Trail map
Published by SilverStar Mountain Resort Ltd. (Pacific Group Resorts); this copy via SilverStar Mountain Resort Ltd.. The current official map is at SilverStar Mountain Resort Ltd. (Pacific Group Resorts).
Routable 3D map
The whole lift and piste network of Silver Star is routable in the app: difficulty limits, live lift and piste status, alternative ways to the same place, and a 3D view of the terrain.
Open in SkiAllDayThe verdict
SilverStar is a single lift-served network split across four faces above Vernon: Vance Creek, Attridge and Silver Woods on the front side, reached from a Victorian-themed, ski-in/ski-out village at 1,609 m, and Putnam Creek on the back, where the genuinely steep terrain is concentrated. The operator counts 133 marked runs over 3,304 acres and a 760 m vertical drop (1,155-1,915 m); skiresort.com's independent measurement gives 115 km, and our own OpenStreetMap measurement finds 118.1 km. A 1,915 m summit and 760 m vertical are both modest next to the taller BC Interior resorts it gets compared with, and the back side's lower base leaves it more exposed to thin early-season cover than the higher-sited front side. Ownership has changed twice in six years, from the Schumann family (which also owned Big White until a 2012 split) to Powdr in 2019 and to Pacific Group Resorts in November 2025, with no announced change to the mountain itself.1234
Goes well for
- Families and mixed-ability groups who want ski-in/ski-out lodging in a compact, colourful village: skiresort.com's own description calls it a "charming village" of "colorful Victorian houses" with ski-in/ski-out accommodation, and the front side's magic carpets and Silver Queen bunny hill sit a short walk from the door.
- Skiers who want a real back side rather than a resort that is uniformly easy: Putnam Creek concentrates SilverStar's steepest, most-discussed terrain (Caliper Ridge, the Powder Gulch chutes, Bon Diablo), reached by its own high-speed quad rather than mixed in with the cruising terrain up front.
- Cross-country skiers: SilverStar operates roughly 55 km of its own graded Nordic trails, and the independently run Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, immediately adjacent in the same Silver Star Provincial Park, adds a further, larger network of its own.
Goes badly for
- Advanced and expert skiers making SilverStar their whole trip: a 760 m vertical drop and 1,915 m summit are modest for the BC Interior next to taller neighbours such as Revelstoke or Big White, and the steep terrain that exists is concentrated in one sector (Putnam Creek/Powder Gulch) rather than spread across the mountain.
- Early-season visitors hoping for full back-side access: Putnam Creek's base sits lower and less sheltered than the village, and community trip reports describe exposed rocks and branches on the steeper chutes there when fresh snow is lacking.
- Budget skiers: a main-season adult day ticket runs toward C$174 by independent measurement, SilverStar's own site publishes no fixed advance-purchase discount comparable to some competitors, and the earliest-window adult season pass alone runs 999 CAD.
Key facts
Every card opens. The headline number is the answer; underneath is how it was measured and where it came from.
Elevation 760m vertical · 1,155–1,915 m
| Village | 1,609 m1 |
|---|---|
| Lowest piste | 1,155 m2 |
| Highest lift-served point | 1,915 m2 |
| Vertical drop | 760 m |
The operator's own Fast Facts page gives a village elevation of 1,609 m (5,279 ft) and a total vertical drop of 760 m (2,490 ft); it does not publish separate top and base figures. Those come from skiresort.com and Wikipedia, both citing the operator's own facts page and agreeing on 1,155-1,915 m (760 m difference, matching the operator's own vertical figure exactly), and the current trail map itself labels the summit "1915m | 6283ft" and the Putnam Creek base "1155m | 3789ft". The village sits well above the resort's own lowest lift-served point: skiers ride down from their ski-in/ski-out lodging to reach some of the network, an inversion of the usual base-village layout.
Pistes 115km 118.1 km measured from the network
- Easy 20km 17%
- Intermediate 45km 39%
- Difficult 50km 43%
Marketed vs measuredSilverStar's own Fast Facts page states its terrain in acres and trail count rather than kilometres: 3,304 skiable acres (133 marked runs), a figure the November 2025 Ski Area Management article on the resort's sale corroborates at "133 trails spread across 3,300 acres." Skiresort.com's independent measurement gives 115 km total, split 20 km easy (17%), 45 km intermediate (39%) and 50 km difficult (44%). Our own measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 118.1 km, about 3% above skiresort.com's figure rather than below it, which is the opposite of the usual marketed-vs-measured gap. All of these figures are downhill (alpine) piste only. SilverStar separately operates about 55 km of its own graded Nordic (cross-country) trails, and the independently run Sovereign Lake Nordic Club operates a further, larger network in the same Silver Star Provincial Park; neither is included in any figure above.
