I’m not sure if the sky could have been a more perfect shade of blue over the Velocity Challenge 2010 FIS World Cup Speed Skiing course on Saturday. Participants and spectators alike couldn’t have asked for a better to day with light winds and a bright sun. Racers from all over the world donned their space invaders helmets and polyurethane-coated suits to race down headwalls at warp speeds.

I caught up with Adam Earle, event organizer and owner of Peaks Media and Spin, after he had done his semi-finals morning run. I couldn’t help but ask, “How do you get into something like this?” I wondered if it was similar to luge or skeleton. Do these speed demons just get up one morning and decided today is the day to try hurling themselves down an icy track or off a mountain top?


Adam poses with the Canadian flag

In Adam’s case it was something like that. Already a racer, in 1984 he entered a contest called “So You Think You’re Fast?” Turns out he was and after that he was hooked. His friend Kenny Dale began the event at Sun Peaks in the 80’s then Adam took over 15 years ago.




The area in front of Sunburst was packed with spectators coming and going all day. This couple from Tasmania was cheering and ringing their Velocity cowbell

So the event has strong roots at this resort. What’s great about having the event here is Sun Peaks is the only North American venue to hold a World Cup speed skiing event. The main racing circuit is around venues in Europe so for the racers to be able to come here is unique opportunity. 

So why Sun Peaks? Adam attributes it to the fact we have the perfect hill for the race. Headwalls, normally an alpine mogul run, was smoothed to perfection by the grooming crew days in advance and then maintained carefully throughout the event. If you have ever been at the top of this run looking down you will have some sense of what these racers are doing.


A Racer guns it down Headwalls

Sun Peaks is also home to about ten speed skiers so the atmosphere here is healthy to support an event like this. Many of the volunteers are also very dedicated with many having up to a decade of experience with the race. Adam also said the community sponsors and support make it all possible for Sun Peaks to host this world class event.

On Saturday, Adam’s speed was 156 kilometers per hour, which according to him was not bad, but he could still go faster. The fastest speed reached at the contest was an amazing 174.11 km/h by Italy’s Ivan Origone. The fastest woman, Karine Dubouchet-Revol of France, hit just over 161 km/h. You can find complete results here.

 
The results board

While the premise is deceptively simple (top to bottom with speed measured at a certain point on the track) there are several things which set the racers apart. One is wax. If you took a walk over by the Sunburst Lodge it was easy to see how important this was to the racers. Many had their eight foot skis out and were applying wax with care and precision. A practiced hand would trace the bottom of the skis to feel if they were ready while their trained eyes would look at them sharply.

 







Another factor is equipment. Like many other sports the more money you sink into it the better your outcomes may be. Special skis are needed, along with customized suits with aerodynamic helmets and fairings on the calves which turn the racer into a human bullet when he takes the tuck position. Warped-looking ski poles have a bracing affect when they are wrapped around the torso. Amazingly, the only protection besides the helmet is provided by a thin back pad in case of a crash.
 

A racers profile shows how different their gear is from conventional racing suits

What about courage? According to Adam you need a healthy does of fear to compete successfully, but you also need be very confident in your skiing ability. Especially on the Sun Peaks course.

While most courses are concave, allowing the racer to see all the way to bottom, the Sun Peaks course is convex with two big rollers. This means the racers can only see about the first 50 meters and are then flying off into the unknown. So while it may not be the fastest course on the circuit, it is the most challenging one. Racers love it, as well as the community and the venue with Sunburst Lodge as their headquarters.


The two large rollers make an already interesting sport even more challenging

While all the precautions available are taken, the element of danger is certainly present at this event. We know how injured regular racers can get so imagine a bail at seemingly mach speeds. The consequences could be deadly. While I speaking with Adam the crowd gasped as I looked up to see one racer barely keep it together after a slip. Adam congratulated him on a great recovery at the bottom of the hill and the look in the racer’s eyes mirrored everyone’s relief.

