A Sun Day on Silver Star Mountain

 

It's Monday December 15. It's chilly in the morning in Vernon with scattered clouds and a band of low cloud sitting in the eastern sky, between us and Silver Star Mountain.  At 9:30 the road up to the hill is quiet, the surface is bare and dry.  There is no snow at the side of the road until we are half way up to the mountain.  We drive through the cloud into a robin-egg blue sky.  The trees hold fresh hoar frost that sparkles in the bright morning sun. 

We park our car in the second line of vehicles and start the plodding ascent up Paradise Trail, a 7 km trail from the Village to the top of Silver Star Mountain. The beginning, Main Street Skyway, is a slow slog across downhill ski runs, and under the Comet Chair. 

 

Downhill Runs above Main Street Skyway

 

Today there are few down hill skiers to watch out for. The word is out.  Rain last week, no new snow.  The locals don't come up to the mountain unless they know conditions are ideal.  And at Silver Star, where about 7 metres of light powder will drop on the slopes during a ski season they are usually not disappointed.  But those of us who have endured ski conditions in other parts of Canada are more willing to take a 30 minute drive and check things out.  And, in the three seasons we have skied here, we have never been disappointed.  Sometimes the down hill runs might not be absolutely  at their best but the Nordic trails have never let us down.  Since our season pass offers either type of skiing (and snow shoeing and skating), we just load up the car and pick the best option for the conditions.

The groomers have done their magic.  The trail has been raked.  It is firm with a corduroy dusting of powder.  This might not be perfect, but it is damn close.  And any minor imperfection we may find, will not matter.  The winter sun is full on.  It is a brilliant day.

 

Paradise Trail, well groomed and in full-on sun

 

We have the trails mostly to ourselves as we wind through the forest to the top of the Powder Gulch Chair Lift. 

 

Top of the Powder Gulch Chair.  No downhill skiers, no Nordic skiers, just us

 

We shed a layer before reaching that rhythmic, almost meditative cadence of Nordic skiing. We are alone with the metronomic rubbing of our skis on the track and the squeak as we plant each pole.  We turn onto the Upper Paradise Trail and march upward into the sun and up to the summit. To the north we can see the Shuswap area, its valleys and lakes shrouded in cloud, the long serrated  eastern horizon of the Monashees and the Okanagan Valley to the south, dappled with scattered clouds.

 

Looking north toward the Shuswap from top of Silver Star

 

 

 We mingle with the downhillers being deposited from the Comet Chair and put on our discarded layer of clothing.  The trip down is cool and exhilarating. 

 

Top of Paradise Nordic Trail and top of Comet Chair: Top of Silver Star Mountain

 

Because the mountain is quiet today we find a table in the small and popular Bugaboos Bakery and Café.  We chow down a sausage roll and chicken curry pie, sip a smooth flat white and share a chocolate croissant, taking in one last view of the Monashees through the window.

We are home in our hot tub by 1 pm.  The locals might not call that a perfect day but it was good enough for us!

 



Fall Back into Winter

We left Vernon on Nov 10 for a three week trip to Mexico.  I left a pot of ivy geranium with its bountiful crimson blooms guarding our front door and a pot of bold yellow and purple pansies keeping their eyes on our back deck. It had been an unseasonably warm and long fall with no frost.  I did not expect them to last until we returned but could not  bring myself to toss them into the compost while they were still in full bloom. 

Silver Star Mountain Resort  December 3

Soon after we left snow blanketed Vernon and a metre was deposited on Silver Star Mountain.  Then a week of unusually cold weather cemented that snow to the ski runs.  My flowers had expired but we returned to wonderful early season ski conditions.
Two days after flying into the Kelowna International Airport, we were on the slopes.  It was sweet, about -5 degrees, soft fresh powder, and sun.  Below the valley was stuffed with gray cloud.

Looking east from Silver Star Mountain towards the Monashees

Within the last two weeks we have experienced a remarkable variety of ski conditions.  The first day was cool with the inversion.

  A week ago Friday the mountain was wrapped in mist, but the downhill runs were dressed with fresh snow.

 

Scenes off Comet Chair December 5

  Then a warming trend moved in accompanied by moisture.  First there was wet snow but that deteriorated to rain, except for the higher parts of the mountain.  We persevered, while most of the locals stayed home.  Wednesday was a wet day and the Nordic trails were mushy.  We stayed on the lower trails.  But by this Friday the air had cooled.  The bottom trails were a bit crunchy with the remnants of the earlier rain but we headed up to Coming Round the Mountain and the trails were good.  We inspected the new warming cabin and the intersection of Coming Round the Mountain and Alder point Loop.

 Captik Cabin, from the Okanagan Nations first language meaning "Legend" Dec 12

It did seem a bit strange though.  We had never been up on the Star without the trees being covered with snow.

Coming round the Mountain trail Dec 8

 Cooler weather now prevails and no precipitation is forecast for at least a couple days.  We will return to the upper trails tomorrow.  They will be perfectly groomed and we know we will have a good ski.  We also know we will have the trails to ourselves as Vernonites do not venture up to the mountain unless they think the conditions are absolutely perfect.  It will also be sunny, While we wait for snow the valley will be full of gray cloud and the mountain will be bathed in sunshine.