If you havent booked accommodation yet, many of te condos have a basement sleepout with fooseball or table-hockey type setups, as well as an extra tv/lounge/bedm and of course the hot tub on the balcony
Snow Report Sun Peaks 2022 – 2023 Plans, Trip Reports, Pics and Conditions.
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Nothing booked yet just looking at options. Preferably central so we can leave the kids on days they have had enough@Parkesyau on our first visit in 2016/17 we stayed at Stones Throw so a walk or shuttle bus to the village. The walk is no big deal, in fact pretty special walking past snow covered trees and lots of Christmas lights from the places you walk past. That year the kids were 10 and 15 and not very experienced skiers - they loved the long groomers. They hooked up with some of the other forum kids and after skiing met up and went tobogganing. It can get pretty cold which will be the biggest drawback for young and old alike (we had -18 to abt -23) so be prepared for that. Get yourselves some Canadian walki-talkies, forum members usually on channel 19. Very handy for meetups and safety. Love the ski in/out, so nice to slip into warm boots skis on and you’re off. The people from the crew list that you meet will also add to the enjoyment of this great ski resort - keep it to yourself. There is enough mountain for every type of skier or boarder.
Oh that sounds so awesome I didn’t even realise you guys all meet up and hang out. I think once the kids make some friends they will love it. I love the idea of it being a nice smaller village vibe rather than the masses of whistler.maybe sharing some drinks with people and having a chat. I’m sure whistler is great but it would be nice to be somewhere with snow on the ground and people to chat and chill with. Friends have been going to whistler every Christmas pre covid and their mixed reports of rain some times really isn’t appealing. Sounds a bit like our Victorian ski fields.
I have to dig out all my gear I took to Japan I remember those cold days.i don’t think anything beats those onsens at the end of the day. Shame there’s not more onsens and hot tubs
Almost every condo in Sun Peaks has its own private hot tub. Hotels & apartments in the village centre all have communal hot tubs to soak away the aches & pains. You wont go wrong with SP. IMHO it's the perfect family resort. And the drive from LL is just spectacular (weather permitting) easy done in a day in good weather but you might want to plan an overnight stop in case the weather is not so good.
Some places with communal hot tubs had them closed last season due to covid. Not a deal breaker i would suspect.
you could give your kids some $$ and send them off walking around the village if they didn't want to ski, safe enough and lots for kids to look at. There will be a large contingent of other Aussie kids there to hang out with anyway.
try www.topofthempountain.ca
They have a map on their page that shows all the different locations. Places like trappers Landing, TrailsEdge tend to have the games rooms.
They ar about 10 minute walk to the village centre
Westjet has daily flights Calgary-Kamloops, just under an hour in the air. Shuttles from the airport to the resort are easy to find online.
In theory the drive takes 7hr30 from Lake Louise to SP, so it would use all of the available daylight at that time of year. And that doesn't account for the variable road conditions encountered in winter. Highway 1 crosses three mountain passes en route to Kamloops as well as the climb to SP.
The good news though is that this is a section of the key commercial route connecting Vancouver with the rest of Canada, so it gets absolutely top priority for snow removal and sanding. For a fair bit of the winter, drive times are close to normal. But then there are other times when the snow ploughs can't keep up with mother nature, and there is no real alternative to closing the road during avalanche control work.
Allow a full day for the drive, and do your best to get it done in daylight, snow driving is so fatiguing when you can't see as well. And as others have said, be prepared to get off the road and into a motel if conditions get sporty. Leave it to the plough drivers to do their job, and the poor buggers who have no choice but to drive on because it's their livelihood. Missing the first night of booked accommodation is cheap compared to tow truck, ambulance and hospital bills.
Same comments from us. Have been going to Sun Peaks since boys were 5 and 8 (now 16 and 19) and they have never been bored! There Will be forum meeting ups and everyone gets to know each other, big kids and little kids ski together as do families. Trips to the hockey, pub dinners and pool, great skiing all levels, no queues. And in 9 trips we have seen rain on two days. Condos on the east side (Stones Throw, Settlers, Trails edge) are great with kids your age, the walk to village is easy and there is a toboggan hill that side too. I haven’t been anywhere else to compare but we started there as a family of beginners and our kids love going back and love skiing.
Such good advice thanks so so much.
Will spend the day today looking at accomodation options including the condos and maybe even some of the places in town.
It certainly seems a better option than whistler now ( although my daughter is a shopper she can shop elsewhere on the trip)
We have a few days post sun peaks to fill before heading to Los Angeles so May look at Vancouver or somewhere else that’s nice and worthwhile.
