World-class skiing lures best to Sun Peaks

By TONY MINER

With world-class athletes gathering for the Olympics on the West side of British Columbia this month -- along with hordes of media and tourists -- there's world-class skiing to be found on the much sunnier and dryer side of the province. An abundance of blue skies, light powder, and short lift lines await skiers of all levels at the fantastic and aptly named Sun Peaks, located just outside of Kamloops BC.

Toss into that mix jaw-dropping vistas, high speed chairlifts, and a number of excellent eateries in the very charming village, and you have the ingredients for a ski vacation that will linger in the mind long after temperatures rise and ski gear is stowed at the end of the winter/spring ski season.

Sun Peaks is closer than you think and pretty easy to get to. It's between five and six hours northeast of Seattle by car, or you can fly into Kamloops. When you arrive, have the sunglasses handy, because the ski resort truly does live up to its name. It boasts over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, and there's nothing like watching the light powder fly in your shadow as you cruise down one of the many runs on the nearly 3,700 acres of skiable terrain.

Sun Peaks is actually three separate and diverse mountains: Tod, Sundance, and Morrisey. Included in the nearly 3,000 feet of vertical heaven are 122 runs, as well as 12 gladed areas. No problem moving skiers up the hills via 11 chairlifts (including five quads) with a total lift capacity of over 12,000 riders per hour. You like bowl skiing? They've got you covered, with two alpine bowls for carving those big lines. For those who prefer the skinny skis, there's a vast system of Nordic trails winding through the panoramic winter landscape.

Sun Peaks offers some unique experiences. Ever skied with an Olympic gold and silver medalist before? Here's your chance. Canadian Olympic champion Nancy Greene makes her winter home at Sun Peaks and leads visitors down the mountain as often as she can. The Austrians certainly know something about alpine skiing, and their national ski team has called Sun Peaks home for the past five years. They can often be seen on the mountain and have been training for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

On top of all that, the coup de grace may be that long lift lines just don't exist at Sun Peaks. On a recent Saturday when I was there, the wait time was at most a couple minutes. And since I was skiing in the single line, I was basically heading up the mountain on a high-speed quad, cruising back down (with a couple breathers as many of the runs are long!), then repeating the process all over again. After a few hours of that, I was ready for an early aprés ski.

For a great place to take off the ski boots and call home during your stay at Sun Peaks, we were fortunate enough to stay in the center of the village at the Hearthstone Lodge. From the moment we walked in the door, general manager Trevor Carr and his staff made us feel welcome and special. Among the many fine features of the Hearthstone Lodge is the fact that you are steps away from the ski lifts. If you just can't wait to start sliding, you can strap on the skis right outside the lodge and cruise down to the