Sun Peaks Independent News Volume 20 Issue 12

Resettled Ukrainian families thank Sun Peaks community. The holiday lights sparkle in in the village core.

Photo by Laboreale Photography.

6. Resort sees strong season start, expects busy winter.

Each issue reaches thousands of readers and one copy is available FREE to residents and visitors. Anyone taking papers in bulk will be prosecuted. The opinions expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, owners or writers. This publication may not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher.

For comments, questions and concerns contact us at: brandi@sunpeaksnews.com Visit us: sunpeaksnews.com editor@sunpeaksnews.com 213 - 1130 Sun Peaks Rd. Sun Peaks, B.C.

BRANDI SCHIER

Publisher & Managing Editor brandi@sunpeaksnews.com

TEGWYN

HUGHES

Community Editor tegwyn@sunpeaksnews.com

LOUISE HUDSON

Freelance journalist

KAYLA EMPEY

Community Journalist kayla@sunpeaksnews.com

Layout & Graphic Designer sonia@sunpeaksnews.com

SPIN ANNOUNCED AS FINALIST IN CANADIAN ONLINE PUBLISHING AWARDS

By SPIN

Our small team at Sun Peaks Independent News (SPIN) is a finalist in the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs), which recognize the best in digital publishing and online community news across the country.

SPIN is a finalist in the Best Community News Web Site category. This award is presented to the media website that best serves its readership through compelling content, multi-platform design and technical performance. Judges may also consider email newsletters and social media.

“We’re incredibly proud to be considered for this national award,” said Brandi Schier, publisher of SPIN. “We put a lot of effort into serving our community through

our digital products such as our website and newsletters, which is a lot for a small team as we’re also producing a monthly print edition as well. The recognition is a great way to cap off our 20th year of publishing.”

SPIN is part of Discourse Community Publishing, a group of independent publishers in B.C., and all our sister publications have also received nominations. The Discourse is a finalist for six COPAs, IndigiNews is a finalist for five and The Wren is up for two.

Both The Discourse and The Wren are finalists for Best Community News Website, alongside SPIN.

COPA winners will be announced in February 2023.

Reporter Kayla Empey and publisher Brandi Schier.

The meetings extend to those with any kind of addiction. Photo by Kyle James.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS START ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS MEETINGS

Meetings take place every Tuesday evening at Sun Peaks Alpine Fitness

By Kayla Empey

Local residents have begun hosting weekly Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings on the mountain and invite anyone who could benefit to attend.

A local AA member said meetings started in October. He asked Sun Peaks Independent News not to name him, to honour the fellowship’s tradition of staying anonymous in the press.

He said that he and other community members noticed a need for AA meetings after speaking with numerous residents in recovery from alcohol or substance abuse, so they worked together to form the group.

“To know that there would be a local group of people [and] we can all lean on each other is a really powerful thing,” he said. “It’s pretty apparent by seeing some folks in the room that we need this in the community.”

The meetings take place every Tuesday at Sun Peaks Alpine Fitness at 8 p.m. and are open to anyone who is interested. So far, the member says meetings have had as many as 12 attendees in one night.

He said the group sees a range of participants, from those who have been sober for many years to others who have been sober for weeks or days. He added many AA members could stay sober without the meetings, but gathering helps improve overall wellness.

“AA is not just a recipe to not drink or not use, it is a recipe to live a better life,” he said. “Essentially we’re trying to do two things in that meeting — One is help people find their way into recovery who are desperately seeking a solution. Two is for those like me to stay in a healthy recovery.”

In 2018, Statistics Canada reported that over 19 per cent of Canadians are heavy drinkers. Sun Peaks also carries a reputation for being a community with a big party culture. The source said to reach as many people as possible, the group hopes to eventually move the meetings to a Friday or Saturday.

He said they are also trying to find a new location that serves their needs better, but they’ve had some trouble finding a space. He said twice they’ve found someone willing to lend a room whose landlords later allegedly said they didn’t want recovering alcoholics in their building.

