Silver Star Mountain Resort
Encyclopedia
Silver Star Mountain Resort (Silver Star) is a ski resort
located near Silver Star Provincial Park
in the Shuswap Highland
of the Monashee Mountains
, northeast of the city of Vernon
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Silver Star's snow season runs from late November to mid-April weather permitting. Silver Star has been awarded as one of the Top 10 Wine Spas Worldwide by Gayot.com, "Best Small Resort in North America" and has also won awards on being one of the best family resorts in Canada
having the best groomed runs in the country. The annual snowfall of 700 cm of Okanagan champagne powder makes the resort a vacation destination for families, powder hounds and international tourists alike. Silver Star is also a very short drive away from its sister resort: Big White Ski Resort
. Both resorts are owned by the same company and flex passes are available to permit skiing at both resorts in the same weekend for a discounted price. (Silver Star also provides summer lift access for mountain biking and hiking from the end of June through to Labour Day).
of the village
is 1,609 m or 5280 ft (1,609.3 m) whilst the summit
is 1,915 m above sea level (6,280 ft). There is also 60 km of Cross Country
trails. Silver Star has a total of 12 lifts: 1 Six-Pack Express chairlift
(Comet Six-Pack Express), 2 detachable high-speed quads
(Silverwoods Express, Powder Gulch Express), 2 fixed-grip quads (Silver Queen Chair, Alpine Meadows Chair) 1 T-bar (Home Run T-bar), 3 beginner magic carpets, and 2 Tube lifts, on 3065 acres (12 km²) of skiable terrain.
The resort spans two mountain faces of a mountain valley and has 4 distinct areas:
Vance Creek offers most of the beginner and intermediate runs on the mountain. Therefore it is usually the busiest face of the mountain and has mostly groomed runs along with intermediate and expert runs. Vance Creek is serviced by the "Comet Six-pack Express" which ferries skiers all the way from below the Village base and Silver Woods areas all the way to the summit at 1,915m. The "Summit Chair" is a Mueller
double chair that takes skiers directly from the Village to the summit as well.
Attridge is a small area beside Vance Creek which offers a wide variety of glade and groomed runs. The "Alpine Meadows" chair is a fixed grip quad (new for the 06/07 season which replaced the mid t-bar) and offers ski-in/ski-out access to the mountain from the newly developed Alpine Meadows area of the village.
Silver Woods is a recent expansion of the resort which is part of a catchment below the Comet Express and is serviced by the "Silver Woods Express" which is a detachable high-speed quad
. Silver Woods offers many intermediate treed and glade runs and is an access point to the hill from the "Knoll Residential Area".
Putnam Creek is an area which introduces skiers to much more difficult terrain than the rest of the mountain and offers to the more experienced skier. Most of the runs in the Putnam Creek area are black diamond and double black diamond runs consisting of steep lines with moguls and tree skiing. The "Powder Gulch Express", a Detachable high-speed quad
gives lift access to the many runs and a way out with the "Home Run T-bar" back to the village.
Vernon resident Bert Thorburn became the first person to ski in the Silver Star area in 1930. He rode his bike up to the end of a logging road in the area and then walked a distance following forestry trails to a forest fire lookout. He camped there for the night and skied down the next day. In 1946 the first rope tow was built on Burney Ridge, 800 ft (243.8 m) long. It was powered by an old four cylinder engine. The cooling system was a 40 gallon water drum hooked up to the radiator. For $.50, you could ski all day. In 1958 the final three kilometers of the Silver Star road is pushed through by local contractor Ross Postill to the current day village area. Construction of two rope-tow lifts and an A-frame day lodge were also built in 1958. In 1959 a poma lift was installed from the 5000 feet (1,524 m) level at the parking lot to the top of Silver Star Mountain, replacing the rope tow. In 1964 new t-bars were installed to replace the slower rope tows and 1965 a second A-frame structure was added to the day lodge. In 1967 and 1968 the Summit and Yellow Chairs (6,000 feet) built by GMD Mueller
were installed, making Silver Star Mountain one of the largest ski areas in Canada.
