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SilverStar Mountain Resort is one of 87 ski resorts spread throughout British Columbia and one of over 250 within Canada. Like Big White Ski Resort, SilverStar boasts one of North America's best family-friendly ski resorts. With plentiful powder, tons of intermediate terrain, and a quaint village nestled at the base of the resort, SilverStar caters to families that prefer a quiet, relaxing ski holiday. The massive resort boasts over 3000 acres with over 130 marked trails totaling 70 miles (115 km). There is a ton of variety, as you can ski on four unique mountain faces. Sunny groomers or powder-loaded faces are easily accessible on the same day or even the same run. SilverStar Mountain Resort is also only 46 miles (74 km) from Kelowna, which has an international airport. Driving from Kelowna to SilverStar will take just over an hour, with views of Okanagan Lake, vineyards, and small farming towns.
SilverStar Ski Resort is in the Regional District of North Okanagan, in Western Canada. Kelowna and Vernon, BC, locals religiously frequent the resort due to its easy access. The district has pristine lakes, open countryside, and towering alpine peaks.
Geographically, the ski resort sits on SilverStar Mountain (6,282 ft / 1,915 m) in the Shushwap Highlands of the Monashee Mountains, a subrange of the Columbia Mountains. The highest mountain in the area is Dunn Peak at 8,638 ft (2,633 m) and is nicknamed Matterhorn Peak due to its resemblance to the original in Switzerland.
The Columbia mountain range hosts several of British Columbia’s best ski resorts, like Fernie, Big White, Revelstoke, Panorama, and more. The resort is also within SilverStar Provincial Park, a 5,573-hectare (13,771-acre) park known for its year-round recreation possibilities.
With two airports within an hour's drive of the ski resort, getting to SilverStar from any international location is relatively easy.
Choosing to fly into Kelowna is your best option due to the variety of flights, plentiful transportation options, and ease of access.
There are several rental companies at YLW Airport, and it will cost around $100 per day, depending on your vehicle needs. At just under an hour from the airport, it’s an easy drive to Silver Star. After leaving the airport, get onto BC-97 N to Vernon. Once you’ve reached Vernon, hop onto Silver Star Rd. for the final stretch.
SilverStar has a few options for bringing guests from Kelowna to the ski resort. Kelowna Concierge offers public airport shuttles with multiple trips per day. It’s $95 one way or $125 round trip, so booking a round trip is best for maximum savings. The company also offers private shuttle services, as well as taxi and limousine services (for a more luxurious option).
If you are staying at the ski resort overnight and have a vehicle, overnight parking is allocated through your accommodation. There are several day lots where you can park if you’re up for a day trip. However, these lots have no overnight parking due to snow clearing. The day lots are accessible from 7:30 AM to 11:30 PM. Other private accommodations will have private parking. Limiting the vehicles you take to the resort is recommended due to limited overnight parking options.
The SilverStar Ski Resort layout is unique. The main village is nestled halfway up SilverStar Mountain, with lifts branching out to the four different faces of the mountain. Most shops and restaurants are close to the base, while lodges and private accommodations are further away from the resort center. The entire resort is pedestrian-friendly, and walking around is convenient. A free dedicated resort shuttle brings you around the resort from your accommodation right to the resort center.
The ski season in SilverStar is very similar to most resorts in British Columbia. The resort is typically open from mid-November to mid-April.
My recommendation is to visit SilverStar between February and March. By this time, there’s a deep base for groomers and excellent coverage for off-piste and gladed skiing. Snowstorms are consistent around this time, providing you with the best opportunity for powder skiing. Plan to ride on weekdays for less crowded ski runs and lift lines. Weekends are much busier. Try to avoid Canada’s Family Day weekend, the third Monday of February, as this can be one of the year's busiest weekends.
Nevertheless, even if you visit SilverStar on weekends and holidays, it never feels as busy as other resorts due to how spread out the ski slopes are. You simply will not find lift lines and crowds to the same degree as in Whistler.
SilverStar is known for its abundance of natural snow. The resort is so confident in the weather that they have no snowmaking! They receive about 23 ft (7 m) of snow annually. Moist air from the Pacific collides with the cold continental air mass producing dry and plentiful snowfall. Temperatures during the day average around 20 ºF (-7 ºC) but can dip to -4 ºF (-20 ºC) during cold snaps.
For most of the ski season, the weather is cold, with a mix of sunny and cloudy days. December and January tend to be heavy with snowstorms. The powder tends to be drier due to the cold. It’s always best to bring some warmer windproof clothing just in case a cold snap sets in. Gore-Tex shells and numerous layers seem to be the best gear to invest in for West Coast skiing.
