Sun Peaks BC will be the venue for the first CWSAA Mountain Bike Operations Workshop on October 2 & 3 scheduled in conjunction with the CWSAA BC-Yukon Fall Meeting on October 1 & 2.
CWSAA had the opportunity to join Chief Marketing Officer Aidan Kelly on a tour of Sun Peaks’ new 9 kilometre Green Trail. Machine made, the trail features flow sections and berms, and the tires stay on the ground. While more than a true beginner rider trail, it serves the broad audience of recreational riders partaking in lift-accessed downhill mountain biking. It can be viewed as serving the expanding Enduro XC market as much as true downhill.
The Sun Peaks mountain bike experience utilizes the Sunburst high speed quad chair with dedicated mountain bike carriers. Hiking and sightseeing guests uses the same lift – lift signage and mazing separates the two groups.
Sun Peaks has adopted the Freeride and Technical trail progression signage and clearly displays this on maps, signs, brochures and websites. The CWSAA Fall Mountain Bike Workshop will include a session by Whistler Blackcomb’s Kira Cailes on setting riders up for success through proactive risk and safety initiatives including managing expectations. Sun Peaks also engages this strategy and includes lift-line signage and messaging such as ‘take it easy on the first lap’ and ‘trail conditions do change’.
Sun Peaks also operates a conveyor lift which services an entry-level mountain bike skills park. This includes berms and small drops. It is an important part of building a mountain bike market and ensuring a positive first experience for new rides. This area will be toured by the CWSAA Mountain Bike Workshop participants.
Good idea: At the top of the chairlift, a food and beverage menu is posted beside the tool bench and trail map to encourage meal sales later in the day.
The same technology used for electronic winter trail reports is used for the bike park trail status report.
