In Part 1 of this article, writer Yvette Cardozo broke her ankle just before embarking on a great ski vacation in British Columbia. Always one to look on the bright side of things, she used the opportunity to find out, and enjoy, some of the many activities one can do when they don’t ski, or can’t ski. Here, in part 2 of her article Sun Peaks Resort for Non-Skiers, Yvette shows us some of the other things one can do at the resort.

You get pretty magnificent views from the snow limo at Sun Peaks Resort.

Faced with a broken ankle, what would I do with my long awaited ski trip? In the first segment, there were activities that were a bit adventurous – dog sledding and ice fishing. But what if you want to just take it easy? Or if you have friends/family along that don’t ski at all? For those simply curious about what happens on the ski hill, there’s a chance to ride in a Snow Limo. And you can also go on a tour with the folks who deal with all that skied out snow and groom it for the next day’s skiers.

Sun Peaks Resort for Non-Skiers – Snow Limo

There IS a way to experience skiing, even if you don’t ski. Or close to it, since you will be coming down an actual ski slope, keeping up with skiers. Only thing is you will be sitting down. The device is called a Snow Limo. It looks kind of like a dogsled basket, complete with guide behind. The guide, who is on skis, controls the sled’s speed and direction. You just sit there and enjoy the ride. It’s really popular with parents who want to watch their kids actually ski, not just skid to a stop at the village. So what is it like?

The whole contraption loads on a ski lift, not unlike a sit-ski for a para-athlete. Company owner Mike Pfeil guided me to the lift and as the chair came around, he lifted the back end of the sled and we slid onto the chair. At the other end, we simply glided down the ramp. And then we were off, wind in my face.

It was exciting as we leaned into curves and sped alongside the skiers. It seems even faster than you expect since you are so close to the ground. My biggest problem was trying not to lean into turns. You are supposed to let the guide do all the leaning and steering. Mike has three flavors of ride: a gentle 30 minute ride down the green Five Mile Run, more adventurous blue (steeper) runs for an hour and a special two-hour package for the even more adventurous. He doesn’t go on black (steepest) runs, though.

Riding down the ski slopes of Sun Peaks Resort in a Snow Limo. It’s a great way for a person who doesn’t ski to get up AND down the mountain. It’s especially popular with parents who want to see their kids skiing. A guide on the pack controls the speed and direction and the sled loads onto the ski lift. Photo courtesy Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia, Canada.

The ride is also a good way for a non-skier to do the midweek resort fondue dinner at the Sunburst Bar & Eatery. You take the chair lift up, then a snow limo, equipped with lights for night, takes you down. Just about any age can do this. Mike says the oldest person was a woman who was 97. The youngest he will take is five.

Sun Peaks Resort for Non-Skiers – Cat Groomer Tour

Whether you ski or not, learning how the runs are manicured for the next day’s horde of skiers makes for a fascinating 45 minute tour. It’s astonishing how much damage skiers can do to a run in a single day. If the snow is soft, bumps form and the middle gets dug out because that’s where folks prefer to ski. Enter the snow cat groomers. These are powerful cabs — Piston Bully 400s with 320 hp diesel engines — atop tank treads with a blade on front and a tiller on the back. The blade knocks down bumps and that nasty looking tiller, which rotates at over 1,000 rpm, can turn even ice into something resembling powder, which is then smoothed flat into the hero corduroy folks find in the morning.

Snow cat groomer making the ski run smooth for skiers the next day. Sun Peaks Resort. British Columbia, Canada.

Of Sun Peaks’ 24 operators, two are women. “Honestly, the women do a better job. They are more detail oriented,” admitted my guide for the night, Leo. It takes three years for a groomer to really learn how to do this well, he added. It was one of the women running the winch cat that night. Picture eight tons of growling machine attached by a line to a tree to keep from sliding downslope uncontrollably. This is how the really steep runs get groomed. Back in the day, they just got so bumped and carved out, they were barely skiable.

For me, as dusk fell, the whole scene took on a surreal feel … our headlights shining on the ridges of snow, leaving them glowing with weird shadows, along with the blinding headlights of an oncoming behemoth.

Night falls but the snow cat keeps grooming. Photo courtesy Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia, Canada.

I got to thinking about folks who don’t ski who come with the family and spend their vacation reading or maybe on snow shoes or taking a sleigh ride but not really atop the mountain. What a great way for them to see the terrain their family enjoys. Perhaps it’s even an incentive to try it themselves. On an average night, more than a third of the resort’s ski run will be groomed. But among those will be every green (beginner) run. And if you are lucky, your favorite black run will have been groomed early, then covered with ankle deep powder overnight, making for a run that feels, well, like skiing a glacier.

RESOURCES

Sun Peaks’ winter season usually runs from mid November to mid April. In addition to its 135 ski trails across three mountains with its 4,270 acres of skiing and 2,891-foot vertical drop, there’s lots of non ski activities.

For general information – www.sunpeaksresort.com

For the non-skiing activities in this story:

Cat Trax Groomer Ride – https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/events-things-to-do/winter-activities/cat-trax-groomer-rides

Snow Limo Tours – https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/events-things-to-do/winter-activities/snow-limo-tours

Hungry for more? Read Yvette’s list of Must-See Stops in British Columbia. And if you missed Part 1 of this article, highlighting other non-ski options at Sun Peaks, click here.