The SilverStar map can be confusing when you first look at it. The ski resort is spread across four mountain faces, so planning where you’d like to go is important to minimize time traveling around. Officially, the resort is segregated into the “Frontside” and “Backside.” SilverStar’s top elevation is 6,282 ft (1,915 m), with a vertical drop of 2,493 ft (760 m). Trees grow right to peak, so no bowl or alpine area is available.
The SilverStar Village is based at 3,790 ft (1,155 m) and is a true ski-in ski-out village. There are ski runs above and below this base area. The village has all the accommodation, shops, and restaurants at the resort and is relatively easy to navigate. You can always walk around. However, if you’re exhausted after a day on the slopes, a free resort shuttle whisks you around the resort.
From the base of the village, you have access to the entire front face of the mountain and can choose to explore Attridge, Vance Creek (Summit), or ski below into Silver Woods.
SilverStar’s front face is the main part of the ski resort. Here you will find a wide variety of terrain to please any skier. Skiers will find groomers, tree skiing, and even a terrain park. Broken up into three areas, they are as follows.
Attridge, located on the far west of the area, is accessible from the village by a quad chairlift. Here you will find a mix of blue and black groomers and tree skiing. With about 1,000 ft (300 m) of vertical, you can get several quick laps to warm up.
Vance Creek (summit) is located in the center of the village and boasts the ski resort’s only gondola. From the top of Vance Creek, skiers will find excellent groomers of all difficulties. This lift also serves as access to the backside of the resort. Skiing down below the village will take you to the Comet Express. If you want longer, faster groomers, this is your zone. A great summit lap is Bergerstrasse to Last Chance. These are long, meandering green runs where you can lay out great carves. Riding the Comet Express is also how you access the three terrain parks at SilverStar. The main park on the Big Dipper provides small to XL-sized features. The Little Dipper park is a great starting point with small and medium-sized features. There’s also the Bannister Terrain Park, the resort’s only night park.
Silver Woods, nestled below the village, is another smaller zone with easier gladed and groomed runs. It’s usually quiet - a great place to take the kids for a warm-up. The views from here are pleasant, and since it’s below the village, you start your day without even taking a chairlift.
This zone caters to advanced and expert skiers. Putnam Creek holds most of the ski resort’s expert slopes and is only accessible from the summit. There are so many black runs here that figuring out where to start is challenging!
Runs like Headwall and Chute 5 are great short double blacks to get the legs going. Then you can venture to the right side of Putnam Creek for the longer groomers and more extreme tree skiing zones. This area has a dedicated quad chair (Powder Gulch Express) that lives up to its name. Once in this area, you can ski quick laps of this legendary advanced terrain. Putnam Creek also gets snow-loaded due to the winds that blow snow up this side of the mountain. Backcountry access is also possible here if you want to go out of bounds, although the terrain is more tree skiing, like the resort.
There are a couple of blue runs and a single green run that allows all ability levels to explore and enjoy this area! At the base of this zone, you will also find the only on-mountain dining experience. Warm up with a coffee and delicious hot food between laps of impressively advanced terrain.
SilverStar has over 130 designated trails ranging from easy greens to double black diamonds, so there is something for everyone. SilverStar Ski Resort caters exceptionally well to the strong intermediate skier due to the number of blue and single black diamond trails available. Although there is no true alpine, tree skiing here is what the resort is known for.
As with other resorts in North America, there are four categories of slope classification: beginner — green circles; intermediate — blue squares; and advanced/expert — black/double black diamonds. The ski resort has 12 lifts, including a gondola, high-speed chairlifts, T-bars, and surface lifts.
Below is a summary of all the essential information and facts about SilverStar Ski Resort.
Slopes
Ski lifts
Other features and services
There are 65 mi (105 km) groomed trails within the area. Due to the higher elevation, the snow is plentiful, and superb conditions make it one of the world's best places for cross-country skiing. Lessons and rentals are available, and I recommend giving this a try.
SilverStar’s Nordic Centre is massive, boasting 34 mi (55 km) of daily groomed trails right at the resort. There is a lower and upper trail network available. You can even access these zones by using the Silver Queen Chair lift and the Des Schumann Summit Express. It is one of the most unique Nordic centers I have visited, and the views are stunning. Tickets cost $22 daily or can be accessed free with the My1-day ticket.
Sovereign Lakes Nordic Club, just down the road, has 31 mi (50 km) of trails connected to the resort’s trail system. It’s much quieter than the resort's nordic center. Tickets cost $23 daily.