Silver Star Mountain Resort Era
In 1981 Silver Star Sports purchased by Norm Crerar, Charlie Locke, John Hindle, Rob Marshall and John Gow and becomes Silver Star Mountain Resorts Ltd. The first Nordic trails were also cleared. In 1983 the Putnam Station Hotel is built and is Silver Star's first on hill hotel. From 1984-1990 many new hotels and amenities are built on the hill. In 1990 the Silver Queen chair was built by Doppelmayr
and serves as the bunny hill. In 1991 the original Putnam Creek and Vance Creek express quads were built and opened up extensive amounts of terrain. In 2001 the Schumann family, owners of Big White Ski Resort since 1985, reach agreement in principle with the Honourable Judd Buchanan, (Order of Canada), majority shareholder of Silver Star Mountain Resort on the purchase of the majority assets of Silver Star Mountain Resort. In 2002 Silver Star Mountain Resort invests $10 million in resort expansion plan featuring: The Comet Express, a $5.2 million, six passenger, high speed, Leitner-Poma
chairlift which replaces the Vance Creek quad. This state-of-the-art lift is the largest of its kind in Canada, 5993 feet (1,826.7 m) in length and with a capacity of up to 3,000 passengers per hour. Trip time is under 6 minutes. The Powder Gulch Express replaced the Putnam Creek quad and is also built by Leitner-Poma
. This $4.1 million quad has a length of 2,025 metres and provides access to Silver Star's award winning black and double black diamond terrain for over 1,600 snow enthusiasts per hour. $700,000 is also spent on improving Guest Service infrastructure including a new bakery, a new retail shop, a Wonder Carpet beginner lift, and upgrades to the Tube Park. New for the 05/06 season Silver Star Ski Resort announced third new lift in three years, the $5.5 million Silver Woods project. 420 acres (1.7 km²) of never before skied terrain, serviced by a new Leitner-Poma
high-speed detachable quad, the "Silver Woods Express". New for the 06/07 season the "Alpine Meadows Chair" a fixed grip quad chair was built in the Attridge area replacing the aging Mid T-bar. For the 07/08 season the Silver Queen chair was reconfigured.
facilities. Silver Star offers over 60 km of daily groomed Nordic trails for all abilities and age groups. Silver Star is also a training ground for some of the best racers in the world and is a frequent training ground for Olympic athletes. Canadian and International competitions are held at Silver Star every year that showcases some of the best talent in the world.
Silver Star skiers also have access to neighboring Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, allowing them to use over 105 km of some of North America's best Nordic skiing.
The Silver Star village and accommodation developments have been designed with a distinct Victorian alpine theme. There are over 10 hotels and over 100 vacation homes and condos available for vacation rental on or around the mountain village
with many being ski-in/ski-out.
and snowboarding
, there are several other on-mountain activities.
These are:
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
located near Silver Star Provincial Park
Silver Star Provincial Park
Silver Star Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located northeast of the city of Vernon in the Monashee Mountains.-Referencdes:*...
in the Shuswap Highland
Shuswap Highland
The Shuswap Highland is a plateau-like hilly area of in British Columbia, Canada. It spans the upland area between the Bonaparte and Thompson Plateaus from the area of Mahood Lake, at the southeast corner of the Cariboo Plateau, southeast towards the lower Shuswap River east of Vernon in the...
of the Monashee Mountains
Monashee Mountains
The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains...
, northeast of the city of Vernon
Vernon, British Columbia
Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Silver Star's snow season runs from late November to mid-April weather permitting. Silver Star has been awarded as one of the Top 10 Wine Spas Worldwide by Gayot.com, "Best Small Resort in North America" and has also won awards on being one of the best family resorts in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
having the best groomed runs in the country. The annual snowfall of 700 cm of Okanagan champagne powder makes the resort a vacation destination for families, powder hounds and international tourists alike. Silver Star is also a very short drive away from its sister resort: Big White Ski Resort
Big White Ski Resort
Big White Ski Resort, or simply Big White, is a ski resort located southeast of Kelowna in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Located on Big White Mountain, the highest summit in the Okanagan Highland, an upland area between the Monashee Mountains and the Okanagan Valley, it is the second...
. Both resorts are owned by the same company and flex passes are available to permit skiing at both resorts in the same weekend for a discounted price. (Silver Star also provides summer lift access for mountain biking and hiking from the end of June through to Labour Day).