Lifts 10 5 types in the fleet
- High-speed chairlift 3
- Magic carpet 3
- Fixed-grip chairlift 2
- Gondola 1
- T-bar 1
Skiresort.com and the November 2025 Ski Area Management article on the resort's sale both count 10 lifts, the figure used here: the Schumann Summit Express gondola (8-person, opened 2018), three high-speed detachable quads (Comet Express, a 6-pack; Powder Gulch Express; Silver Woods Express), two fixed-grip quads (Silver Queen Chair, now the bunny hill; Alpine Meadows Chair), the Home Run T-bar, and three magic carpets in the beginner area. Wikipedia's infobox still lists 12, a stale figure that predates a change in how the two separate tubing-park lifts are counted; SilverStar's own site does not publish a single current lift total.2
Season 27 November 2026 – 4 April 2027 winter season
| Winter season | 27 November 2026 – 4 April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Lift hours | 09:00-15:30 |
Day pass CAD 174 adult, main season
| Adult | CAD 1742 |
|---|---|
| Youth | CAD 1342 |
| Child | CAD 1002 |
| Multi-resort passes | My1 Alpine Season Pass: tiered by purchase date (Early Bird 1 through Regular Price), from 999 CAD adult in the earliest Mar 25-Apr 30 window, per the operator's own 2026/27 pricing table. New for 2026/27: a SilverStar season passholder (Adult, Senior, Youth, Student or Young at Heart) can add an Ikon Base Pass (499 CAD, unlimited plus 5 days at 60+ destinations) or full Ikon Pass (1,199 CAD, unlimited plus 7 days at 70+ destinations, no blackouts) on top of their SilverStar pass. This is an add-on to a SilverStar pass, not standalone Ikon access, and the Ikon Base Pass excludes Deer Valley, Jackson Hole, Aspen Snowmass, Alta, Sun Valley and Snowbasin. Enhanced Reciprocals give a SilverStar season passholder 5 free days each at Pacific Group Resorts' other properties (Mount Washington, Jay Peak, Powderhorn, Wintergreen and Wisp) and 2 free days each at Apex, Sun Peaks and Whitewater, plus up to 25% off day tickets at dozens of further partner resorts (see also the note on Big White below). |
SilverStar sells day tickets through a live online store with no static advance price published on its marketing pages (the underlying page data confirms ticket prices load dynamically from the shop rather than being fixed content), so an exact current window rate could not be confirmed directly from the operator. Skiresort.com's independently measured cross-check gives a main-season adult day ticket at C$174, youth (13-18) at C$134 and child at C$100; this aggregator figure should be treated as illustrative of the price level rather than as today's exact rate, and confirmed at purchase. All prices in Canadian dollars; SilverStar's own terms note that pricing excludes 5% GST.
The mountain
These figures come from measuring the resort's actual piste and lift network rather than from its brochure. Measured from the SkiAllDay routing graph on 9 September 2026. Where the resort publishes a figure of its own, that figure is the one shown.
Piste km per lift km
7.02
Piste km opened by each kilometre of lift line. It measures how sparse the lift network is, not how good it is: a high figure means long runs off few lifts, so more skiing between rides but more traversing and more people funnelled onto each lift; a low one means dense lift service, quick laps and short waits, at the cost of repeating the same runs.
measuredLift minutes per ski hour
15 min
Time riding up for every hour spent descending, from the graph’s own traversal times.
measuredLongest continuous descent
6.4 km
The longest run of linked pistes that never rides a lift.
measuredReachable on easy runs only
26%
Share of piste a skier can reach from the base without ever descending something harder than an easy run.
measuredNorth-facing terrain
38%
Piste facing N, NE or NW, from the bearing of each descent. Shaded aspects hold snow longest.
measuredVertical on that descent
755 m
measuredUphill on surface lifts
6%
Share of climbing served by drag lifts and platters, weighted by vertical rather than by lift count.
measuredPiste above 2,500 m
0%
measuredMedian piste altitude
1,539 m
Half the piste length lies above this height and half below, weighted by length.
