Sovereign Lakes & Silver Star BC - January

Destination: Silver Star & Sovereign Lakes, British Columbia

Terrain: Groomed trails

Trip rating: Intermediate

Skiing opportunities:

This 7 day/6 night trip gives skiers the opportunity to ski at 3 different XC ski areas. The trip is all on groomed trails.

Lodging:

First night: Best Western Osoyoos, BC
2nd-6th nights: Exclusive Mountain Ranch Lodge | 7 mins to Silver Star

Details:

Day 1 is a big driving day with 430 miles to get to Osoyoo, BC. To break up the drive once we are north of Ellensberg, the leader will provide a list of a few short hikes that are along our route. We spend the 1st night at the Best Western in Osoyoo.

Day 2 we get to ski at Nickel Plate Nordic (6,000’ elevation) about 50 miles northwest of Osoyoo. 45km of groomed trails. After skiing we drive a couple hours north along Okanagan Lake to our home for the rest of the week just outside of Vernon, BC.

Days 3-6 we get 4 days of skiing at Sovereign Lake Nordic Area and Silver Star. It’s a 10-15 minute drive from our house. There are XC trails that connect the two ski areas. A day pass at Silver Star Nordic gives you 2 gondola trips to the summit. There is opportunity for alpine skiing at Silver Lake. We’ll be far, far north at elevations between 5,000, to 6,200.

Day 7 we drive home. 

What’s included: Lodging for all 6 nights.

Participants are responsible for ski passes at each ski area:

Meals:

• Each person is on their own breakfasts and lunches.  
• For our dinner in Osoyoo, we will eat out and each person is responsible for their own dinner. 
• For the 5 dinners at the vacation rental house, we each purchase and cook one dinner with a partner. We will agree on a budget for that at our pre-meeting but typically is $100 USD ($50 once per person). 

Transportation:

• Shared transportation costs for carpools as per ONC-PDX guidelines.
• We will coordinate carpooling at our pre-meeting. 

Other considerations:

• You need your passport, and it must not expire within 6 months of the trip.
• You need Snow Flake-rated tires and AWD (recommended) in BC.

Trip limit:  10 participants including trip leaders
Cost:  $530 per person
Travel miles:  From Portland, 1100 miles round trip, plus mileage to the ski areas
Trip Coordinator:  Mary Ellen Fitzgerald
Co-Coordinator: Glenda Marsh