Apex Mountain Resort shifted gears this week from welcoming speed demons on two legs to stunt drivers on four wheels.
Car manufacturer Lexus chose Apex as their venue for their winter photo shoot to highlight the capabilities of three of their 2015 all-terrain vehicles.
“The winter season has been touch-and-go for many ski resorts in British Columbia. The Okanagan resorts however, have some of the best conditions around,” said Megan Pigeon, sales and marking manager for Apex Mountain Resort. “The company was sourcing snow and really wanted a sprawling vista where they could see the valley and the terrain.”
Pigeon said other venues around the Okanagan were scouted for the shoot, but Apex was chosen as the best location. She estimates the company brought in a crew of 10 people, which includes stunt drivers and car detailers who will also be staying at the Apex resort. The cars were flown in from Toronto then transported to the hill. A run has been rented out by the company operating the photoshoot.
With bleak winter conditions for many ski resorts in the province, Pigeon said Apex has been lucky.
“This is huge for us, many of the coastal mountains are laying off their staff right now because there is no snow. We are lucky in that aspect because we are north facing, we might have warmer temperatures up here but the amount of snow and the pack have stayed,” she said.
An event held last weekend at the resort, Brewski, which attracted craft brewers, distillers and cider makers, also introduced new people to Apex.
“We had people from Washington State come up that were chomping at the bit for snow and they left raving about the conditions here. It is not a ton of blow in your face powder on the ground, but it is like spring skiing in February,” added Pigeon.
It is not the first time the mountain has been featured in commercials. McDonald’s shot a commercial with aerial skiers doing double twisting backflips,another commercial filmed prior to the Vancouver Olympics and a movie called Out Cold also featured the hill.
“This is the first commercial we have done this year and we also have some other big-name brands looking at us for commercials, but nothing we can talk about yet,” said Pigeon.