Trying to pack as much Canada as I can before crossing the border
A quick Google to extend the car we have in Calgary/Banff and drop it in kamaloops it may be cheaper to fly. Although I would love to see some of the beautiful Canadian scenery in winter.
We plan to ski a bit at lake Louise and sunshine too so I’ll look at lift options I think there’s passes that cross over between them all
Thanks again guys for all your help.
Whoa, just need to pull up stumps for a second here. With respect, anytime someone says that Whistler in January sounds like our Victorian ski fields has got a little off track!!!!
The comments about rain at Whistler need to be put in their proper context. Whistler village is at 670m abs. The highest lifted point is 2284m abs. Because Whistler is so close to the coast, it has a maritime climate that delivers huge amounts of moisture. Lots of that moisture in the heart of winter falls as snow all the way to the village. Quite a lot doesn't though, with rain at the lower elevations, turning to snow at some point between the base and the peak depending of the weather. The top half usually snows.
So yes, it can rain at the lower elevations at Whistler. (BTW, I have skied in rain in January at Big White, Red Mountain and Fernie too). BUT frankly if you have the impression that Whistler in January is anything like the Victorian ski fields, you're missing the point. The top half of Whistler / Blackcomb alone is vast and magnificent. It's not just proximity to Vancouver and Seattle that make Whistler busy - it's a bloody good resort. The village is lively, bustling with a real buzz. Very different to the far sleepier interior BC 'villages'. The alpine scenery is also vastly better at Whistler than the interior IMO. Completely different look and feel.
That said, for a one week trip in particular, it sounds like Sun Peaks would suit you well (frankly so would Big White, Silver Star and Panorama). Whistler Blackcomb are so vast that I would go for 10 days minimum (subject to having the time and $ of course). Each mountain on its own deserves a full week to explore.
So I guess I'm saying that I agree that Sun Peaks sounds suitable for you, but just felt uncomfortable that you had got the impression that Whistler experience was like the Vic ski fields!
hotels have hottubs if you are happy to share.
If you arent so fit, then a hottub soak is a great way of getting you back on the hill the next morning
And if you are looking for kids entertainment, then its a cheap, easy win - challenge for them is to jump into the snow!
When you say look at places in town you are looking at Kamloops?? Might be a cheaper option but a punish of a drive up and down for a week.
Also recommend the 3 places @Tinker Clan mentioned (Stones Throw, Settlers, Trails edge).
Good tip. Also if you can, avoid anything at Burfield. It's not a train smash to stay there but the true Ski in Ski out you won't get
Oh no I didn’t mean to compare it to our ski fields I know it is completely different in all aspects and so so much better. I meant from the aspect of rain and skiing in the rain. Nothing else would even compare but I know skiing in rain isn’t fun. It would be so much worse with kids. The amount of complaining Have experienced ski trips here in Vic over the years where the whole week has turned to rain and it wasn’t fun. Yep completely understand with it being closer to the sea hence the different climate.
I would still love to see whistler but I am just not sure on this trip if it’s worth it.we have 9 nights to allocate to the skiing portion. I have a teenage girl who would absolutely love skiing but will also love to sit in the room or browse shops. Our 11 year old son will not get off the slopes until the sun comes down. So trying to find a balance that’s all.
In regard to our few nights to fill before LA that would be after the ski portion so it might be a case of seeing Vancouver. The though of lugging around our snowboard bag is killing Me though. If only they had the amazing luggage forwarding system of Japan
Absolutely !!! Solid advice
I am still so on the fence with the drive.
Our plans so far
Banff 23dec-1 jan (Banff aspen)
Lake Louise 1-4 jan at baker creek ( I want to stay in a cabin )
Then I had allowed for a night or so back to Calgary possibly a stop in Canmore
Fly to Sun peaks 5th Jan -14th
Fly to Vancouver 14-17
Fly to LA
I can be flexible with the dates too which is why I am seriously contemplating if I just keep the car and take us all the way across to Vancouver ( stopping for our 8 or 9 nights skiing in SP)
Originally we were just going to go to whistler so it was one flight across ( haven’t booked any internals yet but like to do that asap)
The driving time isn’t the issue it’s just how bad a drive is it. Have hired a standard SUV with enterprise I assume that will suffice. ( although I am not sure on crossing into BC do I need special tyres or chains)
We are in our 40s obviously easier to carry the gear in a car
Kids travel well with technology and wifi
I am a scenery lover ( although I know this part of the world is nicer in summer)
The hassle of flights and check in bags and luggage dragging around and waiting for shuttles etc it’s a tough call right now
although I know this part of the world is nicer in summer.
