SPIN Vol 14 Issue 3

MARCH 18—23

SAM ROBERTS BAND

APRIL 1—5

Rain and snow showers, cool

Showers, cool

MARCH 24—31

Coming in July

APRIL 6—14

Sunny, cool

Few showers, seasonable

Volume 14 Issue 3

READ MORE > PAGE 11

SUN PEAKS’ OWN “A freeskier from Sun Peaks was able to take them on and win.”

- JOSS ADVOCAAT

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKII

T

he fastest non-motorized man in the world maintained his title at the FIS Speed Ski World Cup race on March 3.

Simone Origone of Italy won the men’s Speed One race with a top speed of 146.43 kilometres per hour. Ivan Origone of Italy finished second at 146.28 km/h and Austrian Klaus Schrottshammer finished third at 146.12 km/h.

Local racer Joss Advocaat narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth at 144.67 km/h.

Weather was a challenge throughout the week of racing.

Every day saw races either postponed or lowered to the mid start due to heavy snowfall, fog or high winds.

“It was very frustrating be-

@sunpeaksnews

MARCH 18 — APRIL 14

CLAIMS

cause the course was actually fantastic,” said race organizer Scott Coleman. “Next year hopefully we’ll get off the top because we never got to the top this year. We would’ve had good speeds because the course was really fast.”

Erik Backlund of Sweden won the men’s Speed Downhill race with a speed of 139.31 km/h, Swiss racer Michel Goumoens finished second at 137.97 km/h and Lars Beskow of Sweden finished third at 137.81 km/h.

Valentina Greggio claimed the ladies’ Speed One race with a top speed of 127.10 km/h, Teria-Jo Davies finished second at 125.89 km/h and Sarah McDiarmid finished third at 124.62 km/h.

First-time competitor Rachael Chubb-Higgins claimed the ladies’ Speed Downhill title with a top speed of 99.23 km/h. Later in the week she surpassed her personal best with a speed of 116.28 km/h.

“The speed was exhilarating and the experience totally meditative, like all my senses were suspended,” Chubb-Higgins said.

A new event ‘So You Think You’re Fast Eh?’ attracted around 25 new speed skiers to test the low start of Headwalls on the first training day without the pressure of a World Cup race, but heavy snow and fog cancelled the new

/sunpeaksnews

FREE

WILD WEATHER A CHALLENGE FOR SPEED SKI WEEK

VELOCITY CHALLENGE event after 13 runs.

Chubb-Higgins was the only skier to enter the World Cup race following the new event.

“We had bad weather, fog that day,” Coleman said. “The farthest competitor for ‘So You Think You’re Fast, Eh?’ was from Japan and then a number of U.S. states; Virginia, Colorado, California and Wyoming.

We had some new people here which was great.”

On March 5, Advocaat claimed the 2016 Velocity Challenge title to wrap up the speed ski week with a top speed of 128.63 km/h. Britain’s Jan Farrell placed second with a speed of 128.42 km/h and Schrottshammer finished in third at 128.31 km/h.

“I was overwhelmed that I was able to accomplish this against this field, taking into consideration the great deal of support that these athletes receive from their national federations. A freeskier from Sun Peaks was able to take them on and win,” Advocaat said.

Advocaat travelled to Grandvalira, Andorra following the Sun Peaks race to continue on the FIS Speed Ski World Cup circuit. His trip was sponsored by the Austrian Speed Ski team and he said “it’s a strange feeling walking around being

the only Canadian athlete.” He placed ninth in the final with a speed of 176.04 km/h.

At press time Advocaat sat seventh in the World Cup overall standings with three events remaining on the calendar. He will also compete in Vars, France this month, in a World Cup and invitational speed masters event in hopes to beat the Canadian record of 234.83 km/h.

Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

sunpeaksnews.com

1

local Municipality presents five-year budget plan

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

T

he Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) held a public meeting on March 12 to receive input and answer questions on the five-year budget plan.

SPMRM announced a one per cent increase on property taxes for 2016, and forecasted growth of one and a half per cent in tax revenue because of 11 new single family homes in Sun Peaks.

Chief administrative officer Rob Bremner said Sun Peaks benefits from approximately 38 per cent of the funds generated from property taxes, which is much less than most B.C. communities. Typically at least 50 per cent of the prop-

erty taxes remain in communities, but SPMRM receives less money because of levies to the Thompson Nicola Regional District and the provincial education fund.

Due to the planned construction of the new rink and new health centre, 2016 has the largest total revenue of $5,235,463 and the largest total expenses at $2,344,060. The health centre is the highest cost at $1.5 million with the rink as the second highest at $799,000.

Both projects will be built without incurring debt as they are funded by grants and reserve funds. The rink will be funded by approximately 90 per cent in grant money, which Bremner said is nearly unheard of.

“To have these without borrowing, with just all grants, it just doesn’t happen,” Bremner

Creating a community centre NEW RINK FIRST STEP IN LONG-TERM PLAN

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

A

fter a delay, the chosen location for the new NHL-sized rink has opened an opportunity for a venue to benefit the community beyond hockey players and skaters.

The NHL-sized ice surface will be built in P4 beside the Sun Peaks Sports Centre building. The existing facility will

serve as change rooms and washrooms for the rink, and Mayor Al Raine said he wants to see the facility expand to be a year-round venue.

The Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) wants to build a roof over the ice surface, which will create a sheltered space for events such as concerts, trade shows or conventions. A recent grant application to fund the roof was denied; however, Raine said

said. “Those are two key facilities if you’re really building a community.

“Very seldom do you get money in this day and age to get recreation facilities. They’ll give you money to upgrade them, but they won’t give you money to build them.”

The third major expense in the five-year budget is a new $350,000 fire truck, which is a part of the 2017 budget plan.

Bremner said the plan is to order the new vehicle in 2016 and have it in Sun Peaks next year.

One cause for concern is the potential end of the provincial Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funds, which are slated to cease after 2017. The program takes tourism dollars through a hotel tax and recycles the money back into tourism-based communities to fund infrastruc-

ture and events.

The RMI funds were of the driving funding behind Tourism Sun Peaks’ summer concerts which increased summer business, but SPMRM has already seen a cut in the RMI totals because of a newly enforced cap.

The province also mandates 70 per cent of the funds must be spent on infrastructure. However for 2016, SPMRM has received approval to have a 5050 split between infrastructure and events and then switch to the provincial standard in 2017.

“We’re starting to get some property that we can actually put some money into. They allowed us to kind of work outside the parameters because we didn’t own anything,” Bremner said, referring to previous years’ allocation to only events.

“It would be a huge loss, it’s

such a great program.”

There is a push, led in part

by Mayor Al Raine, to see the provincial government continue the program past 2017. Municipalities would like to have more control over how to spend the funds.

“We’re telling you for our community, these are the best things,” Bremner said. “Council is elected, they’re saying ‘these are the things we want to do’ and we should be able to do them. There will be some push that way.”

Other expenditures to note in 2016 are $40,000 for security cameras, $60,000 for a zamboni and garage, $75,000 for a new valley trail (see p. 7) and $142,000 for RMI capital projects.

The final 2016 budget will be approved before May 15.

SPMRM received feedback that having the ice surface in place would strengthen their bid in the future.

“We’re going to find another dozen uses if you have a big space with a roof on it,” Raine said. “Once you start thinking like that, the location we discussed previously (near P5) just didn’t make sense. It’s got to be close to the village.”

“As soon as there’s an opportunity, we’ll be knocking at the door again to make sure we figure out how to put a roof over this.”

A few trees from the area will need to be removed, but the ice surface will be mostly located in the existing parking lot space.

The municipality will look to create additional parallel parking spaces along Village Place, according to Raine.

“It’s a road that’s bigger than

most of our roads in the municipality,” he said. “We’re looking at maybe being able to put in some parallel parking. The idea of moving towards the village is that we’re not going to need a ton of parking, but there obviously will be, for hockey

construction on the rink site will begin this summer with the new arena to be ready for next winter.

“We’re very pleased that we were able to arrive at a good decision with the location and now the next thing is to get the rink open,” Raine said.

SPMRM will also look to operate the swimming pool during the summer months. An application was filed for solar panels to adjust the heating system to be sun powered instead of gas.

“I think the vision at this point, and nothing is set in stone, the first step is try and reorganize so (the Sports Centre) can be used for a skate changing room. Second thing, and we haven’t looked at it yet, how would we redesign it for the washrooms for public skating and still have summer use of the swimming pool.”

GAS RATE DECREASES

Residents and business owners in Sun Peaks will pay less for gas commodity in 2016.

Sun Peaks Utilities announced the 11 per cent rate decrease on Jan. 1. The BC Utilities Commission approved the gas commodity decrease, which went down from $13.0660 to $11.6250 per gigajoule.

Large commercial properties will see an annual average cost decrease of $14,410, medium commercial properties will see a $6,138.66 decrease and small commercial

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

properties will see an average decrease of $510.11.

Residential properties will be less effected with single family homes seeing an annual average decrease of $122.49 and residential condos seeing an average decreased of $25.94.

