school. Filmed in Sun Peaks in partnership with Sun Peaks Sports School, Watch & Ride will help take your snowboarding to the next level with in-depth videos covering all aspects of snowboarding technique. To help get you ready for winter there’s a free one year membership up for grabs for the first 100 people who sign up using the promo code ‘sunpeaksfree’. Just sign up on their site for a free account then use the promo code to unlock your free membership and open the full suite of tutorial videos. If you miss this deal, pick up a brochure in-resort for a 50% off membership coupon.

With just 23 days left until the lifts start turning for ski season we can’t wait to welcome you back for another fantastic winter in Sun Peaks!