Top of the World
Elevation: 2,080m
Posted May 31, 2018
There’s less than a month to go until the chairlift starts spinning here in Sun Peaks and the bike season stoke level is ramping up nicely.
Our Trail Crew have been hard at work for the last couple of weeks and they’ll continue braving the elements to ensure as many trails as possible will be rideable for opening day on Friday, June 22. We’ll have another update in the days leading up to that magical date to let you know which trails are good to go for the first weekend, so keep your eyes peeled!
Today, though, we want to fill you in some of the changes you’ll see this summer in the Sun Peaks Bike Park. First off, last year we promised that there would be additions to both beginner trail Smooth Smoothie and intermediate Route 66 to provide better top-to-bottom options for those riders newer to the sport. Unfortunately, last summer was a tough one for trail building and, despite a valiant effort from the crew, restrictions on the use of machinery due to fire danger and dry conditions delayed those projects.
In spite of these set backs we didn’t give up on the projects. Work continued last fall and we’re stoked to announce that a brand new lower section of Smooth Smoothie will be ready for the public on opening weekend. In addition, a new upper section of Route 66 was completed and will be open as well, connecting the top of the Sunburst chairlift to the former start of the run. You can check out the new additions on the 2018 trail map.
Speaking of beginner and intermediate riders, there’s more surprises coming down the pipeline in the near future. We’re pretty stoked to bring you in the loop on our plans for a brand new, top-to-bottom green trail, along with a new bike skills park. Construction starts soon on the green trail, which will be a fun option to cruise from the top of the Sunburst lift right to the village base. Work is already underway on the skills park, which will utilize our magic carpet from the winter to provide easy lift access and will be the perfect place to hone key riding skills. We’re super excited for these new additions that are being built and fine-tuned through the summer of 2018. Stay tuned for more updates as these projects come together.
On a more sombre note, Sun Peaks regulars may notice that Ain’t No Scrubs appears to be missing from the new trail map. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, so is that curtains for this fun, flowy stretch of freeride?
Breathe a sigh of relief, as Ain’t No Scrubs is dead in name only. After the Trail Crew completed extensive improvements to that trail last year they’ve set their sights on an ambitious target in 2018: remodelling Steam Shovel into a true, top-to-bottom freeride jump trail for advanced riders. Think something similar to the iconic jump lines at the Kamloops Bike Ranch, but with a Sun Peaks flavour. The old Ain’t No Scrubs is now the new top of Steam Shovel and work on the rest of the trail will be completed in stages throughout the summer to minimise closures. We’ve got some seriously talented riders and shapers on the team who are throwing their full efforts into this project, so we’re anticipating the results are going to be something special. RIP Ain’t No Scrubs, long live Steam Shovel!
Finally, our lift-access cross country trails also received some love before the snow arrived. A new section of trail has been added near the end of Altitude to join it to top of Big Rock Ride/Sugar. This completes the alpine loop and enables riders to easily link Altitude with a descent down to the village via either Big Rock Ride or Sugar to Sweet One, or to head back to the chairlift, mid-mountain lodge, and the rest of the Bike Park.
With big things ahead for the trails this year our Bike Park Coordinator, James Jeffries, is a very busy man right now, but we managed to track him down for the final word on the upcoming summer:
"The crew and I are really excited about the projects we’ve got going on in the park this year. Last summer was our first year running an excavator in house for the full season and I think the improvements speak for themselves, so we’ll be sticking with that. In 2018 we’re focused on upgrading the progression of the park on both ends, along with other small changes to things like the exit points of certain trails, which will help improve the overall flow of the park and make it more intuitive to navigate.
Despite all the recent machine work, the technical, singletrack-style trails that we’re renowned for aren’t going anywhere. We’re filling in some gaps that we have at the beginner and intermediate levels right now, but are still 100% committed to maintaining, improving, and increasing the signature technical trails that help set Sun Peaks apart from other bike parks."
Our goal for the Sun Peaks Bike Park over the next few years is to create an inclusive scene where everyone can have an awesome day on their bike, from beginners making their first ever turns to the best riders in the country crushing our steep singletrack.
Stoked to hit up Sun Peaks for endless summer laps this year? Our Bike Park Season Passes, multi-day bike Peaks Cards, and online single day tickets are on sale now!
See you on the trails!
The Sun Peaks Bike Park Team