The rate decrease was made possible due to propane increasing from $8.6620 to $9.3000 per gigajoule and the Gas Cost Reconciliation Account decreasing from $2.0790 to $0.00 per gigajoule.

“As soon as there’s an opportunity, we’ll be knocking at the door again to make sure we figure out how to put a roof over this.” groups and people coming from around the community, some parking required.”

The municipality still needs the required permits and process land transfers, but Raine said he is 90 per cent certain

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

sunpeaksnews.com

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local NEWS Locals nominated for Canadian Ski Racing Awards

SUN PEAKS INDEPENDENT NEWS INC. PO Box 1043 Sun Peaks BC V0E 5N0

Phone: 250•578•0276 For comments, questions, concerns email: editor@sunpeaksnews.com Email your classifieds or ads to: editor@sunpeaksnews.com

www.sunpeaksnews.com @sunpeaksnews /sunpeaksnews sunpeaksnews @sunpeaksnews

#sunpeaksnews

OUR TEAM EDITOR & PUBLISHER Brandi Schier

brandi@sunpeaksnews.com

GRAPHIC ARTIST Jen Schier

jen@sunpeaksnews.com

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

T

wo members of the local ski race community were nominated for the 2016 Canadian Ski Racing Awards.

Sun Peaks Alpine Club’s Danielle Cowburn received a nomination for coach of the year and Graham Cope was nominated for volunteer of the year.

One male and one female coach were recognized. Athlete achievement on and off the hill, leadership and mentorship, retention and progression of athletes, and ethical conduct will be evaluated in the selection of the coaches of the year.

“It’s awesome to get nominated. It’s funny because I re-

alized I got nominated while I was (coaching) at the BC (Winter) Games and was too busy to look at my phone,” Cowburn said. “My mom messaged me and she said ‘congratulations’ and I’m like ‘for what?’ I had no idea.”

One volunteer was also recognized for their extraordinary contribution to their club, province or territory. The award was open to volunteers across Canada participating in ski racing at any level. The award recognized the importance of volunteers in programs, events and activities surrounding ski racing.

Francis Royal of Quebec City and Danielle Robson of Whistler were named coaches of the year, Jennifer Voss of Hemlock Valley won volunteer of the year, and Trevor Philp

Coach of the Year candidate: Danielle Cowburn (left) with the Sun Peaks skiers who competed in the 2016 BC Winter Games. | PHOTO SUBMITTED

of Calgary and Larisa Yurkiw of Owen Sound won athletes of the year. The awards will be

presented at the ACA National Championships gala in Whistler on March 26.

REPORTER Jamie Shinkewski

Record year for Kamloops Airport

jamie@sunpeaksnews.com

WRITERS Jean Strong Carmen Ruiz Julia Thrift Jodi Roberts

MORE PEOPLE TRAVELLING TO SUN PEAKS

CONTRIBUTORS Mel Rothenburger

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

Bodie Shandro

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.

ON THE

COVER

PHOTO SUBMITTED

T

ransportation to Sun Peaks has seen a large increase amidst a potential record year for resort occupancy.

The Kamloops Airport saw a record number of travellers in January, which airport manager Fred Legace said is largely due to the local ski industry. January 2016 saw 31,323 travellers come through the Kamloops airport, which is a 10.3 per cent increase from the 28,026 travellers in January 2015. Travellers in February were also up nine per cent compared to 2015.

“It’s a record year,” Legace said. “We continue to see record levels. I think the only downturn we ever had was back in 2008. There was a drop off, but ever since then it’s pretty much been record levels of traffic every year.”

“The wintertime stats here at the airport mirror Sun Peaks.”

Shuttles to Sun Peaks have

seen a larger increase this year. At the end of February, the overall shuttle numbers were up 20 per cent and the shuttle from the Kamloops airport was up 13 per cent compared to the same timeframe last year, according to Tourism Sun Peaks’ president Christopher Nicolson.

“It’s a jump this year. It makes sense that the shuttle performance is a reflection of the overall resort performance,” Nicolson said.

“The dollar has impacted and perhaps encouraged more people to stay in Canada and do a domestic ski vacation” Shuttles also bring guests to Sun Peaks from the Kelowna airport, and Silver Star and Big White resorts. Guests from Ontario and Quebec are typically the ones arriving from Kelowna on direct flights, while

the guests coming from other resorts are usually from Australia and New Zealand, Nicolson said.

The low Canadian dollar has had a positive impact on the ski industry. More skiers are opting to stay in Canada and overseas guests are choosing a Canadian ski trip over the United States, according to Nicolson.

“The dollar has impacted and perhaps encouraged more people to stay in Canada and do a domestic ski vacation instead of going to Hawaii, let’s say, where they’re penalized with the U.S. dollar,” he said.

“There’s lots of examples of overseas guests that have chosen Canada instead of the States because of the dollar and the price point.”

Although the Kamloops Airport doesn’t officially track where the travellers are coming from, Legace said the low Canadian dollar is attracting more visitors to Kamloops from the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

“All of the big increases in travel are around the ski resorts, so it’s going to be Americans coming up and it’ll be Kiwis and Aussies,” Legace said.

“I do know from talking to folks from New Zealand that their dollar is now almost on par with the Canadian (dollar) so they’re pretty happy about coming here as well.”

WESTSYDE YDE VICE SERVICE Auto Repairs Diesel Repairs Air Conditioning Repairs Gov. Certified Inspection Facility

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YOUR OPINIONS, COMMENTS OR COMMENDATIONS ARE WELCOME Send your letters & opinions by mail to: Sun Peaks Independent News | Box 1043 Sun Peaks, B.C. V0E 5N0 or by e-mail: editor@sunpeaksnews.com All correspondence must contain a last name & a contact number for verification—phone numbers won’t be published. Writers are encouraged to keep letters to 250 or fewer words. Letters submitted without the writer’s name won’t be published. Sun Peaks Indpendent News reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, legality & taste.

Letters not published in Sun Peaks Indpendent News may be published online at www.sunpeaksnews.com

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sunpeaksnews.com

Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

opinion PAGE Spring and change are in the air BRANDI SCHIER PUBLISHER’S NOTE brandi@sunpeaksnews.com

P

erhaps it’s true: the only constant is change.

With spring around the bend it’s hard not to see recent events through the lens of cycle and renewal, which is how the news of Christopher Nicolson’s departure from Tourism Sun Peaks (TSP) strikes me—bittersweet and perhaps inevitable.

He is part of a group of dedicated individuals who have been here since the early 90’s when Sun Peaks had yet to be built on top of the foundations Tod Mountain laid. With his resignation he joins several of these people who have recently left executive positions, including retiree Jamie

Tattersfield, head of mountain operations, and Joanne Foster, the resort’s former chief financial officer.

There are only a handful of resort staff, independent business owners and municipal figures left who witnessed this community’s journey from empty lots to pristine village.

And as time marches on, no doubt many more have retirement and other new plans on their horizons.

I had the pleasure of working directly with Christopher for three years in my position at TSP, and we relied on his historical perspective of the resort, his readings on the inherent politics this small village holds, and his views and goals regarding the strategic direction for the future of Sun Peaks every day. His knowledge and passion will be sorely missed.

“With spring around the bend it’s hard not to see recent events through the lens of cycle and renewal.”

His departure is a reminder to soak in everything we can from similar individuals while they’re still active in our community.

I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank Christopher for the role he played in the growth of this community, as well as for the role he played in the growth of my professional career, as I know he did for many others. We can look forward to his skills and experience transferring to his new industry leadership position as

CEO of Canada West Ski Area Association and his continued residence and involvement in Sun Peaks. We at SPIN offer our heartfelt congratulations.

It seems we have reached a natural renewal point. Along with some new faces in several positions and a potential record breaking year, we are seeing two major community projects from the municipality and hearing whispers of another upcoming announcement. I say it often—it’s an exciting time to live and work in Sun Peaks.

This change in season is an opportunity to look around and thank those who have worked so hard to get us to this point and also to welcome new people, who can provide new and exciting ideas and perspectives to continue to grow and improve this mountain town.

Snowless Kamloops doesn’t mean it melted in Sun Peaks JAMIE SHINKEWSKI jamie@sunpeaksnews.com

Born and raised in Kamloops, Jamie grew up skiing Sun Peaks before heading east to earn his Bacherlor’s of Journalism from Carleton University.

Before joining the SPIN team, he was a reporter for the Ottawa Sportspage and KamloopsBCNow.

D

ear Kamloops, winter isn’t over yet.

Officially, winter doesn’t actually end until March 20, but it appears spring is in the air in Canada’s Tournament Capital. The snow has melted in the city, but that doesn’t mean the same can be said for Sun Peaks.

“Do they still have snow?” is a regular question I’ve had people in Kamloops ask me

with complete sincerity since the calendar turned to March.

Admittedly, it was a mild winter in Kamloops. There was no big snowstorm, nor were there extended days with very cold temperatures. Following recent less-than-stellar ski seasons, it’s not overly surprising that skiing has been pushed to the low end of people’s priority list.