measuredSkiers per piste km
93
At full lift capacity — a ceiling for comparing resorts, not a forecast of your day. Derived from uphill capacity, lift ride times and the split between riding and descending.
measuredAverage lift capacity
1,978/h
People per hour, averaged across lifts. High can mean short queues, or a lot of people arriving on the same runs.
measuredMean piste gradient
23%
Length-weighted across every piste. Comparable between countries in a way that piste colour is not.
measuredPiste measured
118.1 km
measuredLift length measured
16.8 km
measuredHow steep is it, really
Piste colour is set by each resort under its own rules, so a red in one country is a blue in another. Measured gradient is comparable everywhere.
- 18% 0–10%
- 30% 10–20%
- 21% 20–30%
- 18% 30–40%
- 12% 40%+
Guide
One lift-served network climbs from a ski-in/ski-out village across four named faces: Vance Creek, Attridge and Silver Woods make up the front side, and Putnam Creek, reached by its own high-speed quad, makes up the back.
Four faces, one network
SilverStar's current trail map divides the mountain into exactly two halves, labelled on the map itself: "The Front Side," covering Vance Creek (the village and its main lifts), Attridge and Silver Woods, and "The Back Side," covering Putnam Creek alone. Wikipedia's own account of the resort names the same four faces. The front side carries most of the beginner and intermediate terrain and the highest lift density; the back side is smaller but carries the terrain locals and repeat visitors talk about most.56
The front side: the village, the cruising, and an overlooked pocket of steeps
Vance Creek holds the village at 1,609 m and its ski-in/ski-out lodging, served by the Schumann Summit Express gondola, the Comet Express six-pack and the Silver Queen Chair, now used as the bunny hill. Silver Woods, reached by its own express quad, is generally easier, wide terrain suited to slower cruising. Attridge, by contrast, is a short, often-skipped sector: a March 2018 Newschoolers Ski Gabber thread quotes a former instructor pointing to features near lift tower nine there, while a January 2025 Liftlines Skiing and Snowboarding Forums trip report notes it is overlooked mainly because it carries less than 1,000 feet of vertical, not because it lacks terrain worth skiing.178
Putnam Creek: the back side, and where the steep terrain is
Putnam Creek is reached from the front side by the Powder Gulch Express, the mountain's other high-speed quad, and is the sector both the operator's own trail map and repeat visitors single out for its steeper, tree-lined terrain: Caliper Ridge (a groomed black), the Powder Gulch chutes, Bon Diablo and Free Fall are named repeatedly in trip reports as the mountain's best terrain. It is also the more exposed side: a February 2025 r/skiing thread warns that the chutes there can hold exposed rocks and branches when fresh snow is lacking, since the back side's base sits lower and less sheltered than the village.5910
A Victorian-themed, ski-in/ski-out village
Skiresort.com describes the village as "charming," built around "colorful Victorian houses" with accommodation offering "perfect ski-in/ski-out access," a description the operator's own site does not contradict: SilverStar markets its lodging directly against the lift bases rather than through a separate shuttle system. The village sits at 1,609 m, well above the resort's own lowest lift-served point at Putnam Creek (1,155 m), so guests generally ski down from their accommodation to reach some of the terrain rather than the more usual arrangement of a valley-floor base.21
Beyond downhill: a large Nordic network next door
Every piste and lift figure above is downhill (alpine) only. SilverStar's own ticket page describes roughly 55 km of its own graded cross-country trails, from green through black, with a Nordic ticket including two uplifts a day on the gondola and Silver Queen Chair. Immediately adjacent, inside the same Silver Star Provincial Park, the independently run, non-profit Sovereign Lake Nordic Club operates a further, larger trail network of its own; the two are separate operations rather than one combined ticket, and neither figure is included in this page's piste totals.1112
New ownership, twice in six years
SilverStar was sold to Powdr Corporation in December 2019 and, per a Ski Area Management report, sold again on 25 November 2025 to Pacific Group Resorts (PGR), becoming by far PGR's largest property alongside Mount Washington, Jay Peak, Powderhorn, Wintergreen and Wisp. Both companies involved said no changes to leadership or operations were expected for the 2025/26 season, and general manager Herwig Demschar stayed on through the sale.46
A shared history with [Big White](big-white)
SilverStar and Big White were under common ownership for over a decade: Desmond Schumann, who had owned Big White since 1985, bought a majority stake in SilverStar in 2001. The mountain's own gondola, the Schumann Summit Express, is named for him. Following his death in 2012, the resorts split between his children, Peter Schumann taking Big White and Jane Cann taking SilverStar, and moved from shared passes and marketing to the same 25% day-ticket reciprocal discount that dozens of Canada West Ski Areas Association resorts now offer each other's passholders, a standard industry arrangement rather than an exclusive tie between the two.13614
