Silver Star
City:
Silver Star Mountain
Region:
Rockies
Updated:
October 31, 2024
66
PeakRankings Score
To give each resort a Mountain Score, we assess 10 equally weighted categories that paint an overall picture of the typical mountain experience.
[Year] Rankings
Overall Rank
#
42
Rank In
Canada
#
10
Rank In
British Columbia
#
7
Category Scores
Snow
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The resort gets top accumulation and snow that forms in a way that feels light and powdery all the time.
9
The resort sees very good accumulation and gets powder that takes awhile to track or feels notably light.
8
The resort sees very good snow accumulation each season that tends to stay powdery for several days in a row.
7
The resort sees very good, powdery snow accumulation each season, but powder doesn't always last long at certain places in the resort.
6
The resort sees good accumulation that forms a solid base each season and sometimes sees powder but sometimes suffers from variable cover.
5
The resort sees decent accumulation each season but sometimes suffers from variable cover and rarely sees powder.
4
The resort sees okay accumulation each season. Non-snowmaking trails regularly suffer from thin or variable cover.
3
The resort sees mediocre accumulation each season. Thin cover is a given on all non-snowmaking trails.
2
The resort receives poor accumulation each season and must heavily rely on snowmaking to stay open.
1
The resort would have little to no snow if it weren't for snowmaking. If you're not on a trail, you probably don't see any accumulation.
0
The resort doesn’t get any snow.
8
Lifts
Criteria Breakdown
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10
High-speed lifts exist across every mountain area. Helper lifts are high-speed as well.
9
Most lifts are high-speed, with only a few areas serviced by helper fixed-grip lifts.
8
All but a few areas are accessible by high-speed lifts. Helper lifts may be fixed grip.
7
Most areas are accessible by high-speed lifts. Helper lifts are fixed grip.
6
Many areas are accessible by high-speed lifts, but some are only serviced by fixed-grip lifts.
5
About half of areas are accessible by high-speed lifts.
4
A few areas are accessible by high-speed lifts, but most areas only see fixed-grip lift service.
3
All lifts are fixed grip but some are at least modern.
2
Lifts are extremely old or low-capacity. Some places are only serviced by surface lifts.
1
Surface lifts only.
0
No lifts.
6
Resiliency
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The mountain can quickly recover from the worst conditions and deliver the exact same experience as on a good day.
9
The mountain can quickly recover from almost any poor conditions thanks to excellent poor snow and weather mitigation.
8
The mountain successfully mitigates snow or weather issues in nearly every mountain area and across all terrain categories. A few parts of the resort may occasionally see significant impacts.
7
The mountain successfully mitigates snow or weather issues in most mountain areas, but some parts of the mountain are highly affected by inclement weather or poor conditions.
6
The mountain successfully mitigates snow or weather issues in many mountain areas, but other parts are highly susceptible to inclement weather or poor conditions.
5
The mountain has some capabilities to avoid inclement weather or poor conditions, but struggles to mitigate poor conditions in many mountain areas.
4
The mountain has some capabilities to avoid inclement weather or poor conditions, but is regularly forced to close a few major parts of the mountain. Under severe circumstances, the mountain may be forced to completely suspend operations.
3
The mountain has some capabilities to avoid inclement weather or poor conditions, but is regularly forced to close multiple major mountain areas. Occasionally, the mountain may be forced to suspend operations completely.
2
In the event of any inclement weather, the mountain loses most of its skiable terrain, with restoration regularly taking several days or weeks. A few small runs may stay open.
1
In the event of any inclement weather, the mountain loses its entire skiable footprint and may take weeks to recover.
0
Any inclement weather issues are season-ending.
8
Crowd Flow
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The mountain's infrastructure is perfectly set up for crowd flow and capacity and does the best possible job to mitigate crowding.
9
The mountain's lift infrastructure is mostly direct and well-placed with excellent capacity.
8
The mountain's lift infrastructure is mostly direct and well-placed with good capacity. One or two areas could use a capacity upgrade.
7
The mountain's lift infrastructure is usually direct and well-placed with good capacity. A few areas could use a capacity upgrade or better placed lifts. Trails themselves rarely become chokepoints.
6
The mountain's lift and trail network is usually direct with good capacity. Some areas suffer from indirect lift placements or poorly thought out junctions.
5
The mountain’s lift and trail network comprises a comparable mix of direct, well-placed routes and indirect or capacity-constrained ones.
4
The mountain's lift and trail network is set up in a way that causes major crowding or indirect routing for many popular routes. Some areas are served by direct, well-placed lifts.