“Typically my conversation with people who are trying to find recovery is, ‘Stigma is in our head as an addict, it’s not in the local community,’” he said. “All of a sudden, I’m confronted with the fact that indeed there’s stigma out there. And that shocked me … How can a landlord think that’s going to bring in some sort of negative behaviours or actions?”

However, he said recent talks have made him hopeful that they’ll be able to progress and grow meetings moving forward.

He added the meetings extend to those with any sort of addictions.

“This isn’t just about alcohol. Alcohol is typically part of it, but most of the people today I find in the rooms are using other stuff as well. This meeting is for anybody who is suffering from substance abuse,” he said.

There is also a 24 hour AA hotline available at 1-800-727-7710

“There’s a way. There’s a path forward. There’s help,” the member said.

RESORT SEES STRONG SEASON START, EXPECTS BUSY WINTER

By Kayla Empey

After seeing success in its first few weeks of operation, Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) is expecting a busy season ahead.

Aidan Kelly, SPR’s chief marketing officer, said opening weekend went smoothly this year with COVID-19 restrictions lifted and no other challenges slowing visitation. He said snow conditions created additional excitement and the resort was able to open all three mountains and over 20 runs.

“This was the first sort of normal vibe we’ve had on opening for winter in three years so it was nice to get that back,” Kelly said. “People are obviously in a really good mood to be back sliding on the snow and you could instantly see a little bit more life to the village.”

He said the early season typically draws season pass holders, but there have also been guests from outside the local area. Particularly, SPR has had a high number of visitors from Ontario, Quebec and Seattle.

Kelly said the resort is seeing the early impact of its partnership with Ikon Collective, a multi-resort pass SPR joined this year.

“Overall interest and knowledge of Sun Peaks as a destination is definitely growing,” Kelly said. “We’re cautiously optimistic just because there’s been different curveballs over the last few years thrown our way, but the general outlook is really positive.”

Arlene Schieven, president of Tourism Sun Peaks, said accommodation pacing for the winter is actually ahead of pre-pandemic numbers.

Schieven said it can be difficult to know exactly what the numbers will look like because there could be last minute bookings and cancellations. However, she said it seems like visitors are less afraid to book their trips well in advance, especially for the holidays.

Kelly said the international markets have bounced back as well.

“Recovery there is going to be ongoing with supply chain issues and flights,” Kelly said. “But we’re probably around 70 per cent of precovid booking levels from the international markets that are important to us like Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.”

Regionally, tourism numbers are also on the rise. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism

Association sent SPIN data that shows the region is expected to have the highest occupancy rates in the province, with revenue projected to exceed $8.7 million.

The busy winter ahead means many businesses across the region are worried about finding enough staff, but Kelly said SPR is in decent shape.

“It’s always tight in resort communities and a lot of it’s tied to housing availability,” Kelly said. “But we did see a strong rebound in terms of interest from the workforce this year and the teams seem to be off to a really good start.”

Overall, Kelly said SPR officials have been happy to see a more relaxed opening and are feeling good about the season ahead.

Region projected to have highest occupancy rates in province, with accommodation pacing ahead of pre-pandemic Sun Peaks

Photo by Zuzy Rocka.

RECREATIONAL TRAIL ASSOCIATION REFLECTS ON SUCCESSFUL YEAR

The non-profit hopes to continue trail building and community events in 2023

By Kayla Empey

After a recent annual general meeting, Sun Peaks Recreational Trail Association (SPRTA) members are reflecting on a successful year and planning for next summer.

Sam Loxton, SPRTA president, said although the late snowmelt in spring delayed their plans, he was happy with the trails they were able to open.

Since the Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR) bike park also had to wait for drier conditions to begin working, its trail crew was able to help SPRTA in the early season.

“We flagged out an extension to the Sunburst trail to add about 500 metres of new trail,” Loxton said. “They punched it in for us, and then we got our volunteers out there and finished it off. So that was kind of the first bigger new trail we were able to open over this year.”

