Hiding away in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley is a skiing secret. It doesn’t get as much hype as Whistler or Banff. Whether you’re looking to carve perfect groomers, hunt for powder stashes, or hang out with the family, SilverStar delivers!
The best way to experience this review and experience what SilverStar is live is through video. We’ve got an amazing video on our YouTube channel showcasing everything you find in the post and more. You can give it a watch HERE.
Table of Contents
Skiable Acreage & Skiable Vertical
SilverStar holds its own with some of the big dogs, offering 3,282 acres of skiable terrain over 130 marked runs, making it BC’s third-largest ski area. The vertical drop is 760 meters (about 2,500 feet), so for all you vert lovers out there, you’ve got plenty of room to rack up the vertical.
Location & Accessibility
SilverStar is just a quick drive from the city of Vernon, about an hour from Kelowna International Airport. If you’re flying in, Kelowna is your best bet, and there are shuttles that’ll take you straight to the resort. The road up is usually in good shape, but if it’s dumping snow, be ready to navigate some snowy roads. All in all, it’s fairly accessible whether you’re flying or road-tripping. The on-mountain village is small but super charming, and it looks like an old-fashioned mining town with vibrant colors that pop beautifully against a bluebird backdrop. Walking across the snow towards the gondola made me instantly feel on vacation.
Navigating the Mountain
SilverStar is easy to navigate and is split into a few key zones: Vance Creek aka “Front Side,” Silver Woods, Attridge, and the legendary Putnam Creek area aka the “Back Side.” The front side is where you’ll find more of the beginner and intermediate terrain, along with the colorful village area. But if you’re looking for long, steep powder turns, the backside is where you want to be.
Lifts
SilverStar has 10 lifts, including a high-speed gondola and a t-bar. You’ll spend most of your time between the Powder Gulch, Comet Express, Alpine Meadows, Silver Woods, and the gondola. I didn’t experience any lift lines longer than a few minutes, so you can be sure you’ll be spending more time skiing than standing around.
Beginner Terrain
SilverStar is fantastic for beginners. The front side is filled with wide, confidence-boosting green and blue runs. As a beginner, you’ll be able to explore all the chairlifts (minus Powder Gulch) comfortably, and some of the greens make for super fun laps like Last Chance and Far Out. The best part for beginners looking to improve is the transitional terrain. There are lots of approachable intermediate runs and well-spaced glades that you can dip your toes into.
Intermediate and Carving Runs
I arrived at SilverStar on a sleeper bluebird day with a light powder dusting. Although I should’ve gone straight off-piste, the groomers below the gondola were so enticing that I couldn’t help but fire down them for my first lap of the day. The black run, Face, was groomed and is an incredible shred. There are also loads of great rippers off the skier’s left of the Comet Express and everything that isn’t in the trees on Silver Woods. Needless to say, the groomer game is strong at SilverStar.
Advanced/Expert Terrain
SilverStar doesn’t have any ball-busting, steep alpine terrain, but it makes up for it with steep, long fall-line tree and bump laps all over the mountain. The advanced and expert terrain is where SilverStar really won my heart.
We’ve got to start with the king of expert terrain at SilverStar: the Backside. On the Powder Gulch chair, there are over 50 black and double-black marked runs that lead you back to the lift. These laps are steep, bumpy, some have trees, and they all rock. My personal favorites were Cannatastic to Doognog and the Freefall/White Elephant area.
The Powder Gulch chair blesses you with 548 meters of vertical, no lines, and I found fresh snow every single run from opening to closing bell. Unlike resorts like Whistler, where everyone is chasing big mountain powder lines, people at SilverStar are just having a good time doing what they love. This made the steep terrain quieter all day long. All of the runs feel like long, steep chutes working their way down to the lift, with walled trees on either side. The reality is, if you removed the trees or replaced them with rock walls, these would be world-renowned pitches or backcountry lines.
One downside is that most of these runs have bumps, and without fresh snow, it could be pretty hard on your knees.
Don’t miss the terrain under the gondola. I kept lapping Show Off, Face, and Chute because there were so many fun drops, jumps, and natural features to play on.The Attridge side is awesome as well. The chair is slow, so you won’t get as much vertical, but it usually holds snow late into the day. The Attridge Face is a good spot to hit a small drop or make a few sweeping powder turns under the lift.
Extreme Terrain
SilverStar doesn’t have any distinct, terrifyingly steep alpine terrain like Whistler or Kicking Horse. All of the runs are subalpine and below the tree line.
Tree Skiing
SilverStar is teeming with perfect tree turns. If you’re looking for glades that are a little more spaced and mellow, play around in Silver Woods. If you want steep tree skiing, almost every run off the backside has it. Lastly, no trip to SilverStar is complete without a Deer Park and Lower Deer Park lap. This is such an awesome and approachable tree skiing zone for all. It’s slow and mellow but a great place to explore and get your tree skiing dialed in.
Terrain Parks
SilverStar has two solid terrain parks, which I didn’t step foot in—I never do. The TELUS Park is where you’ll find most of the action, from beginner features to XL jumps and jibs.
Snow Conditions & Climate
SilverStar gets around 700 cm (275 inches) of snowfall each year, and when it snows, it’s often that light, dry Okanagan champagne powder. The snow conditions here tend to stay pretty consistent throughout the season, as temperatures stay cold, but sometimes the lower reaches of the mountain can get heavier. SilverStar has a nice habit of snowing more overnight than during the day. This might just be speculation, but I find that these resorts tend to have more consistent spurts of snow and fewer massive dumps compared to the coast.
Backcountry Access
SilverStar is built on the most skiable peak in the area, so there isn’t much in terms of backcountry skiing.
Family-Friendly
This is a top-notch family resort. The terrain is approachable and varied for everyone, and the village has a laid-back, welcoming vibe and ski in – ski out accommodation is fairly affordable for visitors.
Views
I like looking at big mountains. I’m spoiled and spend a lot of time in Whistler and the Rockies, so I wouldn’t say SilverStar’s views are world-class. But, on a bluebird day, it’s pretty cool to be on one of the highest points looking over the Okanagan Valley and you can’t forget how awesome the snow ghosts are!
Tickets & Passes
SilverStar offers a variety of ticket options, from day passes to multi-day passes. It’s also on the Ikon Pass, which is a huge plus if you’re planning to visit multiple resorts during the season. I found their pricing pretty reasonable compared to bigger resorts, and there are often early-bird deals if you plan ahead.
My Honest Opinion
SilverStar may not be the biggest name in Canadian skiing, but it’s a new favorite of mine and, without question, my favorite in the Okanagan Valley. The chutes and trees on the backside were the perfect terrain for me, and the ability to ski unlimited vertical with no lines and fresh snow had me totally stoked. SilverStar may lack the big, mind-blowing alpine terrain, but it makes up for it with good, low-consequence skiing. There’s not a whole lot going on in the village or in Vernon, but if you’re looking for a few days of skiing in a relaxed environment, this is the spot.
