Travelling to Canada for a ski holiday comes with a sense of scale. Big mountains, big snow, and big expectations. When you arrive, you want somewhere that rewards the journey by helping everyone feel comfortable quickly, so the focus can shift from all the planning to time together on the mountain. Sun Peaks does that with ease, write Benjamin Tuffy
A mountain community, not a mega resort
Set in the mountains of British Columbia, Sun Peaks is Canada’s second-largest ski area, spread across more than 4,270 acres and three mountains. Yet despite its scale, it feels less like a major ski resort and more like a mountain community. The village is compact and walkable, with lift access easy from end to end and queues staying short, even on busier days.
That balance is felt straight away. Sun Peaks doesn’t try to overwhelm. It offers space to settle in. Mornings unfold easily. Kids walk into lessons or daycare. Conversations happen naturally.
As the first ski stop on our Canadian winter trip, that mattered. We wanted terrain, snow and variety, but also somewhere that let the trip find its rhythm. Sun Peaks delivered both. Big mountains, real skiing, and a sense of place that made arriving feel simple. It felt like somewhere people stay, not just pass through.
Getting to Sun Peaks, British Columbia
Australia to Canada
We flew with Air Canada directly from Brisbane to Vancouver, a 13-hour and 35-minute flight. Flight times vary depending on your departure city. Sydney to Vancouver takes around 14 hours and 15 minutes, while Melbourne is closer to 17 hours.
Vancouver to Sun Peaks (How We Did It)
From Vancouver, we flew domestically to Kamloops, the closest airport to Sun Peaks.
The flight takes just under an hour, and Kamloops Airport (YKA) is only a 45-minute drive from the resort. From there, we transferred by shuttle with Peak Shuttles, which made the final leg simple and stress-free. Ski bags and luggage were loaded once and taken straight through. Not having to think about car hire or winter driving on arrival made everything feel easy, especially after a long-haul flight.
Kamloops Airport has direct flights from Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria. From the airport, most visitors travel by shuttle or taxi, as Sun Peaks village is pedestrian-friendly and accommodation is largely walkable.
Alternative Routes
Another option is flying from Vancouver to Kelowna, followed by a two-hour and 45-minute drive or shuttle transfer. Driving from Vancouver is also possible and takes around five hours, depending on conditions. For families arriving after long international flights, flying into Kamloops tends to be the simplest option. Advanced booking for flights and shuttles is strongly recommended during winter.
Where to Stay
Ski-In, Ski-Out or Shuttle-In
Accommodation at Sun Peaks ranges from ski-in ski-out hotels in the village to lodges just outside the main area, all with easy access to the slopes.
We stayed just outside the village in a quiet pocket that felt more residential and local than a big resort. Our accommodation was Finch’s Nest, Cottages Cabins, hosted by 3 Peaks Rentals. A beautiful lodge with everything you need to feel at home. Having space to lay out ski gear, dry gloves, and still sit comfortably mattered more than we expected.
The setting was especially memorable, with mountains close by and fairy lights glowing at night. The lodge also had a spa and games room downstairs, which became an easy place to unwind after ski days.
We used the free village shuttle to get around. It ran frequently and made moving between lifts, lessons and dinner easy. A car would have been handy some evenings, especially with kids, as ski days can stretch from early morning to last light. That said, when you’re at Sun Peaks, you tend to ski until the very end of the day. The sunsets are worth it.
Staying in the village itself is also a great option. Everything is close together, and being able to ski straight from your accommodation simplifies the day even further. There’s a wide range of accommodation in and around the village, all listed on the Sun Peaks website.
One practical bookmark if you’re visiting: Sun Peaks Resort offers a complimentary in-resort shuttle operating daily, linking all resort neighbourhoods, accommodation, village shopping, dining and ski lifts. It runs in real time, which means less waiting in the cold and just enough time for an après drink before heading home for the evening with the kids.
The Terrain
Sun Peaks is spread across three mountains; Tod, Sundance, Morrisey and West Bowl over the back, each offering something slightly different. Over the course of our stay, each one naturally found its place within our family.
Tod Mountain and West Bowl became the favourite for Piper and Ben. It’s the largest and most varied, with a broad mix of green, blue and black runs and long cruisers that reward rhythm and flow. It worked well as a base, offering enough progression to stay interesting without ever feeling demanding.
Sundance Mountain was Jack’s favourite, but it offered far more than beginner terrain. Wide, flowing runs like Rambler and Homesteader made it one of the best areas for the whole family to ski together. As his confidence grew, we pushed further into the blue runs like Sun Downer and Three Bears (which is awesome), and more than once we stayed out until the lights came on Sunbeam, squeezing in one last run as the mountain emptied. The Bears’ Lair adventure zone and the terrain park alongside the Sundance Express added just enough variety to keep things playful.