Once the snow melted, SPRTA’s main focus was completing the long-awaited pedal access trails on Mt. Morrisey. A climb trail and a blue downhill trail, Cedar Twist and Calypso Groove, were fully open by August.

“Everyone was super excited for those trails,” Loxton said. “The community has been using them a ton and we’ve had lots of really good feedback on those trails, which is awesome.”

The contractors also worked on two other trails on Mt. Morrisey — a hike and bike trail at the top of the mountain, as well as a black diamond downhill trail. Loxton explained the black downhill trail is hand-built, so it’s more technical than the blue downhill trail they were able to open this year.

Loxton said these trails were completed around the end of October, just before the first snowfall.

“Next summer our first priority will be just making sure those Morrisey trails come out from under the snow in good shape and fixing up any issues,” Loxton said.

“Those trails were designed into three distinct zones. If we need to, we’ll get the bottom loop open as quickly as we can and if there’s still snow at the top, hopefully we can still open parts of it earlier and then get the whole thing rolling as soon as the snow’s all melted.”

Once the Morrisey trails are completed next spring, Loxton said they hope to start a new project near Whitecroft. He said there is a parcel of crown land around Henderson Creek that SPRTA has been given permission to build on.

Loxton added that SPRTA would also like to build more trails on Mt. Morrisey at some point.

“We don’t have the exact kind of plans or timelines set in place for that yet, but it seems most of the parties involved are pretty open to future trail expansion in that area,” he said.

Additionally, Loxton said he hopes to continue their expansive events in 2023. After bringing on a director of events this year, SPRTA was able to host group rides, weekly trail building days, Chainrings and Chakras events with Sun Peaks Yoga and Peaks Pettle Fest with SPR in September.

Loxton said their events were well attended, with over 154 volunteer hours put in during the trail building days.

“It was a really strong year for us,” Loxton said. “We’re hoping to kind of build on that, looking at some more trail development, some more maintenance on some of the existing trails, and also keep rolling with that pretty robust events program so we can give people a chance to have some fun and get involved.”

To keep up with SPRTA, visit its Facebook page or website at sunpeakstrails.com.

One of the organization's group rides this summer. Photo from Sun Peaks Recreational Trail Association on Facebook.

RESETTLED UKRAINIAN FAMILIES THANK SUN PEAKS COMMUNITY

By Kayla Empey

Two Ukrainian families that moved to the village in the spring have now relocated to other communities and submitted letters to SPIN thanking those who helped them along their journeys.

The Osipov family was the first to arrive earlier this year, consisting of Alex, Natalia and daughters Kristina and Sandra.

“When I think back to the end of April when we arrived in Vancouver, it was very hard,” the family’s letter reads. “Everything was so different, we were in a new country, one that we didn't know much about. So far from our families, and our supports. It was pretty scary, and it seemed very expensive too. And it was all happening so fast.”

Prior to coming to Canada, Alex and Natalia were working at a casino in the Czech Republic. They posted in a Facebook group asking for assistance in making the move to Canada and a Kamloops resident set them up with Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine.

Raine found them accommodations and the funds to assist with their travels, and three weeks later they arrived in Canada.

“Everyone asked, what do you need, they really wanted to help,” they wrote. “It has been like living in a fairy tale, when you come and people give you everything, it made us feel so good in our hearts. I am just so happy to be here, in Canada and to get a start like this, it is truly a dream come true.”

Alex initially got a job at a casino in Kamloops and Natalia worked at the Grand Hotel & Conference Centre. Now, the Osipovs have moved to White Rock where Alex got a new job as a casino manager.

“We will always be grateful to the people of Sun Peaks. We know we have had financial support through Sun Peaks Community Helps charity, which received donations from many, many people in the community,” they wrote.

“We will never forget our time in Sun Peaks and all the wonderful people we have met.