Yet, people are seemingly surprised when I tell them how much I’ve enjoyed my days on the mountain.

The mild winter in the region has resulted in a fantastic ski season with relatively warm temperatures and lots of fresh snow, and that trend is continuing as spring approaches.

March started with a big

snowfall depositing over a foot of fresh powder. It snowed so heavily on March 1 they had to cancel the new racing event ‘So You Think You’re Fast, Eh?’ The second week did not slow down. A dump on March 13 and 14 saw 20 centimetres of snow fall in 24 hours pushing the alpine base over 250 cm.

All 135 alpine trails remain open and snow is expected to continue to fall as the month continues. Current long-term forecasts indicate moderate, but not overly warm temperatures through March, which could lead to the best spring skiing conditions in recent years.

At press time the mid-mountain snow base was 225 cm,

according to the Sun Peaks website, and if the snow keeps falling it could be the first season since 1999 to have a snow base of over 200 cm at mid-mountain at the end of March.

March sees 94.1 cm of new snow on average, but much of it tends to melt as the temperature increases. The highest mid-mountain base since the turn of the century was 182 cm (in 2007 and 2014).

The base doesn’t usually shrink dramatically throughout March, which puts 2016 on pace to have the highest snow base so far this century.

March skiing conditions are great, but if you can’t tell from Kamloops it’s okay if you leave the snow for the rest of us.

CRIME

brief

FEBRUARY CRIME REPORT Police will continue enhanced foot patrols throughout March and are currently in the planning stages for enhanced patrols during the upcoming summer.

Tk’emlups Rural Detachment responded to 26 calls to Sun Peaks in February, with no noted trends other than many being “self-generated” in nature.

There were three vehicle related incidents with no serious injuries reported.

On Feb. 7 a complaint was filed regarding three snowmobiles driving from the Woodhaven development to the trail at P6. Police would like to remind the public that snowmobilers using roadways could face hefty fines for driving without insurance on a public street.

On Feb. 20 theft of a credit card resulted in several fraudulent purchases in the village, however police were unable to identify the thief as there was no video surveillance.

• groceries

• produce

Meat & Produce • Baked Goods Oso Negro Coffee • Pharmacy/Personal Items

WE’RE OPEN DAILY For all your grocery needs See you at the Bluebird Market

Open 8 am to 9 pm daily Located on the Ground Floor of the Residences at Sun Peaks Grand

Phone: 250-578-2414

Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

sunpeaksnews.com

5

news Adaptive Sports creates Wulf Trotter Memorial Bursary >>FIRST RECIPIENT WINS TWO GOLD MEDALS AT SKI CAMP

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

A

fter local ski instructor Wulf Trotter’s memorial last summer, a flood of community donations poured in with no real allocation. That’s when close friend Melanie Pouliot decided to use the funds to help others develop the same love for mountain life that Trotter possessed.

The Wulf Trotter Memorial Bursary was born. It will provide up to $500 annual-

ly to help send an adaptive sports student to a provincial ski camp.

“I’m really thankful this is something that has been set up for him because he was so connected to this community,” Pouliot said. “He loved this community. He loved the people and everybody loved him.”

Trotter moved to Sun Peaks and was employed as a ski instructor after retiring from the German police force, where he specialized in alpine rescue.

He joined Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks (ASSP) after work

visa complications prevented him from continuing to instruct with the resort’s sports school.

“He joined our adaptive sports program and was just the most incredible guy. Really sweet, so good with the kids, so personable and the smile out to here,” Pouliot said, spreading her hands wide. “He just had a smile that would light up a room, high energy, full of life and it’s very sad that he’s left us.”

“He was such an important part of this program.”

This year, Daniel Hartt, a

Celebrate in style

“HE JUST HAD A SMILE THAT WOULD LIGHT UP A ROOM, HIGH ENERGY, FULL OF LIFE AND IT’S VERY SAD THAT HE’S LEFT US.” 12-year-old skier with autism, was awarded with the bursary to attend the BC Adaptive Snowsports’ Building Our Best camp in Silver Star from Feb. 25 to 28. Hartt, in his first year skiing with ASSP, won two gold medals in slalom races on the weekend.

The bursary provided him with accommodations, meals and lift tickets for the weekend.

“It can pave the way for their future for skiing and even their own independence, self-worth, self-esteem and confidence,” said ASSP board member Veronica Connors. “This kid has absolutely blossomed.”

Commemorating the coach: A new

bursary in Wulf Trotter’s memory will help current students access ski camps. | PHOTO SUBMITTED

ASSP will wrap up the ski season with their year-end festival on April 3. Races on Sun Catcher run and other fun activities will celebrate students’ progress through the lesson program this year.

KAMLOOPS CLUB LOOKING TO SPONSOR SUN PEAKS START UP

NEW EVENT JOINS END OF SEASON TRADITIONS

by JEAN STRONG

A

s the ski season comes to a close there are a number of events to look forward to, including a new toboggan race, terrain park events and the classic Tod Mountain Days.

“Events are an important part of the Sun Peaks community, bringing new visitors to the mountain, growing the sport of skiing and snowboarding and community involvement,” said Brooke Madley, events manager for Sun Peaks Resort LLP. “It’s a great way to get involved in the community and meet new people. It’s also a fantastic way to celebrate and wrap up what has been a truly amazing season at Sun Peaks.”

The Coors Light Thrill of the Hill on April 2 is a brand new toboggan race for up to 160 am-

6

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ateur participants. Each sled will hold one team of four who will be judged on time, style and spirit as they make their way down the course. Spectators can enjoy a beer garden at the base of the mountain and an after party at The Club.

The next day, riders of all ages can take part in an event sponsored by Oronge Boardshop: Party in the Park is back on April 3. All registration fees go to the Bluebird Day Fund.

Madley encouraged skiers and boarders to enter.

“This grassroots event is a great way to celebrate spring with sunshine and tunes pumping. It’s a great park event for all ages and ability levels to participate in,” she said.

For the last weekend of winter operations, one of the mountain’s longest running events returns. Tod Mountain Days will take place April 9 and 10 with a variety of events throughout the resort.

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People are encouraged to wear their best retro ski gear for the crowd pleasing events.

Additional details and other events will be announced closer to the dates.

For the annual Slush Cup on April 10, contestants will launch themselves down and over or into a pit of ice cold water. Event sponsor Sun Peaks Aquatics will provide a hot tub for those who have braved the water to warm up in.

The annual Top-to-Bottoms race on April 10 showcases costumed racers speeding from Top of the World to Bottoms Bar & Grill. The first person to finish and ring the bell is declared the winner and will have their name added to a trophy. This event is open to those 19 years of age and over. Registration is $20 which goes to the Sun Peaks Education Society and the Sun Peaks Health Center Association.

The Valleyview Overlanders Lions Club is looking to help start a new service club in Sun Peaks.

The Kamloops-based group said they will sponsor a new Lions club if the interest exists. A minimum of five people are required to set up a new branch.

“It’s part of our mandate that if we come across communities where there’s enough people to establish a small group of people that are into the community and feel like they want to put something back into it, that’s good enough reason to start a Lion’s club,” said Dennis Bartlett, first vice president of the Valleyview Overlanders Lions Club.

The club in Sun Peaks would be responsible for organizing fundraisers and meetings, and would control how the money raised would be redistributed into the community.

“You can do whatever you want, it’s just a service club that provides an opportunity for the community to get involved,” said Patrick Lindsay of the Valleyview Overlanders Lions Club.

Lions Clubs International have over 45,000 clubs in over 200 countries worldwide, which Kamloops Lions members said could benefit visitors to Sun Peaks.

“If you travel abroad and you have the opportunity to visit people that are in your group then there’s a bit of a bond there. That’s another attraction to Sun Peaks to have a Lions group there,” Bartlett said.

Anyone interested in more information can contact Lindsay at patrickjlindsay@shaw.ca.

news Village improvements on the way MUNICIPALITY PLANNING TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

S

un Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) is working to expand the valley trail network to allow a safer commute for pedestrians and cyclists.

SPMRM will submit an application for the provincial Bike-

BC grant before April 8 which, if accepted, will provide 50 per cent of the funding for a new 1.5 kilometre walking and cycling trail on the north side of Sun Peaks Road between the fire hall and Fairways Drive.

Funds acquired through the provincial Resort Municipality Initiative would cover the other half of the project. If approved, the new trail will be built

this summer.

“Part of the program, it has to be within a year of the grant you have to get it done, so just because of our construction season we’d have to do it this summer,” said chief administrative officer Rob Bremner.

“The idea is to get people off the road.”

SPMRM is also in the planning stages of two additional projects that Bremner described as features that are lacking in the community.

A committee, including representatives from the art community, Tourism Sun Peaks and Sun Peaks Resort LLP, has discussed a design for a village entrance structure that would officially welcome guests as they enter the community.