Each Nordic area has access to snowshoe trails too. SilverStar has 10 mi (16 km) of snowshoe trails and costs $14 daily. Sovereign Lakes has almost 12 mi (20 km) and costs $11 daily.
Compared to other destinations around Canada, there is minimal backcountry skiing near SilverStar. As there’s no actual alpine skiing, all out-of-bounds skiing is in the trees. However, you can still find a few tours around the backside of Putnam Creek, which is technically backcountry. Take Eldorado to the Alder Point Access Traverse, and this short tour joins back to the Powder Gulch Express.
Depending on what you are interested in doing on snow, there are a few different options for passes. My1 Alpine Day Tickets (8:30 am to 3:30 pm) cost $120 per day. My1 Alpine Afternoon and Night Tickets (3:30 pm to 8:30 pm) cost $102, and the My1 Day and Night Tickets (8:30 am to 8:30 pm) cost $132.
Night Skiing costs $30 for full gondola access or $10 for the smaller learning area. Purchasing your tickets in advance will give you the best available discounts, while day-of-purchase will cost you about 10% more.
Before or after skiing, visit the resort’s tourist office in SilverStar.
152 Main Street, SilverStar Mountain, BC Canada, V1B3M1
Reservations: +1.250.558.6083
Canada/US: +1.800.663.4431
General Inquiries: info@skisilverstar.com
Ticket & Pass Inquiries: tickets@skisilverstar.com
Guest Services Inquiries: guestservices@skisilverstar.com
With most food and drink options located in the village, you miss a little bit of that on-slope dining experience. On sunny afternoons, my go-to is packing lunch and enjoying the views from the summit. A thermos of soup, chili, and hot chocolate are great options. Paradise Camp is the only on-mountain dining experience where you can warm up and enjoy a hearty meal. It’s near the top of the Powder Gulch Chair in Vance Creek - their cinnamon buns are legendary.
Let’s talk about cafes. Hands down, your best coffee shop is Bugaboos Bakery and Cafe. They boast delicious Italian Coffee and bake everything fresh in-house. You can choose from pretty much any pastry you can imagine. Sit and enjoy or grab and go to hit the slopes. This is one location not to miss, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
You can visit multiple restaurants and bars around the village to sit down for a bite. The Red Antler offers typical Canadian cuisine and refreshing local beer on tap. The Bulldog Grand Cafe is your go-to Apres location. The Black Pine is an honorable mention for a full-service, upscale dining experience offering unique European dishes with a slight Japanese influence.
SilverStar lodging can meet any of your accommodation needs and offers everything from single hotel rooms to large ski-in ski-out chalets. Luckily, lodging isn’t too expensive here, and there are always deals on the SilverStar Mountain Resort webpage.
For the affordable, budget-friendly traveler, you’ll want to stay in The Bulldog Hotel or the Vance Creek Hotel. True luxury accommodation can be arranged through The Lodging Company, which offers condos, townhomes, and ski chalets, most of which are ski-in-ski-out.
SilverStar Mountain Resort is known for its world-class skiing. On the other hand, the nightlife and Après scene are pretty quiet and geared more towards families.
Tubing, family skating, games nights, and night skiing keep families entertained during the evenings. There are a few more official events throughout the year, including the Seismic Spring Sessions, a 3-weekend long festival highlighting mountain culture and live music. Other noteworthy events include the Monster Energy BoarderStyle race. Riders race down a course full of jumps, berms and obstacles in a race of speed and chaos. Even if you don’t snowboard, it’s worth spectating because the hype is huge and the tricks are very impressive.
If Après Ski is what you’re after, look no further than Long John’s Pub or The Bulldog Grand Cafe, two of SilverStar’s busiest bars. The Den is also highly rated and known for the best cocktails in SilverStar by locals.
The nearest large city to SilverStar Ski Resort is Kelowna. British Columbia’s largest city in the interior has a population of 155,000. Known for its sprawling lake country, breweries and wineries, it’s a frequent stop for vacationers and outdoor enthusiasts in the summer. Kelwona is considered the Napa Valley of Canada and produces some of the best wines in North America. Okanagan country is also known for wonderful hiking and backpacking adventures.
The closest town to SilverStar is Vernon. It is similar to Kelowna and smaller in size. At about 45,000 residents, it’s a quieter town with some unique local culture, lake country and some world-class golf courses. In the summer, Vernon sees a ton of exciting events like farmers markets, music festivals and some top notch mountain biking. Kelowna and Vernon are both known for their recreational activities, industry and interior charm.