We will return to visit you again.”

The second family, the Barbakadzes, also wrote a letter of thanks. Liza, Davit and son Luca named numerous people in the community who helped them get settled.

After their home city of Dnipro was bombed three times, they made the difficult decision to flee Ukraine for the sake of their son Luca. The family spent time in Poland and Austria before moving to Canada when their visas were approved.

“I know that many people in Sun Peaks were involved in helping the Ukrainian families,” they wrote. “You are amazing people, I'm happy to have met many of you, not everyone in person, but we feel support all the time.”

The family said the community’s support also helped distract them from the war back home.

“We were always thinking about what was happening in Ukraine — how is my mother, my sister, my friends — so it was good to be a bit distracted, in a good way, from our worries about what was happening back home. Thinking back, I never thought that the war would come in Ukraine, it didn't seem possible.”

The Osipov family. Photo provided.

Davit initially had a job at a construction company on the mountain, but the family has now moved to Kamloops where he is working for Kami Countertops. Meanwhile, Liza is working for Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc as an executive assistant in its economic development office and a project management consultant for its marsh revitalization project.

The Barbakadzes said they had an amazing six months in Sun Peaks.

“So many memories, including a very special one when Barbara and Nancy took us to the gathering in memory of Indigenous children at the Powwow Arbour. They introduced us to the Kamloops MP Frank Caputo, and then he introduced us to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau!”

The full letters from the families are available at sunpeaksnews.com.

The Barbakadze family. Photo provided.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SPIN

Dec 1, 2002 - Sun Peaks, B.C.

It was on this day 20 years ago that my wife Cathy and I launched and delivered the first copies of Sun Peaks Independent News (SPIN) as the first independent news source in the rapidly expanding community of Sun Peaks, B.C. It was a hectic day as we delivered SPIN Vol. 1 Issue 1 to the world, knowing nothing about publishing a local newspaper a mere eight months earlier.

In hindsight, SPIN was our destiny as Dec. 1, 2002 was also the day we closed on our first house on Burfield Dr. and one of the only things left by the sellers was a huge treasure trove of Kamloops newspaper clippings of Mt. Tod and Sun Peaks going back decades… serendipitous to say the least.

Up until that date, local news was sporadic at best and usually came from multiple invested sources like Sun Peaks Resort, Tourism Sun Peaks and of course the local rumour mill. Kamloops media might have shown up twice a winter season but there was no free voice for the community.

The original idea for SPIN News magazine started in early 2002 with coloured pencils and a piece of paper sketching out ideas while enjoying dinner and wine with friends in a condo at "The Peaks." While we doodled the name Sun Peaks News on paper, the thought that it needed to be an independent

news source came to light and the word Independent was added. SPIN had a great ring to it and Sun Peaks Independent News Inc. (SPIN) was born.

Little did we know that 20 years later, SPIN would have published nearly 260 issues, dozens of visitors guides, literally millions of pages of local print and online news, and would become the true fabric of this ever growing town.

Twenty years of SPIN… WOW. To all the past staff, contributors, advertisers and readers over the years, a huge “Thank You” for making our crazy vision a decades-long "good news" story. A huge hats off to Brandi Schier and her team for keeping our original dream alive after taking over SPIN’s helm in 2015 when we moved to the beach in Australia.

Publishing a small town newspaper is no easy task when businesses are booming, let alone during a global pandemic. Thousands of local news outlets throughout North America have shuttered since 2019 and watching SPIN adapt and evolve during these crisis times shows even more the need for supporting local news outlets.

We will be watching all your powder turns from afar with our feet in the sand and look forward to 20 more years of following SPIN and the great community of Sun Peaks.

Adam Earle Kewarra Beach, Oz

International travellers take advantage of vacation home swaps

By Louise Hudson

HOME EXCHANGE PROGRAM HELPS SUN PEAKS RESIDENTS SEE THE WORLD

With travel back in full force but accommodation prices rising, Sun Peaks residents have been embracing home exchanges to facilitate domestic and international trips.

