Meeting Down Under Up on Top

I was chatting with Teri,  who works at the Eatery in the Town Hall at Silver Star Village, when I came off the slopes for my "flat white". Her Aussie accent blends in with the rest of the Australians working on the mountain.  " I reckon over 80% of the employees are Australian" she tells me.  But there are less down-under accents now that January has ended. 

The longest annual school leave in Australia occurs from just before Christmas until the end of January and a significant number of skiers at Silver Star are Australian families with many of them staying on the mountain for several weeks.  The connection between the mountain and Australia runs deep.  The owner of the resort is Australian.  The resort was purchased by Desmond Robert Schumann and family in 2001. They  also had purchased Big White Ski Resort in 1985 and owned both properties until last year. With the death of Mr Schumann, Silver Star is now separately owned and operated by his daughter Jane Cann. The two ski resorts had shared marketing and some aspects of operation but are now functioning  independently.

Silver Star launched a new marketing campaign this year: 'One Pass-Endless Fun', becoming the first resort in Canada to offer an all-inclusive day or season pass.  This means, for the same price as last year's downhill ski pass, I can downhill  ski, cross-country ski, snowshoe, skate or use the tube park at no extra cost.  This has proven to be a great deal for us.  I have done more cross country skiing this year than ever before but have still gotten in a decent amount of downhill skiing.  When conditions are cloudy or foggy, we tend to cross country; but if there is new snow or sunshine I usually downhill.   And we can make up our mind when we get up to the mountain.  J cross country skis most days.  If I chose to downhill, we can still meet up somewhere on the mountain for coffee or lunch.

World's Biggest Snowball at Silver Star, home of Canada's only all inclusive pass

Most days we end up having our coffee at the Eatery, in Town Hall, which is owned by the mountain.  As season pass holders, we get discounts on food and beverage.  So for $3.25 (less 15%) I order my favourite coffee beverage, a "flat white".

I first experienced this type of coffee in Australia in 2006.  I have never been a coffee connoisseur, actually I never really enjoyed coffee but with that first flat white at Circular Quay in Sydney, my relationship with coffee was transformed.  I went from using the caffeinated beverage as a media for ingesting cream and sugar to lusting after that smooth rich mixture of medium roasted beans and just the right amount of micro-foamed milk.  On our return to Canada, I could never find that same exquisite flavour and texture.  A latte or cappuccino just did not make the mark.

So this year when we walked into the Eatery, a cafeteria-style fast food joint, I was surprised and thrilled to discover "flat white"on their new cafe menu.  Teri, who is from Perth and an experienced Australian barista puts together a very decent flat white as does at least one of her co-workers.  I have noticed a difference in quality depending on who is behind the counter.  After reading the attached website, I understand how special my favourite beverage is:    www.coffeehunter.org/what-is-a-flat-white

a decent flat white at the Eatery

We have had many good days of skiing recently but down in town, the days are getting longer and warmer and sunnier.  I love my days up on the mountain but it is often a pleasure to stay down in the valley.  J has started some early year work.  And today I discovered the first flowers blooming in the garden.  

First blooms of spring Feb 17th

I find it absolutely incredible to be enjoying winter and spring at the same time.  Life is good!

January 26:  Is It Spring or Still Winter?

The rest of Canada has experienced a deep freeze over the last week, except the southwest corner of BC, including the Okanagan Valley.  Our weather has been quite mild here in the valley and although we have had snow, it melts off the roads in a day or two.
 I have been watching a robin who perches on the top of the pine tree outside my window.  At first, not believing that a robin would be in Vernon in mid January, I thumbed through my bird books looking for some sort of orange breasted bird that might be here in the winter; maybe some sort of wood pecker or another kind of thrush.  But when I got a good look at him, well ,it was obvious he  was a robin!  I am not sure if this is a sign of spring or a family of migratory birds who have chosen to stay put for the winter,  hearty souls that have resisted being "snow birds" just like us!

Robin in my yard January 2013

Like most communities in Canada, Vernon has its share of "snow birds". Being a very popular home for retirees, a significant part of Vernon's population is Albertans, and other flat landers who relocate here to enjoy the predictable hot summers and agreeable spring and autumn weather.  

Winter here is quite mild, average temperatures vary from just above freezing to just below freezing.  However those mild temperatures are often a result of a weather phenomena known as "the inversion", well described in a publication called "The Weather of British Columbia" http://www.navcanada.ca/contentdefinitionfiles/publications/lak/bc/3-bc31e.pdf

 "Mountain valleys allow cold air to pool, creating 

inversions. Most of the valleys have rivers       and lakes that seldom freeze up resulting in 

abundant moisture that the inversion can trap, supporting the development of low 

“valley cloud”. On the positive side, because of its location, only the strongest incursions of arctic air can force its way into this area. This being said, the temperatures in 

the area do tend to hover around freezing, and the cold surface layer can be difficult 

to remove, as the warm air moving in from the coast rides over the top of the cold air. 

The only real warming occurs with southerly winds, but this respite only lasts a few 

days as cold air is quick to re-establish itself in the valley bottoms."

This is our second winter here and we love the weather because it is mild and there are so many opportunities for winter recreation!  We have difficulty understanding why  others flee south in search of sunshine when you can simply take a 30 minute drive up to Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski area or Silver Star Mountain Resort.  You will drive through the cloud and into sunshine!  And you do not need to ski to enjoy the sunshine.  Besides cross country skiing (there are 105 km of groomed runs between the two recreation areas), or downhill skiing, or snowshoeing, or skating on an outdoor rink or walking the trails,  there are cafes, restaurants, pubs, and shops to 

browse in, and an art gallery to visit (www.galleryodin.com/), a spa, and even a bowling alley.  Check out the Silver Star Mountain Resort website (http://winter.skisilverstar.com/my-activites-events)

On Silver Star Mountain looking down at a sea of cloud in the valley

Skiing down run at Silver Star  Mountain  above the cloud

By late February inversions will be rare.  Typically there will be more snow (the annual snow fall is about 700 cm).  It tends to be what the local ski hounds call "Champagne powder", very dry and feather soft.  March will likely be sunny spring skiing but the crowds will be tapering off as skiers will be putting the skis away and taking out golf clubs, kayaks, bikes, hiking boots and garden trowels.  But we intend to follow the example of the robins in our yard, enjoying the mild winter weather and all that it offers until well into spring season!