Great Skiing And Social Life Makes SilverStar A Lively Scene For Seniors.
Credit: SilverStar
[Editor Note: This review was written by Melbourne, Australia-based Marg Malkin, a retired ski industry veteran who spends February and March at SilverStar. She’s also the informal SilverStar liaison with a group of Ozzie skiers who travel to BC every winter. SeniorsSkiing.com welcomes her as our first Australian contributor. We hope to see more news from her.]
SilverStar Mountain Resort is a hidden gem, tucked up the northern end of the Okanagan Valley, B.C. I found this wonderful place 12 years ago and keep coming back to enjoy its magical village, breathtaking views, awesome terrain and uncrowded highways of ever reliable snow.
SilverStar is the third largest ski resort in BC with 131 runs, a 2500-foot vertical and, on average, 23 feet annually of champagne powder. Twelve lifts service over 3500 acres of skiing as well as 60 miles of Nordic trails, heli-skiing opportunities, and night skiing on Friday and Saturday, too.
Themed after an early 1900’s mining town, the mid-mountain village Main Street with its bakeries, restaurants and shops has real old world charm.
First impression on arrival in the Main Street of this mid-mountain village is that everyone is smiling. And little wonder; the joy and freedom of wide open, uncrowded slopes makes it a dream come true haven for safe, fast top-to-bottom skiing. It’s where you find long-time residents and local characters who give SilverStar its safe, “homey”, community feel. Just ask and you’ll find these locals willing to share their secrets that have kept them calling SilverStar home for so long. Tour the mountain with them, and you’ll find they are only too willing to share their knowledge of the best stashes and little known areas of the terrain.
That’s what makes SilverStar so special—a big mountain, a small town feel, with all the terrain you’d expect at a larger resort, without the crowds.
It’s why I keep coming back. The fabulous snow, the welcome by locals and to meet like-minded older skiers to socialize and ski with from all over the globe. I’m in my late 60’s, enjoy excellent health and thanks to my many times at Silver Star have a large network of skier friends with whom I spend six to eight weeks with each Feb and March. Many of these friends I have “gathered” during my times in the resort, where friendships are easily established because of its small and friendly village community. Hence, I have a real “collection” of like-minded skiers who make the most of their good health and freedom away from the everyday family obligations of home. I’d just like people—particularly single travelers and couples—to know there’s fun to be had at a ski resort without spending too much and having a great social circle.
Credit: Marg Malkin
We have such a great time. There’s always someone to ski with or have a coffee or drink with. There’s a variety of ski skills, some diehards who hit the slopes at 8:15 and ski until 2:30 every day of their time there! Others ski out at 10-ish through until 2-ish depending.
We’ve developed “progressive drinks night” social life where people take a turn at hosting a drinks night at their unit—everyone comes with a bottle and a plate to share, making for fun and hilarity. We also get to enjoy the many restaurants; Paradise Camp Dinner Tours in a Snow Cat, Horseman’s Cabin Snowshoe Dinner Tour are only a couple of night experiences. Tubing, ice skating and snow shoeing are wonderful apres activities, all included in the ski lift pass at Silver Star. And there’s fat tube biking! Also ten pin bowling! The list goes on.
Getting There: Fly into Kelowna International Airport, serviced by several US and Canadian air carriers. Then shuttle north about an hour to SilverStar.
For SilverStar trail maps, click here.
Bottom Line: Most visitors will take advantage of a variety of lodging and ski pass packages. To give you an idea of the value, though, a SilverStar M1Pass, good for three days of free skiing at each of 13 alliance partner ski areas, and which includes Nordic, family discounts, discounts at Whistler Blackcomb and lots of other savings opportunities is only $899 plus tax (2015-16) for seniors 65-plus. An Early Bird Senior Pass will be available after June 1 for $459 plus tax. That’s a season pass!
Credit: SilverStar