Community member Roger Mirka said he’s been doing exchanges for over nine years using Intervac Home Exchange. Mirka has swapped his two-bedroom Sun Peaks home with a family from Salzburg, Austria, and has also used his three-bedroom oceanfront vacation home in Celestun, Mexico for overseas exchanges across Europe.

“All of our experiences have been positive with no major problems,” Mirka said. “Hosts usually provide extensive local information to help with tourism, transportation and household info … and an emergency contact.”

Home exchange sites let users create online listings with details about their homes, destinations and photos. Interested parties reach out through the site’s communication portal for a potential swap.

There are various ways of curating an exchange. Users can set up a direct simultaneous exchange between properties, but can also choose staggered exchanges.

“Most of our swaps have been non-simultaneous as we wanted to travel in the summer but they usually wanted our Mexico home in the winter,” Mirka said. “Easily accomplished with a vacation home.”

There are also options to book one-way exchanges with earned points. Homes are awarded a points value per night by the exchange site and owners accumulate more by offering one-way stays at their home.

There are occasional downsides, according to Mirka.

“We twice had a home exchange cancelled on us at the last minute,” he said. “Both times we were able to find an alternate exchange, although one time it cost us a bit in changing flights. There is no way to protect yourself against this type of situation other than buying trip cancellation insurance on your flights.”

But overall it is a win-win situation, he said. Occasionally car and pet swaps are available, and circumstances can lead to meetings with exchange partners.

Judy Bartha has also hosted at her Sun Peaks vacation home three times since joining HomeExchange around 18 months ago, with more swaps planned for this winter. Her own travels start in 2023, when she’ll be gradually crossing off her bucket list by visiting New Zealand, Scotland, Germany and French Polynesia.

“We get more inquiries than we can handle, mostly couples,” Bartha said.

HomeExchange recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Alex Luckey, HomeExchange collection brand and communications manager, said the website has had over 470,000 bookings since the beginning of the year.

“The company has grown to over 100,000 members across more than 130 countries, with one exchange being completed every two minutes,” he said.

While travel needs have intensified since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, inflation and the rising cost of transportation has led many people to seek more cost effective options.

“The biggest thing to remember is that HomeExchange, at its core, is a community. Our members are both hosts and guests, meaning they have a shared respect for one another’s space,” Luckey said. “They truly treat the homes they exchange with like their own, often leaving them better than they found them.”

While summer holidays are the predominant choices, HomeExchange has plenty of ski homes listed. So if B.C. ski resorts are on your bucket list, Sun Peaks residents could use their own home to achieve their skiing goals this winter.

Judy Bartha’s home in Sun Peaks, listed on HomeExchange.com.

Roger Mirka’s vacation home in Casa Piedra, Mexico.

STAFFING SHORTAGE AFFECTS LOCAL BUSINESSES

Small businesses shortening hours and hiring more part-time staff to fill the gap

By Kayla Empey

As the community enters its first winter without COVID-19 restrictions, some local businesses have struggled to find enough staff to meet the demands of the busy season, worsened by a lack of housing on the mountain.

Suzanne Duchesne, owner of Chez Joe Poutine, said heading into the holidays she is a few staff members short of what she would ideally like to have, which is impacting the service she can provide.

“I would love to go to pre-pandemic hours, but I don’t know that I’m going to be able to,” Duchesne said. “Right now I’m having to stick with shortened hours that work.”

She said it’s not necessarily that she’s had trouble finding employees, it’s that those willing to work in the community can’t find housing. She said moving forward, she’s hoping that there’s someone who already has housing on the mountain who could help her out part-time.

“I’m hoping that somebody is looking to pad their hours at another job,” she said. “Barring that, I really don’t see myself finding anyone. Everybody’s looking for help.”

Ohana Deli & Market also had to adapt and hire more part-time workers than usual. Owner Bobbe Lyall said the biggest challenge was being unable to find enough skilled chefs, so she ended up hiring unskilled workers and doing more in-house training.