On Sunday one racer wasn’t able to make such a recovery and went off the Headwalls course. The safety nets caught him and thankfully he was mostly uninjured save his hand. So after two successful races the course was shut down due to escalating winds. Because of the aerodynamic nature of the suits the racers are highly susceptible to winds gusts. Despite the early ending, racers and organizers were happy to take part in another sucessful Velocity Challenge.

While the world’s fastest racers were present, there were also many rookies and amateurs. Rick, of Kamloops, hadn’t raced in seven years and was just happy to be back out racing again. He was there to have a good time and beat his personal best. Local rookie racer Blade Cleaver walked away with $200 for being the fastest first timer with a speed of 151.82 km/h.

It goes to show anyone with an insatiable need for speed that this might be the sport for them.

While the weather was definitely spring-like this weekend, we received more snow last night and are expecting cooler tempertures and more systems throughout the week. Hopefully the March that came in like a lamb will go out like a lion.

Winter isn't over yet,

Brandi

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and Santa was kind to everyone. My personal gift wish was delivered a few days early in the form of close to 15cms of fresh, white powder on top of an already good snow week!  It fell right in time for Christmas and was met by bluebird skies and mild temperatures making for excellent runs with family and friends. That snow has lasted us throughout the holiday week and more is forecast for Thursday and Friday!

Some of my favourite parts of the mountain have been opened, including the West Bowl T-Bar and Hidden Valley. Here are some pictures from the Christmas Eve day.

We are now close to 100 per cent winter mountain operations, with only the top section of the terrain park to be completed it the next couple weeks. The Park Crew has outdone themselves with Phase Two.  It has crazy jump lines and mega features. Check out the park update, http://www.sunpeaksresort.com/winter/terrainpark/updates.aspx or better yet strap on some gear and see for yourself.  

The resort has been buzzing with holiday activities. Kids could ski, skate and have breakfast with Santa. I enjoyed seeing the wide eyed looks from kids as they met the jolly guy in the flesh. Guests also gathered in the village for caroling and sleigh rides. The atmosphere around the resort has been amazing; from the lights and decorations to the attitudes and personalities of the people I meet.

It was exactly those amazing attitudes that made the best of a Christmas night with no power. Due to an unfortunate event outside the resort's control, many people were left with not-quite-cooked turkeys and only candlelight to dine by.  Staff all around the resort pulled together to help guests in anyway they could. The restaurants that were able to operate on back-up generator power fed an incredible amount of people.  Thanks to everyone who went above and beyond and sacrificed their own Christmas dinner to help others. It was really in the spirit of the season and it was wonderful to see smiles and hear Christmas wishes all around even under straining circumstances.  There are some great stories out there of people getting creative (think barbeques) or just by making do and enjoying what they had. While it wasn't the optimal circumstances, many people will have a memorable Christmas story to tell for years to come.

2009 was a standout year for me and 2010 looks even better! Thanks to all the people I have met in the last couple years and those who have always been there for me who helped make last year what is was. New Year's at Sun Peaks is a great opportunity to celebrate everything that has happened in the past year and look back on the memories you have created. At the same time, celebrate all the new memories you will make in the upcoming year and all the great days on the mountain we still have ahead of us this season.

Happy New Year!

Brandi

Props to everyone who has been out there braving this cold snap across Western Canada! Monday was Kamloops Toonie Day, and despite the frigid temps people still came up to enjoy the hill and make their donation to the Kamloops Food Bank. Hopefully, everyone took the proper anti-frostbite precautions and enjoyed their ski breaks with some tasty hot drinks. The good news is the weather is supposed to break on Friday so hopefully I will be able to report some fresh snow and more moderate temperatures. 

Food Bank donations ready to go under Guest Service's Christmas tree.

Coming to the hill used to seem rather simple. Strap on board, sit on lift, unload and enjoy the ride down.  I didn’t think about it too much.  But the more time I spent at hills, the more I realized there was a lot more to it.  And now working here I’m really starting to get a handle on how much planning and effort goes into having that wonderfully simple experience.

