Silver Star and Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre share 105 kilometres of groomed classic and skate ski trails, one of the largest combined alpine and Nordic networks in North America. It’s serious terrain for Nordic skiing in BC, enough to fill a weekend or a full week, with a cozy, welcoming village waiting at the end of each day. But the network you’ll ski today started much smaller.
Twenty People, One Meeting, and a Dream of Snow
Every kilometre of groomed trail you can ski here grew out of an abandoned log cabin, a $300 vote of confidence and a lot of persistence. In 1939, the City of Vernon donated that cabin at Sovereign Lake to the Silver Star Ski Club. Winter access was poor, since the only road up the mountain led to a fire tower and wasn’t maintained in winter, so downhill skiing was the more practical sport. Cross country stayed in the background until skiers from European countries with strong Nordic traditions arrived and brought fresh enthusiasm.
In 1974, Vernon resident Keith Brewis asked the ski club to add a cross country program. The club passed on running one itself, but it gave Brewis $300 to start his own organization. The North Okanagan Cross Country Ski Club held its first meeting on October 30, 1974, with about 20 people in the room. Reaching Silver Star was still a challenge, so early club outings took place at Heinz Stussi’s farm near Falkland while members kept dreaming of a home base on the mountain.
The Vernon Museum tells the full story in its article “The Rise of Cross-Country Skiing at Silver Star,” written by Archives Manager Gwyneth Evans. Here is how the dream played out from there.
- In 1978, Silver Star Provincial Park was designated a Provincial Recreation Area, and the club partnered with BC Parks to build a home base near the old cabin. The first two trails started life as Loops 1 and 2 before being renamed Mystery and Black Prince.
- In 1984, the 5 km Aberdeen Trail linked Sovereign Lake to the top of Silver Star, bringing cross country skiing to the summit.
- In 2000, the club became the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, and the sport has kept growing since.
A trail network built to fill a weekend or a week
Silver Star and Sovereign Lake Nordic are linked by trail, so you can start in the village, ski over to Sovereign Lake and build your day as you go. Sovereign Lake is run by its own club with its own day passes, facilities and trail conditions, so check in with them before you head over. Beginners, racers and everyone in between share the network, and it’s large enough that nobody feels crowded. For the full trail breakdown and season dates, see our Nordic guide.
The gondola-to-groomed-track advantage
Silver Star’s cross country ski trails in the Okanagan are woven into the alpine resort, so you can ride the gondola up to reach them. Some trails wind through quiet forest, and others, like Sidewinder, open onto wide mountain slopes with views of the Monashee Range. Ski back toward the village and you finish at the door of your ski-in, ski-out lodging, with a hot drink a short walk away.
Where the national teams get their head start
The snow at Silver Star has a way of pulling Nordic skiers in early. The village sits at 1,609 metres, and the area is often one of the first in North America to open groomed Nordic trails each fall. Teams travel from across the continent to get a head start on their season, and Olympians and world champions are a common sight on the trails. Conditions depend on snowfall, so check trail reports before you pack the car. If you like having a trail to yourself, the early weeks are worth planning around.
National teams aren’t the only ones chasing that early start. Since 2011, Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre and SilverStar Mountain Resort have run XC Supercamps together, early-season training camps built for adult Nordic skiers who want the same head start the pros get, with real coaching instead of skiing it alone.
Classic, skate and a spring finish line on Main Street
If you’re after skate ski options, you’re well covered, because both centres groom for classic and skate skiing. A group that splits between the two techniques can still ski the same day together. Come spring, the Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon, known as S2S, takes skiers from Sovereign Lake to Main Street in the village. It’s billed as a point-to-party event, with a competitive wave for racers and a fun wave for skiers who just want to cross the finish line with a smile.
A village with plenty to do when the skis come off
Nordic skiing is one of many things to do at Silver Star in winter, so everyone in your group can find their own pace. Alpine skiing covers 3,303 acres with 133 runs, and the village offers snowshoeing, fat biking, skating and tubing. Everything is walkable from the pedestrian village, so you can split up for the morning and meet again for dinner.
Plan your first-snow Nordic trip
Skiers can fly into Kelowna, 65 kilometres from the mountain, or drive to Vernon and carry on 22 kilometres up to the village. Our Nordic page covers trail types, the season, the Sovereign2SilverStar Ski Marathon and where to stay, so it’s a good next stop while you plan. Trail openings depend on snowfall, so keep an eye on conditions as November approaches, and book early if you want to be on the first groomed trails. Book your stay at Silver Star and get your skis on early snow.