3
The mountain's lift and trail network causes serious crowding or indirect routing for most areas, but a few places are served by direct, well-placed lifts.
2
The mountain's lift and trail network is not equipped to handle crowds on a normal day and sees backups of more than half an hour.
1
The mountain's crowd flow logistics are seriously flawed. Poor lift placement and uphill capacity can cause backups of more than an hour.
0
The mountain's crowd flow logistics are so bad that you shouldn't expect to get on the mountain on a typical day.
7
Size
Criteria Breakdown
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10
7000+ skiable acres
9
3500-7000 skiable acres
8
2500-3500 skiable acres
7
1800-2500 skiable acres
6
1200-1800 skiable acres
5
800-1200 skiable acres
4
500-800 skiable acres
3
250-500 skiable acres
2
100-250 skiable acres
1
1-100 skiable acres
0
0 skiable acres
8
Facilities
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The mountain boasts easily accessible, high-capacity lodges at every major and minor junction area.
9
The mountain boasts easily accessible, high-capacity lodges throughout most mountain areas.
8
The mountain boasts several lodges or huts across the resort. A few minor mid- or high-elevation areas lack easy access to high-capacity facilities.
7
The mountain boasts several lodges or huts across the resort. Some major mountain areas lack easy access to high-capacity facilities.
6
The mountain boasts several lodges or huts across multiple areas, but some places lack easy access to the closest facilities.
5
The mountain consists of high-capacity lodges at each base area but suffers from limited, low-capacity, or impractically placed on-mountain facilities.
4
The mountain consists of high-capacity lodges at each base area. Any on-mountain facilities are limited, low-capacity, and impractically placed.
3
The mountain consists of at least one high-capacity base lodge but no on-mountain facilities.
2
The mountain consists of a moderately-sized base lodge but no on-mountain facilities.
1
The mountain consists of a singular base lodge that's either impractically small or hard to reach.
0
The mountain doesn't consist of any on-site lodge facilities.
6
Terrain Diversity
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The mountain has an abundance of terrain in all categories for all ability levels.
9
The mountain offers multiple options in all terrain categories you'd typically find at a ski resort.
8
The mountain offers at least some options in all terrain categories you'd typically find at a ski resort.
7
The mountain offers terrain in most categories for a range of ability levels, but may fall short in one or two areas.
6
The mountain offers terrain in many categories but either falls short or lacks terrain in a few others.
5
The mountain offers terrain of varying lengths, gradients, and widths but lacks terrain in multiple categories.
4
The mountain offers similar terrain of moderately different lengths, gradients, and widths.
3
The mountain offers similar terrain of slightly different lengths, gradients, or widths.
2
The mountain consists of runs that are similar to one another but vary slightly by difficulty.
1
The mountain only consists of runs that provide nearly identical terrain experiences.
0
The mountain has no terrain.
7
Navigation
Criteria Breakdown
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10
It's easy, direct, and clear to get anywhere on the mountain from any place.
9
It's easy, direct, and clear to get anywhere on the mountain from most places. A small fraction of trails don't have direct access to all other mountain areas.
8
It's easy to get to and from most mountain areas. A few minor areas aren't directly accessible from all other parts of the resort or may be hard to find.
7
It's reasonably simple to get between most major mountain areas. A few areas require catwalks or traverses to get to or from or are hard to find. Some areas require multiple direct lift rides to travel between.
6
It's reasonably simple to get between many major mountain areas, but some areas require more effort due to poor signage, indirect lifts, or catwalks.
5
Some mountain areas are easy to navigate while others require more effort due to poor signage, indirect lifts, or catwalks.
4
Some mountain areas are easy to get between, but navigating many major areas can be confusing. Some major trails may suffer from poor signage or require catwalks.
3
It can take multiple lifts or be notably confusing to get between major resort areas. Many resort areas suffer from indirect trail routes, poor signage, or multiple catwalks.
2
It takes a substantial amount of effort and multiple indirect lifts to get between resort areas with little enjoyable terrain in between. Expect to occasionally get lost.
1
Expect to regularly get lost at this resort due to poor signage and lift placement. Getting between mountain areas requires notable effort and extremely unenjoyable terrain.
0
It's impossible to get around this resort. You will likely get lost or spend your whole day trying to get from one place to another.
4
Challenge
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The resort boasts truly extreme terrain across several prominent areas. Any double blacks should not be attempted, even by experts, without using extreme caution.
9
Select resort areas boast some of the most challenging runs in the world. The most challenging terrain should not be attempted, even by experts, without using extreme caution.
