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Matthew Good at Sun Peaks
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By Perry Mack
“My toes are cold” Jason mockingly complained with a smile as we rode up the chairlift at Sun Peaks Alpine Resort. He wasn’t taking the day seriously which was no surprise to any of us. His toes were truly cold but not because of poor fitting ski boots as we made our way up to the top of the mountain. There was no snow anywhere to be seen. It was sunny Saturday on the Labour Day Long weekend and our chair is following the chair carrying our mountain bikes skyward over an expanse of green grass and pine trees.
We’ve come to enjoy Sun Peaks in summer. The RV ‘park’ is essentially a parking lot surrounded by the forest and set close to the village centre. You’re boondocking in Parking Lot #4 for $20 a night with a set of amenities and activities you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. The sports centre is just 40 steps away and includes washrooms, showers, a heated pool, hot tub, children’s playground and an open playing field. There are only 12 spots available and it’s first come first served with no reservations. There are also campgrounds located at McGillivray Lake (10 minutes east of Sun Peaks Resort), Heffley Lake (10 minutes west of Sun Peaks Resort), and Knouff Lake (30 minutes west of Sun Peaks Resort).
If you continue walking for another 3 minutes past the sports centre you’ll enter Village Way with pubs, restaurants, shopping and ... bike rentals. Not ‘lolly gag down the street’ bike rentals, these are full-on downhill mountain bikes and it’s one of the reasons we came.
It’s 3 degrees at the top which feels pretty cool after an Okanagan summer that reached into the upper 30’s for two months. The cooler temperature is offset by the complete set of body armour that I’ve been outfitted with at Elevation Bike Shop - helmet, chest and back protection, knee and shin guards, elbow and forearm protection. Jason is in sandals, shorts, a t-shirt and refuses to fasten his chin strap. His excuse is that with two chins, he can’t figure out which one gets the strap.
Signs at the top of the lift show the trails heading off the top of the mountain in every direction. They are rated green through black just as traditional ski runs and are clearly marked on the trail map we’ve been given. We passed over mountain bikers launching off 4 metre jumps on the way up the chair, and while I do exhibit a careless disregard for my own well-being, hence the full body armour, it seems prudent to start with the green trails.
The trail winds down the mountain through the trees and alpine meadows. You need to stay focused while you’re riding to stay balanced over some roots and rocks but when you take the time to stop you are rewarded with amazing views of the valley and village below. You don’t need to be an expert to make it down the runs and there’s no shame in walking your bike over the obstacles you’re not comfortable riding over.
If downhill mountain biking is not your speed there are also miles of hiking trails that will take you all over the mountain. If hiking and biking both sound like too much work, you can ride the chair to the top, enjoy the views and then ride back down. There are also activities set-up around throughout village centre and chairlift base for the whole family to enjoy – especially children.
After a few runs we returned our bikes and protective gear to Elevation Bike Ski & Board in Village Way. The winding cobblestone, pedestrian only road is reminiscent of an old European alpine village. Shops and restaurants line either side with 3 and 4 story hotel accommodations above. There’s a warm and romantic feeling as you pass by other guests and smell the aromas of tempting deli’s and coffee shops at every turn. The combination of RV and hotel/apartment accommodations make Sun Peaks an excellent choice if you’re considering a large family reunion or vacation with a large group of friends. Especially on a weekend like this when we, and a couple thousand of our closest friends and family, are about to enjoy an afternoon of free concerts.
Lawn chairs, blankets, children and adults spread out across the spacious hill which created a natural amphitheatre for the stage below. No one was cramped and there wasn’t a bad seat in the ‘house’ for the line-up which included Stef Lang, Wil, Vince Vacarro and Matthew Good. The music started at 1pm and finished around 7:45 pm. We started enjoying the show from the patio of the Delta Sun Peaks eating lunch and moved on to the lawn chairs later in the afternoon.
Sun Peaks resort is also home to the 18-hole par 72 Graham Cooke golf course. It’s an enjoyable course for all levels of golfers and sits at an elevation of roughly 1200 m, which makes it the highest golf course in BC. There is a real wilderness feel as the course is surrounded by the forest covered slopes of Morrisey, Tod and Sundance mountains. On our last visit, a black bear crossed the green as we played the original nine holes completed in 1996. 2005 saw the completion of the back nine and this was our first opportunity to play it. It certainly rounds out the course and makes it worth playing a number of times. Especially during the hot summer months in the valley, the elevation provides for pleasantly cooler rounds of golf, often 10 degrees cooler than Kamloops.
There are a number of dining options however not all are open during the summer. After perusing all our options we invariably ended up at Powder Hounds which is also conveniently located closest to the RV sites in the Fireside Lodge. The menu is a blend of German and Canadian food and no one had a bad meal in our group of six. I was raised in a German household which makes me an expert judging the authenticity of German dishes. I thoroughly enjoyed the schnitzel, spaetzle and rotkraut.
Sunday we walked to the Village Way for the farmers market. Fresh fruit, vegetables, homemade jams, baked goods and local artisans filled the avenue. An artisan was on hand with his wood carvings and we entertained turning one into a fridge magnet - now our favourite travel mementos. After so many years of traveling the globe, we’ve had our fill of collectable knick knacks – all now securely stored in boxes never to be seen again.
Concerts, shopping, hiking, biking, golf, pool, spa, tennis, markets, restaurants, pubs and family activities – all within easy walking distance – make Sun Peaks on of my favourite summer vacation destinations of all time. I highly recommend that you add it to your summer vacation plans. For more information visit www.sunpeaksresort.com or call (800) 807-3257.