Sun Peaks, BC, Feb. 14-15, 2024 and Silver Star Feb. 16, 2024

flyover

Active member
Over the years, John and I have skied Whitewater, Red, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Apex, Silver Star, and Big White before or after our three days at Mustang. We had not previously been to SP. This year, in light of the weather history (rain and warm temps all the way to the top everywhere in interior Southern BC during the week of Feb. 4 followed by dust on crust over the weekend of the 10th and 11th) and the forecast (cold and bluebird all week) we decided to head to SP with the intent of ripping groomers rather than following our usual m.o. of hunting for off-piste stashes. We made our decision after SP cooled off and picked up some decent snow over the weekend of the 10th.

SP lived up to its reputation for excellent grooming and sunshine. Both days were bluebird and quite cold and the sun was not affecting the snow at all, even in the shallow off-piste stashes we occasionally ventured into. We were a bit happier on Thursday the 15th, as more steep runs had been groomed overnight. Two days was enough to get a decent feel for the area, with the exception of the Morrisey side, which we did not ski simply because the shade looked so unappealing.

We skied just north of 25k vertical on the 14th, and almost 27K on the 15th, my first and second days of the season.

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Friday the 16th, Mustang transfer day, we skied until about 1pm at Silver Star, sticking mostly to the very steep groomers on the backside (El Diablo, Holly Smokes, etc.) wracking up a quick 17K.

I only took one picture of the sunny skies and the view.

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Nice pics.
It's obvious from photos that the landscape in the Okanagan area is much different to the rugged mountains to the east and west. It appears to be mostly rolling 'hills'. Sun Peaks seems a perfect mountain for families with young kids.
 
If I'd known you were going to Sun Peaks, I could have connected you with DanoT from SkiTalk. He's a retired lumber camp medical worker in his mid-70s. He has spent many Winters in trailer on road to Sun Peaks. He recently replaced his pop-up truck camper with a Winnebago Ekko small 4WD motorhome. He used to ski in US, but COVID put an end to that so he's been skiing places in BC where his age gets him free skiing and was working enough at Sun Peaks to get free skiing. My only day there in 2016, I had some new snow and got close to 30K then drove to Lillooet on way to Whistler.
 
Friday the 16th, Mustang transfer day, we skied until about 1pm at Silver Star
How long to make the drive from there to the pickup point? I'm thinking of Silver Star next year instead of Revelstoke on my way in. I'll be at Mustang in mid-January for 2025. The transfers start earlier that time of year due to short days; and probably will fly in/out of Kelowna again as a guess. The 5 hour drive from Calgary is just very long and tiring for one person and the risk of Rogers pass being closed as well on a transfer day seems like risky planning.
 
How long to make the drive from there to the pickup point? I'm thinking of Silver Star next year instead of Revelstoke on my way in. I'll be at Mustang in mid-January for 2025. The transfers start earlier that time of year due to short days; and probably will fly in/out of Kelowna again as a guess. The 5 hour drive from Calgary is just very long and tiring for one person and the risk of Rogers pass being closed as well on a transfer day seems like risky planning.
We stopped skiing at 1pm, were on the road by 1:15pm, and arrived at the transfer point exactly at 3pm after a long stop for gas.
 
If I'd known you were going to Sun Peaks, I could have connected you with DanoT from SkiTalk. He's a retired lumber camp medical worker in his mid-70s. He has spent many Winters in trailer on road to Sun Peaks. He recently replaced his pop-up truck camper with a Winnebago Ekko small 4WD motorhome. He used to ski in US, but COVID put an end to that so he's been skiing places in BC where his age gets him free skiing and was working enough at Sun Peaks to get free skiing. My only day there in 2016, I had some new snow and got close to 30K then drove to Lillooet on way to Whistler.
Thanks, tseeb. I'll keep that in mind if we ever head back to SP.

Again, we made our decision to head there only after SP picked up some snow over the weekend of the 10th.
 
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