Episode 3 of the Epic Snowjourn

Days 12, 13 – Sun Peaks

The last two days at Sun Peaks, BC, are much like the first two – unseasonably warm; sticky potatoes and soft spring skiing mid-mountain to the bottom with drier, more consistent snow on the upper slopes. It never gets tempting enough to try the new West Bowl chair, but we do find the northeast facing slopes of Mt. Morrisey to be holding up better as the day wears on.

Showboat, which runs almost entirely with the fall line under the Morrisey Express, is our favorite cruiser run. The Morrisey side has several fun, if relatively easy, open glade trails.

The addition of the Orient Chair provides even more green and blue runs with easy access back and forth between the Tod and Morrisey sides of the valley. The days of taking the northwesterly runs off Morrisey and a walk across the bridge to return to the Village are over.

It’s always Christmas on Mt. Morrisey, where the sun is always shining.

Sun Peaks continues to grow. Every time we visit there are more hotels, condos and chalets reaching ever further up the valley. Despite the fact it is the second largest ski resort in Canada, after the immense Whistler, it maintains a wonderful, quaint, small area feel and remains a superb family resort destination.

Our last dinner out is like most on trips like this – research likely spots on the internet and/or scope them out on a drive around. Very scientific. I rarely put much credence in the online ratings, unless they’re exceptional one way or the other. We pass by Carlos O’Bryan’s Pub (it looks Irish, but Carlos – really?). Its red four-leaf clover is too much to resist. I pull a ‘U’-y and in we go.

Carlos O’Bryan’s Pub in Kamloops. Right – At Sun Peaks, the view of Tod Mtn from Mt. Morrisey.

Turns out it’s a good enough example of Irish fare – the only thing missing is Bangers & Mash. Oh well. I think there may be an identity crisis here between Mexican and Irish. Tonight the Irish have it. Tomorrow, who knows.

We ended up with Happy Hour Gin & Tonics, potato skins and O’Bryan’s Bowl for sharing. The Bowl is a creative combination of seared tuna, avocado, pickled red onions, edamame with prawns and more. Yummy. O’Bryan’s offers atmosphere, an eclectic experience, good food and fun. If you’re in town give it a try.

Here are the trail maps of the areas we have skied so far:

Day 14 – Revelstoke

Now it’s off to Revelstoke. Although Highway 1 still is subject to unforeseen closures for avalanche control and road construction, we manage around all that with segues along Highways 97 and 97A, eh. Three hours and we arrive, the sun still out. We check into the Ramada Inn, take the short drive to downtown and are pleasantly surprised to find a vibrant, picturesque town center. It’s obvious skiing and back country adventure dominate the youthful psyche of Revy, as it’s affectionately known. This town of 8,200 is also another BC hub to rail transport, where freight trains as long as 10,000 feet seem to pass hourly in both directions, all day, every day.

After some window shopping that nets Janice a new top, we dive into the Village Idiot for a late lunch/early dinner. This restaurant is one of a triumvirate, the others being Chesterfield and The Big Eddy Pub, operated by three friends. Each has a fun vibe all its own. Janice opts for the Idiot’s pulled pork chimichanga and I opt for the pulled pork nachos. Not exactly health food, but their gluten-free options were limited. The portions are healthy. Chesterfield might be next.

Since my shoulder is still bothering me and the weather is supposed to improve Monday and Tuesday, we opt for a day off. If it weren’t Sunday, I’d try and find an acupuncturist. Guess I’ll have to wait. This shoulder hasn’t bothered me for years; but now it’s protesting for no apparent reason. Old, rickety bodies sometimes come up with the weirdest ailments. Sigh. Skiing tomorrow.

A glance around town reveals a concerted effort to expand this area. There is an ambitious investment occurring in infrastructure, with massive clearing and platting for new lots and buildings to support the next year-round BC resort destination. Time will tell.

Days 15 – 17 – Revelstoke

Morning dawns with a layer of clouds shrouding the summit. Moderate temps and no new snow means the glades will probably be skied out and the groomers will end up as the runs of choice. A convenient shuttle can drop us at the village gondola, but we choose to make the 10-minute drive anyway. A gondola takes us uphill to a second gondola – now we’re getting to the business end of things. The lower gondola has already lost nearly all its snow – the runs are essentially unskiable unless you’re a daring, young and restless type who just has to push the boundaries.

From the top of the Revelation gondola we take the Stoke quad to the summit where thick fog and near white out conditions are there to greet us. A quarter way down we can finally see again as we descend out of the clouds. To dodge the fog we head to the Ripper Quad. We spend a good portion of the morning there before heading back to the Stoke’s Quad and the summit. It’s cleared just enough to give us some relief.

A look down to the valley, some 4,000 feet below. Right – Sunset glows through the draw leading into Revelstoke from the Southwest.

The runs at Revelstoke are interesting. With a combination of off-piste bowls, glades, steep chutes and closely wooded runs, it offers the powder skier almost any kind of experience they could possibly want. But, when fresh snow is lacking, as it was when we visited, the groomed and moguled runs leave something to be desired.

There are lovely pitches of fall line skiing, but they are often interrupted by runouts and cat tracks. It’s disconcerting. I can’t say I’ve ever been to an area so reliant on cat tracks to get around or connect runs. And many of the runs have great little pitches that are constantly cut short by gentle runouts. I didn’t care for it. We’ll see if our opinion changes tomorrow.

Tonight we picked the Old School restaurant and, boy, we were not disappointed. Our bartender was engaging and perfectly attentive while providing fine examples of their great on-site mixology. The Tostones Rellenos appetizer was outstanding while the Old School Burger was flavorful and moist with just the right amount of sauce. We finished on a chocolate torte with caramel syrup and honeycomb. Rich, thick, and fabulous. The perfect finish to a fun dining experience. Let’s see if tomorrow holds better prospects for skiing.

An example of the Heskap Smash gin-based drink at the Old School restaurant. Right – a statue commemorating Revelstoke 1922 World Ski Jump champion Isabel Coursier.

Tuesday began much brighter, with broken clouds and steady sunshine. While the hill was still lacking new snow, the increased brightness and visibility made everything more pleasant and skiable. Wind was light to moderate, and since the temps were in the lower twenties on top, it was no problem. The mix of powder and hard pack remained, with some runs developing a super hard pack that began to border on ice. The inconsistency was problematic at times, but generally, if you picked the right runs it was largely avoidable.

A steady stream of skiers were opting for the boot packed trail to hike up into the North Bowl to chase a bit of skiing on soft pack; we didn’t think it was worth the hike but there were plenty of takers.

Afternoon warmed up and by 1:30 we were done and headed to the barn. The snow on top was maintaining its integrity, but it was also getting further skied out. Anything from mid-mountain down was softening up considerably. It wasn’t worth continuing the battle – we had enjoyed ourselves enough.

Our final night out in Revy is a visit to the Chesterfield restaurant for a fine meal of braised beef short ribs and grits. Excellent. They also had something that seems universal at all BC ski areas, and for which I am eternally grateful – a really good Whistler born and brewed gluten-free beer called Forager Lager. Every BC ski area and town has had it. I am the happy recipient of your loyalty. Thanks, guys!

Left – View from the top of the Ripper Quad. Right – View on the way up the Stoke Quad.

Tomorrow we pack up and head to Banff and the Big 3 of Mt. Norquay, Lake Louise, and Sunshine Village. Four days in Revy under these premature spring conditions was enough. We’re looking forward to another change of pace.