“Our idea is to make it a fairly grand piece so people will take their pictures with it, free advertising for the community and make it an entrance

BECOMING FIRESMART

that people will remember,” Bremner said. “One of the thing we constantly get is ‘when are you actually in Sun Peaks?’”

Both the design and location remain in discussions, but Bremner said it would likely be

“We’re going to put our money into those beautification projects, those things that make the community a better place in the spring, summer and fall.” located somewhere along Sun Peaks Road before the Burfield chairlift. Once a plan is in place and a cost is determined, SPMRM will decide when it’s feasible to build the structure.

“It’s one of those projects we’d like to do this year and we think that we could certain-

ly do it, it will really come down to a cost thing. It might have to be done in a couple phases,” Bremner said.

SPMRM is also looking to beautify the unused area at the top of the village stroll near the Tourism Sun Peaks office by adding tables and chairs for people to sit outside. Dependent on cost, it may also include a family-friendly activity such as an artificial putting green or giant chess board.

“I think there’s a real push to make that next step. I think it’s a progression,” said Bremner.

“We’ve been a municipality now for five years and I think you identify things and we’ve suggested we’re going to put our money into those beautification projects, those things that make the community a better place in the spring, summer and fall.”

Bremner said the municipality plans to begin construction on the area in June or July.

CHRISTOPHER NICOLSON NAMED CWSAA CEO

SPFR looks to mitigate wildfire threats With wildfire season approaching, Sun Peaks Fire and Rescue (SPFR) is preparing the village to become an official FireSmart community.

Three SPFR members have taken the FireSmart Representative Workshop in the last 12 months with other members planning to attend in the future. The program, developed by the Partners in Protection Association, allows communities living within wildfire threatened areas to be prepared for an emergency.

SPFR, Sun Peaks Resort LLP and the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality have already taken necessary

steps to reduce the threat of a potential wildfire by reducing the fuel load in the surrounding area and logging trees affected by pine beetle.

Community members can also reduce the risks.

According to Captain Dean Schiavon, fire prevention officer for SPFR, with warmer weather approaching it is time for homeowners and community members to FireSmart their properties.

“The first 10 metres around a person’s home is the biggest threat we face,” he said. “It is often overlooked, but we can contain lots of material that would ignite and help spread wildfire.”

Though trees and brush

are the first thing that homeowners look at, there are other potential threats such as clutter around and outside the home.

“The items found under decks are also very capable of catching sparks and igniting in wildfire conditions,” he said.

SPFR will host an event on May 7 to coincide with National Wildfire Preparedness Day at the Sports Centre field.

The event will include a demonstration on protecting homes. Information regarding the FireSmart program will also be available and FireSmart representatives will be on site to answer any questions, including how to get involved.

On March 9, Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) announced Christopher Nicolson, current president of Tourism Sun Peaks (TSP), will become its new president and CEO. CWSAA is a not-for-profit trade association that represents the ski areas of Western Canada.

In a statement to the TSP Board, Nicolson explained that he accepted a new position as the next step in the evolution of an already successful career. The new role will allow him to remain very active in the Sun Peaks community on

numerous levels. As CEO, Nicolson will represent the ski industry in the areas of government advocacy, safety & risk management, media relations, marketing, and industry conferences.

The TSP board of directors announced they will immediately initiate a national search for candidates to fill the position.

Nicolson will start with CWSAA on April 4 and will enjoy his last day at TSP on April 29. Nicolson plans to remain engaged in the day to day activities of TSP during the search process and transition period.

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GET out there Good vibrations >>OLYMPIAN TERWIEL TAKES HER SKIS INTO THE LAB

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

A

local Olympic skier has taken her passion for skiing into the lab to find out if there is a pattern that could help racers choose their fastest skis during competition.

Elli Terwiel, who grew up racing with the Sun Peaks Alpine Club, is testing the vibrations of skis as she works to complete a civil engineering degree at the University of Vermont. The research idea came to mind during Terwiel’s classes on how structures vibrate during earthquakes or extreme events.

“When we’re doing structural analysis of buildings, a lot of time you’re looking at a beam and it’s supported on the ends by two columns and it’s got a load on the top of it that makes it bend, and I started thinking about how my skis bend and it kind of went from there,”

Terwiel said.

She teamed up with her professor Eric Hernandez and fellow civil engineering student Elizabeth Richards to start testing skis’ vibrations.

“My expertise is obviously in skiing, (Hernandez’s) expertise is in research and vibrations so without his knowledge of how to look at vibrations and really understand what they mean, this

“…the way the ski is dampening seems to line up with how it would react on the hill.” research would not be nearly as effective,” Terwiel said.

During testing, the ski is strapped to a solid surface at the toe of the binding with the

Give it a smack: Elli Terwiel hits her ski with a hammer to test the vibrational frequencies. | PHOTO JOSHUA BROWN

front of the ski overhanging a ledge. Then Terwiel hits it with an impact hammer. Two accelerometers attached to the ski measure movement resulting from the different hits.

So far they have tested four pairs of skis, which Terwiel raced on for various lengths of time, ranging from a brand new set to ones with an entire season’s use. Testing is still in preliminary stages, but they have noticed four fundamental frequency modes.

“There’s a really strong spike that represents the first mode that looks like doesn’t get

dampened quite well and then there’s three modes after that that seems to get dampened much more quickly by the ski,” Terwiel said. “That seems quite reasonable. The first mode would be related to the actual smack of the hammer. When you’re skiing it’s not like someone is smacking a hammer on your skis, it’s much smaller vibrations, so the way the ski is dampening seems to line up with how it would react on the hill.”

Terwiel said she wants to test more skis to compare the difference between the left and

right ski, different brands of skis and skis with different amounts of use.

“I would like to definitely test some more, get some different brands in there as well to really see if we can put together a real sequence of ‘this is what a ski’s vibration looks like’. Not just this one particular ski, but a general idea and being able to decipher from there which ones are more fatigued skis from their frequencies,” she said.

The next step would be to attach accelerometers to skis on the mountain and test the differences between what was seen in the lab and what is noticed while skiing. One day, Terwiel said she hopes it can become a tool for ski racers to help them choose which ski to use for a particular race.

“If you could attach a sensor to your ski on the training day before you race and you are able to see that this ski is actually in the mode or it’s exhibiting the characteristics of the frequency you know you are fast on, you’d be able to choose that ski for your race day,” Terwiel said. “I can see where it would go. We’re in such a preliminary stage of research that’s definitely a long ways away, but it’s fun to play with.”

Events Calendar For details visit SunPeaksResort.com/Events March 19–20 March 26 March 27 April 2 April 3

with guests jeremy kneeshaw & john welsh band

FREE OUTDOOR CONCERTS saturday march 26, 2016 7:30pm–9:00pm

SUN PEAKS RESORT village base 8

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

April 9–10 April 10

Hub International Nancy Greene Festival Bikinis for Breast Cancer Shred Kelly with Jeremy Kneeshaw & John Welsh Band Kids Easter Egg Hunt Coors Light Thrill of the Hill Party in the Park Slopestyle Adaptive Sports Winter Festival & Wind Up Tod Mountain Days Spring Festival Last Day of Winter Lift Operations

GET out there

86 SKIERS TOOK PART IN SUNNY LOPPET

Holy Cow challenging but fun

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

C

ross country skiers headed out on the trails in the sunshine for the annual Holy Cow Nordic Loppet on Feb. 27. There were 86 participants taking part in the four distances, ranging from two kilometres to 24.

“The track was really fast this year. On Friday night there was some rain and then it froze,” said chief-of-race Glenn Bond.

“It was challenging conditions for both the groomer and the skiers to come down the Holy Cow (trail). There were a lot of

“THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING ‘HOLY COW!’”

people saying ‘holy cow!’ It was quite, quite quick.”

The numbers were down from a record of 165 skiers in 2015, but Bond said it’s a strong turnout for a Loppet in B.C. Participants ranged from under five years old to 74

Big smiles: Maya Roberts poses with the Holy Cow mascot following her two kilometre ski. | PHOTO SUBMITTED

years old.

“Nordic (skiing) at Sun Peaks has really been growing over the years and we’re seeing that at the Loppet as well with more locals participating in the event,” he said. “That’s one of the special things about cross country skiing is we have kids racing, and I didn’t look at the exact ages, but probably from ages three or four to 74, so it’s a lifelong sport.”

Trent Smith posted the fastest 24 km time, finishing over seven minutes faster than the next competitor. Zara Bucher claimed the women’s 24 km race by 18.1 seconds. In the 12 km distance Dana Manhard was the fastest male and Alys-

Leading the Pack: Japheth Bucher leads the charge down the 24 kilometre course in the 2016 Holy Cow Nordic Loppet. | PHOTO GUNNER RASMUSSEN

sa Manhard finished first for the women. Tristan Hughes posted the fastest five km time and Ava Kwiatkowski had the fastest two km time.

People strived to post their fastest time, but Bond said it was the comradery that was the highlight of the day.