“We’ve had to spend a ton more time training and hiring part-time people,” she said. “There’s a lot of extra costs that we’ve incurred just bringing in probably two times the amount of bodies that we need to do the same amount of work.”

Lyall echoed that housing was an obstacle when trying to find workers. She said she is fortunate because a lot of her staff are already local and for the winter she was able to find housing for three employees.

However, she said providing staff housing is a risk because all the costs fall back onto her.

“For a small business to have staff housing, it’s a really big expense. But it's part of the deal up here, you kind of have to work it out,” Lyall said. “If we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t have our roster filled with staff.”

Part of the staffing struggle is also that this is Ohana’s first normal winter season — it opened in 2019 just before the pandemic started. Lyall said it’s hard to know what the winter season will have in store for them.

“It feels like we’re starting all over again,” she said. “We’ve managed to juggle and we’ve had some really great community support … We need to make sure this winter that we’re on our A game so we can start trying to make up for some of the losses over the last three years.”

Overall, Lyall said she’s happy they were able to find enough staff and is excited to see what the winter brings.

SUN PEAKS’ BUSINESSES ENHANCE LOCAL COFFEE CULTURE

Mountain coffee shops are brewing up comforting cups

By Louise Hudson

In Sun Peaks, the high number of retirees, digital nomads and vacationers is fuelling plenty of caffeine consumption. Gone are the days of basic coffee and tea machines in ski lodges.

The village isn’t alone, either. A new study by Time2Play finds that B.C. residents spend more on coffee than other Canadians, with retirees drinking the most.

Rhiannon O'Donohoe, a digital public relations strategist for Time2Play, said residents in B.C. also prefer to support local when buying beans.

“I was quite surprised — in a good way — to see how B.C. and other provinces buy coffee locally or from independent brands,” she said.

In Sun Peaks, these habits could be due to the number of high-quality coffee shops on the mountain, many of which serve both local and international brews.

When you see lingering lines outside Sun Peaks coffee shops at peak periods, it’s clear that cost is not a deterrent. O’Donohoe found that B.C. residents shell out over $38 per month on coffee — which is the most in Canada.

In the Sundance Lodge, Bolacco Cafe has been satisfying international tastes for 25 years.

“We get customers from lots of different countries, but especially Germany, Australia and Italy,” co-owner Elizabeth Glowczynski said.

Researching Italian coffee culture during a three-year stay there, Glowczynski and her husband Konrad introduced Lavazzo coffee

to Sun Peaks. They have a comprehensive list of macchiatos, americanos, lattes, espresso, cappuccinos and iced coffee — plus, the couple are happy to customize.

“When people want something and the name is not listed here, we can make it exactly as they like,” Glowczynski said. Balacco’s also offers the added bonus of a free chocolate.

Tod Mountain Café was originally owned by Kamloops roaster Twisted Goat, whose coffee beans are still featured. But new owner Echo has added comfort-food elements with sweet and savory crepes, wraps, paninis and baked goods.

“I'm a Chinese-Canadian, and I love to taste different coffee while I'm travelling,” Echo said. “We like to bring more interesting choices to our menu, it's always fun and risky to try something new.”

Serving local, daily-roasted Cherry Hill coffee, Vertical Café has spearheaded a loyalty program to give back to the community.

“You get a free coffee after nine purchases,” owner Rob O’Toole said. “We hand out the cards at the café. We created the loyalty program as a way of showing appreciation for our locals and seasonal regulars.”

Vertical is also spearheading new vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free snacks, meals and drinks.

Although primarily focused on decadent donuts and ice cream, Baby Dohs has its own coffee allure as well.

“We do offer regular, ethically-sourced fair trade coffee and see the most demand for this in the evening hours after the cafés have closed,” co-owner Theresa McMurchy said.

