2024/25 BC Southern Interior

**el hefe** · 03-05-2025, 12:23 PM

Just got back from 2 days at Red. Monday was super fun, full on spring skiing. Love that hill so much. Was really firm up top yesterday and needs a big reset or needs to be sunny and warm.Liv2ski, any questions on anything SS or Okanagan related let me know!

**DanoT** · 03-05-2025, 05:49 PM

Paulster2626, Sun Peaks did not get any rain in the recent mild spell. The lower 400 vertical feet went thru some freeze/thaw cycles but now nicely covered by the 12cms overnight last night and still snowing.

I am recovering from pulled muscle/tendon injury and have been off and on skis latley. With the new snow last night, I went out this morning but only did one run and although there were some nice untracked pow turns to be had, I was just too tentative.

As far as conditions go the trees, moguls, and off piste might be sketchy, but the groomers are full speed ahead.

**crashidy** · 03-05-2025, 09:59 PM

I skied and campd at sun peaks all weekend. Fucking great conditions. Best spring skiing I've had in years. Excellent grooming, good time all around. My 10 year old was loving it and definitely got out of her comfort zone.
You won't be disappointed Paul.

**Tony911** · 03-05-2025, 11:38 PM

Fernie got 23 cm last night but seemed more like 30 up top. That is on top of the 68 in the past 10 days.
It got skied out and heavy by afternoon but it is good coverage compare to the Banff area, at least there are no rock teeth tearing up your skis.

**paulster2626** · 03-06-2025, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by DanoT

Paulster2626, Sun Peaks did not get any rain in the recent mild spell. The lower 400 vertical feet went thru some freeze/thaw cycles but now nicely covered by the 12cms overnight last night and still snowing.

I am recovering from pulled muscle/tendon injury and have been off and on skis latley. With the new snow last night, I went out this morning but only did one run and although there were some nice untracked pow turns to be had, I was just too tentative.

As far as conditions go the trees, moguls, and off piste might be sketchy, but the groomers are full speed ahead.

Thanks - looks like there might be a good stormy week next week to reset everything slowly but surely. Either way won't matter - my 12 year old kid will want to ski everything, and "sketchy" isn't in his vocabulary. I have to follow for safety purposes, but if there's no rocks I'm happy.

We are skiers - we get what we get and don't get upset!

But what's up with $200+/day lessons? My kids enjoy them but they are pricing people out of jobs at this rate.

**DanoT** · 03-06-2025, 09:16 PM

Thanks to a very aggressive summer grooming program rocks should not be a problem at Sun Peaks as most rocks have been picked as well as stumps pulled, weeds cut, and grass planted. Because of this, Sun Peaks in early season or during a low tide year can have a 30-50cm thinner base than elsewhere but still have equal or better coverage.

**paulster2626** · 03-07-2025, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by DanoT

Thanks to a very aggressive summer grooming program rocks should not be a problem at Sun Peaks as most rocks have been picked as well as stumps pulled, weeds cut, and grass planted. Because of this, Sun Peaks in early season or during a low tide year can have a 30-50cm thinner base than elsewhere but still have equal or better coverage.

The amount of times I've seen you say this has me on a mission to find a rock or stump at Sun Peaks and post photographs. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

**DanoT** · 03-07-2025, 01:02 PM

Paulster, they left stumps and logs on the Challenger face to hold snow as it is the steepest run on the mountain. To underscore my praising of the summer grooming program: There is an unoffical contest each year to see which B.C. interior mountain opens first. Sun Peaks projected a Nov 16/2024 opening. I thought that was a bit optimistic and indeed when the time came they delayed Opening Day by one week. It snowed that week and Big White opened on the Friday with 4 runs, while Sun Peaks opened the next day with 103 of 144 runs open.
Edit: The rock band on the Big Headwall is 99% covered. I havn't skied it this season, but the rock band on The Chute might have something sticking out.

**Dantheman** · 03-08-2025, 02:29 PM

Feeling pretty optimistic about my Stellar trip this week.

**paulster2626** · 03-11-2025, 05:11 PM

Hey Dano, so far I haven't been able to find any rocks. Some stumps and twigs here and there, but compared to rocks they are just "hard snow" to my edges. Most treacherous terrain of the day was when I was going full-tilt speed on to the Morrisey->Village bridge because I thought it would have snow on it. It doesn't. Had to come to a cool-looking stop inside the bridge, but I still looked like an idiot probably. Every little bit of snow is helping heal the freeze/thaw conditions. Top part of the mountain is skiing great! Bottom half is okay, a little icy in spots but for the most part can hold a reliable edge. I like it here.

**DanoT** · 03-11-2025, 10:05 PM

It is hard to overstate the impact of the summer grooming program at Sun Peaks. Over on Mt Morrisey they cut the runs two years before installing the chairlift and some of the runs where they planted grass, in summer they look like a vertical golf fairway. With global warming and potentially shorter ski seasons, I think aggressive summer grooming programs are going to be a big thing in the future for a lot more ski resorts.

**el hefe** · 03-12-2025, 11:12 AM

DanoT. Do you own a summer grooming company? Lots of little resets so far this week. Looking good for a dump for tomorrow and the weekend. Finally....

**romeo tango** · 03-12-2025, 01:08 PM

back from a flash-trip to whitewater.
good viz gave me a solid look at the OB terrain
next trip im bringing touring gear

fun fact for punk fans: the owner of Big Cranium Design in Nelson is the drummer for D.O.A.