“That’s the cool thing about cross country skiing, and sport in general, is how supportive everybody is,” Bond said. “All the handshakes and high fives at the finish line that, to me, is what makes cross country skiing so great. Everybody is out there having fun and supporting each other.”

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 6:30 PM Monday March 21, 2016 Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality Council gives notice that it will hold a Public Hearing in Council Chambers at 106-3270 Village Way, Sun Peaks, BC, to consider proposed Bylaws 0064 and 0065.

What is Temporary Use Permit TU-2015-001 Bylaw No. 0064, 2016?

Bylaw 0064, 2016, if passed, would allow tourist accommodation use (nightly/ short-term rental) in the principal dwelling for a period of 18 months at 2216 Sunburst Drive (legally described as Lot 8, District Lots 6259 and 6337, Kamloops Division Yale District, Plan KAP53479). The specific temporary use permit conditions are as stipulated in the proposed permit, a part of Bylaw 0064.

What is Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 0065, 2016?

It is a change to Zoning Bylaw No. 1400 to rezone lands at 4131 Douglas Court (legally described as Lot 4, District Lot 6410, Kamloops Division Yale District, Plan KAP67926), from RS-1 (Residential Single Family One) to RS-1A (Residential Single Family One – Tourist Accommodation) to permit tourist accommodation (nightly/short-term rental).

All persons who believe that their interest in property may be affected by the proposed Bylaws shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard at the Public Hearing. Additionally, they may make written submissions on the matter of these Bylaws (via any of the below options) which must be received at our office prior to 4:00 p.m. on the 18th day of March 2016. The entire content of all submissions will be made public and form a part of the public record for this matter.

How do I get more information?

A copy of the proposed Bylaws and all supporting information can be inspected from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday (except statutory holidays) at our office from February 29, 2016 until 4:00 p.m. the day of the Hearing; or please contact us via any of the below options.

Rob Bremner, Chief Administrative Officer No representations will be received by Council after the Public Hearing has been concluded.

Mail: PO Box 1002, Sun Peaks, BC V0E 5N0 Email: admin@sunpeaksmunicipality.ca Phone: 250-578-2020 Fax: 250-578-2023

Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

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&

arts ENTERTAINMENT Sam Roberts Band to open summer concert series

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

S

ix-time Juno Award winner Sam Roberts Band will kick off the 2016 Summer Concert Series on July 8.

The Montreal-based band will be making their Sun Peaks debut to open the first of two weekends of free live music this summer.

“We’re excited to be coming out to Sun Peaks for the first time,” Roberts said in a press release. “It’s always a pleasure to play music for B.C. crowds – especially in the mountain air.”

The Sam Roberts Band, who played at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and at

the 91st Grey Cup in Regina, is already creating a buzz in the village.

“We got an email from a new homeowner saying he’s really excited about the announcement and he was happy we’re able to profile a Canadian artist,” said Kyle Taylor, media relations specialist for Tourism Sun Peaks. “I think we’re probably just building off the momentum of last year. Every year we try to make it bigger and better for the people at Sun Peaks and also the surrounding community.”

The lineup for the rest of the Summer Concert Series has yet to be confirmed, but July 8 to 10 and August 26 to 28 are scheduled to draw the biggest acts. Other themed week-

Shred Kelly stoked to return >>Fernie band to headline March concert

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

F

M

in a great mood and looking to have a great time, which helps us perform better.”

The band described their style as “stoke folk,” a term coined by their friend because they had difficulty promoting their music. It was too energetic to be considered folk and didn’t have the right sound to be considered folk-rock.

“It’s folk music that gets people really riled up and energized. We just found that it suited and it was a good, short way to explain what people might expect,” McBride said.

“WE’RE EXCITED TO BE COMING OUT TO SUN PEAKS FOR THE FIRST TIME” ery day for new artists or artists that have only just heard of Sun Peaks with the growing summer concert series wanting to come and play,” Hoppenreys said. “We’ve had a few more inquiries as well now that we’ve announced that Sam Roberts

Band will be playing, so having the music search just allows another platform to be able to choose a band.”

The winner will be announced on April 15 with the opportunity to play five shows in Sun Peaks during the summer.

The band features members and a unique sortment of instruments

by Tim Newton on banjo

bass and Ian Page-Shiner on drums.

Their music is largely influenced by their surroundings.

The lyrics are inspired by the town of Fernie, the mountains and the outdoors, and the mountain scenery is featured in their music videos.

Their most popular video, Sing to the Night, won the 2015 Western Canadian Music Award for best music video. The video has over 60,000 views on YouTube and McBride said it will definitely be a part of the show.

“That’s one of our favourites to play live for sure,” she said.

“It’s just a really energetic song because the music video got spread around in mountain towns so a lot people seem to be familiar with that song.”

Kamloops’ Jeremy Kneeshaw will open the concert, followed by John Welsh Band, with Shred Kelly taking to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

“It will be a high-energy live show that will definitely be a great way to celebrate the ski season,” McBride said. “We’re really looking forward to being back at Sun Peaks again.”

vocals, McBride singing and playing keyboard, Ty West on guitar, Jordan Vlasschaert on

Mexican Cuisine made from the finest, freshest ingredients. All prepared by our Chef to be healthy, tasty and fresh.

Early Bird Special + $12 Pitchers from 4 to 6 pm daily 250-578-8343

Sun Peaks’ smallest Hotel with the greatest Rooms.

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five asled and

“IT’S FOLK MUSIC THAT GETS PEOPLE REALLY RILED UP AND ENERGIZED”

Stoke Folk: Shred Kelly will channel their inner ski bum during the Sun Peaks performance. | PHOTO SUBMITTED

Located at the Heffley Boutique Inn

PHOTO SUPPLIED

ut -o e ke bl Ta aila av

G ar rea ga t rit as

resh off a tour of Germany and another of the United States, Shred Kelly is excited to be returning to Canada and in particular, Sun Peaks.

The Fernie-based band will be returning on March 26, nearly a year after their last Sun Peaks appearance, to headline a three-act outdoor concert. They opened for Tokyo Police Club as part of the Dew Tour AM Series last March. “(We’re) really excited to come back,” said Sage McBride, who sings and plays keyboard for Shred Kelly.

“Last year was great. It was so

nice, sunny, warm and beautiful, so we’re hoping for a similar situation.”

The winners of album of the year and best live act at the 2015 Kootenay Music Awards will bring their dynamic and energetic performance to an outdoor, mountainside stage in Sun Peaks, although the exact location of the concert will depend on the snow base leading up to the show.

“It’s always really fun to play those types of events, especially if it’s sunny out or if it has snowed a lot,” McBride said.

“At the end of the day, people have had a great day on the hill and they’re looking to have an even better day dancing to some tunes at the base of the hill. It’s always everyone

ends will also feature smaller outdoor concerts.

“We do have our flashback weekend that’s very focused on music in July and our retro concert weekend as well in August,” said Janice Hoppenreys, events manager for Tourism Sun Peaks. “We do have those music themed weekends, but the two main headlining weekends will be the July 8 and the August 26 to 28.”

New this year, Tourism Sun Peaks is seeking public opinion to help choose one of the bands playing live this summer. Musicians can enter the Sun Peaks Music Search via the resort’s Facebook page, where fans can vote for their favourites.

“We get a lot of requests ev-

&

arts ENTERTAINMENT EVENT > listings FRIDAY

MARCH 18

A TASTE OF ART

Art Zone Sun Peaks presents this interactive art exhibition from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Sun Peaks Grand. artzonesunpeaks.com

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

MARCH 19 & 20

HUB INTERNATIONAL NANCY GREENE FESTIVAL It’s the biggest NGSL ski festival in Canada playing host to over 500 kids.

hubngfestival@gmail.com

MONDAY

MARCH 21

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

7 p.m. at the Sun Peaks Municipal office located in the Kookaburra Lodge. sunpeaksmunicipality.ca

THURSDAY

MARCH 24

TNRD BOOKMOBILE

The TNRD Bookmobile visits the Bento’s Day Lodge parking lot every third Thursday from 3 to 4:15 p.m. bookmobile@tnrd.ca

TOURISM SUN PEAKS

Member Update

SATURDAY

i n f o @ a d a p t i v e sportsatsunpeaks.org

BIKINIS FOR BREAST CANCER

SUNDAY

February resort-wide room night bookings exceeded 2015 by 8.5% and posted an all-time February high. The resort is on track to record its best winter visitation in history.

PARTY IN THE PARK

Sam Roberts Band kicks off the Sun Peaks Summer Concert Series on Friday, July 8. As part of a strategy to welcome guests for multiple nights, the concert has been scheduled on the Friday evening. Music and activities are being scheduled throughout the weekend to entertain guests.

