Beyond the Snow: Sun Peaks Resort

Across each snowbound mountain destination on the Ikon Pass, there’s always more than meets the eye going on behind the scenes. Mountain wide – from before the sun rises until well after it sets – these activities and actions are rarely seen by guests. Yet, they are experienced day-in-and day out, constantly making the on-mountain experience something special and unique.

Beyond the snow, it takes motivated, passionate people to move mountains. These are the Ikon Pass employees who have demonstrated what it takes to keep things running, stepping up in hard times, and forever showing love for their mountain communities.

Melissa Da Silva – Bike Park Supervisor and Snowboard Trainer

For almost seven years, Melissa has been an integral part of Sun Peaks Resort, sharing her love for snowboarding in winter and mountain biking in summer. While working at a multi-season resort may seem like the obvious way for Melissa to combine two of her passions, it wasn’t initially the career path she had been headed down. During her time working in a different field, she realized how much she loved teaching snowboarding and on a leap of faith, she quit her job in Toronto and followed her heart to Sun Peaks where she landed a job instructing in their Sports School.

As she left behind her city life and embraced a new career, Melissa realized that there were many things about living and working on a mountain that set her job apart from others. Gone were the long commutes and the city skyline and instead Melissa found herself with the opportunity to spend every day outdoors, surrounded by fresh air and nature. For Melissa, the most rewarding part of this career change has been having the opportunity to work in an environment that allows others to enjoy the mountains just as much as she does.

“If you are visiting, please be kind and take care of it like it is yours, we all love this place and want to keep it beautiful.” – Melissa

One of the most unique parts of her job is having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Whether it is families on vacation or aspiring instructors on a gap year, Melissa gets to connect with new people every day. Over the past few years, Melissa has had the opportunity to not only teach, but to build relationships with her students and gain friends that she can visit all over the world during the off-season. Finding this tight-knit community of adventure-seekers has allowed other destinations to feel welcoming and familiar even when outside her home resort.

While Sun Peaks is a vacation destination for many, Melissa is lucky enough to call the mountain her home. With easy access to countless trails to hike, bike, and explore, she’s always up for an adventure. As if that’s not enough access to the outdoors, she even has a chairlift practically in her backyard – talk about the ultimate convenience.

Melissa’s unwavering passion for teaching and her deep love for the mountains make her an invaluable member of the Sun Peaks Resort team. Whether you’re a visitor or a fellow team member, let’s join Melissa in taking care of the mountain and ensuring that its beauty remains for generations to come.

Melissa’s must-do activities while visiting Sun Peaks Resort:

Visit one (or all) of the three peaks at Sun Peaks Resort as “there are spots on each of these mountains where you get great views of the others.”

Take a bike ride out to McGillivray Lake which is “a pretty, quiet place outside of the village.”

Whether it’s by alpine hiking or riding the chairlift, “make sure you get anywhere higher up where you can get a long look down the valley” for some of the best views that Sun Peaks has to offer.