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!