Marko

Had a client in today and idle chit chat turned to my plans for a week skiing in Canada in January, he tells me that he spends a week every february in a place called Silver Star. He says it is very family friendly with good skiing. His quote was " its a place more about skiing than being seen skiing". Interestingly enough Silver Star and Big White are owned by Australians !! Does anyone have any thoughts.

BowenLinda

Can't comment on Silver Star but our family returned from a three day skiing/boarding trip to Big White in March. I think the two resorts are "twinned" in that one ticket allows you access to the other's hills. However, we never went over to Silver Star.

Whistler and the Lower Mainland ski hills had a very crummy year re snowfall (until March!) but Big White had lots of snow, and it snowed every night we were there.

This was our first trip to Big White and we were very impressed. Great runs - lots of intermediate, with a good allocation of advanced and beginner runs. My sons like their three (I think) boarding parks better than Whistler's.

Great choices of accommodation and very friendly staff everywhere. Interestingly, a lot were Australian.

Enough restaurants, although we found them just okay; my eldest son liked the bar and music scene; a great-looking kids' camp; quite a small village (not a shopping and strolling scene like Whistler's).

There were posters everywhere mentioning Big White had won a ski magazine's 2004 award for North American (again, I think) Family Resort of the year.

Our family really enjoyed our time there.

I don't ski

BowenLinda

Ooops, delete "I don't ski" at the bottom of my post.

Carmanah

Just a side note, but every year Canada gives away about 8000 (give or take) Working Holiday Visas to Australians every year. Most of them travel here specifically to work at the ski resorts, hence the large populations of Australian staff in the BC ski resorts.

I find that www.snowcanada.com is a good website to give you an idea of the ski resorts in Canada.

SusanInToronto

I think Silver Star is the one in Vernon. One of my brothers lives there and he always skis there. I've only been out there in the summer - I'm definitely not a skier. I think Vernon usually gets a fair amount of snow.

ALF

We've skiied both over the last few years. I very much prefer Big White, which has more varied and challenging terrain. Silver Star is indeed a really good choice for families, and it has a very low-key feel to it. We have friends that also go there every February, because they feel that it is so much more friendly and less busy than other places. I agree, but if you are indeed going to ski, why not go down the road to Big White, which has better terrain?

Of course, they are close enough that you can drive from one to the other.

Marko

does anyone know if there is a lift pass that covers both ? and is there a regular shuttle so that if we stay at Silver star we can then spend a day at Big White? This trip is starting to look very BIG, all the way from Mexico to Canada....tropics to the frozen north. Life is for living !!

starfish1

We have been to Silver Star and Big White and between the two would choose Silver Star - low key, great terrain, less chance of "Big White-Out" as I call it (not necessarily snow but low cloud that creates white out conditions) at Silver Star. BUT, that being said, if you are travelling from Mexico, DO NOT miss Fernie, B.C. - the most amazing skiing. I would choose it any day over Silver Star or Big White.

Swannee

Hi

I went to Silver Star and Big White with a ski club a few years ago the first week of April. We had wonderful snow and one day of Big-Whiteout at Big White. You have to be careful these days however, because the weather patterns are so strange. There is supposed to be lots of snow in January and places like Whistler this year did not get snow until very late. But that can happen anywhere.

I enjoyed the fact that on our trip we spent a few days at each resort and at the end of the trip even had time to visit wineries in Kelowna (closer to Big White). Vernon is nearer Silver Star.

Silver Star is low key and quite lovely. All the buildings have to be painted in several colors by law and there are many buildings that look like Victorian gingerbread houses. The skiing is good and there is a variety of hills. However, I would have been bored to stay there a whole week. The town is very small, but it was more charming than Big White.

But I think that there is so much development goign on in some of these resorts that this could have changed from a few years ago.

Silver Star is quaint. Good place for a family. Good sking, good restaurants, but very, very small as I remembered it (that's the village, not the ski area.

Marko

If we stay at either silver star or big white is it easy to get to the other on a daily basis ? If there is a "big whiteout" at big white could we just grab a shuttle to silver star ?

laverendrye

For information on Silver Star as well as most other ski resorts in North America and Europe, this is a very good site:

http://www.resortspace.com/silversta...ain/index.html

Marko

Thanks Laverendrye, a great site that answered a lot of questions that I had !! Silver Star certainly sounds like us but its nice to have the option of a day or two at Big White, my kids love the idea of a helicopter transfer too !!!

ltt

my sister's family goes to silver star every year. they love it. very family oriented.