Mount Morrisey belonged to Erin. Quieter and a little more focused, though steeper at times, it offered longer runs and a different pace. Like the rest of the resort, the layout is intuitive, with clear signage and good visibility, even on overcast days, making it easy to explore without overthinking routes.
Sun Peaks continues to invest in practical improvements. For the 2025 season, the West Bowl Express, a new high-speed quad on Tod Mountain, replaced an older T-bar and nearly tripled the amount of lift-accessible alpine terrain. It also opens up a quieter section over the back, with easy access to the west end of the mountain and nearby lodges.
From what we heard on the ground, future changes are about small, steady improvements rather than big shifts, focused on keeping the resort easy to move through as it evolves.
Our favourite family sessions were on Mount Morrisey at the end of the day, just before the sun dropped behind the mountains. The Sticks quickly became a family favourite. Riding the lift up with the last light on our faces and silhouettes of skiers moving below felt special. The descent back down through the trees was quiet and unforgettable.
A Resort That Works for Families
Sun Peaks is so well set up for families. Mornings were smooth and unhurried. Lessons and daycare drop-offs were easy to find, close to lifts, and never felt chaotic. There was space to pause, adjust boots, grab a locker, find a coffee and ease into the day ahead.
Jack, our six-year-old, rode his first four-seater chairlift here, which really opened up the world of skiing for him, and for us as a family. Piper joined the SnowPro ski school, run by Aussies Geoff and Sue. Their programs are structured and progressive. Within a couple of days, her turns were smoother and more controlled, and she started choosing harder runs herself rather than being guided onto them.
From a parent perspective, the short lift lines and uncrowded slopes were the biggest win. Days felt manageable. There was less waiting, less rushing, and more actual skiing, which meant everyone finished the day tired but happy.
Off-Mountain Activities
There’s plenty to do at Sun Peaks when you’re not skiing, which made rest moments feel like part of the trip rather than time off.
The biggest highlight was dog sledding with Mountain Man Adventures. It was an instant favourite and completely unexpected. On arrival, we were introduced to the dogs, all 30-plus of them, each with their own personality. Walking through the kennel with the guide, we got a real sense of the pack mentality, with clear alpha dogs emerging.
Once loaded into the sled, we took off like a roller coaster through the snow… this was seriously cool. Our guide was an Aussie from Perth, deeply connected to both the culture and the dogs. We stopped partway through the circuit, standing quietly in the snow for a moment. It became a real reflection of where we were, and of the dogs themselves.
There is also the option of a horse drawn sleigh ride with Sun Peaks Stables, a slower pace to the dog sledding and more reflective, especially watching the night skiers coming down Sundance.
Food, Village Life and Shops
The village is neat, functional and honestly kind of perfect for us, with a solid mix of family-friendly places and more established restaurants. There’s plenty happening without ever feeling busy. For more refined dining spots, it’s worth booking ahead.
On ski days, we kept meals simple. Morrisey’s Public House and Mountain High Pizza became regular stops, and we’re still talking about the pizza. Properly good, quick and with easy side deals and close to the lifts.
For something a little more refined, Masa’s Bar + Grill worked well too, hitting a balance where adults feel looked after and kids are still happy.
Our regular coffee stop was Café Soleil, which anchored our mornings before lessons. Having somewhere familiar to return to made settling in quick and easy.
Up on the mountain and around the village, SunBurst Bar is great for loaded fries and pastries, and Annex Food + Drink offers a more food-hall-style setup that’s spacious and easy with kids.
The village also has plenty of great shopping, from proper gear stores to Sun Peaks swag, Christmas Ornaments and souvenirs worth taking home. Picking up forgotten gloves, snacks or sunscreen without needing transport was a practical win.
Moving on
Sun Peaks was our first stop, and it played its role perfectly.
It gave us time to settle in, find our rhythm on snow, and let the kids build confidence without pressure. The pace, layout and community feel created a strong foundation for what came next.
From here, we continued toward Revelstoke along the Powder Highway, picked up a rental car, and drove on. The transition was simple and well connected.
Where Sun Peaks felt reassuring and steady, Revelstoke promised something steeper and more demanding. Starting here made that contrast feel intentional rather than intimidating.
He said, she said, they said
He said: You could easily spend a month here. There are so many runs to uncover and discover.
She said: Watching the kids grow in confidence here made the rest of the trip feel possible.
They said: T-bar chairlifts are fun. Hot chocolate and pizza are better after skiing the Sticks!