Groomers are basically a breed of their own. They are night owls, operating the snow cats only by the illumination of their headlights in the pitch winter-black over challenging terrain. While you are snug in your bed, or perhaps up to some other late-night activity, they are working through the night to make sure you can hit that satisfying fresh cord in the morning.

We have 21 groomers operating seven Pisten Bully snow cats in the peak season. We also have one Bombardier winch cat, which can anchor to specific points on the mountain or another cat to groom the blacks or rebuild pitches anywhere on the mountain.  These operators are rewarded by epic sunrises and days off to ride (many of the groomers I know log a ridiculous number of days every season). If you are curious about how they operate or want to see the mountain from a different perspective, the Adventure Center offers evening groomer rides for guests. 

Pic of Bryan Heizner, lead hand, operating a groomer for his fourth season at Sun Peaks. Last season he logged 97 days of riding and this year will groom for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The Pisten Bully above and the Bombardier winch cat below.

At Sun Peaks, the summer trail crew works just as hard. Throughout the snowless months they clear the runs of rocks, bushes and many other potentially dangerous hazards that could hide beneath the snow. Because of this, Sun Peaks is able to open earlier in the season than other resorts, especially if Mother Nature doesn’t co-operate by lending a lot of early season snow.  Our summer crews also work on making the gladed areas some of the cleanest around. Probably the only upside to the Pine Beetle epidemic was the thinning out of trees creating the new Lonesome Fir Glades off Homesteader, one of my favorite places to poach pow. In our other gladed areas the brush is cut down and many potential dangers are removed to open it up for some great tree riding.

http://www.sunpeaksresort.com/winter/trailmaps/wintermap.aspx

I’m not trying to make you feel guilty about enjoying your days on the hill when others are hard at work- just the opposite really. It’s just interesting to think about what goes on behind the scenes and take a little time to appreciate everything that goes into a sick day on the mountain.  But because they are doing such a stellar job, when I’m out there I’m not thinking about anything else but how great the snow feels underneath my board and where my next run should be.

Stay warm this week,

Brandi

It would have been hard to ask for more.

In the weeks leading up to opening day the snow-stoke was in high gear. An early-season dump in late October made everyone's winter itch even harder to soothe. I'd had a long summer, and was ready for the crunch of snow under my boot and to feel that fresh chill in the early morning.

So when the news came Sun Peaks Resort would be bumping their opening day up by a week I was elated. We would be one of the first places in BC where snow addicts could get their pow fix.

In the seven days before opening day I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched another 40cm fall from the sky. On Saturday, 2000 people converged on the resort, riding fresh pow from top to bottom all day long. Woops and cheers echoed down the chair line and through the trees. It was the best conditions for an opening day in almost a decade and one of the earliest on record. A new season was upon us and we were off to an electrifying start.

With more snow falling, crews are expecting to have 95 per cent of the mountain open by the end of this week.

So what can we expect for the rest of the winter, and who can really predict the weather? It changes day to day and frequently from hour to hour. As our planet changes, our weather patterns change with it, which makes reporting and predicting even more of a challenge.

One needs sources they can trust. The Farmers Almanac has been published every year since 1818, so they must have some long-range knowledge to lend us. This year they are calling for snow and cold out West which is right up my alley. December will bring more snow with frequent dumps all month long, including one right before Christmas. January won't bring quite as much precipitation but it won't be bone dry either. Snow is also forecast in early spring storms. According to these old farmers, we are in for a memorable season!

But the weather is a finicky thing so I think it is best we all think positive snow-thoughts and attract some Ullr karma!

I've been riding Sun Peaks for two seasons and have fallen for its expansive terrain, gladded areas, light and lovely snow as well as its friendly locals. I am looking forward to my third season as I am now working and living at the resort.

It's my job to get the daily snow information out to all the Sun Peaks snow enthusiasts and I have faith I will be delivering a lot of good news this season. I'll also be blogging every week to share experiences at the resort and hope to get feedback from readers. So send me your comments, ideas, and stories to marketingassistant@sunpeaksresort.com.

With warmth,

Brandi