Sun Peaks Bike Park
Sun Peaks resort is located 45 minutes north of Kamloops off of Highway 5. We rode Sun Peaks back in 05 during a Canada Cup race weekend so we’ve never ridden the whole mountain before. I had memories of steep loose terrain but I have heard the their trail crew is amazing and works hard to keep the park buff even in mid summer when it gets really dry.
We really lucked out on the weather front as we haven’t had any rain this entire trip. Everyone out here tells us how lucky we are as BC has had an unseasonably wet summer, but temps have been in the mid to high 20′s for the last two weeks.
We arrived at Sun Peaks on Wed and checked into an amazing 2 bedroom suite at the Delta Residences which are the nicest accommodations we’ve had on this trip.
Amberlea and I were up early to pick up our rentals and meet our guide for the morning as our good friend Terry volunteered to watch Holden for the morning. I have long been interested in trying a Rocky Mountain Flatline and was stoked to learn that they were the official rental bike at Sun Peaks. We were given the Park Edition which was outfitted with a Marzocchi 888R fork, Fox Van R rear shock, Avid Elixer brakes and X9 drivetrain. Overall it was the favourite rental we rode during the trip.
The Bike Park has really evolved over the years and the park now boasts 30 well built trails. The high-speed detachable chair lift provides 600m/2000′ of descent on a variety of terrain from beginner to pro level. Be sure to check out their interactive trail map here.
Sun Peaks went out of their way to hook us up with a local ripper for a guide by the name of Dylan Sherrard. If you don’t know Dylan I think the world is going to find out soon as he is an amazing rider. He gave us both great tips to help us rally through the trails and ride faster an smoother. For Amberlea it came down to getting the elbows out and steering out of corners with her belly button. For me I needed to attack the berms with my elbows and shoulders over the front end. Dylan’s personality and strong riding was definitely a highlight of our Sun Peaks trip. Seriously, when is the last time your coach or guide did a Super Man Indian Air?
Sun Peaks sub-alpine location means that you are exposed to pristine meadows and 100km views, combined with a plethora of alpine flowers in bloom and we once again got to ride through technicolor dreams.
Dylan had both of us riding steeper terrain than we were used to and it was a great boost of confidence for us both. Amberlea came out for 6000′ feet of descent and hit a couple of steep rocky trails that were the most technical and difficult than any of the other trails ridden so far this trip. Using her freshly honed skills she did an amazing job conquering the steep, loose & dusty rock gardens.
These two shots show Amberlea slaying a steep loose chute.
There are two things that are synonymous with Kamloops riding are high speeds and big jumps, both of which can be found in the Bike Park at Sun Peaks. Dylan told us how the trail crew hits every jump they build and clearly they have an airtime addition. Trails like Steam Shovel make Sun Peaks a great place for the rider looking for advanced jump lines. Terry really loves to send it and he got his BC Bike Park stoke on hitting the 30′ gaps under the chair lift.
A big thanks to Anne, Chelsea & Dylan for taking care of us, we really enjoyed our short time at Sun Peaks and we agreed that we need to get back there again sometime soon.