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Visitor reviews for Silver Star Ski Resort

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• December 04, 2011
  Martin Simons from Canada
  

  Reading another reviewer's comments, I was doing nothing but nodding my head - after spending my youth growing up and skiing Vancouver Island - I moved to the interior again for the search of the soft snow.

  Silver Star was a disappointment - after having myself spending thousands of hours grooming - I was shaking my head - track marks - everywhere.

• Silver Star Ratings

  Based on 4 votes. Vote

  Access: 4.2 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Silver Star.	Public Transport: 3.5 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Silver Star, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 3.5 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.0 (1) No places to stay in/near Silver Star, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.0 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.2 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Silver Star.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.2 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 4.0 (1) There are no child care facilities at Silver Star, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.0 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Silver Star is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 1.0 (1) Silver Star relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.5 (1) There are no snow groomers at Silver Star, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Silver Star are groomed daily.	Shelter: 4.5 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Silver Star is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 3.2 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Silver Star, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.8 (1) Silver Star usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 3.2 (1) The staff at Silver Star are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Silver Star are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.2 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.2 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.0 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 3.8 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Silver Star has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.2 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.8 (1) No intermediate terrain at Silver Star, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.5 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.5 (1) Not even a kicker at Silver Star, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 2.5 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 4.8 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Silver Star, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.2 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Silver Star has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 3.5 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 3.5 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.2 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 2.0 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 3.0 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.0 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 2.2 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 2.8 (1) Overall, Silver Star is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 2.8 (1) Overall, Silver Star is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 4 votes. Vote

• March 29, 2011
  Chad Davie from Canada
  

  Silver Star..where can I start. After moving from the coast this winter to experience this interior champagne powder I was in for a surprise.

  The mountain seems to have a fun looking village but on closer inspection you notice it's just the same overpriced tourist trap goods located all around.

  There is no main day lodge like other hills have, they just have a run-down small area tucked away downstairs for people who bring their own food. It's hard enough to meet people at this resort due to the 3 bars as it is.

  The grooming is laughable. Having spent over 4000+ hours in snowcats - conventional and winchcats - I am ashamed to see what my brethren have (not)accomplished. There are trackmarks usually everywhere once the snow becomes "packed powder" and I don't think anyone on the team has used a blade before (the big multifunction plow on the front to get rid of moguls/ churn the snow to soften it for the tiller).

  If there is a safety manager at this resort they should be having a strong word with the grooming crew.

  When it snows - expect amazing dry powder! I've been shown the light so to speak - from my wet heavy coast days.

  Unfortunately, when it does snow - it averages 3-8 cm of freshies. So it goes quick.

  All around the terrain selection is nice. But in all true realities - I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

  Big White, just a medium distance drive away, has lots more terrain (owned by the same people though... so expect the same quality grooming and arrogant help).

  Revelstoke is also close and have amazing terrain, and no crowds! and it is light on the wallet too! I would suggest here over anywhere else locally.

  If it was "my mountain" like the advertising campaign suggests, I would be embarrassed.

  Short season, no (or very, very rare) deep snow days, expensive lift tickets, a joke of a local discount, for dollars per acre of skiing - shop around.

• February 09, 2009
  A Bond from United Kingdom
  

  Had 3 days skiing in Feb 2009 at Silver Star and very enjoyable it was too. Silver Star has small acreage but is well spaced out & arranged so there is a good sense of travelling around and each area has its own feeling: Silver Woods area has nice short cruisy blues and trees/glades to play in, Powder Gulch is a better mix of blues and blacks (some genuine double blacks here), Attridge is a bit stuck out of the way but because of that was always empty with nice tree runs and good snow; main quad lift area mostly longer cruisy blues.
  There is a massive terrain park at Silver Star with full range of ramps/rails/hits for beginners and gnarly dudes. Only complaint would be that the park is not served by its own lift so you have to ride down to the bottom of the main quad, ride it all back up again and go half way down to the start of the park. Vertical is limited but fast lifts do their best to help out to achieve big vertical over the day's skiing. Village is tiny at Silver Star - this is a one street town - but has all you need: 4 bars/restaurants, each with a different atmosphere. Long Johns always popular with down to earth feel, very extensive menu & extensive BC wine list. The Saloon is a massive place with pool table, table hockey (this is Canada after all) and big screen tv, reasonable menu but fairly standard grub. The Den is cosy with daily changing menus; good grub when I ate there. Bulldog Hotel tries to be more sophisticated and has commensurately more expensive food menu; ribs must be eaten to be believed. All offered apres-ski special deals on food/booze. On the mountain at Silver Star, there is the Paradise Camp under the Powder Gulch lift which serves breakfast from 9.30am and lunches from 11am. Only managed brekkie there (which was always filling) but lunch menu looked attractive - bulk and quality can't be beaten. Outside the 'village' there was little to be done, so I recommend staying as close as possible if you want 'apres' or evening drinks/nibbles.
  This is a great beginners resort & I can see why they market themselves at Silver Star as a 'family resort' but even adventurous intermediates could enjoy 3 or so days here without being bored. Longer than that would not satisfy. For visitors from Britain, depending on your ski level/time available, I would recommend combining this with another resort for a 7/10 day trip. I would suggest Big White or Sun Peaks for twinning.

• July 26, 2005
  Kerry & Jackie from New Zealand
  

  We spent a winter here, it was great, weather was mostly fine with snow at night, very few days where we didn't want to ski. Temps ranged from -26deg to 5deg, winter snow was dry & powdery, spring was great corn. Nice tree skiing, a lot of skiable terrain, easy stuff on the sunny side (Vance Creek), more challenging at the back (Putnam Creek)where some runs were almost vertical, yet over there was also the smoothest & most even gradient we'd ever skied on - Gypsy Queen. Nice little eatery over at the halfway station on that side too. Silver Star Village is very pretty, always something on, good choice of accommodation & eateries, swimming pool, gym, and night skiing as well. As Kiwis, we loved the ski-in/out of the place, so easy to drop off a jacket at your lodgings & just click back on & ski off down Skunk Hollow to the chairlift for another run... there were a few races there, an Over-the-Hill downhill for masters-types, with local GS & slaloms now & then. The FIS course was a good one, right length & pitch. Christmas Bowl was often moguls and there were all sorts of off-piste places that begged to be explored, all trails (usually)got us back to a lift base unless we really got carried away with tree-skiing & tried to go all the way to Vernon... Apparently there are a few bears about & also the odd cougar track - we saw photos of a bear breaking into someone's house, he looked friendly. The mountain-host people are great, say Hi to Tom & Betty Campbell if you run into them. We had a great time there, we will be back when funds permit!!!

• January 15, 2004
  Dirk Terpstra from Canada
  

  Small resort with great skiing possibilities. Typical Canadian style.
  Friendly runs on the front side (Vance Creek) and nasty steep ones on the back side (Putnam).
  Visit footloosecanada.com for more info.