Embracing this diverse coffee culture, the Sun Peaks coffee klatsch meets weekly at The Annex or Sunburst Lodge during the winter.

“Klatsch means informal coffee gathering,” organizer Harold Richins said. “It comes from the German word for gossip.”

Active for about a decade, the Coffee Klatsch helps connect newcomers with longtime locals.

Simon Hudson having a coffee inside Masa's Bar & Grill. Photo by Louise Hudson.

CLASS ACT

by Barbara Olson © ClassiCanadian Crosswords

Jumble Love - solution

ACROSS

The ___ (Sault Ste. Marie, for short)

Act opener, in a play

In the blink ___ eye

Hustlers on the job

Jones's locker (watery grave)

With 54-Across, what a bad student may be told to do, as suggested by this puzzle's circled letters

Hits the backspace key

ISP with a butterfly logo

Collect over time

F.B.I. worker, say

Be a bad student, in a way

MSought cover amongst

Deli counter fixture

Start of the 12th century, to Caesar

Yanks (from)

Kind of strike

"I heard ya the first time"

Cajun cook's vegetable

Smooching on the subway, say.: Abbr.

See 26-Across

Adele's "Rolling in The ___"

As an example

Little louse

Moms' moms, to some

Fled to wed

Start to drop off

@ symbols

Ford flops of the '50s

Crossword clue sol.

Brain surgeon's field, for short

P.K. Subban's hockey position

Psychiatrist's manual: Abbr.

See the world

Retired Air France jet: Abbr.

Pretty and petite

Chats online, briefly

Catches, as a crook

Short time?

Calgary-based cable company

Bits of bad luck

Muhammad or daughter Laila

Paved rd.

"Once again, ..."

Numbs, as pain

Ex-premier of New Brunswick Frank

Vulture's entrée

"Give ___ rest!"

Non-negotiable rate

Cherry called Grapes

Get ___ of (contact)

Courageous rescuers, to some

Manage, despite all

Feature of "lama," but not "llama"

Wine list heading

Cheek swab material

Tiger-Cats' coups

TOP STORIES OF 2022

Take a look at our top stories, as defined by our online reader traffic

By SPIN

For years, the community has spoken in hushed tones of ongoing issues of harassment at Sun Peaks Resort LLP, and SPIN heard from employees who said resort leadership isn’t doing enough to address it. This article opened a wellspring in the community and many more people came forward to share their stories.

A well-known local campground got an upgrade this year when new owners took over with big plans to adapt the space. The campground had previously been closed off to the public, but the new owners invited community members to stop by for drinks and live music throughout the summer.

Since Ryan Shtuka’s disappearance from Sun Peaks in 2018, readers around the world continue to follow his story. In February, Sun Peaks Resort LLP hosted a group ski run alongside Shtuka’s friends and family to mark the four year anniversary.

In February, the municipality received a provincial grant to develop a community plaza, featuring a gathering space, splash park, playground and stage. Seeing the value it will provide, a few community groups have since donated as well and the municipality has used the opportunity to work with the Little Shuswap Lake Band on design.

Earlier this year, Sun Peaks was included as a potential venue in Vancouver’s bid to host the Olympic Winter Games in 2030. Residents and stakeholders began thinking about how this would impact the small community, before the province announced in October it will not support the bid.

LOCAL MAKES NATIONAL SKELETON TEAM

Lara explained there are three levels of circuits for skeleton. The top tier is the World Cup, which contains the most elite athletes. The second tier is the Intercontinental Cup, which contains high-level athletes but isn’t televised.

By Kayla Empey

A skeleton racer and part-time resident has made the national team and is now competing across the continent.

Tirza Lara, 21, began skeleton about five years ago, coming from what she called an “unconventional sporting background.”

“I used to be a ballet dancer, so I started that when I was four,” Lara said. “By the time I was about 15, I had a knee injury and I was forced to quit … I was so used to being in a disciplined environment and working hard for big goals, so I kind of needed a different passion for that to manifest in.”