Alpine Skiing Terrain
Silver Star has an annual snowfall of 700 cm or 23 ft (7 m) There are a total of 115 marked runs, with a vertical drop of 760 m (2,500 ft). The elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
is 1,609 m or 5280 ft (1,609.3 m) whilst the summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
is 1,915 m above sea level (6,280 ft). There is also 60 km of Cross Country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails. Silver Star has a total of 12 lifts: 1 Six-Pack Express chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
(Comet Six-Pack Express), 2 detachable high-speed quads
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
(Silverwoods Express, Powder Gulch Express), 2 fixed-grip quads (Silver Queen Chair, Alpine Meadows Chair) 1 T-bar (Home Run T-bar), 3 beginner magic carpets, and 2 Tube lifts, on 3065 acres (12 km²) of skiable terrain.
The resort spans two mountain faces of a mountain valley and has 4 distinct areas:
Vance Creek offers most of the beginner and intermediate runs on the mountain. Therefore it is usually the busiest face of the mountain and has mostly groomed runs along with intermediate and expert runs. Vance Creek is serviced by the "Comet Six-pack Express" which ferries skiers all the way from below the Village base and Silver Woods areas all the way to the summit at 1,915m. The "Summit Chair" is a Mueller
GMD Mueller
GMD Mueller Lifts AG was a Swiss aerial lift manufacturing firm.GMD stands for Gerhard Mueller Dietlikon.Founded in 1947 by engineer Gerhard Mueller, who is credited with the invention of the modern detachable chairlift in the late 1940s, it was one of the most prolific and respected aerial lift...
double chair that takes skiers directly from the Village to the summit as well.
Attridge is a small area beside Vance Creek which offers a wide variety of glade and groomed runs. The "Alpine Meadows" chair is a fixed grip quad (new for the 06/07 season which replaced the mid t-bar) and offers ski-in/ski-out access to the mountain from the newly developed Alpine Meadows area of the village.
Silver Woods is a recent expansion of the resort which is part of a catchment below the Comet Express and is serviced by the "Silver Woods Express" which is a detachable high-speed quad
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
. Silver Woods offers many intermediate treed and glade runs and is an access point to the hill from the "Knoll Residential Area".
Putnam Creek is an area which introduces skiers to much more difficult terrain than the rest of the mountain and offers to the more experienced skier. Most of the runs in the Putnam Creek area are black diamond and double black diamond runs consisting of steep lines with moguls and tree skiing. The "Powder Gulch Express", a Detachable high-speed quad
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
gives lift access to the many runs and a way out with the "Home Run T-bar" back to the village.
History
The Early DaysVernon resident Bert Thorburn became the first person to ski in the Silver Star area in 1930. He rode his bike up to the end of a logging road in the area and then walked a distance following forestry trails to a forest fire lookout. He camped there for the night and skied down the next day. In 1946 the first rope tow was built on Burney Ridge, 800 ft (243.8 m) long. It was powered by an old four cylinder engine. The cooling system was a 40 gallon water drum hooked up to the radiator. For $.50, you could ski all day. In 1958 the final three kilometers of the Silver Star road is pushed through by local contractor Ross Postill to the current day village area. Construction of two rope-tow lifts and an A-frame day lodge were also built in 1958. In 1959 a poma lift was installed from the 5000 feet (1,524 m) level at the parking lot to the top of Silver Star Mountain, replacing the rope tow. In 1964 new t-bars were installed to replace the slower rope tows and 1965 a second A-frame structure was added to the day lodge. In 1967 and 1968 the Summit and Yellow Chairs (6,000 feet) built by GMD Mueller
GMD Mueller
GMD Mueller Lifts AG was a Swiss aerial lift manufacturing firm.GMD stands for Gerhard Mueller Dietlikon.Founded in 1947 by engineer Gerhard Mueller, who is credited with the invention of the modern detachable chairlift in the late 1940s, it was one of the most prolific and respected aerial lift...
were installed, making Silver Star Mountain one of the largest ski areas in Canada.
