Through September and into October Sun Peaks can be a quiet place. The guests and many of the seasonal workers are largely gone and most businesses take a little break to recoup or renovate.  The place is not dead entirely but it does take on a sleepy, dreamlike state.

Then, starting somewhere in late October, there is a subtle shift. The locals start talking about the weather. A lot. New faces begin to appear and the buzz in the village starts to return. Then… the first big snow of the season. It is all anybody will talk about for the week and we all turn to obsessive speculation: Will there be enough of the white stuff to open on time? Will the new day lodges be ready ? Will my kids boots fit or will I have to buy them new ones… AGAIN?

This year’s opening day was touted to be the best ever, with plenty of powdery, lovely snow and almost all lifts and runs open. Well, if the parking lots were anything to go by, then it was also the most well attended. And why shouldn’t it be? To our family, the anticipation and ultimate reward of being on the mountain that first day is better than Christmas. Those first few hours of regaining of ski legs up in the open is heavenly (a bit painful and exhausting too… we only lasted a few hours).  All in all, it was a very good day made sweeter by a half year’s wait.  So good that me and my sore muscles cannot wait to get out there again, and again, and again.

Happy Opening day, y’all!