8
The mountain boasts extremely demanding terrain with sustained pitches, cliffs, drop-ins, and/or tight turns.
7
The mountain offers a range of very steep, ungroomed terrain with features like cliffs, drop-ins, or tight turns.
6
The mountain offers a range of steep, difficult terrain, with expert features like cliffs in some places.
5
The mountain offers some fairly steep groomed and ungroomed runs.
4
The mountain offers some steep runs but very little ungroomed terrain.
3
The mountain primarily offers groomed terrain with moderate pitches.
2
The mountain offers mostly gently-sloped terrain.
1
None of the mountain's terrain is more difficult than a typical bunny hill.
0
The mountain is completely flat.
6
Mountain Aesthetic
Criteria Breakdown
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10
The resort offers one-of-a-kind views, terrain, isolation, and vibes. You probably won't find a resort that feels like this again in your lifetime.
9
The resort offers unique terrain, views, and isolation that you'll rarely find anywhere else.
8
The resort clearly distinguishes itself with class-leading views, terrain, and isolation.
7
The resort feels unique, with high-quality views, terrain, and isolation across the footprint.
6
The resort doesn't boast the same unique terrain as some competing resorts but offers excellent views and isolation in many areas.
5
The resort offers some cool terrain and great views and isolation in some areas. Some areas may feel commercialized or built-up.
4
The resort offers decently cool terrain, nice views, or pockets of isolation in places. Major areas may feel commercialized or built-up.
3
The resort either feels commercialized or built-up around more than half the resort or offers only moderately interesting terrain, views and isolation.
2
The resort either feels commercialized or built-up in most areas or offers only mildly interesting terrain, views or isolation.
1
The resort barely feels like a mountain, with intense commercialization and very little in the way of views, terrain, or isolation.
0
The resort is completely flat or indoors.
6
Good To Know
Aprés-ski:
Limited
On-site Lodging:
Yes
Nearest City:
Kelowna (1 hr), Vancouver (5.5 hrs), Seattle (7 hrs)
Pass Affiliation:
None
Epic [Backend]
Ikon [Backend]
Mountain Collective [Backend]
Other [Backend]
Recommended Ability:
From
Beginner
To
Advanced
Beginner [Backend]
Intermediate [Backend]
Advanced [Backend]
Expert [Backend]
Extreme [Backend]
Pros
- Family-friendly terrain
- Vibrant ski-in/ski-out base village
- Standout tree terrain, especially for intermediates
- Lower crowds than other similarly-sized resorts
- Value
Pro Con Item [Backend]
Cons
- Unintuitive, traverse-heavy trail network
- Lack of high-alpine bowl terrain
- Shorter vertical drop than some competitors
- Limited expert terrain
- Ease of travel from most U.S. cities
Pro Con Item [Backend]
Mountain Stats
3007
acres
Skiable Footprint
3282
acres
Total Footprint
99
%
Lift-Serviced Terrain
6280
ft
Top Elevation
2500
ft
Vertical Drop
12
Lifts
132
Trails
15
%
Beginner
40
%
Intermediate
45
%
Advanced/Expert
Comprehensive Review
Located in Western Canada’s Monashee Mountains in the Okanagan region, Silver Star stands as a low-key alternative to better known resorts. The mountain’s modest vertical drop and family-friendly bent mean the resort won’t attract the same destination crowd as prominent fly-to areas. However, Silver Star’s vibrantly designed village, family-friendly terrain, and unique partial-upside-down setup make for an attractive proposition for the right groups.
Size and Terrain Layout
With a 3,000-acre footprint and 132 trails, Silver Star is by no means a small mountain. But while not bad, the resort’s 2,500-foot vertical drop doesn’t match the class-leading descents of Western Canada’s best resorts. Paired with a lack of high-alpine bowls and particularly iconic topography, Silver Star’s terrain feels rather ordinary compared to the competition.
However, Silver Star does offer a few traits that help it stand out, especially for those who aren’t from the region. The resort features a unique, partial-upside-down setup, with its Village Centre located about 60% of the way up. But this base village doesn’t just feel like any old commercialized complex—the whole development maintains a lively multi-color scheme that feels like it’s out of a movie.
And despite the buildup near the top, Silver Star’s lower-elevation areas conversely lack development—and still maintain picturesque views of the Monashee Mountains to the east. Finally, not all of Silver Star’s upper mountain is part of its village; the resort features a sizable back side that comprises about half of its terrain, and this area feels quite remote and removed from society.