That part of the world (Canadian Rockies) is absolutely magnificent in winter. Snow covered mountains framed by a crystal clear blue sky on a sunny day after a dump. Can't be beat IMHO.
I suspect it would work out cheaper to hire an SUV long term thant to hire multiple short termers and pay lots of connectinf 4 pax flights
The views from Bannf to Kamloops are quite spectaular (I thibk the term is God's own country) and then you can stop in a the shops in Kamloops on the way through a stock the back of the SUV up with groceries on the way up to SP.
I'd definitely do the drive over two days to reduce the risk of driving tired, allow for weather, and give you some time to stop and smell the roses. Revelstoke is a nice little town too.
I'm sure your kids would benefit from seeing the countryside as well
(I hate sitting in airport depatrure lounges)
There is another SPs rental company that is not on the list on the header. Could Astro add to the list?
www.3peaksrentals.com
They have an interesting mix of accommodation for all budgets and needs.
The snow is building up in the Alpine............again! The countdown commences.
Day 6 post contact (past the incubation period) with my neighbour who is on his third bout with C (tested). He's triple shotted. Hmmm.......he can't seem to shake it. Looks like ADE. He had to walk the dog so I joined him. He looked like hell and had all the symptoms. Thought he was going to drop over. He wasn't supposed to leave the house. He didn't think he would run into anyone. Hardly recognized him except for the dog. Short of getting intimate with him I was fully exposed. Just testing my immune system. After a career of treating snotty nosed kids and others who showed up with various illnesses I've built up my innate immune system one exposure at a time. Please don't cancel me.
Only thing I came down with was a few nasty blisters from not wearing gloves while raking the upper and lower lawns of Winter thatch.
Relevance to Sun Peaks? This is a public Sun Peaks 2022/23 trip planning, reporting and conditions reporting thread. Please post your covid posts in the relevant covid thread, thanks.Day 6 post contact (past the incubation period) with my neighbour who is on his third bout with C (tested). He's triple shotted. Hmmm.......he can't seem to shake it. Looks like ADE. He had to walk the dog so I joined him. He looked like hell and had all the symptoms. Thought he was going to drop over. He wasn't supposed to leave the house. He didn't think he would run into anyone. Hardly recognized him except for the dog. Short of getting intimate with him I was fully exposed. Just testing my immune system. After a career of treating snotty nosed kids and others who showed up with various illnesses I've built up my innate immune system one exposure at a time. Please don't cancel me.
Only thing I came down with was a few nasty blisters from not wearing gloves while raking the upper and lower lawns of Winter thatch.
Yep my thoughts exactly. Now even considering driving it that bit further to Vancouver before flying out to LaI suspect it would work out cheaper to hire an SUV long term thant to hire multiple short termers and pay lots of connectinf 4 pax flights
The views from Bannf to Kamloops are quite spectaular (I thibk the term is God's own country) and then you can stop in a the shops in Kamloops on the way through a stock the back of the SUV up with groceries on the way up to SP.
I'd definitely do the drive over two days to reduce the risk of driving tired, allow for weather, and give you some time to stop and smell the roses. Revelstoke is a nice little town too.
I'm sure your kids would benefit from seeing the countryside as well
(I hate sitting in airport depatrure lounges)
Agree with the airport lounges and delays.
Def have the extra days to spare if needed to do things slow. Can do the trip over two days to SP. Then either drop car in SP or progress to Vancouver.
And I can just imagine the spectacular views I am a winter and snow lover
My only issue is the hire car and company. I’m sure you guys have dealt with this but Bc need special tyres and Calgary don’t really have them? Enterprise and Avis can’t really give me an answer about guarantee of winter tyres
Was originally going to just get a RAV 4 but now thinking the next size up in hope of AWD.
How do we deal with the cross border issue?
You don’t need winter tyres. You need M&S tyres, which you’ll almost certainly get with any SUV at Calgary.
Dont worry about tyres a non issue.
Book one at Calgary Airport and drop off at Vancouver airport, with no cross border issues either
Canadian walkie-talkies, forum members usually on channel 19.
Just repeating this from Retread above.
Channel 19
Most use their forum names as callsigns.
Don't use your own name.
It is an excellent way to find people on the mountain. Sometimes the coverage is a bit average but from the top of mountains usually good unless another party is hidden down in a valley.
On one day this year, Caveman was at Top of the World, I was at the top of Morrisey and we were able to reset to the village base in 30 minutes and catch up and ski.
What's a set of walkie talkies cost?
UHF or VHF?
I have a really good set of Aussie 5W GME's, but assume they won't work in Canada?
You need the Canadian ones. Different frequencies.
