Silver Star Mountain - The Home Of Skiing

Located in south-central British Columbia in the Okanagan Valley, northeast of Vernon, Silver Star Mountain is used as a the annual training ground for Canadas National Cross-Country Ski Team and is highly rated for family skiing. This continually improving resort has steeps, moguls, groomed runs, and wide-open cruisers with mainly easy trails, a terrain park and lots of snow.

There are 107 slopes at Silver Star Mountain ski resort that are split into two distinct areas: accessible easy-to-ski pistes for beginners and intermediates (Vance Creek), and challenging terrain for the more experienced (Putnam Creek). Ten lifts, including a high-speed quad, traverse a 760-metre vertical at a rate of 14,700 people per hour to supply the pistes, the longest of which is eight kilometres.

Big White Mountain ski resort, to the south of Silver Star Mountain, is Canada's highest resort and also offers great intermediate sliding, deep powder and a top rate ski school - all available on the same ski pass. Inter-resort ground shuttles and a helicopter service link the two resorts.

Silver Star Mountain's ski season extends from November to April and cheaper rates can be had up to mid-December, from early January to early/mid-February and towards the season's end. During these periods, children under 16 years can ski for free. The most convenient way to get here is to fly to Kelowna Airport and transfer by shuttle.

Skiing in Silver Star Mountain

Silver Star Mountain has 107 runs and varied terrain over two mountain faces, offering both easy and difficult slopes. Twenty per cent of the runs are beginner, 50 per cent are intermediate, 20 per cent are advanced and 10 per cent are for experts. The longest run here is eight kilometres and 10 lift systems provide slope access. Additionally, cross-country skiers have 100kms of fantastic trails.

There is also much to do off the pistes at Silver Star Mountain, including: tubing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice-skating, sleigh riding and dog-sledding. There is also a fitness centre and climbing onsite, as well as two shopping centres, movie theatres, restaurants, bars, clubs, and even a casino in town.

Silver Star is a modern but car-free Victorian-style village that is self contained and well supplied with ski services and facilities. This colourful and friendly resort boasts several ski shops, retail and rental, a ski school, and childcare services. Accommodation is in hotels and holiday homes with ski-in/ski-out accessibility.

The November to April ski season at Silver Star Mountain has its best conditions from mid-February to mid-March and reduced rates at the beginning and end of the season and in January. Silver Star Mountain is remote, and the best travel option is to fly to Calgary, Vancouver or Seattle, from where connecting flights run to Kelowna. Pre-booked shuttles run from there to the resort village.

Après-ski in Silver Star Mountain

The pedestrianised resort village of Silver Star is charming and elegant with its cheerfully painted wooden buildings and Victorian atmosphere, yet has a Western style. You'll find plenty of shopping, with four ski/sports shops, rentals and repair stores, two shopping centres, plus a ski school and an aquatic centre.

Silver Star is a ski-in/ski-out village with eight hotels and more than a hundred vacation homes at the slopes. The surrounding towns and villages have additional lodging in the form of hotels, motels, inns and lodges.

Non-ski activities are plentiful and Silver Star also boasts some wonderful international-style cafés and restaurants, a saloon, inn, wine cellar, several bars and clubs, and a casino. Childcare is available for ages 18 months and up.

Transportation in Silver Star Mountain

Silver Star Mountain ski resort is nestled in the Okanagan Valley, 25kms northeast of Vernon and 460kms northeast of Vancouver. It is best accessed by flying to Kelowna Airport and taking public transport to the village, or hiring a car. The roads from Vancouver are excellent, making self-drive feasible and pleasant.

If you're driving, Silver Star Mountain ski resort is six hours from Vancouver and seven from Seattle. From Vancouver, take Trans-Canada Highway 1 east to Hope, from where highway 5 goes northeast to Merritt. From there, highways 5 and 97C go to Westbank and Kelowna, from where highway 97 heads north to Vernon and Silver Star road leads to the resort.

The 575-kilometre drive from Calgary takes about seven or eight hours and goes via Trans-Canada Highway 1 to Sicamous (British Columbia), from where highway 97A heads south for Vernon. Turn left at the intersection with highway 97 on to Ridgeview road, which leads on to L-and-A road, and then take a left on to Silver Star road.

Kelowna International Airport is the nearest and is an hours drive from Silver Star. Kelowna receives daily flights from Vancouver, Calgary and Seattle, and there is an airport shuttle that services the ski area.

For transport within Silver Star Mountain ski resort, a taxi loops continuously throughout the day until 22:00.