Ep.34 - Darcy Alexander, CEO of Sun Peaks Resort, BC
What does it take to build a ski resort that still looks remarkably like the vision its founders had 40 years ago?
Today, we're heading to Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia to talk with CEO Darcy Alexander about how a long-term vision helped shape one of Canada's best-known and largest ski destinations. From a small, local ski area with aging infrastructure, Darcy helped put together the plan that his team has executed over the past 30+ years on over $1.7 billion dollars of development and a world class ski in ski out village.
We'll get into the big decisions behind Sun Peaks' growth, how to build a resort around the guests you actually want to attract, why partnerships and guest experience can be more powerful than advertising, and how to build a business that can thrive for decades, not just one season at a time.
So, grab a coffee, settle in, and let's head up to the sunny slopes of Sun Peaks and chat with Darcy Alexander, CEO of Sun Peaks Resort.
5 Actionable Insights from Darcy Alexander at Sun Peaks
1. Build a 20-Year Vision, Not Just an Annual Plan
Quick Description
Meaningful resort development takes patience, consistent investment and a clear long-term vision. Short-term revenue opportunities can sometimes undermine the bigger business you are trying to build.
How Sun Peaks Uses It
Darcy described how Sun Peaks followed a village and resort master plan developed decades ago, with original renderings that still closely resemble what has been built.
The resort invested in foundational infrastructure before it could fully benefit from future development.
Sun Peaks chose not to develop a prime, flat area for an earlier real estate return, preserving it for a future village expansion instead.
Darcy said Sun Peaks had completed approximately $1.7 billion in development over 33 years, emphasizing that growth happens incrementally.
How Other Ski Areas Can Use It
Create a 10–20-year master plan that connects lift infrastructure, terrain, lodging, guest services and real estate.
Evaluate major investments against the future resort you want to build, not just next season's revenue.
Identify short-term opportunities that could compromise future growth and establish clear decision-making criteria.
Review the plan annually, adapting to new conditions without abandoning its core purpose.
The key lesson: Be flexible about the route, but deliberate about the destination.
2. Build Your Resort Around Your Actual Market
Quick Description
A resort's strongest competitive position comes from understanding who its guests really are and designing the product around their needs, not simply trying to appeal to the most advanced or vocal skiers.
How Sun Peaks Uses It
Darcy explained that while Sun Peaks has steep, challenging terrain for expert skiers, he sees the broader market as intermediate skiers and people aspiring to become more advanced.
The resort's vision emphasized varied terrain, something for everyone, and a ski-in/ski-out village and community.
The name change from Todd Mountain to Sun Peaks was part of communicating a different identity: a destination with broader appeal, rather than only a steep and gnarly mountain.
How Other Ski Areas Can Use It
Analyze your guest mix by ability level, geography, age, visit frequency and trip purpose.
Ask which guest segments offer the best fit with your terrain, facilities, location and business model.
Make sure grooming, lift access, food and beverage, lodging, events and communications reinforce that positioning.
Audit your website and marketing. Do they accurately represent the experience guests will receive when they arrive?
The key lesson: Don't try to be everything to everyone. Be clear about the experience you deliver best, then make the whole resort support that promise.
3. Treat Marketing as Relationship-Building, Not Just Advertising
Quick Description
Marketing becomes more powerful when it builds real connections with the people and communities most likely to visit your resort. Broad awareness matters, but personal relationships can create lasting demand.
How Sun Peaks Uses It
Sun Peaks invested in building the Seattle market through a decade-long partnership with Horizon Air, including direct flights three days a week.
The resort visited Seattle several times a year, ran ski shows and used local ambassadors who represented Sun Peaks at ski shows and recreational events.
It built relationships in Vancouver, including a partnership with the BC Lions that helped generate exposure and connections with the region.
Sun Peaks also developed Tourism Sun Peaks, helping the wider community contribute to destination marketing rather than placing the entire burden on the mountain.
How Other Ski Areas Can Use It
Identify two or three priority markets where your resort has a realistic opportunity to grow.
Build a local presence through clubs, businesses, sports teams, outdoor organizations and community events.
Recruit genuine resort advocates who live in those markets and can represent the experience personally.
Develop partnerships that make visiting easier or more appealing, such as transport, accommodation or bundled experiences.
Coordinate marketing with local accommodation providers, restaurants and tourism organizations so the destination tells a consistent story.
The key lesson: Instead of asking only, “How do we reach more people?”, ask, “How do we build stronger relationships with the right people?”
4. Your Guest Experience Is Your Most Important Marketing Asset
Quick Description
Advertising can generate interest, but the experience itself determines whether guests leave satisfied, return and recommend the resort to others.
How Sun Peaks Uses It
Darcy emphasized that even as marketing channels and technology change, the quality of the experience remains central to selling the resort.
He summarized the principle directly: “the best marketing in the world is still sending people home happy.”
Sun Peaks focuses on building its brand and then proving that promise through high-quality experiences.
Its vision of an uncrowded experience for a broad range of guests connects the resort's positioning to what people actually experience on the mountain.
How Other Ski Areas Can Use It
Map the guest journey from trip planning and arrival through skiing, dining, rentals and departure.
Identify the moments that most affect guest satisfaction, and the recurring frustrations that stop people returning.
Track guest feedback alongside repeat visitation, complaints and recommendations.
Give frontline employees the training, information and authority to resolve common problems quickly.
Make marketing promises that operations can consistently deliver, rather than selling an idealized experience.
The key lesson: Your marketing team can make the promise, but the entire resort has to deliver it.
5. Develop Future Leaders by Teaching Them the Whole Business
Quick Description
Strong leadership requires more than knowing your own department. Leaders need to understand how the resort works as a whole, invest in their people and prepare the next generation to carry the business forward.
How Sun Peaks Uses It
Darcy's career included resort planning, development and general management, giving him a broad view of how decisions affect day-to-day operations.
He described the value of learning from experienced people and understanding the practical details behind the plan.
On succession, he explained that you don't simply leave a successor in a leadership position. You work with them to help them understand how the resort reached its current position and how they can take it forward.
He emphasized that the future team needs to participate in shaping the next plan, not merely inherit the previous one.
How Other Ski Areas Can Use It
Give emerging leaders opportunities to work across departments and understand how decisions affect the wider operation.
Pair high-potential employees with experienced leaders for practical mentoring and decision-making exposure.
Involve future leaders in budgeting, capital planning, guest experience reviews and strategic discussions.
Document the reasoning behind major decisions, not just the decisions themselves.
Create a succession plan that includes gradual responsibility, coaching and meaningful involvement in the resort's future direction.
The key lesson: Don't just prepare someone to take over the job. Prepare them to understand the business, lead the people and shape what comes next.
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