Early Season Bonus!

It's 7:30, Friday November 22, (50 years to the day since JFK's assassination) and the first rays of the morning sun  light up Terrace Mountain.  Terrace Mountain sits south of Vernon, on the west side of Okanagan Lake. It is the highest peak on our western horizon, at 1906 metres.    I get my bearings from this mountain, as it is visible from most parts of the north end of the valley.  Our predominant weather systems sweep north from Terrace Mountain and the locals plant their gardens when the snow is gone from its slopes. When it shines white with snow, as it does this morning, we know it is ski season, even though the valley may be bare of snow.

Today Vernon  has that icy silence of early winter.  Still no snow in town but a temperature of -10.  Silver Star, the predominant peak east of Vernon, has received 34 cm of snow this week, for a cumulative total of 213 cm.  We were up on Monday, skied while big fluffy flakes fell into a silent forest.  We enjoyed our first "flat white" coffee at Out of Bounds, commenting that  no other coffee is quite as smooth and mellow.

 The forecast today is for sun and a high of -7.   We are going Nordic skiing, for our fifth day this season.
There are few things I find as exhilarating as being up on a ski hill on a bright sunny winter day.  This morning the snow looks pure and untouched under a clear vivid blue sky.

 Although the temperature is cool the sun seems  warm on our backs and we shed two layers as we make our way up to the higher trails.  Then we wisely bundle up for the trail back to the village, realizing the air is cool and the snow fast.

The village is still quiet, but there is some activity as services and shops are gearing up for the "bonus weekend". Starting tomorrow, Saturday November 23, the resort is opening up part of the mountain for alpine skiing with day tickets selling for half price.


It's now Saturday and we have decided to try out the first day of alpine skiing.  When we arrive at 9:30  the main parking lot is almost full but the line up at the Comet chair is only a few minutes long.  It is sunny and spirits are high.

 The staff have meticulously groomed some of the runs and those that were left with powder are already crisscrossed with tracks made by those who started the day much earlier than we did.

I'm trying out brand new skis, not usually a good idea on the first day the hill is open, but there are no bare spots, twigs or rocks to mar their smooth base.  After a few runs we stop for coffee at the Town Hall.  I hear Kiwi accents, so change my order to a flat white.


Bonus weekend has come and gone.  It is now Monday and we sneak up mid morning for a quick Nordic ski.  It is a pleasant -1 and after three days of sun we wonder if the trails will be a bit icy but the snow is ideal on the lower trails where the summit shades the wooded tracks.

 We turn on to TJ's Corkscrew and climb up to a spot where we can see the sharp white tops of the Monashees glowing in the mid day sun and turn to see Terrace Mountain to the south west.

There are no other skiers in sight.  This Thursday will be the official opening of the winter season.  We've already had 6 days of Nordic and one day of Alpine skiing, not bad for "pre season".  

Ski Season Commences

The Vernon Outdoor Club wound up its 2013 hiking season with a hike in Kal Park on October 27.  The last ramble was October 29 and the final bike ride October 31.
There was just a week to put away the hiking boots and drag out the skis.  Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre opened for Nordic skiing on Friday November 8th and Silver Star Mountain Resort opened its Nordic trails the next day.  Although at least one local golf course was still open down in the valley, only an easy 30 minute drive away, there was a snow base of 50 cm, and over 100 km of carefully groomed trails ready for cross country skiers!

Our first day on skis was November 10th.  We left the dullness of the valley, drove up through waves of misty fog and arrived into a winter wonderland!  It brought back memories of last season.








 There are some mornings when you question the wisdom of drudging up the hill for a day of skiing.  The weather looks dull and uninviting.  There is no snow in the valley; how could there be any decent snow on the hill??

We are now starting out third ski season as residents of Vernon and we can not recall a single day when we have been disappointed by the quality of the snow or the grooming on the cross country trails.
We shared the lower trails with some families but there were also Lycra clad skate-skiers whizzing by.  There were folks walking their dogs along Bridle Trail and kids building snow men.

We lingered over hot chocolate the Bugaboos Bakery before driving back down to town.









The next day we took a long walk following Bella Vista Road up above Okanagan Lake.  The apples trees were still stubbornly holding onto their leaves and the sun was bouncing off the quivering lake surface. Couples we ambling along the beach and children were boisterously playing in the play ground at Kin Park.

Behind us Silver Star Mountain was hidden by a grey cloud.  It was hard to believe we had been skiing there the previous day and would go up again the next day. Yesterday we were able to finish cleaning up our yard.  Our timing was perfect.

Today it is raining, that translates into snow up on the mountain.  An tomorrow we will return for our third day of skiing.