Canada’s Second Largest Resort Joins the Ikon Pass

You know ski season is officially ramping up when one of the mega passes announces brand new additions to its offerings. Alterra Mountain Company today announced that the Ikon Pass will offer passholders access to two new destinations for the 2022-’23 season: Sun Peaks Resort in B.C., and Grandvalira Resorts Andorra in the Pyrenees.

These additions come on the heels of five other resorts added to the Ikon Pass for the coming season, including Chamonix in France, Sun Valley (which switched from the Epic Pass to the Ikon Pass), Snowbasin, Lotte Arai Resort in Japan, and B.C.’s Panorama, bringing the total number of destinations on the 2022-’23 Ikon Pass to more than 50 in 11 different countries.

Though Sun Peaks has traditionally played second fiddle to its B.C. neighbor, Whistler Blackcomb (on the Epic Pass), the resort boasts 4,270 skiable acres, making it the second largest ski area in Canada and the seventh largest in North America. It doesn’t have the vertical or the extremes that Whistler has, but due to its location in Interior BC just outside of Kamloops, Sun Peaks sees more sun and drier snow than B.C.’s crown jewel.

Related: The 7 biggest resorts in North America

“Our global destination is well positioned to provide strong value and hospitality for Ikon Pass holders at our easy-going, laid-back resort in the interior of British Columbia,” said Aidan Kelly, Sun Peaks’ chief marketing officer in a press release.

In the coming season, Ikon Pass holders will gain access to seven days at Sun Peaks with no blackout dates, while Ikon Base Pass holders will have access to five days with select blackout dates. The B.C. resort will also be available on the Ikon Session Pass.

With the addition of Sun Peaks, Ikon Pass holders will now have access to five resorts in B.C., including Revelstoke, RED Mountain, Cypress Mountain, and Panorama Mountain, though you’d have to be a seriously committed road tripper to link all five in one trip. Ikon Pass holders would do better to link Sun Peaks with Revelstoke (just three hours west by car) and SkiBig3 (another three hours west of Revelstoke and also on the Ikon Pass).

Across the big pond and in the sovereign state of Andorra, Grandvalira Resort Andorra gives Ikon Pass holders a chance to ski the Pyrenees. Covering 7,599 acres across three ski resorts—Grandvalira, Ordino Arcalís (home to one of the Freeride World Tour stops), and Pal Arinsal—Grandvalira Resort boasts 215 runs accessible via 123 lifts, making it the largest ski resort in the Pyrenees and one of the biggest in Europe.

Ikon Pass holders gain access to a combined seven days at Grandvalira’s three resorts with no blackout dates; Ikon Base Pass holders will get five days across the three resorts, with select blackout dates. This resort will also be available on the Ikon Session Pass.

“Grandvalira Resorts Andorra is the ideal destination for those who seek a new adventure at one of Europe’s largest ski resorts,” said Juan Ramón, managing director of Grandvalira Resorts Andorra, in a press release. “Ikon Pass holders will love our spectacular views of the Pyrenees, expansive terrain, mountain activities, shopping, and our famed culinary traditions and unique culture of the country of Andorra.”

Learn more about the 2022-’23 Ikon Pass and its resorts here.