MARCH 26

Ski, snowboard or telemark down an easy run in an ‘S’ formation in bikini tops and snowpants in a fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. karen@threetwodone.com

APRIL 3

Oronge Boardshop presents the final slopestyle event of the season in the intermediate zone. www.sunpeaksresort.com

SATURDAY

MARCH 26

SHRED KELLY AND GUESTS 3:30 - 5 p.m. Jeremy Kneeshaw 5:30 - 7 p.m. John Welsh Band 7: 30 - 9 p.m. Shred Kelly 250-578-5542

SATURDAY

APRIL 2

COORS LIGHT THRILL OF THE HILL

The most epic toboggan race on earth is coming to Sun Peaks. www.sunpeaksresort.com

SUNDAY

APRIL 3

ADAPTIVE SPORTS WINTER FESTIVAL Another successful ASSP season is coming to an end with a wrap up festival to celebrate.

MONDAY

APRIL 4 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING

7 p.m. at the Sun Peaks Municipal office located in the Kookaburra Lodge. sunpeaksmunicipality.ca

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

APRIL 9 & 10 TOD MOUNTAIN DAYS

Don’t miss the annual end of season celebrations. . events@sunpeaks resort.com

SUNDAY

APRIL 10

LAST DAY OF WINTER OPERATIONS www.sunpeaksresort.com

sunpeaksnews.com/events

The rest of our Summer 2016 planning is well underway with many performers booked and other events in the development stages. New to this year’s lineup is Sun Peaks Kids Fest, June 24–26 and Knights of the Sun, Medieval Tournament Theatre—presented by Chimera Theatre—offered most weekends throughout the summer.

The Marketing Team is working closely with events, negotiating a variety robust and exciting summer advertising programs to increase awareness throughout BC and AB for the continued growth of our fantastic line up of events and festivities.

The TSP Market Development team is pleased to announce that for the first time, Sun Peaks will be featured in the Crystal Ski Programme (UK) in 2016–17. Crystal is the world’s largest ski tour operator and this inclusion will significantly enhance the resort’s profile to the massive UK ski market.

With the winter season winding down, Market Development has already registered and will be attending the following regional shows with a summer message to help continue our momentum: Travel, Trips and Adventure Show (Seattle), Prince George Outdoor Show, Kamloops & Vernon Home Shows, and Vancouver Outdoor & Adventure Show.

Last month TSP hosted the S-Media TV crew at the resort to shoot their final episode for Ski Television. The focus of the episode was the “Brewski Tour.” Resorts across BC were featured alongside a local craft brewery; the crew visited local Red Collar Brewing Company in Kamloops, where they sampled and profiled a variety of different beers for the episode. The following day the crew enjoyed fresh powder as they shot their skiing segment all over the front side of Mt. Tod before descending in to Gil’s for their backcountry adventure. The episode is set to be released later this month on their YouTube Channel. S-Media is North America’s only fully-integrated snow sports media company with original network television programming, print magazines, digital, and event properties.

The 2016 summer brochure has arrived. Come by the TSP office to pick up your bundles!

Call 250.578.5380 or visit www.SunPeaksResort.com/Tourism

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youthful CONNECTIONS First Ski-a-thon raises over $700 SCHOOL DONATES PLEDGES TO BLUEBIRD DAY FUND

by BRANDI SCHIER

S

un Peaks Secondary Academy students lapped the mountain over 250 times on Friday, Feb. 26. More than just an excuse to ski, it was the first Ski-a-thon and part of an ongoing initiative by the students to contribute to We Day, which encourages students to contribute to local causes.

As their mandate for the event was to help support local youth who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to access sport, they teamed up the Bluebird Day

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Fund (BDF), a local organization with similar goals.

“The BDF is very pleased and honoured that the faculty and students would consider us for such an event,” said Ben Morris, marketing director for the organization. “We’re also very impressed with the participation and amount of money raised. All fundraising goes directly to helping other youth get a chance to ski, snowboard and progress their skills in their chosen sport. We really appreciate and would like to thank all the students, staff and everyone who donated.

Hopefully this may become an annual event!”

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Eleven students and two teachers participated, racking up 259 runs on Sundance Mountain in four and half hours. Most skied 17 to 20 runs with one student maxing out at 26 runs.

Through pledges they raised over $700 which was handed over the BDF to assist with their sports programs.

“We picked the Bluebird Day Fund because it’s part of skiing and also local,” said student Korina Lindor. “It was fun and competitive between the students and it was also fun seeing the money add up after all the runs we did.”

“WE PICKED THE BLUEBIRD DAY FUND BECAUSE IT’S PART OF SKIING AND ALSO LOCAL.” Racking them up: Students skied over 250 runs for an active first-time fundraiser. | PHOTO SUBMITTED

SEND US YOUR PHOTOS TO BE FEATURED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF SUN PEAKS INDEPENDENT NEWS EDITOR@SUNPEAKSNEWS.COM

Ski TV teamed up with Granville Island for a tasty BrewSki tour, stopping in Kamloops’ micro brews and Sun Peaks. Dave Nichollos, GM of Granville Island Brewing chats with host Claire Challen.

Sun Peaks’ students learned overnight survival and other backcountry safety skills through the All Mountain Skills Camp, made possible by a TELUS grant.

Danielle Richard and Tori Charleton at the fundrasier for local speed skier Joss Advocaat on March 14.

in PHOTOS

OR POST YOUR PHOTOS USING #SUNPEAKSNEWS @SUNPEAKSNEWS

Danny Minogue, former Alpine Canada chair of the board, Kathy Kreiner, 1976 Olympic gold medalist, And Sun Peaks’ Mayor Al Raine (also former Alpine Canada head coach and program director) are all smiles at the ACA alumni event in Mont-Tremblant, Que. which raised over $60,000 for AC athletes.

Chris Dufficy (middle) returned to his youth stomping ground to host The Duff Open slopestyle event on March 12.

Green Art Festival organizer Dasha Novak (middle) poses outside a sold out screening of “Interior Soil” with creator Keenan Kovacs (right) and rider Andrew Helton (left).

Nancy Greene Raine celebrates with the winning legends team at the Nancy Green Alpine Classic, the Rosedale on Robson team comprised of Ian McLaren, Neil Otsig, John Sbrocci and Joan Gardiner.

Olsen Advocaat shows off his two first place medals from a slopestyle weekend competition in Big White.

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opinion Taking the budget out of the boardroom MEL ROTHENBURGER TNRD REPORT director.mrothenburger@tnrd.ca

Mel Rothenburger is the TNRD Director for Electoral Area P, including Whitecroft and Heffley Creek. He was the mayor of Kamloops from 1999-2005 and a former newspaper editor.

“The TNRD should pay for it.”

I hear that often, as I’m sure other regional directors do.

It being the time of year when the Thompson North Regional District (TNRD) polishes up its financial plan, it’s appropriate to talk about money. It’s spent differently in regional districts than it is in municipalities.

In the city, everybody pretty much pays for the same services. Their taxes go into a big pot that’s then directed to everything from policing to parks to potholes throughout the city.

In the unincorporated areas of the regional district, no two communities are alike. For example, in Electoral Area P, McLure has a fire department but no community water system.

Black Pines and Evergreen have water systems but no fire departments. Pritchard North has a water system, a sewer system, a fire department and street lights.

While those things are paid for by people within certain

communities, some things are paid for by everyone, such as libraries, including the Bookmobile. Other things are paid for by everyone in certain electoral areas, or groups of electoral areas, such as mosquito control and dangerous-dog control.

When somebody says, “The TNRD should pay for it,” they usually mean all regional taxpayers should pay for a particular service, but as I’ve outlined above, many services are specific to one particular part of the TNRD. Residents of each community decide which services they want to pay for.

Sometimes, the TNRD is simply the vehicle for collecting the necessary funding.

When someone becomes frustrated with regional government, chances are it has to do with money — they feel their taxes are too high for what they’re getting. The answers are in the budget.

The regional budget is hard enough for directors to wade through, let alone taxpayers, and almost nobody does it.

When the TNRD held an open house on the budget recently in its boardroom, guess how many people showed up, other than staff and a couple of board members (including

me)? Zero. Nobody.

In my view, participatory budgeting is one of the biggest challenges facing the TNRD because when it comes to what the TNRD does and can do, the budget is the source of all understanding. We have to find ways to take the budget out of the boardroom and into communities.

The TNRD, like any other government, isn’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. The more that taxpayers know about it, the stronger it becomes.

Participatory budgeting — that is, where taxpayers have a chance to influence where money is spent — is a two-way street. The TNRD needs to up its game in a way that people can see how the budget affects their wallets. Then, taxpayers are in a better position to provide feedback.

What if the TNRD was to take a few minutes to talk about the budget during the many meetings it holds in the region throughout the year, not just at budget time?

I think it would help. Don’t be surprised if, at future community meetings involving the TNRD, the budget becomes a more prominent part of the agenda.

Prepare for your lines BODIE SHANDRO BACKCOUNTRY PERSPECTIVE Canadian Ski Guide, Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing, Sun Peaks Off-Piste Camp Coordinator

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

W

e don’t have to look far in the news to read about the increasing number of incidents occurring in offpiste terrain, not only here in Canada, but worldwide.

Off-piste, by the way, means beyond groomed runs; the trees, the powder stashes, the hidden gems that sometimes exist just meters away from an in-bound trail or kilometres out in the backcountry.