.

**DanoT** · 03-13-2025, 09:11 AM

El Hef, owning a summer grooming company might not be a bad idea. A few years ago Sun Peaks hired a guy with a special backhoe to do some grooming and run widening on Expo, a double black diamond run. This backhoe, instead of full tracks, had articulating legs that could be extended out the downhill side of the machine so it could position and rotate the cab and machine boom on a level plane whenever the machine was on a steep side hill. It was very safe and efficient when removing trees and stumps.

**BCMtnHound** · 03-13-2025, 09:24 AM

Google spider excavator. Does good work but very slow and expensive.

**Stuntmonkey** · 03-13-2025, 12:23 PM

Family/friends trip to sunpeaks next weekend. First time I've been, any insider tips for the good runs? Hoping this storm keeps going!

**el hefe** · 03-13-2025, 02:16 PM

40cm today at SS. Snowed hard all morning! Stayed pretty light with heavy winds so tracks were getting filled in. Saw 2 wind slab slides in the Attridge area which is pretty unusual.

**romeo tango** · 03-13-2025, 04:29 PM

kootenayskier, message inbound, check your PM
thanks
.

**DanoT** · 03-13-2025, 08:04 PM

Stuntmonkey, at Sun Peaks I often recommend Mount Morrisey's The Sticks. Even though it is a green run, it is nicely laid out with numerous tree islands and you can get going pretty fast with big GS turns between tree islands. There are several blue runs on lower Mount Tod are more like double blue and are almost 2k vertical from the Sunburst chair. The electronic sign boards at the top of each chairlift will have a check mark on the groomed runs and an additional snowflake asterisk if it snowed 10cm+ after the run was groomed.

**paulster2626** · 03-18-2025, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by Stuntmonkey

Family/friends trip to sunpeaks next weekend. First time I've been, any insider tips for the good runs? Hoping this storm keeps going!

Okay I've got this figured out. My kid and I schralped the pow all week last week - 1 okay 9cm snowfall on Monday, and then Thursday woke up to another 10 and it snowed all day. Friday was amazing - at least a foot up top. Here's what you do there if it snows:

Get in Sundance line around 8:00-8:15 and wait for the 8:30 opening. Doesn't really matter, you're going to get one decent run and maybe another lap before Tod opens. Don't fall for the trap of the groomers under the chair or Granny Greene's, instead head right off the lift, go down the green for a bit and then when you see the sign "Marginal Conditions - Skiing and Riding Not Recommended" go there. It'll take you through some small trees in to peekaboo area, and you'll get fresh tracks the whole way down.

After that, go line up for Sunburst. Again when you get to the top don't fall for the trap of the nice looking stuff under and beside the chair, instead hang a left and go up Crystal right away. Should be no tracks in the bowl, so just hammer a run straight back down the lift line and listen to the people on the lift be amazed at your pow skillz. Next time up the crystal take the ridge and drop back in to the bowl under the burfield somewhere and get back to crystal chair to the top.

Now it's time for west bowl side of juniper ridge. Get off the chair, and check to see what's been groomed off the back side of juniper. If back door/toilet bowl hasn't been touched, that's your target. Otherwise just go down the ridge a bit and duck in to the trees at any point where there are no tracks (should be none really anyway). Just point 'em and let it rip all the way down to west bowl express.

West bowl kinda sucks but you can get 1-2 good runs here before the intermediates have tracked it all out to shit. Get back to Crystal chair, go to the top and again take Juniper ridge all the way to the end and aim for burfield midstation. At the cat track, however, you'll see the sign for challenger. Go there - the meadows at the top for challenger/freddy's are amazing - we found 100% fresh turns at 2pm there still. The challenger run itself sucks balls since it's full of icy moguls and alders to navigate, but it's only like 5 minutes of work and makes the top worth it.

Now you're at the bottom of burfield so get comfortable and enjoy the rest to the top again. Now you can explore Gil's. Cool area, not a lot of vert, but still lots of good turns to be had there and feels very remote.

Anyway, that's how I'd do it. Sun Peaks is great - nobody there, and yet, there are still cool people to meet! And DanoT - not one single rock all week. You were right!!

**DanoT** · 03-18-2025, 11:04 AM

Paulster, you had a great Sun Peaks powder plan. I might add that late morning lower Munro Ridge will usually still have powder turns as well as Expo and Roller Coaster. And Freddy's Nightmare if you know where you are going, as there are no signs and only a blaze mark on a tree at the end of the run to tell you where to drop into a gully and pick up a trail at the other side of the gully that takes you to a spot 3 turns from the bottom of Challenger. If you miss the blaze mark tree you will probably see remnants of old tracks indicating where to go. If not, and you keep going it will be an hour or so of slugging it out in Resort Creek until you are back on piste. Don't ask me how I know this.

**el hefe** · 03-18-2025, 11:58 AM

Skied 5 days straight at SS. It has been crazy good for mid march, about 80cm this week. Today is -10c and 10cm fresh and blue bird. Can't wait to get out on the sled this weekend.

**paulster2626** · 03-18-2025, 01:28 PM

Funny you mention munro ridge - wife and i were skiing there and realized if we didn't take "Tighten Yer Boots" then we were screwed getting back to the main village. So, we went down it. Icy horrible moguls the entire way, mixed with roots and stumps sticking out. Not a single enjoyable turn the entire time. I called it "the worst run I have ever been on in my life" and I stand by this statement. Needless to say I bought the sign.