Ski the Okanagan
Ski the Okanagan
From Alpine to Nordic, this part of the country is a skiers dream come true!
Champagne powder: Every skier fantasizes about the light, fluffy stuff but seldom has the experience. Most of us are relegated to crusty hard pack and the scraping sound of setting an edge instead of skis swooshing through light, dry snow.
There’s only one area in Canada where you are virtually guaranteed fresh snow every night and that’s in and around the Rockies. Two of the area’s most renowned destinations, Silver Star (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/) and Big White (http://www.bigwhite.com/), are sister properties located one hour away from Kelowna, the former to the north and the latter to the east.
The reason for the near-perfect conditions? In this part of the world fresh flakes tend to arrive regularly, so there’s no need for manmade snow and the concomitant icy conditions. Plus, because of the altitude and distance from a large mass of water, there is less humidity, making the snow drier and fluffier. Typically, about 700 cm or 23 ft falls annually at Silver Star.
The resort’s’s cozy, colourful village (situated at 1609 m or 5,280 ft) boasts jaw-dropping views to the Monashees and Bugaboos, the domain of world-class heli-skiing. A well-designed mountain with a network of downhill runs and lifts that form a perfect circuit means you can circle out in the morning to Atridge then Putnam and round back to your condo late afternoon, having had a slope-side lunch at Paradise Camp.
With an impressive proportion of beginner runs, this is definitely a spot where you can launch your skiing career, especially with the likes of Norm Kreutz to oversee your progress. As a decades-long veteran of Silver Star and head of the ski school, Kreutz has taught all over the world. His cues are gentle but precise and he has a refreshing and successful approach on what is most important to a novice skier.
“If we can get a beginner to the top of the mountain the first day and have them ski down safely and with confidence, they will be back. There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get from skiing top to bottom, along with the gorgeous view you can only see from the summit.”
Mountain ski resorts that receive fresh snow almost every night and have lots of terrain for beginner skiers aren’t easy to find, especially when there’s also lots of intermediate and expert runs — including the foreboding double black diamond. At Silver Star, those hair-raising hills are intelligently concentrated at Putnam Creek so if you’re still in the pizza and French fries stage (aka snowplow), you don’t have to worry about being sideswiped by a swarm of teenage boarders.
For someone who once skied a lot (OK, I was a ski bum) but lost track of the pursuit some 15 years ago due to the unpredictable turns life takes, I will admit to an unfamiliar fear factor when I decided to head west and face down the hill again.
Having promised (with more than a little counseling from my husband) to take it slow on the blue-circle runs and not-too-challenging intermediate pistes, the mere sight of Silver Star’s perfectly groomed hills meant I quickly relinquished my adult resolve and started back into the short-radius turns I so enjoy (please don’t tell my husband). A few hours on the hills and I felt as though only a season had passed since I’d been on skis.
But, as I was to happily discover, Silver Star is not just about downhill. Amongst cross-country aficionados, the place is a legend. The trails are among the earliest in the country to open and they stay that way until mid-April. There are 60 km that wind through forests haunted with snow ghosts (hoar frost on evergreens) and glide past awe-inspiring vistas. (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/on-the-mountain/nordic)
This year and for the first time, special programs for women are being run by some of the country’s most famous competitors. Guy Paulsen, Marie-Catherine Bruno and Sandy Cook have spent their lives Nordic skiing and, since they’re around the same age as you and me, they know exactly what we want. To that end, keep an eye on the website for news of camps in February and March.
Snowshoeing (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/fun-adventures/snowshoe-tours) is also a big part of Silver Star. More than 16km of trails means you can traipse through the woods without having to double back. But be sure that Roseanne Van Ee is your guide. She is not only a respected interpretive naturalist but also lots of fun. My journey through magical landscapes was infused with her enthusiasm and recitation of interesting facts (if you yell “Wahoo” under a branch bowed by the snow, your wish will come true). Be sure and check out her popular nighttime tours.
Although sated by Silver Star, while in the area it made sense to visit the older sibling, Big White. A larger mountain with a more expansive village, the two resorts are so different as to defy comparison.
Big White lives up to its name (118 runs, 2565 acres of skiable terrain, 16 lifts) and given a season’s worth of downhill, it would be challenging to navigate it all. Lift lines are a non-event, people are extraordinarily polite, “I’m going to the left when I get off the lift. Which way are you going?” and the country’s largest ski-in ski-out village means you can get anywhere from your hotel. Plus, the majority of the terrain is south facing and that means it’s warmer than most resorts with an average temperature of -5oC.
But for me, Big White was about one person: Blake. He’s smart, young and an amazing skier. He’s also an extraordinary instructor. After a few runs together, he altered my entire experience with a handful of words. “Try not to move your feet so much,” he said. The result? An epiphany. Seems I was still acting as though I had my old 195-cm skis underneath. Suddenly, the rhythm came back as did my confidence, testimony to the power of ski lessons.
