A View from Above: Silver Star Real Estate Sees Upward Slope:
There are more reasons to ski from right outside your door as Silver Star Real Estate near Vernon is on a high
In Vernon, the surrounding hills in winter are usually dusted rather than draping in snow. There are no people wearing snowsuits and carrying skis over their shoulders walking up Vernon’s main street.
But if you squint up to the northeast corner beyond the cityscape and into the hills, you will uncover another community—one that may look far away, but is really just next door.
Silver Star Mountain is only a 20-minute drive from Vernon and is part of the Regional District of the North Okanagan. Home to Silver Star Provincial Park, where Sovereign Nordic Centre is located, most Silver Star real estate is located in the area operated by Silver Star Ski Resort, which is its own community with a village centre, featuring hotels, restaurants and shops, and various residential neighbourhoods.
Silver Star homes are unique in that year-round residents live them in, but some owners also rent out their homes or condos to vacationers as a secondary income.
Worldclass resort:
The attraction for Silver Star real estate is obviously the 3,000 acres of skiable terrain, which can be accessed from all areas of the resort. Most Silver Star residents can ski in and out from their front or back doors.
Although best known for alpine (downhill) and Nordic (cross country) skiing in winter, the resort is also well known for its mountain biking in summer, where downhill and cross-country cyclists from around the province and beyond test out the trails.
The resort’s brand-new trail, Beowulf, is a 35-kilometre epic ride around the mountain.
Other exciting news for both area residents and visitors is the new Doppelmayr gondola, which is replacing the old Summit chair (double chair), taking passengers from the village to the summit.
Artwork by rick bond
Gaining attentioN:
Silver Star’s reputation as a world-class, family-friendly ski resort has been attracting more and more attention, which could be one reason why homes for sale at Silver Star have seen steady growth in recent years.
Named as one of the top 20 North American ski resorts by online travel magazine Flight Network, Silver Star is known for not having huge line-ups at the lifts or overwhelming crowds.
Its warmer daytime temperatures (averaging around 0 C in winter) have attracted international skiers and boarders looking for champagne powder. It is also a major employer, with not only locals owning businesses and working for the resort itself, but offering seasonal jobs to young people both locally and as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Britain, South Africa, Mexico and elsewhere.