Sun Peaks: New Crystal Chair On Track To Kick Off Winter 2020-21!

It's been a wild ride so far in 2020, but the progress of the Crystal chairlift project remains on track for a planned opening at the start of the winter season. The newest addition to the lift system at Sun Peaks took shape in the alpine throughout the summer as mountain bikers, hikers, and sightseers enjoyed the trails below. And now, with October here, they’re counting down to ski season opening day and thought they’d share some in-progress photos of the Crystal construction from the past few months to help get you stoked!

Initial work on the new chairlift began back in 2019 with site preparation, including pouring foundations for the lift towers. Construction then began again in earnest this spring as soon as the snow had sufficiently receded (with a bit of a helping hand from the team). June 25 was a high point of the construction process, as a helicopter took to the skies above Mt. Tod to install the towers. Work continued through summer and into fall as the top and bottom terminals took shape, lift huts were constructed, and the cable was installed.

This latest lift project is the first component of an upper mountain redesign for alpine terrain access at Sun Peaks. The Burfield chairlift will continue running to its current location, meaning guests will have the advantage of two lifts accessing the Top of the World area. Another important component of the project will involve ski run grading to improve skier access from Top of the World to signature Sun Peaks runs such as Spillway and Headwalls.

"A new Crystal Chair is very important as we look at the future of our upper mountain terrain at Sun Peaks. As more people continue to discover the Sun Peaks experience, we need to invest in moving additional guests around the mountain effectively and efficiently. This new lift and alignment will provide many options both now and in the future as we continue striving to deliver the finest mountain resort experience,” said Darcy Alexander, Vice President and General Manager.