| Skier | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Confident intermediate | excellent | Intermediate terrain is the largest single band in skiresort.com's own measurement at 45 km (39%) of 115 km, and trip reports repeatedly describe a Far Out-Sundance-Big Dipper progression as a satisfying front-side intermediate circuit.215 |
| Cross-country skier | excellent | SilverStar's own roughly 55 km Nordic network sits directly beside the independently run Sovereign Lake Nordic Club's larger trail system in the same provincial park, together forming one of the larger cross-country hubs in the BC Interior, even though the two are separately ticketed.1112 |
| First-timer | good | The front side carries SilverStar's beginner infrastructure, including three magic carpets and the Silver Queen Chair, now run as the resort's bunny hill after its 1990 upgrade, all within walking distance of the ski-in/ski-out village.16 |
| Second-week skier | good | Silver Woods offers wide, easier cruising for building mileage, and Attridge's gladed terrain is described by a former instructor as approachable once a skier is ready to leave the very easiest runs, without yet tackling Putnam Creek.7 |
| Family with children | good | Ski-in/ski-out lodging in a compact, colourful village, a dedicated beginner area, and a village-level tube park and skating pond give a family with mixed abilities places to split up and regroup without a shuttle.21 |
| Advanced or expert skier | fair | The steep terrain that exists is real and well regarded, concentrated in Putnam Creek's chutes and glades, but it sits behind a modest 760 m vertical drop and a 1,915 m summit, both well short of taller BC Interior resorts such as Revelstoke, and the back side is more exposed to thin early-season cover.19 |
| Budget skier | poor | SilverStar's own site sells day tickets only through a live online store with no published fixed advance-purchase rate; skiresort.com's independent cross-check puts a main-season adult day ticket around C$174, and the cheapest available season pass tier already runs 999 CAD.11216 |
By car
SilverStar sits 22 km (about 20 minutes) northeast of Vernon and about 65 km (55 minutes) from Kelowna International Airport (YLW), per the operator's own directions. Further afield, the operator gives roughly 1 hour 40 minutes from Kamloops, 5 hours from Vancouver, 6.5 hours from Calgary and 7 hours from Seattle. The operator's own winter-driving guidance recommends mountain-rated (peaked-mountain-and-snowflake) winter tires and lists standard cold-weather driving practices for the climb.
By train
There is no passenger rail to SilverStar or to Vernon; the operator's own travel guidance covers driving, the North Okanagan Ski Bus (weekends and some holidays) or flying into Kelowna International Airport.
Where to base yourself
| Village | The ski-in/ski-out village at 1,609 m, above the resort's own base, served by the Schumann Summit Express gondola, Comet Express and Silver Queen Chair |
|---|---|
| Putnam Creek base 3 km | The lowest lift-served point on the back side at 1,155 m, reached from the village by the Powder Gulch Express and Home Run T-bar |
| Vernon 22 km | The nearest town, about 20 minutes by road and the operator's suggested base for visitors prioritising price over ski-in/ski-out convenience |
| Kelowna International Airport (YLW) 65 km | About 65 km by road, roughly 55 minutes outside winter storms; the operator directs drivers to DriveBC for road conditions rather than publishing its own live status |
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Bugaboos Bakery Cafe
An award-winning, Dutch-inspired bakery on the Vance Creek boardwalk next to Snowbird Lodge, on the front side; a popular breakfast, lunch and apres-ski stop for European and Canadian pastries, Italian coffee and homemade soup.17
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Paradise Camp
A slopeside lodge on the back side of the mountain, at Putnam Creek, known for its cinnamon buns and Euro-inspired menu; also the base for Snow Cat Dinner Tours.18
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Town Hall
A village breakfast-and-lunch spot serving first-chair breakfasts through mid-run pick-me-ups, with weekly specialty-donut and cream-puff days.19
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The Red Antler
A family-friendly bar and grill in the village centre, serving pub favourites and a large craft-beer selection through lunch, apres and into the evening.19
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Black Pine Social
A fireplace-warmed lounge in the village serving a rustic, European-alpine-inspired menu alongside Okanagan wine and a top-shelf drinks selection.19
What skiers say
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If Comet Express has a morning queue, use the usually underused Summit Gondola for short front-side laps or move directly to Powder Gulch.820
A January 2025 Liftlines Skiing and Snowboarding Forums trip report and an undated In Search of Powder review both describe Comet as the main morning bottleneck, while the gondola and Powder Gulch Express can be nearly empty.
