Skiing In Canada

SilverStar Resort, Vernon, British Columbia.

Forget Whistler and all those big, brash resorts down south in the US, this is the friendliest, most unbusy ski resort we have ever been in. Fabulous snow, fabulous people and non-stop smiles on the dials.

In Canada, we have yet to meet after five trips a Canadian we haven't liked. Fabulous people with a very Kiwi sense of humour and attitude.

And man, can they Ski!

Silverstar is a family resort in feel but with the highest percentage of black and double black runs in Canada. Along with all the Tree glades it is just a fantastic place to ski.

The above Pic is a view of the top half of the main hill at the resort. Some really nice skiing but the best is elsewhere.

One of the cruisy black runs over the 'Back Face' which is different from the above pic which is half of the 'Front Face'.

This is the run leading down from the on-field resturant called 'Paradise Camp'. Great place. Fabulous soup, Cinnamon Buns and atmosphere right beside the Power Gulch lift.

A lot of double black runs in this same area and some great tree runs. Can you see that open tree area near the bottom left of the run. Steep but plenty of room between the trees. Over to the right you have to try Cowabunga and further over to the left Free Fall. Steep, soft bumps leading to tight gullies with trees all about. Adrelalin and magic all together.

Way further left is an unprotrolled area called Alders Ridge which takes a 20-30min hike to get to but is untouched powder through trees when you arrive. Leads back to the bottom of this lift, Powder Gulch.

Here is my wife skiing through one of the open glades in the bottom half of the 'Front Face' area called Silver Woods. The area has it's own lift and is a huge amount of fun. Not too steep, plenty of room to just float around the trees in the soft snow.

There are some other glades with tighter trees over towards the 'Back Face' where you are hitting branches on every turn and that's a terrific lot of fun. With some adrenalin as well!

You might have gathered that I LOVE skiing the trees.

This place is just inspirational to ski. It has the highest Ski School rating of any place in Canada with the Director setting most of the teaching techniques and methods for all of Canada. And you can watch him and half the ski school having clinics on the mountain pretty much every day.

My wife got her Canadian Ski Instructors certification on this trip but says she learnt more skiing on one of these afternoon clinics with Norm than in the four days of her course and about 30yrs of skiing.

Barbara with her newly awared Ski Instrctors pin. Achieved about 25yrs after we met on a Ski Instructors course at Coronet Peak!

But not unusal in Canada. We met and skied with 70 yr old active Ski Instructors and some who have been actively instructing for over 30 yrs!

Ed, the 70yr old can really ski and we found it hard to keep up! He does at least 70 days of skiing every year.

We spent a lot of time with our very good friend, Andrea Fancy. She is a Kiwi who has been a Ski Instructor at SilverStar for 6 yrs and is one of the two females on the NZ Cross Country Ski team.

Did I tell you that Cross Country is also big at Silver Star? Lot's of groomed trails and lot's of activity including night sessions using head mounted lamps! The place has two ski shops and one is dedicated to Cross Country.

By the way, trouble with the fit of your ski boots? Take them to Canada, the guys here are simply geniuses. Barbara's boots are now almost comfortable for the fisrt time in her life and mine are so good I'm actually into the micro adjustment now. And I can leave them done up all day!

So, to finish, we have decided that skiing in New Zealand is, at best, a stop gap until we can get back to Canada. It's worth the wait if you have to. Every day is pure joy. And at Silver Star there is no wind, no queues, no ice and no ars--oles!

Go here for more information on this simply fantastic ski resort. http://www.skisilverstar.com/

The freedom of Skiing and the freeedom of the Canadian Wilderness all within the friendliest ski village in the world. Pure magic.