Beginner Terrain
Silver Star is generally a beginner-friendly mountain, with green trails accessible off every lift. Visitors of this proficiency will appreciate the variety of gentle, well-groomed trails on the front side. Those who are just learning have their own dedicated learning area served by the Silver Queen lift, which is significantly isolated from other terrain zones. There’s also a bunny hill with a magic carpet for true first-timers right at the Village Centre.
However, there are a few situations beginners might find tricky. First off, getting out of the back side can be tough. The Last Chance trail from the top of the Powder Gulch Express lift is fairly flat, with some traversing required. While there’s a less strenuous egress route from the top of the back side, getting up there requires a ride up the Home Run Tee, a surface lift that less-experienced guests may not be used to.
In addition, it’s somewhat of a pain to ski or ride from the Village Centre to the Alpine Meadows and Silver Queen lifts using exclusively green trails. The only beginner run that leads to this area is called Criss Cross, and it involves several flat, catwalky sections with a few mild uphill segments. It’s also easy to get really confused on this trail, as there are several misleading signs that make it seem like you’ve ended up with only intermediate and advanced trail options, even though you haven’t gone off track.
Making matters even more annoying, while the Silver Woods Express lift only tops out a few hundred feet away from Silver Queen, guests will need to go the roundabout way all the way to the summit and via the aforementioned Criss Cross trail to get there. If you’re a beginner but you’re not learning for the first time, it might be best to spend most of your time at the main frontside lifts.
TRAIL MAP
Intermediate Terrain
Silver Star offers an enjoyable intermediate footprint, and like with beginner terrain, the best trails for this ability level are generally located on the front side. Ample intermediate terrain exists off the Comet and Silver Woods Express lifts, and the resort especially stands out for generous intermediate-rated glade terrain in both areas. These trees span a range of different densities, making Silver Star a great mountain for glade progression and exploring different types of woods.
Silver Star’s back side also offers some high-quality intermediate terrain, including Eldorado, a three-and-a-half-mile-long trail that spans the full vertical drop of the resort (although only the bottom two-thirds are directly lappable). That said, a number of the blue runs directly served by the lifts do involve some mild flat terrain sections.
Terrain Parks
Silver Star’s front side is home to the resort’s three terrain parks. While not quite as built up as those at the best North American destinations, the resort’s freestyle setup is competitive for the region, with a range of boxes, rails, jumps, and specialty features such as wall rides to keep visitors engaged. Features range from small to extra-large in size.
Advanced and Expert Terrain
Silver Star may not be the most extreme mountain out there, but it does offer its fair share of advanced and expert terrain, especially on the back side. Single-black trails range between mogul runs, glades of varying widths, and even some groomers. Double-black trails exist solely on the back side, and they offer significantly steep, narrow fall lines that are somewhat reminiscent of the hardest trails at many good East Coast ski resorts. A large percentage of backside advanced and expert runs are fairly hidden off unassuming access trails, meaning they hold their snow well, even days after the last storm.
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR SILVER STAR
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below areunisex.
Hike-to Backcountry Terrain
The back side also offers access to Silver Star’s only hike-to terrain, Alder Point. While technically not in bounds and a fifteen-minute catwalk away on nordic trails, this area is a great place to score some powder if it’s just snowed and the rest of the mountain is starting to get skied out. However, this area is not regularly patrolled, so be sure to go with a partner and bring proper backcountry equipment with you. In addition, the area faces south, so even if it’s still not tracked, the snow typically gets heavy after a day or two of no new accumulation.
Snow Quality and Conditions
Speaking of snow, Silver Star tends to see high-quality accumulation throughout a typical winter. Despite no snowmaking, the resort enjoys consistent snowfall that allows for a reliable season. While advanced and expert terrain can see thin cover during the earlier months, the resort is typically 100% open by early January. Silver Star doesn’t see quite the same amount of snowfall as some competing mountains further east, making for fewer true powder days, but snow comes consistently in moderate batches. Visibility tends to be a lot better than competing mountains with more exposed terrain, although fog can still occur. Silver Star is also one of the best wind-protected mountains in Western Canada, meaning it’s still reasonably reliable on storm days.
Temperatures
Like other Interior British Columbia mountains, Silver Star faces substantial cold spells around once or twice per year. During these times, temperatures can drop as low as -30°C (-22°F), making for particularly frigid slopes that very few folks will enjoy. Temperatures tend to be much more moderate during other parts of the winter season, but these cold spells are hard to predict and can last for a week or more, making an in-advance trip to Silver Star a bit of a roll of the dice.