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Advanced skiers seeking uninterrupted laps should establish themselves at Powder Gulch rather than repeatedly circulating through Comet.219
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report and a February 2025 r/skiing thread both found Powder Gulch and its runs substantially quieter than the front side, including on otherwise busier days.
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During Christmas and New Year, leave extra time for lift-dependent transfers even though SilverStar is normally quiet.15
A January 2026 snowHeads thread describes a 13-day holiday visitor reporting waits approaching 20 minutes and repeated stoppages, but another contributor in the same thread said Comet was often ski-on and disputed the stated ride times.
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For a destination trip, favour January or February and keep the resort choice flexible until close to departure.2223
A December 2025 r/skiing thread quotes a local calling January and February the area's generally strongest period; an August 2019 r/skiing thread adds that SilverStar's lower elevation can make spring deterioration arrive earlier than at Big White.
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Consider sleeping in Vernon rather than on the mountain when price matters, because the lifts are normally only 20–25 minutes away.2425
A September 2022 r/britishcolumbia thread and an October 2023 r/kelowna thread both note that Vernon accommodation can cost less than half the slopeside price, although the daily drive remains an inconvenience.
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For ski-to-car convenience, park near Silver Woods and descend via Aberdeen Skiway to Comet Express.21
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report describes a repeat visitor using this as a ski-in/ski-out truck strategy, returning from Silver Woods on the lower Aberdeen Skiway rather than the highest cat road.
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If Powder Gulch is your objective, the upper lot provides an alternative start via Silver Queen and the traverse across the mountain.25
An October 2023 r/kelowna thread describes a regular visitor using this route specifically to begin the trip toward Putnam Creek without entering through the village core.
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Do not assume arrival after opening means remote parking, because one passholder routinely arrived around 10:00 and was skiing within five minutes of leaving the main lot.25
The same October 2023 r/kelowna thread includes visitors reporting no parking trouble even on the Family Day weekend, although individual busy days can still differ.
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Budget roughly 25 minutes from Vernon and expect the final 8–10 kilometres, rather than the entire journey, to contain the consequential winter driving.2526
The same October 2023 r/kelowna thread describes most of the road as lower-elevation pavement followed by narrower switchbacks; a November 2024 r/britishcolumbia thread adds that two-wheel-drive cars cope on ordinary days, though proper winter equipment is still advised.
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On the backside, use Caliper Ridge for a groomed black, Gypsy Queen for a fast blue and Deer Park for trees, then try Head Wall or Three Wise Men if you want moguls.9
A February 2025 r/skiing thread warns that the chutes held exposed rocks and branches when fresh snow was lacking.
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For a strong Powder Gulch pairing, ski the long winch-groomed Bon Diablo and inspect Free Fall from it before committing.10
A February 2016 Liftlines Skiing and Snowboarding Forums trip report rates Free Fall the best run of the day, finding Gowabunga substantially more bumped out.
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For an intermediate warm-up circuit, begin on Far Out, progress through Sundance or Whiskey Jack and repeat the lower half of Big Dipper.1527
A January 2026 snowHeads trip report and a March 2026 r/skiing thread independently like this progression; both describe Sundance as the gentlest blue, and note Upper Big Dipper is steeper than Lower Big Dipper.
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Use Alpine Meadows and Spruce for accessible tree skiing, but treat Peanut Trail as a narrow roller-and-side-hit line rather than an ordinary blue cruise.1527
The same January 2026 snowHeads report and March 2026 r/skiing thread praise these trees as approachable, while warning that Peanut Trail requires quick reactions and enthusiasm for bumps and jumps.
