The second largest ski area in Canada, Sun Peaks is a real family-favorite with tons of crowd-free terrain and perfectly groomed trails to carve or speed on! While the terrain is quite diverse, there is a high concentration of intermediate runs which is particularly perfect for family skiing. Along with its family-friendly slopes, the fantastic ski school, fun kids activities and abundance of ski-in/ski-out accommodation in the cozy village make Sun Peaks an ideal choice for families.
Kamloops Airport
Sun Peaks (50 minutes)
Sun Peaks is perfect for beginners with plenty of greens to learn on and nice wide cat tracks to cruise down. Newbies can start off on the mellow Cowabunga and Sunbeam runs off the platter lift. There is also a magic carpet nearby for first-timers while the Rockstar terrain park has beginner-suitable features.
Intermediates are spoilt for choice at Sun Peaks with tons of blue trails spread across the mountain. Sundance to Sunrise is a fun high-speed groomer with a couple of great rollovers, making it our top pick for intermediates at Sun Peaks. Don't be afraid to try out the black diamond runs here as they're considered much easier than other resorts. Gil's Glades is also perfect for those looking for their first side-country experience.
Advanced and experts won't find much to challenge them at Sun Peaks with black diamonds here being relatively easier than other resorts. The limited steep they do have is fairly open so it's not particularly difficult and with less snowfall than other resorts, it can get quite moguled and hard quickly. To make the most of Sun Peaks and get in some fresh turns, head off-piste or make your way in the hallways down the trees that separate runs! Just watch out for some cross cut ditches!
The best spot to find freshies is off-piste and in the hallways down the trees that separate runs. It's easy to get choked out of trees though if you can find the ones with hallways (and those with some glading) then that's where the powder will be, even a couple of days after fresh snowfall.
With so much skiable terrain, Sun Peaks doesn't see many crowds. If there are any, the best spot to avoid them is over on the Morrisey side. The lifts here might be a bit slower and older but it's always a little quieter than the rest of the mountain. It's also handy to note, the platter lift after 4:00pm can get quite busy with beginners taking last laps and others using it to access their accommodation.
Non-skiers will have plenty of activities to choose from at Sun Peaks including tubing, ice skating, dog-sledding, swimming at the pool and leisure center and even lift-accessed cross-country skiing.
Sun Peaks is known for its family-friendliness thanks to its great facilities and slopes. Our top trails for families is anything off the Sunburst Express or Sundance Express. Both are fast lifts that serve a variety of trails from greens to blacks including tons of side trails for kids. Non-skiers can also watch their little ones ski by themselves off the magic carpet or platter lift. At night, there are fun kids activities available at the Sundance Kids Center.