Over the past few years, the ski industry as a whole, including film makers, magazines and gear manufacturers, have romanticized and promoted the lure of fresh lines and untracked powder. Just 10 years

ago there were only a handful of brands producing backcountry gear. These days every major manufacturer is selling powder skis, all terrain bindings and touring boots. Great news for the industry, but I fear this movement is encouraging unprepared individuals into potentially dangerous terrain without proper training.

On a positive note, organizations like Avalanche Canada, the CSGI (Canadian Ski Guides Institute) as well as our own Sun Peaks Resort have developed and delivered camps and courses specifically designed to educate aspiring off-piste and backcountry enthusiasts.

In Sun Peaks’ All Mountain Skills Camps, our guests are able to safely explore and learn in our off-piste terrain with a Canadian Ski Guide. Our focus is on promoting safety and

awareness of mountain hazards, good decision-making and preparedness in terms of equipment and attitude.

Students are introduced to the fundamentals of terrain assessment, hazard analysis, field observations, overnight survival, as well as companion rescue with transceiver, probe and shovel techniques. As the camp coordinator, I have taken the culmination of my guides training, knowledge and experience and developed a two day course focused on the key fundamental skills required for safe off-piste skiing. In no way do we suggest the camp is a substitute for Avalanche Skills Training, however I do hope that it serves as a catalyst to encourage further education.

I’m confident you will leave with a whole new understanding of mountain hazards and how to avoid them.

BOOK YOUR CLASSIFIED ADS ONLINE AT

SUNPEAKSNEWS.COM/classified

ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS ADS ARE PLACED DAILY

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Summer rate $1,100, available April 1st or 15. 778-840-0551.

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Would prefer 1 year lease. $1100.00 per month. Available May 1. Please contact at tarjar@bcinternet.net or by phone at 250-320-4045.

SEEKING ACCOMM Retired couple, non-smokers, no pets, want long term rental of a house, townhouse, or duplex in Sun Peaks or surrounding area. Prefer unfurnished.

Excellent references. 1-780-435-9182 or email len.fullen@gmail.com.

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Call today to place your advertisement.

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EMPLOYMENT Sun Peaks Lodge is hiring for the summer. May 01 – Oct 20, 2016.

Housekeeper/Breakfast Server full time, Laundry full time, Front Desk Agent/ Housekeeper (year round), Bag pull helper. Please send resume and cover letter to info@sunpeakslodge. com or come by.

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NOTICE SERVICES

Annual General Meeting of the Whitecroft Village Water Thursday, March 24, 2016 7 p.m. sharp Burfield Lodge

(Sun Peaks Resort offices)

NEW SUMMER ADVERTISING PACKAGES

LAUNCHING SOON

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>> sports Currie brothers win in Whistler THREE LOCAL SKIERS TRAVEL FOR SKI CROSS RACE It was the second race of the season in Whistler for the Currie boys. They both advanced to the semifinals on Feb. 6 and 7 before the race was cancelled due to heavy snow.

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

T

wo brothers from Sun Peaks stood atop the podium at the ski cross race in Whistler on Feb. 27 and 28.

Nine-year-old Cameron Currie won the male U10 division and 11-year-old Euan Currie won the male U12 age group.

Jaida McKenzie-White, also from Sun Peaks, advanced to the semifinals in the female U14 category.

The Currie boys each finished first in the qualifying times and maintained their lead throughout the elimination races.

“It’s hard and they catch you quite a bit if you’re in front,” Cameron said. “My dad tells

“My dad tells me ‘get in front and stay in front’ because you pretty much control the race when you’re in front.”

Skiing in Whistler: Euan Currie, Cameron Currie and Jaida McKenzie-White raced ski cross on Feb. 27 and 28. | PHOTO SERENITY CURRIE

me ‘get in front and stay in front’ because you pretty much

control the race when you’re in front.”

DUFF RETURNS FOR SLOPESTYLE SHINDIG

Like a legend: Host Chris Dufficy nails a big grab during the 2016 Duff Open. | PHOTO JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

Despite furious weather, 40 skiers and snowboarders took to the advanced terrain park on March 12 in the third Duff Open slopestyle competition.

The event was hosted by local snowboarding legend Chris Dufficy. Each participant took two runs, with the top five in each category advancing to the finals.

The event raised funds and

awareness for concussions and brain injuries. This year, the competition raised about $1,900 for the Kamloops Brain Injury Association.

“I was one of the first (professional) snowboarders to wear a helmet,” Dufficy said. “It’s something that I believe in that needs to be spoken out in public a lot more and this is one thing I can do to get it out there.”

Logan Short won the men’s open snowboard category with Malcolm Eppinger claiming second and Myrosha Daley finished third.

Justin Rokosh won the men’s open ski division followed by Halley Sullivan in second and Bram Treissman rounding out the top three.

Abbey Lewis took the top spot in the open women’s category with Hayley Petznick in second and Zuzy

Rocka finishing in third place.

Jax Anderson won the junior snowboard category with Markus Abraham and Samson Hawley joining him on the podium.

Drummond Maule claimed the junior ski division followed

by Ernie Warren in second and Tyson Silvester in third.

Dufficy grew up in Kamloops and although he now lives in North Vancouver, he said he wants to help grow the Duff Open to be Sun Peaks’ top annual competition.

“We didn’t have a park.

I grew up snowboarding here when it was called Tod Mountain,” the 36-year-old said. “It just shows you what the industry has come to these days, what snowboarding does, the impact that freestyle snowboarding and skiing has and what the hill can provide for it now.”

They are both members of the Sun Peaks Alpine Club and decided to try ski cross after watching Olympic Games races.

“We watched it first in the Olympics and we thought it was pretty cool and fun,” Euan said.

“Our dad showed us some videos and I went on YouTube and watched the Olympics. Then our parents said ‘why not try it out,’ so we did and we ended up liking it,” Cameron added.

Ski cross combines their pas-

sion for speed with their love for jumps and rolls. Without a designated track in Sun Peaks, they train using parts of the terrain park and the natural terrain along the sides of runs.

The brothers said the creation of a new ski cross track in Sun Peaks would be great as it would provide somewhere to train and get more local skiers racing in the discipline.

Their father, Duncan Currie, said he also hoped to see Sun Peaks host races as it would attract many young skiers to the mountain.

The first race in Whistler had 185 participants between the ages of nine and 13 and the most recent race had over 100 racers.

“For these guys it would be awesome to actually train.

There’s not many venues and there’s not many races,” Duncan said. “That would be great just for the training venue, but also to strengthen the club and to have another race venue for other clubs and other teams to come and utilize here.”

NANCY GREENE ALPINE CLASSIC RAISES $30,000 The 20th annual TELUS Nancy Greene Alpine Classic raised $30,000 in support of the Sun Peaks Health Association, Junior Racers and the Royal Inland Hospital Emergency fund on Feb. 19 and 20.

Thirty-two teams and 128 racers competed for the trophies in three categories.

The Snow Sports School team, made up of Keith Massey, Vincent Lafontaine, George Terwiel and Anne Terwiel, claimed first place

in the sport category. Team Funk, with Jim, Elizabeth, Graham and Stuart Funk racing as a family placed second, and third place went to Thompson Regional Contracting, comprised of Greg Sissons, Christine Quirion, Luc Neron and Jamie Jack.

The masters category of racers 50 years of age or older was won by the local Sotheby’s team of Mike Forster, Bill Kals, Brian Erickson and Penny Erickson.

Grether Contracting placed second, made up of Andre Grether, Elia Ganderski, Len Andrews and Tammy Ulmer.

Dave’s Speed Demons, made up of Linda Zumwalt, Doreen Johnstone, Roger Bourbonnais and Paul Sicotte, placed third.

The legends category, made up of racers aged 60 and older, was won by the Rosedale on Robson team comprised of Ian McLaren, Neil Otsig, John Sbrocci and Joan Gardiner.

Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

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>> sports First Nations team claims the podium in Big White

Coming in hot: Darrell Jules speeds into third place.

by BRANDI SCHIER

B

eing rookie racers didn’t stop the Kamloops division of the First Nations Snowboard Team from reaching the podium at the Like Me Snowboard Cross Provincial Finals, presented by BC Snowboard, in Big White on March 6.

Five local competitors placed in the top three in their catego-

| PHOTO JIM HALL MEDIA

ries with another four finishing in the top eight. Only three racers had faced competition before with the remainder riding on a boarder cross course for the first time.

Head coach Desiree Janzen said she was impressed to see the team’s results, especially in a field of more experienced racers.

“All the kids they raced against had probably been to two or more races prior. There’s B.C.

Dirty Feet hits the snow JODI ROBERTS kamloopsparent.com

Jodi is originally from Montréal, Quebec and moved to Kamloops in the Spring of 2010. She works as a Special Education Assistant for school district 93 and is also a part-time volunteer adaptive ski instructor at Sun Peaks. She loves being outdoors and exploring the area with her husband and two small children!