On-Mountain Facilities
If you end up at Silver Star on a particularly frigid day—or you just want an escape from the cold in general—the resort offers a few places to stop in for a break. In addition to the sizable Village Centre with dining complexes at both the main base and Silver Queen bunny hill, the resort sports a modestly-sized lodge on its back side. Other resorts have more widespread indoor lodges, but Silver Star does stand out with bathrooms at or near the bottom of every lift except Alpine Meadows.
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR SILVER STAR
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below areunisex.
Lifts
Silver Star’s lift fleet is generally modern, with high-speed uphill service in most key mountain zones. The resort features three detachable chairlifts, including one six-pack, and the recently installed Schumann Summit Express Gondola provides direct service from the main base village to the resort’s summit.
However, there are a few downsides. The Alpine Meadows lift, which provides the only real convenient access to the southernmost trails on the front side, is quite slow (although the ride is short enough to remain reasonably acceptable). In addition, there are a few places where it feels like chairlifts are just missing. The backside is home to approximately half of Silver Star’s terrain, yet it’s served by just a singular high-speed quad and a t-bar right above it. This means that it takes prolonged traversing to reach even moderately long runs, and to get to the overwhelming majority of runs in this area, guests will have to engage on the same access trails over and over again. To put this situation into perspective, access to over forty trails on the backside comes off of just three runs. It would be especially nice if there were another chairlift to directly serve the dozens of trails to the west of the Powder Gulch Express chair, and a second one decided to the trails east of this lift wouldn’t hurt either.
Ease of Navigation
Silver Star’s unintuitive village trail setup and traverse-heavy back side make it a less-than-fun mountain to get around. Unless sticking to specific trails directly off of the lifts that serve them, guests should come prepared to traverse a lot throughout the day. Signage is clear, but some of the markings are misleading, either pointing to trails that don’t start for several hundred feet, failing to clearly highlight the run one is on, or omitting important details. Perhaps most annoyingly, if one tries to get the Village Centre directly from the top of the Silver Woods lift, the trail involves crossing over an active roadway—and there is no signage to warn about this circumstance, which can be both stressful and confusing. For snowboarders, the high frequency of required catwalking may outweigh the benefits brought by a well-designed terrain park.
Crowds
At least after all that traversing, guests typically won’t have to wait in lines for that long. The resort’s remote location and primarily local clientele means it doesn’t see nearly the same amount of traffic as typical destination-goers might be used to. The weird lift setup does mean that the Powder Gulch lift on the backside can be a chokepoint, but even on peak holidays, waits of longer than 20 minutes are rare.
Night Skiing
From mid-December to mid-March, Silver Star offers night skiing on a fraction of its terrain until 8:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. During these times, the resort operates its Schumann Gondola, Silver Queen lift, and bunny hill magic carpet. Included in night skiing is a modestly-sized terrain park. The night skiing footprint isn’t the largest out there, but it’s a solid option for those who want to get a few weekend laps in after the sun goes down.
Getting There and Parking
With no traffic, Silver Star is just under an hour from the Kelowna airport, and about half an hour from the town of Vernon. Several shuttle services run to and from the resort, as well as between the mountain and both downtown Kelowna and Vernon. Unlike some destination regions, serious traffic to the resort is rare, and free parking is readily available.
Lodging
One of Silver Star’s biggest assets is its extensive ski-in/ski-out on-mountain village. The resort offers a number of hotels and vacation home rentals just steps from the lifts, and while not bargain-basement, rates are substantially cheaper than slope side hotels at competing destinations.
For truly economical options, guests can find plenty of inns 30 minutes down the road in Vernon.
Aprés-ski
Silver Star is much more of a family-oriented mountain than a party town, and despite its extensive village, there isn’t really much of a nightlife scene. Guests will find a handful of restaurants and pubs onsite, but if you’re looking for a truly lively atmosphere, there are a lot better options out there.
Oct 19, 2023 Written By Sam Weintraub
Verdict
Silver Star doesn’t offer quite the same terrain diversity as several Western Canada competitors, and ease of navigation could use some work. But the resort stands out with one of the most accessible ski-in/ski-out setups on the continent, diverse tree skiing, especially for intermediates, and regional crowds on a 3,000-acre footprint.
Pricing
Lift tickets top out around $159 CAD, or $116 USD with today’s exchange rates, but they go for as low as $103 CAD ($75 USD) on off-peak weekdays. Depending on when you go, Silver Star can be a solid value for what you get.
Best Winter Wonderland Getaway
The resort is a true winter wonderland, with stunning scenery and fantastic skiing conditions. The après-ski activities were a blast, and the staff went out of their way to ensure everything ran smoothly. I especially enjoyed the variety of trails and the relaxing atmosphere after a day on the slopes.
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