Skiing in wine country? Definitely a concept whose time has come.
NITTY GRITTY
Getting there: WestJet (http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/home.shtml) is also a skiers dream come true. Ski the first day free by showing your boarding pass from the flight to Kelowna.
Sleeps: Both resorts have villages that allow you to ski in and ski out. No schlepping equipment for miles and ending up with an aching back before you even hit the slopes. At Silver Star, try Snowbird Lodge (http://www.snowbirdlodge.ca/silverstar/index.html).
In Big White, I stayed at White Crystal Inn (http://irmestore.bigwhitesilverstar.com/irmnet/(S(mmexxl55cw23k345eft2lgen))/res/resmain.aspx?Resort=02) The décor in both places was fairly banal — mostly brown and beige — but you’ll be on the hills most of the time anyway.
Pampering: These days, I cannot differentiate skiing from massage i.e. the two activities seem to naturally go hand in hand. At Silver Star, evening yoga classes led by Claudia Sorensen help stretch out all those muscles while next door Ousia Day Spa provides massage masters like Radha Fisher who ensures you leave totally relaxed (http://www.ousiadayspa.com/)
In the village at Big White, Beyond Wrapture (http://www.kelownaspa.ca/) offers a homemade red- or white-wine vinotherapy massage. “Grape seeds, stems and skins contain antioxidants called polyphenols, which are 10,000 times stronger and 50 times more healing than Vitamin E,” says spa owner Debra Pender.
Eats: Silver Star – The place for breakfast is Bugaboos Bakery Café (http://bugaboos.foodpages.ca/) where every manner of croissant is made fresh daily. This is also the perfect spot to watch the sun crest the mountains while mustering energy with a frothy latte.
At night it’s surprising to find so many tasty options in such a small village.
For the variety of its cocktails alone, Long John’s Pub (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/restaurants/long-johns-pub) deserves its renown.
Silver Grill Steakhouse (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/restaurants/silver-grill) lists such delectables as Dungeness crab cakes and AAA Alberta beef that comes cooked the way you ask.
For a more laid-back venue, the Den Bistro (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/restaurants/the-den-bar-and-bistro) can fashion a multi-layered hamburger that should keep you full for 24 hours.
Big White – The Kettle Valley Steakhouse (http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/Dining/Big-White-Ski-Resort.htm) has the largest selection of Okanagan wines at the resort as well as being an intimate setting with a gourmet menu.
Lunch at The Bullwheel, the resort’s newest eatery, is delicious. However, it was 6 Degrees Bistro (http://www.6degreesbigwhite.com) that blew my mind. Not only was the ambience evocative of a ski chalet in the Alps (that means big fireplace, comfy chairs, and a feeling that only the St. Bernard was missing) the fare was as good as anything you’d find in the centre of a big city where the competition is intense. With a husband-and-wife team in the kitchen (don’t ask me how they stay married), the concept is John Bannerman’s brainchild. Bannerman is a long-time resident of the mountain who went away for a decade but couldn’t resist returning. He presides over the space like a proud father, ready with urbane quips and menu suggestions. Unfortunately, if you go here at the beginning of your stay, you’ll likely go nowhere else for meals.
The Gunbarrel Coffee Show at Snowshoe Sam’s (http://www.bigwhite.com/mountain-info/food-dining-entertainment/restaurants/) is vintage ski entertainment since it involves countless types of booze, fire, performance and drinking.
Special events – The Big Reds festival at Big White provides the perfect combo for those of us who love to both drink and ski (preferably not at the same time). Once a year, in early December, the main lodge in the village is cleared for the nightlong extravaganza. Dozens of Okanagan vintners show off their wares by pouring glasses of selected vintages. Food stations are on hand so no one gets too tipsy. A-la-minute garlic prawns and flourless chocolate cake mean it’s a dinner and drinks night without the pressure of choosing from a menu. The perfect way to rub elbows with the ever-so-merry locals.
Diversions: Billed as “Canada’s highest-altitude art gallery, Gallery Odin (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/relaxation/gallery-odin) has original art for every taste.
Girl Power: Both resorts have some tempting packages for women. Check out “Downhill Divas”: http://www.pitchengine.com/bigwhiteskiresort/its-all-about-the-ladies-at-big-white-ski-resort.
January 16, 2012
Hanging in at Big White in B.C.
Early morning light (Silver Star)
Pure Kurelek.
Big White: spectacular.
Casting a long shadow at Silver Star
Nothing stops the pleasurable pursuits at Big White
Big Reds (wine festival) at Big White
Copyright © 2011, K. Jill Rigby. All rights reserved.