J

ust under 70 people strapped on snowshoes and took part in the final North Face Dirty Feet Snowshoe Fun Run/Walk of the season on Feb. 27 in Sun Peaks. Both five kilometere and 10 km races began at dusk and the first participants were treated to a beautiful winter mountain sunset.

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

team riders there and B.C. development riders so they really held their own, that’s for sure,” she said.

“It was amazing. They continue to surpass my expectations.

The experience for them was great and for us as coaches, we were proud. I was very proud.”

James Hamming placed first in the Men’s U19 with teammate Darrell Jules joining him on the podium in third place. Richard Celestra took fifth and Lyle Juarez maintained sixth place despite sustaining an ankle injury which required surgery.

“James winning first was amazing,” Janzen said. “He blew me away from when we started training to the end. He was just really determined.”

“They all did so well. Lyle being the oldest, it was great to see his

>>Racers snoeshow into the sunset The five km course consisted of a groomed start from the village followed by a single track through the woods out to the halfway point at the bottom of the Burfield Outrun alpine trail.

The course then followed the Burfield Outrun across several ski runs, offering stunning nighttime views of the village before heading back down to the finish line.

In the women’s 10 km race, Sindy Smith crossed the finish line first with a time of 1:06:28, followed closely by Michelle Camille at 1:06:36.6 and Christina Masse in third place at 1:26.55.3.

leadership and his improvement each run. His injury was unfortunate… that probably gutted me the most. As a coach you never want to see anyone get hurt.”

In the Women’s U19 Cassie Thomas claimed second place and Rayne Porter claimed third. Sadie Lawrence narrowly missed the podium coming in fourth place.

“We tried to get Sadie competing last year but she struggled and didn’t continue with it. So this year, to see her get down the course and race and be completely ecstatic with herself was probably the highlight of the trip,” said Janzen. “I know she didn’t get the results she wanted but I think she deserves definite praise for what she accomplished.”

Gabby Boucher was third in

Jenifer Lindstein won the women’s five km race with a time of 33:44.9, followed by Erica Malerby at 35:29.2 and Leandra Fallis in third place at 38:49.2.

The men’s 10 km race was won by Johannes Raath with a time of 52:15.4, followed by Brad Wright at 57:13.7 and Jon Shephard at 1:02:50.5.

Cameron Gillis was the first male to cross the five km finish line at 33:34.3, followed closely by Greg Howell at 33:54.1 and David Locke with a time of 37:12.5.

Following the race, the festivities continued at Masa’s Bar + Grill, with prizes available for nearly every snowshoe racer thanks to the many sponsors of the Dirty Feet Series. The two youngest competitors of the race, five-year-old Lienke Raath and six-year-old Jared

“It was amazing. They continue to surpass my expectations.”

the Women’s U15. Bill Brewer slipped out on a berm and came in eighth in the Men’s U15. In February, Brewer finished fifth and sixth in a Like Me snowboard cross series event in Big White.

The team has now finished competing for the year.

“We had a lot of help from John Spanos, the Whistler high performance coach for the First Nations (team) so thank you to him,” said Janzen. “And Anne Keith put it all together. Without her, we wouldn’t have went.”

Little Snowshoes: Dirty Feet participants ranged in age and ability levels. | PHOTO JODI ROBERTS

Roberts each received $20 gift certificates to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

The Dirty Feet Snowshoe Series will return in winter 2017. For updates, check out www.dirtyfeet.ca.

>> sports Dallaire places seventh at BC Games

ALPINE CLUB CLAIMS FOUR TOP 20 FINISHES

Slalmon Run: Sun Peaks’ Brynn Applegath takes a hard turn.

| PHOTO

MIKE JACOBY

by JAMIE SHINKEWSKI

S

kiers from Sun Peaks had a strong showing at the BC Winter Games at Apex Mountain from Feb. 26 to 28.

Kamloops’ Luc Dallaire had two fourth place finishes en route to a seventh place over-

all finish in the U14 freestyle skiing competition.

Dallaire, a member of the Sun Peaks Freestyle Club, placed fourth in the slopestyle competition on Friday, 18th in the moguls event on Saturday and fourth in the big air competition on Sunday.

“I’m not very good at moguls because I don’t do it much,” Dal-

laire said with a laugh. “It was fun. I was one of the better ones at jumps but my moguls ruined it all because I’m not very good.”

The 11-year-old was one of the youngest skiers in his age group, competing against skiers as much as three years older.

“It was really fun. I’m happy because of my age category,” he said. “If they landed their set I definitely knew they were going to beat me, but I was just skiing for myself.”

Five skiers from the Sun Peaks Alpine Club (SPAC) finished the weekend with four top 20 finishes.

“There was definitely a lot of nerves going on but I think at the

end of it they were happy with how they did, and now it gives them an idea of where they’re sitting in their age group for the province,” said Danielle Cowburn, a SPAC coach who was also head coach of the Okanagan Zone at the Games.

Noa Hooton opened the weekend with an 18th place finish in the female giant slalom. Brynn Applegath placed 27th.

Rio Shatzko finished 14th in the male giant slalom, Ben Jacoby finished 21st and Clayton Dent finished right behind his SPAC teammate in 22nd.

Hooton skied to a 20th place finish in Saturday’s female slalom. Jacoby placed 22nd and Shatzko finished 23rd in the

DONOR

The Sun Peaks Health Association, on behalf of the TELUS Nancy Greene Alpine Classic Organizing Committee, extends a huge THANK YOU to all our event sponsors, donors and participants.

We are getting closer to making the new Health Centre a reality.

Over $30,000 was raised in support of the Sun Peaks Health Association, Junior Racers and the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation.

MAJOR SPONSORS: SUN PEAKS RESORT CORPORATION TELUS SUN PEAKS GRAND HOTEL GOLD SPONSORS: Sotheby’s International Realty Superior Gas Liquids SILVER SPONSORS: EcoFluid Fortis BC Urban Systems Thompson Regional Contracting BROZE SPONSORS: MJB Law Corporation Re/Max Alpine Realty Ziebart DONORS: Cahilty Creek Bar & Grill Costco Fresh Is Best Mars Canada Masa’s Bar & Grill McSporties Rosedale On Robson Safeway

Thirty one teams and over sixty enthusiastic volunteers helped to make this event a success.

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men’s slalom on Saturday. Both Applegath and Dent did not finish their races.

Applegath bounced back to finish 17th in Sunday’s female slalom race and Hooton placed 28th. Dent finished 22nd, Jacoby 26th and Shatzko 32nd in the male slalom race on Sunday.

“The entire (Okanagan) group that was with us was finishing in the top 25 for the most part,” Cowburn said. “I think they were happy and realized we’re a strong zone.”

Kamloops will host the 2018 BC Winter Games with Sun Peaks serving as the venue for alpine and freestyle skiing, and biathlon.

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Vol 14 Issue 3 March 18 — April 14

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Spectacular mountain views from every room of this beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse located in magical Crystal Forest. This corner location has it all... beneath the bell tower, close to lifts and village with great ski-in access, designed to capture the ambiance of a Tyrolean ski village. Extensive use of knotty pine for added warmth, newer flooring & paint, cozy rock fireplace, offered fully furnished with private hot tub and two underground parking spaces. GST paid.

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This charming 1 bdrm condo is located only minutes from all village services which makes this an attractive home to visit anytime of the year, or live year round. Cozy wood burning fireplace, natural finishes & open floor plan w/ vaulted ceiling add to the warm feeling this condo offers. This property backs onto the golf course & valley trail w/ great mountain views & if offered furnished with GST paid.

4106 Sundance Drive - $1,379,000

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Exceptional ski-in, ski-out property sitting on the 16th Fairway of the Sun Peaks Golf Course. The front window elevation facing the golf course & Tod Mountain is 2 stories high provides a dramatic sense of space in the living area and the views are unsurpassed. There is a large bright kitchen with granite eating bar. The master bedroom has a private door to the front deck and features a spacious ensuite with separate tub and shower. Offered fully furnished with quality furnishings throughout. GST paid.

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Great opportunity for your family to have the perfect 2 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse in the growing community of Sun Peaks. Fantastic location with views of Mt. Morrisey & just steps away from the ski lifts, nordic trails & village. This home is being offered fully furnished with beautiful decor, cozy river rock fireplace and warm pine finishing. Features secure heated underground parking, ski storage locker, private hot tub, sunny southern exposure & GST paid.

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LI NE ST W IN G

LI NE ST W IN G

High quality custom built mountain home in fantastic ski-in, ski-out location. Spectacular window package provides exceptional panoramic views. The Great Room is open & expansive featuring a stunning floor to ceiling natural ledger stone fireplace. The cabinetry & finishing detail is impressive throughout. Comfortable hot water radiant heat on basement & main floor levels. Features a large self contained legal suite with 10’ ceilings, 2 car garage plus toy garage. This home is low maintenance & is offered fully furnished with GST paid.

#59 Crystal Forest - $269,000

LI NE ST W IN G

4206 Bella Vista Drive - $1,569,000

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