Silver Star Mountain Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SilverStar Mountain Resort |
|
|---|---|
 SilverStar Mountain Resort
Location in British Columbia
SilverStar Mountain Resort
Location in Canada
|
|
| Location | British Columbia, Canada |
| Nearest city | Vernon |
| Coordinates | 50°21′35″N 119°03′29″W / 50.35972°N 119.05806°W |
| Vertical | 760 m (2,500 ft) |
| Top elevation | 1915 m (6,280 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1155 m (3,780 ft) |
| Skiable area | 3,282 acres (13.3 km2) |
| Runs | 132 Designated Trails 15% Beginner 40% Intermediate 35% Expert 10% Extreme |
| Longest run | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Lift system | 12 Total (1 8 person express gondola, 1 six-pack express, 2 detachable high-speed quads, 2 fixed grip quads,1 t-bar, 3 beginner magic carpets, 2 tube lifts) |
| Lift capacity | 14,000 boarders/skiers per hour |
| Terrain parks | Terrain Park |
| Snowfall | 700 cm (23 ft) /annually |
| Snowmaking | None |
Silver Star Mountain Resort is a fun place for skiing and snowboarding. It is located in British Columbia, Canada. You can find it near Vernon, in the beautiful Monashee Mountains.
Silver Star is open for snow sports from late November to mid-April. When summer arrives, you can still visit! The resort offers lift access for exciting mountain biking and hiking adventures. This is usually available from late June through September.
The local leaders for the area include Mayor Amanda Shatzko. Also, Mel Arnold is the Member of Parliament (MP). Harwinder Sandhu is the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). These people help make decisions for the community.
Contents
Exploring the Mountain Terrain
Silver Star Mountain Resort gets a lot of snow each year. About 700 cm (23 feet) of snow falls annually. Imagine all that fresh powder for skiing!
The mountain has 132 marked trails for all skill levels. The vertical drop is 760 meters (2,500 feet). This means you can ski down a long way from top to bottom. The main village area is 1,609 meters (5,279 feet) high. The very top of the mountain, called the summit, is 1,915 meters (6,283 feet) above sea level.
Lifts and Ski Areas
Silver Star has 12 different lifts to take you up the mountain. These include a fast eight-person gondola called Summit Express. There is also a six-person chairlift, the Comet Six-Pack Express. Two other quick lifts are the Silverwoods Express and Powder Gulch Express.
For a slightly slower ride, there are two fixed-grip quad chairs. These are the Silver Queen Chair and Alpine Meadows Chair. A T-bar lift, called Home Run T-bar, is also available. For beginners, there are three easy magic carpets. Two tube lifts are also on the mountain for tubing fun.
The resort has a huge skiable area of 3,269 acres (13 square kilometers). This area spreads across four different parts of the mountain. These parts are Vance Creek, Attridge, Silver Woods, and Putnam Creek.
Mountain Climate
Silver Star Mountain has a subalpine climate. This means it has cool summers and cold, snowy winters. A weather station near the top of the mountain helps track the weather. It is called Vernon Silver Star Lodge. This station is located at 1586 meters (5203 feet) high.
History of Silver Star Mountain
How Skiing Began
Skiing at Silver Star started a long time ago. In 1930, Bert Thorburn was the first person to ski here. He was a local from Vernon.
The first simple ski lift was built in 1946. It was a rope tow on Burney Ridge. This rope tow was 240 meters (800 feet) long. An old car engine powered it. For just 50 cents, people could ski all day!
Later, the ski hill moved to a farm in Lavington. But skiing was only possible for a few months there.
Building the Resort
Silver Star was first a protected park where building was not allowed. But in 1957, Silver Star Sports got permission to build a ski hill. The road to the village area was finished in 1958.
In 1958, two rope-tow lifts and a small lodge were built. A new poma lift was added in 1959. This lift took skiers from the parking lot to the mountain top. In 1964, faster T-bars replaced the old rope tows. More lodge space was added in 1965. In 1967 and 1968, the Summit and Yellow Chairs were installed.
Modern Silver Star Era
In 1981, the company changed its name to Silver Star Mountain Resorts Ltd. More hotels and services were built on the mountain from 1984 to 1990. The Silver Queen chair was built in 1990. It is now used for beginner skiers.
In 1991, the Putnam Creek and Vance Creek express quads were built. These opened up more ski areas. In 2001, the Schumann family bought most of Silver Star Mountain Resort. They also owned Big White Ski Resort.
Silver Star Mountain Resort added new chair lifts in 2002. They also opened up more terrain. In 2005 and 2006, the Silver Woods ski area was expanded. The Comet Express is a very large six-person chairlift. It can carry 2600 people per hour. In 2005, the Silver Star Bike Park started using the Comet Six-Pack chairlift for biking.
In 2012, Jane Cann became the full owner of Silver Star Resort. Her brother, Peter Schumann, got ownership of Big White. The two resorts then became separate.
A new gondola, the Schumann Summit Express, opened on July 14, 2018. This gondola can take skiers and bikers to the summit very quickly. The ride takes only 4.4 minutes!
On December 3, 2019, it was announced that SilverStar was sold again. It was bought by Powdr Corporation. This company owns other ski resorts in Utah.
