For those who can get to Sun Peaks this year, it sounds like you will be in for a treat. Doubtful that they will get the main highways from the coast repaired and open in time for ski season. Not only to you have to take an alternate route that with no traffic runs 8-9 hours from Seattle, but as it turns out when you cut over form 97 onto highway 5 there is still a section that is partially closed and you have to wait for an RCMP escort to proceed. Som friend told me the drive to Kamloops alone was actually taking 12+ hours and with all the ongoing rain it was possible that even these alternate routes would be closed intermittently. A real shame as we were hoping to sneak in a quick trip to Sun Peaks this year.
Normally the quickest way from the Oroville Wa/Osoyoos BC crossing into Canada on Hwy 97 is to then take the Okanagan Connector (97C) from south of Kelowna to the Coquihalla Hwy (5A) at Merrit and then to Kamloops.
However, if sections of the Coquihalla Hwy from Merrit to Kamloops are indeed closed, then heading north on Hwy 97 thru Kelowna and Vernon to Hwy 1 and then west to Kamloops would be a better route.
Pro tip: While over 50% of Sun Peaks runs are now open, for it to be worth an out of town visit, wait until Munro Ridge, Runaway Lane, Blazer, Cruiser, Exhibition, Broadway, 5th Avenue, Intimidater, and Sting are open before spending time and $ to get to SP. These are lower mountain runs and need about 2 feet or less of compacted snow to open.
A trip from Victoria, where I am now, to Sun Peaks is normally less than 8 hours including the ferry, but now with a detour thru WA (I-5 to Hwy2 to Hwy97), I am looking at about 16+ hours total (not including a motel room stop over). Hopefully by the time I head to SP, in early January they will have begun to allow non essential travel on Hwy 3 or Hwy 99, but