Examples
general-plp-template | Canadian Tire
www.canadiantire.ca
This is what we have. Came from Amazon. Less than $200 for 4. If you use the Aussie radios you may interfere with other users and have the Mounties after you.
We've seen the fireworks twice. Its a good evening of entertainment with live music, a big air ski and board demonstration and fireworks, and as you can see from the pic, you get to sit up nice and close.
However, one of the nights we watched, the temp was minus 26 and sitting on the snow, with nil radiant warmth from the sun or motion was really hard work. It was so cold that many of the fireworks wouldnt launch
Gareth , thanks as long as they are better than Whistlers weak 2 minute effort, Our private school in QLD provided 9 minutes at its fete and made Whistler look like a pop gun effort. I understand the temperature.. lol
I can now understand why Enterprise name gets use a bit.
I know thare have been concerns about fireworks upsetting local wildlife and calls to stop them. Maybe Whistler are a bit more woke?
New Years Eve in Jackson Wyoming was the best and longest fireworks display I’ve seen in person. Was chilly though.
Hey @Astro66. It is with regret that @Pademelon and myself will not be joining you all at Sun Peaks next year. With the increased demand, sky rocketing prices and difficulty in getting long term accommodation, we have decided to go somewhere else. After 9 trips to Sun Peaks we were probably getting too comfortable there anyway. So its off to fresh pastures and new challenges. We will keep an eye on you lot through this forum to make sure you dont get into trouble. Meanwhile here is a link to a video I edited from video filmed by @abucas in 2020.
Great video, @BilbyBill ! Sorry to miss you this coming season. Hope you both enjoy some new (snow covered) pastures next year.
Wow this video ❤️❤️❤️ Makes me wish I stuck to skiing as a 20 year old instead of switching to board Def sold on sun peaks
Present SPs weather May 13:
-1 C with 6cm at this level and snowing heavily. We had 3 hours of rain prior to the snow build.
-5 C in the Alpine. My guess is 10 cm up top.
There was no snow anywhere to be seen in these views prior to this dump.
Present SPs weather May 13:
-1 C with 6cm at this level and snowing heavily. We had 3 hours of rain prior to the snow build.
-5 C in the Alpine. My guess is 10 cm up top.
There was no snow anywhere to be seen in these views prior to this dump.
and at a time when you want the snow to disappear. That shoulder period when you cant ski, and you cant golf etc because what is there is sloppy and dirty and a nuisancePresent SPs weather May 13:
-1 C with 6cm at this level and snowing heavily. We had 3 hours of rain prior to the snow build.
-5 C in the Alpine. My guess is 10 cm up top.
There was no snow anywhere to be seen in these views prior to this dump.
Starting to be reminiscent of 2017 when we had a mediocre snowpack during the official season and then substantial snow during a cool April and early May. Then came a sustained high pressure with warm temps in the second half of May and some strong rain events in the first week of June.
Okanagan Lake had near record flooding that year because the lake level was controlled based on the 80-90% snowpack recorded in Jan and Feb. The big precip came too late to lower the lake further without exceeding max flows downstream. Then in July came record bushfires, even while the lake was still in flood. Even coming from Australia with its fire/flood cycle, I'd never seen anything like this.
This year there is still a substantial snowpack in the high subalpine and alpine levels, and there has actually been an increase up high since lifts closed. Six months' worth of precipitation that has to melt sometime. It's the pace and timing of that melt that matter. Things could get torrid in the Thompson and lower Fraser if the heat arrives soon.
It's the Boeing 787-9 -Dreamliner. From all reports it's a great aircraft. We've managed to book during the sale in March direct Sydney to Vancouver in Premium Economy for $3,529 each return. Figured the extra $1000 each was worth it for a 15 hour non-stop flight.
My wife and I have booked Sun Peaks from 31 Jan to 11 Feb 2023, staying at Crystal Forest. First time for both of us to Sun Peaks. Looking forward to meeting some of you there.
Do any of the seasoned veterans have any tips for the best shuttle service between Kamloops and SP?
Looks like we'll catch the Ebus service from Vancouver to Kamloops, unless anyone can suggest an alternative. We are not planning on renting a car as we will fly to Calgary from Kamloops to ski Banff for 5 days afterwards. Many thanks
Tasteful excursions. Used them twice now.
Good reliable service and clean buses.
They’re mentioned on the sunpeaks website.
or rent a car and enjoy the drive - magnificent country and less waiting lounges
Sunstar Shuttle also very good and reliable. I have used them prob 20 times now
Tasteful were impossible to book due to Covid last season but that could be remedied now
We also used tasteful excursions the last 2 times we've been there. They pick up 2 or 3 groups at a time. It all worked well both times.Similar threads