Silver Star Mountain Resort Era
In 1981 Silver Star Sports purchased by Norm Crerar, Charlie Locke, John Hindle, Rob Marshall and John Gow and becomes Silver Star Mountain Resorts Ltd. The first Nordic trails were also cleared. In 1983 the Putnam Station Hotel is built and is Silver Star's first on hill hotel. From 1984-1990 many new hotels and amenities are built on the hill. In 1990 the Silver Queen chair was built by Doppelmayr
Doppelmayr
The Doppelmayr Garaventa Group is an Austrian-Swiss company that manufactures chairlifts, cable cars, gondolas, surface tows for ski and amusement parks as well as urban people movers and material handling systems. To date, Doppelmayr and Garaventa have produced over 13,700 installations in 78...
and serves as the bunny hill. In 1991 the original Putnam Creek and Vance Creek express quads were built and opened up extensive amounts of terrain. In 2001 the Schumann family, owners of Big White Ski Resort since 1985, reach agreement in principle with the Honourable Judd Buchanan, (Order of Canada), majority shareholder of Silver Star Mountain Resort on the purchase of the majority assets of Silver Star Mountain Resort. In 2002 Silver Star Mountain Resort invests $10 million in resort expansion plan featuring: The Comet Express, a $5.2 million, six passenger, high speed, Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma of America is a North American aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the North American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company Leitner Technologies, part of the Leitner Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when...
chairlift which replaces the Vance Creek quad. This state-of-the-art lift is the largest of its kind in Canada, 5993 feet (1,826.7 m) in length and with a capacity of up to 3,000 passengers per hour. Trip time is under 6 minutes. The Powder Gulch Express replaced the Putnam Creek quad and is also built by Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma of America is a North American aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the North American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company Leitner Technologies, part of the Leitner Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when...
. This $4.1 million quad has a length of 2,025 metres and provides access to Silver Star's award winning black and double black diamond terrain for over 1,600 snow enthusiasts per hour. $700,000 is also spent on improving Guest Service infrastructure including a new bakery, a new retail shop, a Wonder Carpet beginner lift, and upgrades to the Tube Park. New for the 05/06 season Silver Star Ski Resort announced third new lift in three years, the $5.5 million Silver Woods project. 420 acres (1.7 km²) of never before skied terrain, serviced by a new Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma of America is a North American aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the North American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company Leitner Technologies, part of the Leitner Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when...
high-speed detachable quad, the "Silver Woods Express". New for the 06/07 season the "Alpine Meadows Chair" a fixed grip quad chair was built in the Attridge area replacing the aging Mid T-bar. For the 07/08 season the Silver Queen chair was reconfigured.
Nordic Skiing
Silver Star is world renowned for its Cross-Country SkiingCross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
facilities. Silver Star offers over 60 km of daily groomed Nordic trails for all abilities and age groups. Silver Star is also a training ground for some of the best racers in the world and is a frequent training ground for Olympic athletes. Canadian and International competitions are held at Silver Star every year that showcases some of the best talent in the world.
Silver Star skiers also have access to neighboring Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, allowing them to use over 105 km of some of North America's best Nordic skiing.
Terrain park
Named "Telus Park", Silver Star's terrain park consists of an extensive rail garden and also has an assortment of table top and step up jumps for all abilities. Silver Star also has a regular size halfpipe, Aerial Training Site, a Dual Moguls Race Course, and a race center which hosted the 2005 Canadian Masters Slalom Championships.Village & Accommodation
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
with many being ski-in/ski-out.
Retail & Dining
Silver Star has a selection of gift shops, retail stores, and a grocery store. As far as dining, there are coffee shops, family or fine dining, a wine cellar and a pizza joint.Snowsport school
Silver Star offers an extensive snow school for any age group and ability with over 100 qualified instructors.On-mountain activities
Apart from skiingSkiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, there are several other on-mountain activities.
These are:
- Tube Town
- Outdoor SkatingIce skatingIce skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
- Snowmobiling
- Mini Z SnowmobileSnowmobileA snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
Park - Sleigh Rides
- Snowshoeing
- Day spaDay spaA day spa is a business establishment which people visit for professionally administered personal care treatments such as massages and facials. It is similar to a beauty salon in that it is only visited for the duration of the treatment. Day spas sited in airport terminals are often called airport...
- Indoor Rock ClimbingRock ClimbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
- Fitness Centre
Annual events
- Event Calendar http://www.skisilverstar.com/events_showEvents.html www.skisilverstar.com/events_showEvents.html
-
- Winter
- Friday $5 Ski evening & fireworks
- Christmas Eve fireworks & torchlight parade
- New Year's Eve fireworks & torchlight parade
- Weekly Winter events (in season)- Family activities, Wine Tasting, Movie evenings & more
- Winter