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For short front-side steeps and natural features, lap Attridge from Alpine Meadows and explore the face rather than assuming all serious terrain is in Putnam Creek.78
A March 2018 Newschoolers Ski Gabber thread quotes a former instructor highlighting Attridge and features near lift tower nine; the January 2025 Liftlines Skiing and Snowboarding Forums trip report above adds that the sector is overlooked because it has less than 1,000 feet of vertical.
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Price the lift ticket online before paying at the window, even if you are already standing beside the ticket office.21
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report describes an online discount of about 20 percent; treat the percentage as historical and confirm the current day's pricing.
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For a stay longer than roughly six ski days, compare an early-purchase season pass against day tickets and check its partner-resort days.15
A January 2026 snowHeads trip report from a 2025/26-season passholder found the August-purchase pass economical, describing discounts on accommodation and rentals and two-day partner benefits at Apex, Sun Peaks and Whitewater with a Christmas/New Year blackout; terms can change annually.
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For a self-catered stay, arrange a Vernon supermarket order rather than provisioning from the small village shop.15
The same January 2026 snowHeads trip report describes a family paying about C$4.95 for Walmart delivery and citing an approximately C$5 tin of tomatoes as an example of erratic village pricing.
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Use Bugaboos for a pre-lift breakfast because it was opening at 07:30 and selling bread, coffee and a wide croissant selection.15
The same January 2026 snowHeads trip report describes it opening at 07:30 and selling bread, coffee and a wide croissant selection; hours are seasonal, but this was the clearest discussion-sourced early-breakfast option in the compact village.
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On a Powder Gulch day, use Paradise Camp for a quieter breakfast or buns, but choose tea if proper espresso matters.21
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report found it calmer than the village cafeteria and acceptable for breakfast, while specifically noting the absence of a real coffee machine.
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Do not enter Putnam Creek late without checking lift status, because Powder Gulch Express is the necessary extraction and Home Run T-bar completes the return toward the front side.21
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report describes the backside's collector roads repeatedly returning to Powder Gulch rather than offering an independent route to the village.
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From Silver Woods, take the lower and very broad Aberdeen Skiway toward Comet instead of the highest cat road unless the parking lot is your destination.21
The same February 2025 snowHeads trip report describes a visitor becoming trapped in unnecessary Silver Woods laps before learning that the upper track led to parking and the lower connection made the useful circuit.
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Snowboarders should carry speed onto Criss Cross, Main Street Skiway, Bergerstrasse, Last Chance and parts of Eldorado rather than assuming every marked route flows downhill.2728
A March 2026 r/skiing thread and an August 2026 r/kelowna thread both single out SilverStar's long flat connections, with Main Street and Criss Cross requiring particular attention.
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Do not treat the trail map as a sensible grand-tour itinerary; learn one sector, lap it and then make a deliberate transfer to the next.2129
A February 2025 snowHeads trip report and a November 2021 r/skiing thread both describe the layout as distorted or confusing, with clunky connections and accidental arrivals at parking or Nordic trails.
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Respect marginal-condition warnings on Doognog and Eldorado instead of using their trail ratings as reassurance.27
A March 2026 r/skiing thread describes Doognog as punishing and Eldorado's backside cat-track section as glazed ice during a poor spring cycle.
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Do not send a tentative skier down Milky Way solely because it is blue, since one measured section was reported at roughly 31 degrees.15
The same January 2026 snowHeads trip report, from a European visitor, felt SilverStar's greens resembled easy European blues and its blues resembled reds, so first-timers should preview pitches.
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On a storm or flat-light day, favour SilverStar's tree-lined sectors and change faces when one part of the mountain is fogged or wind-affected.2325
An August 2019 r/skiing thread and an October 2023 r/kelowna thread both stress that the mountain is treed to the summit and spread across several aspects, so poor visibility often affects only part of it.
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When the freezing level reaches lower Putnam Creek, choose Kassanova, Gong Show or Where's Bob for their high ungroomed pitches and groomed lower runouts.10
The February 2016 Liftlines Skiing and Snowboarding Forums trip report above describes a sleet day when Raven and other low ungroomed terrain ran heavy while the upper half of Powder Gulch remained much better.
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In spring or during a thaw, inspect the bottom of Powder Gulch before committing to repeated full-length laps.1027
Because the backside base is below 4,000 feet, the February 2016 Liftlines trip report and the March 2026 r/skiing thread both describe good upper snow turning damp, crunchy or refrozen near the chair base while the front side remained serviceable.
