It is summer opening weekend at Sun Peaks Resort, and the CEO of Tourism Sun Peaks says the chairlift will once again be running until 7 p.m. every day during the summer season.

“In the past, the mountain has stayed open late on weekends in September, but this time it will be daily, right through until September 26,” Arlene Schieven said on the NL Morning News.

“That means that the twilight ticket which is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. will be available so its a great opportunity for people from Kamloops to come up after work.”

Schieven says she is looking forward to the return of mountain biking and hiking now that Step 2 of B.C.’s COVID Restart Plan is officially underway, with Step 3 expected next month.

“Our visitation in the summer does tend to be quite B.C. focused, so as soon as we heard about the travel restrictions being lifted, we launched our marketing and immediately saw some really interest with people checking out the website,” Schieven added. “And then Alberta as well, when Canada-wide travel opens up, that will help Sun Peaks as well.”

“We’ve been really fortunate that our businesses have been able to make it through everything. We’ve seen some really strong support from our local community but of course, they are all really really hoping for a strong summer after having a not so strong winter.”

A true impact of the uptake in visitors to Sun Peaks won’t be available for at least few weeks when the first hotel occupancy reports come out.

The first chairlift of the 2021 summer Sun Peaks season was at 10 a.m. this morning.

“One of the most important things for people to know is that you still have to book your ticket in advance. We want to make sure that there is no crowding and that its a really great experience for everyone who comes here,” Schieven noted.

“As well, you need to wear a mask when you’re in the line up and when you’re in the chair.”