Resort height: 1200m
The mountains
Sun Peaks' skiing is split between three separate peaks, and on all three you'll find top-to-bottom runs which beginners will be able to manage by the end of their first week. It's rare for first-time skiers to be able to range so freely over a mountain, on such long runs, and for this reason alone it's worth making the trek to Canada for your first skiing or snowboarding experience. But there are two more powerful incentives. The first is the excellent ski school, where English-speaking lessons come as standard. The second is that the ski trails are so quiet here you won't be troubled by young bloods zooming past you at speed every five seconds - an experience which unnerves many beginners in busier ski resorts.
For much the same reasons, early intermediates will have a blast in Sun Peaks too - though their more skilled comrades will have skied or boarded the place to death after three days. In which case, it's best to think of Sun Peaks as one stop on a road trip which also takes in other ski resorts in the region, such as Whistler.
Getting there
It's a long way to British Columbia. Most holiday packages have you flying into Kamloops airport (changing planes at Vancouver or Calgary en route). The transfer to Sun Peaks is under an hour.
Rating: 
5/10
Après-ski
It depends what you're after. For a quiet relaxing drink in a hotel bar at the end of the day, Sun Peaks is perfect. But party animals will hate the place: the only time it livens up is on Friday and Saturday nights when the locals pile in from Kamloops. Bottom's pub and Mackdaddy's nightclub are the places to join them. For dinner, there are lots of options in Sun Peaks for a mid-priced meal (Macker's Bistro is the most popular). For something more upscale, try Powder Hounds in the Fireside Lodge, which has a good, meaty European/Canadian menu.
Rating: 
6/10
Non-skiers
There's plenty to do on the slopes, including dog-sledding, sleigh rides, cross-country skiing and ice-skating. The sports centre also has a heated outdoor pool. But Sun Peaks is a small resort, so don't expect masses of shopping or a big buzz during the day.
Rating: 
7/10
Cost of living
Sun Peaks is fairly cheap once you get there, despite the current strength of the Canadian dollar - and there's a good range of accommodation from upscale hotels to cheap apartments. Five days' tuition will cost about the same as in a French ski resort.
Rating: 7/10
Attractiveness of the resort
The mountains aren't craggy like they are in the Alps or some of the Rocky-Mountain resorts, but Sun Peaks is still a lovely place to stay - the purpose-built village is compact and well-designed, the architecture unassuming and the sense of being far from the madding crowd intoxicating.
