Sun Peaks ResortCanada
With 3 mountains all leading into the resort, and over 4000 acres of terrain of all types, for all levels, this is one of British Columbia’s – and Canada’s – premier winter sports destinations.
The snow record at Sun Peaks Resort is second to none, and every season it enjoys endless days of the most amazing champagne powder. Add this to over 2000 hours of annual sunshine that give the resort its name, and lifts right on your doorstep, you are without doubt guaranteed the most enjoyable, exciting all mountain experience of your life..
Terrain type
We’ve been running programmes at Sun Peaks Resort for almost 10 years, and there’s a very good reason we chose Sun Peaks for our ski and snowboard instructor courses – it’s a truly world class ski area.
In addition to the exceptional ski school, fantastic snow and over 2000 hrs of sunshine every year, Sun Peaks Resort boasts the second largest skiable area in Canada. With perfectly groomed slopes, powder bowls, park and backcountry options to suit all styles and abilities. Students on our Sun Peaks Resort courses can learn to be ski instructors or snowboard instructors in a winter paradise.
The Stats
Resort height: 1,255m (4,116′)
Highest summit: 2,152m (7,060′) Mt. Tod
Winter season: November to April
Annual snowfall: 600cm (237″) of powder
Highest lift: 2,080m (6,824′)
No. of lifts: 13
4 high speed quad chairlifts, 2 quad chairlifts, 1 triple chairlift, 6 surface lifts
Mountain restaurants: 2
Skiable vertical: 882m
Bowls: 2 alpine bowls
Terrain park: 10-acre Rockstar Energy Terrain Park
Cross country: 37.8km of groomed/track set and 17km of backcountry trails
SUN PEAKS FOOD
KNOW THE BEST PLACES TO EAT
Skiing and apres-ski have one very important thing in common: they should never be done on an empty stomach. So don’t worry – on your instructor training course, we feed you breakfast and dinner every day you train. A breakfast buffet at the Cahilty Restaurant every morning includes a selection of cereals, fruits, and traditional cooked Canadian food.
Your evening meal is taken at either the Cahilty Restaurant, serving typical no-nonsense North American cuisine like ribs and burgers; at the Bella Italia serving pizzas, pastas and salads; or at Powder Hounds where the food has a Canadian/German flavour, with steaks and wiener schnitzel.
SUN PEAKS
SKI SEASON
A unique ski-in ski-out resort, Sun Peaks has a long ski season opening in mid-November and closing in mid-April. The Alpine inspired resort attracts thousands of seasonal workers and visitors providing a welcoming and vibrant community nestled at the base of three stunning mountains.
Located in interior British Columbia Sun Peaks is sheltered from the wet and cloudy conditions coastal mountains have. With over 2000 sunshine hours each year, a vast and varied terrain and regular fresh snowfall – totalling 6 metres each year – Sun Peaks is the perfect mix of light, dry power and bluebird days.
SUN PEAKS
INSTRUCTOR PROGRAMMES
The long season and wide variety of groomed pistes, powder bowls, snow parks, mogul fields and backcountry at Sun Peaks makes it an ideal resort for all levels of instructor training. Alongside Sun Peaks Sports School we have developed a comprehensive training schedule to provide our students with technical improvement across all areas of the mountain and develop teaching ability
Training is delivered by high calibre CSIA / CASI instructors and examiners who’s experience can provide unrivalled insight into the governing body and tailor training to students individually to ensure they are well prepared for the instructor exams.
In addition to the instructor training programme optional courses are available in Sun Peaks throughout the season. Additional courses are not a requirement to be an instructor, however they will broaden skillsets and increase employability. Additional courses include ACA-CSC race coaching, Avalanche Skills Training, Park Courses and Adaptive Sports Instructor Training.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
WHAT TO DO AT SUN PEAKS
Sun Peaks Resort is a purpose-built ski resort village, with shops, supermarket, bars and cafes. It’s small enough for you to get to know the locals, and large enough for you to party!
Winter Sports recommend: if there’s one thing the Canadians do well (apart from skiing) it’s a bar & grill. Check out the usual instructor haunts of Bottoms and Masa’s.
THE ACCOMMODATION
THE HEARTHSTONE LODGE
This beautiful, European styled hotel provides everything you need to make your stay during your ski & snowboard instructor training course relaxing and comfortable. The Hearthstone enjoys the best of both worlds, with ski-in, ski-out doorstep snow, and prime location at the heart of the village.
The en-suite rooms at the Hearthstone Lodge accommodate 2-3 people per room and have a kitchen containing a refrigerator, dishwasher, toaster, microwave, and cooker top. Free high-speed internet is available in every room.
After a hard day’s training soak in one of the two luxurious outdoor hot tubs while taking in views of the mountains Sun Peaks Resort. If you still have the energy to spare, work it out in the fully equipped fitness suite.
I really enjoyed the 18 weeks of training, to become dual-certified in one season was amazing. Sun Peaks is great because you always bump into friends, can meet instructors in the bars and also make friends in the town.
I had a fabulous season in Sun Peaks becoming CASI and CSIA dual certified. Winter Sports also arranged for me to do the Adaptive Sports Level 1 so it was a full packed 18 weeks. I had great fun with the rest of the guys on the course and made some amazing friends. Thanks Wintersports!
I’ve just returned from the 2018/19 season with Winter Sports & it was amazing, I was all sad to leave! The best part though was the people. We all got on so well & the instructors were incredible, they completely changed our skiing! We had a great rep on hand 24/7 as well so for us it couldn’t have been better. Thanks for a great season Winter Sports!
Arriving by yourself wasn’t a problem considering everyone else was doing the same and there was chances to make friends with a wide range of people. We were all taken very good care of, the hotel was nice and the staff were friendly. I loved the resort so much I now live here.
The training provided by the highly qualified instructors at Sun Peaks is first class and every possible opportunity is given to enable the individual to achieve their maximum potential. The scheduling of the training is perfect and allows enough time for you to hone your skills, have fun and relax in the hot tub.
he accommodation at the Hearthstone Lodge was comfortable and felt like home after just a few days. It was great living with your course mates and the rooms supplied everything you could need. Their DVD collection is definitely worth a mention, and many evenings were spent chilling out in the hot tubs and watching films with mates
Sun Peaks Resort is big enough and diverse enough to allow a range of riding styles but also a size where you can build knowledge of the runs and area that helps so much when training, taking the exams and teaching.
I spent the best months of my life in Sun Peaks with Winter Sports. I’ve made memories and friends for life. There was never a dull day and I never got tired of waking up to the view of the mountains.
It’s the perfect place to go to ski some amazing snow which is unlike anywhere else in the world, meet some lovely people and gain the qualifications to allow you to make a career out of something you love!
Everyone on the course was fantastic and I have made some serious friends, which I am lucky enough to be going back to Sun Peaks to teach alongside.