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Treat Alder Point as the only straightforward lift-adjacent sidecountry objective, and confirm its current access and avalanche requirements with patrol before leaving the boundary.2330
An August 2019 r/skiing thread describes an easy skate to roughly 1,000 vertical feet of pitch finishing near the chair, while an undated Newschoolers Interior Forum thread calls it the closest thing SilverStar has to resort backcountry.
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Do not follow old maps or visible cut lines beyond Alder Point as though they are open ski runs.31
A December 2024 r/Vernon thread says those lines were cleared for an unrealized expansion but were never opened, lifted or patrolled, despite appearing on an old map.
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For genuine touring, plan away from the resort rather than expecting convenient human-powered access from SilverStar.23
The same August 2019 r/skiing thread points toward the Gorge or Queest Mountain near Sicamous, but describes active logging roads, radio use, four-wheel drive and good clearance; anyone considering K3's road should contact K3 about parking and acceptable access.
History
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1930
Vernon resident Bert Thorburn becomes the first person recorded skiing the Silver Star area.6
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1946
The first rope tow is built on Burney Ridge, south of Vernon, a 240 m tow powered by a four-cylinder engine.6
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1958
Two rope-tow lifts and an A-frame day lodge open at the village site, after the final stretch of the Silver Star road is completed the year before.6
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1968
The Summit and Yellow Chairs, built by GMD Mueller, open, replacing the earlier T-bars and rope tows.6
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1981
Silver Star Sports becomes Silver Star Mountain Resorts Ltd.6
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1990
The Silver Queen chair is rebuilt as a Doppelmayr quad and repurposed as the resort's bunny hill.6
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1991
The original Putnam Creek and Vance Creek express quads open, expanding terrain on both faces.6
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2001
Desmond Schumann, owner of Big White since 1985, reaches an agreement with majority shareholder Judd Buchanan to acquire the majority of Silver Star Mountain Resort.6
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2006
The Comet Express six-pack opens on the front side, rated for 2,600 passengers per hour and, at the time, Canada's largest six-passenger chairlift, following the Silver Woods expansion the year before.6
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2012
Following Desmond Schumann's death, Silver Star and Big White formally split: his daughter Jane Cann takes full ownership of Silver Star and his son Peter Schumann takes Big White, ending a joint venture in favour of separate companies offering each other's passholders a standard 25% reciprocal day-ticket discount.136
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2018
The Schumann Summit Express gondola opens on 14 July, named for Desmond Robert Schumann and carrying skiers and mountain bikers from the village to the summit in 4.4 minutes.6
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2019
SilverStar is sold to Powdr Corporation on 3 December.6
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2025
Pacific Group Resorts (PGR) acquires SilverStar from Powdr on 25 November, becoming PGR's largest resort; general manager Herwig Demschar and the existing leadership team stay on, and 2025/26 season passes and services continue unchanged.4
Nearby and comparable
- Big White Ski Resort
Under the same Schumann-family ownership from 2001 until a 2012 split; the two resorts still give each other's season passholders a standard 25% reciprocal discount on a single-day ticket, but share no lift or piste and sit roughly a two-hour drive apart.
- Sun Peaks Resort
British Columbia's second-largest resort by skiable area, further north near Kamloops; also part of SilverStar's Enhanced Reciprocals partner list.
- Revelstoke Mountain Resort
A taller, steeper Interior BC mountain with North America's largest continuous lift-served vertical, a useful comparison for skiers finding SilverStar's 760 m modest.
- Whistler Blackcomb
Canada's largest ski area by a wide margin, on the coast rather than in the Interior and a much longer drive from the Okanagan.
Questions
How big is SilverStar, and how is the terrain split?
SilverStar's own Fast Facts page counts 133 marked runs across 3,304 skiable acres, corroborated by a November 2025 Ski Area Management report of "133 trails spread across 3,300 acres." Skiresort.com's independent measurement converts this to 115 km, split 20 km easy (17%), 45 km intermediate (39%) and 50 km difficult (44%). Our own measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 118.1 km, about 3% above skiresort.com's figure. All of these figures are downhill only; SilverStar also runs a separate roughly 55 km Nordic network.123
Is SilverStar good for beginners?
Yes. The front side carries a dedicated beginner area with three magic carpets and the Silver Queen Chair, rebuilt in 1990 specifically as the resort's bunny hill, all within walking distance of the ski-in/ski-out village. First-timers are better served staying in that area than heading straight to Putnam Creek's steeper back side.16
Is SilverStar connected to Big White, and what does the Schumann Summit Express name mean?