Lara said at the time, her brother was in a speed skating club hosted by an athlete competing in the 2014 Olympic Games. That, combined with her mother’s love for the Olympics, helped Lara become invested in watching the Games.

She said seeing such brave and committed athletes inspired her, so she began looking up Olympic sports she could get involved in. At the age of 16 she was considered too old for a lot of sports, but found out skeleton recruits athletes at that age.

“I convinced my mom to help fund a little venture to the sliding track just after my 16th birthday and immediately fell in love with it,” she said. “I was invited to stay for the following season, and the rest is kind of history. A few years down the road and here I am representing Team Canada.”

The level Lara is at, the North America Cup, gives rookie national competitors a chance to compete on a few different tracks before moving up to higher level circuits.

There are only three sliding tracks in North America — Whistler, Park City in Utah and Lake Placid in New York.

“[It’s] one of those sports where accessibility is really important,” Lara said. “Whistler now has the only track in Canada, so I was pretty fortunate to be within the vicinity of that.”

Being on the national team, Lara said the training is quite comprehensive. She said she’ll be practicing on the track three to five days a week, in addition to a lot of gym training.

“There’s two components to a skeleton run. The first one is being able to drive the track and the other component is being able to push the sled,” she said. “Having a lot of strength and power is really important.”

Although she now spends a lot of time training in Whistler, last summer she lived closer to home doing work with Kamloops Track and Field Club through the week and training at Sun Peaks Alpine Fitness on the weekends.

She said she also tries to visit her family in Sun Peaks as often as she can.

“I’m very thankful for the community here in Sun Peaks for accepting my mom and myself,” Lara said. “I’ve already been receiving lots of messages of support and encouragement from the locals here.”

Moving forward, Lara said she’ll continue to push herself closer to her goal of competing in the Olympics.

“I’ll continue to work as hard as I can and see if I can bring myself to that elite level.”

Tirza Lara beginning her skeleton run.

Photo by Noah Lara.

Tirza Lara discovered her love for the extreme sport as a teenager watching the Olympics

HOLIDAY EVENTS PLANNED FOR VILLAGE

Christmas

and New Year’s traditions return for first time since pre-pandemic

By Kayla Empey

The festive holiday season has arrived, with a range of entertainment, carolling and even visits from Santa throughout December.

The events are hosted by a few different community groups, and many annual traditions are returning for the first time since before the pandemic.

The first event of the month was Tourism Sun Peaks’ 10th annual holiday kick-off, which featured free music, drinks, activities, an artisan market and an opportunity for a picture with Santa.

Later in the month, Santa is returning to the mountain for fun snow activities presented by Sun Peaks Resort LLP. On Dec. 22, community members can join Santa for free tobogganing and on Dec. 23 have the chance to ski down 5 Mile with him.

Santa will be sticking around until Christmas Eve, joining Sun Peaks Fire Rescue on a tour around the community on a fire truck that evening. The tour will start in the East Village at 4 p.m., driving down all the roads in Sun Peaks before heading to Whitecroft.

Around the same time, another Christmas tradition is returning. On Dec. 23 and 24, Nancy Greene Raine will lead carolling in the village. Community members are invited to meet at the Village Day Lodge at 6:30 p.m. to participate.

Once Christmas has concluded, New Year’s celebrations are next. On Dec. 31, festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with a live DJ performance and Sun Peaks Freestyle Club’s high performance athletes showcasing their skills in the platter park.

Afterwards, children five and up will be invited to ski down the Village Platter as part of a glow stick parade. There will then be a torchlight parade on the Sundance ski run for those 16 and up who can confidently ski blue terrain in the dark. A valid ski lift ticket is required for the parades.

To conclude the night and festivities for the holidays, there will be a fireworks show at 8:30 p.m., best viewed from the Village Day Lodge.

For more information on the events, visit sunpeaksresort.com/events

Santa at the holiday kick-off last year. Photo SPIN.