Not any more, though the two share real history. Desmond Schumann, who had owned Big White since 1985, bought a majority stake in SilverStar in 2001, and SilverStar's own gondola, the Schumann Summit Express (opened 2018), is named for him. After his death in 2012, the resorts split between his children, Peter Schumann taking Big White and Jane Cann taking SilverStar, and now share no lift or piste. Season passholders at either resort get a standard 25% reciprocal discount on a single day ticket at the other, the same discount dozens of Canada West Ski Areas Association resorts offer each other, rather than an exclusive arrangement between the two.13614
How do you get to SilverStar?
By road: SilverStar is 22 km (about 20 minutes) from Vernon and about 65 km (55 minutes) from Kelowna International Airport, per the operator's own directions. There is no passenger rail. A weekend and holiday North Okanagan Ski Bus runs from Vernon, and the operator recommends mountain-rated winter tires for the climb.32
What does a lift ticket cost at SilverStar?
SilverStar sells day tickets through a live online store rather than publishing a fixed advance-purchase price on its marketing pages. Skiresort.com's independent cross-check puts a main-season adult day ticket around C$174, with youth (13-18) at C$134 and child at C$100; confirm the exact current rate at purchase. The cheapest 2026/27 adult season pass tier is 999 CAD.216
Is there cross-country (Nordic) skiing at SilverStar?
Yes, and it is substantial, though separate from the downhill figures on this page. SilverStar operates roughly 55 km of its own graded Nordic trails, from green through black, with uplift access on the gondola and Silver Queen Chair included in a Nordic ticket. Immediately next door, inside the same Silver Star Provincial Park, the independently run, non-profit Sovereign Lake Nordic Club operates a further, larger network on a separate ticket.1112
Who owns SilverStar now?
Pacific Group Resorts (PGR), a Utah-based operator that also owns Mount Washington, Jay Peak, Powderhorn, Wintergreen and Wisp, bought SilverStar from Powdr Corporation on 25 November 2025, making it PGR's largest property. Powdr had owned the resort since December 2019, before which it belonged to the Schumann family (through Jane Cann) since 2001. Both companies said no changes to leadership or operations were expected for the 2025/26 season, and general manager Herwig Demschar stayed on.46
References
Every claim on this page carries a numbered marker linking here, and every reference links back to the passages that used it. Numbers not yet checked against a source are marked like this.
- 1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fast Facts
- 2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ski resort SilverStar
- 3. ^ a b SkiAllDay routing graph, computed from OpenStreetMap
- 4. ^ a b c d Pacific Group Resorts Acquires SilverStar
- 5. ^ a b Winter Maps
- 6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Silver Star Mountain Resort
- 7. ^ a b c What are the spots at Silver Star?
- 8. ^ a b c SilverStar, BC Jan 8&9, 2025
- 9. ^ a b c d Silver Star Recs?
- 10. ^ a b c d Silver Star, BC 2/17/2016
- 11. ^ a b c d Winter Tickets
- 12. ^ a b c Sovereign Lake Nordic Club
- 13. ^ a b c Big White, Silver Star Cut Family Ties
- 14. ^ a b The Reciprocal Benefits of a Big White Season Pass
- 15. ^ a b c d e f g h SilverStar Canada TR
- 16. ^ a b My1 Alpine Season Pass
- 17. ^ Bugaboos Bakery Cafe
- 18. ^ Paradise Camp
- 19. ^ a b c Restaurants & Cafes
- 20. ^ Silverstar BC Review
- 21. ^ a b c d e f g TR: Silver Star
- 22. ^ Day trip to Revelstoke or Silverstar
- 23. ^ a b c d Silverstar Mountain in BC?
- 24. ^ Sun Peaks or Silverstar?
- 25. ^ a b c d e Silverstar vs Big White
- 26. ^ Destination ski resorts drivable from Vancouver, not named Whistler
- 27. ^ a b c d e SilverStar is great!
- 28. ^ Big White or SilverStar?
- 29. ^ Silverstar on B.C.'s powder highway
- 30. ^ Silverstar?
- 31. ^ What happened to the silver star ski trails next to alder point?
- 32. ^ Getting Here
Page last updated 9 September 2026.