Okanogan Valley, B.C.
January 4-11, 2025, Sat-Sat
Intermediate – Advanced
If you have never skied in British Columbia, this is the place to try some of the best Nordic Skiing in Canada! At Silver Star we will ride the lift to the top of the mountain, then XC ski all the way down or ski into the Sovereign Lakes. Most runs are groomed daily unless they can’t keep up with the fresh snow fall.
We will start our trip on Saturday, January 4 and drive to Osoyoos, BC and stay overnight at a Best Western Hotel. The next morning after a good breakfast, we will drive about 1 hour and 15 minutes to Nickel Plate Nordic, a wonderful local XC club with a ski lodge.
After skiing most of the day, we will drive two hours to Vernon where we will be staying at the Timber Ridge Ranch (Airbnb), a high-end home for 6 nights. We will ski Sovereign Lakes and Silver Star. These two combined are the Largest Nordic areas in Canada. Silver Star also has very good downhill skiing for those wanting more action. We will also ski at Telemark, one of my favorites. All of these Nordic areas have warming lodges if you need to warm up.
The Timber Ridge Ranch where we are staying is very close to Silver Star and has a hot tub and sauna at the house. Each of the Nordic areas charge a reasonable fee for their groomed skiing. We will take turns cooking and share in the food costs.
You should be an Intermediate or better skier and be able to ski 10 miles each day. You can skate ski or classic at all these areas too. A current valid passport is required for entry to/from Canada.
For those who are interested, I am planning on a non-ONC add-on to check out Castlegar and Nelson, for possible future trips, starting January 12 with a 4 hour drive to the southeast in B.C. I plan to stay 3 additional days for groomed XC and Backcountry skiing, then driving home. More details to follow after sign up.
Trip limit: 8 total, 2 couples and 3 singles plus trip organizer
Cost: $550 per person not including trail fees or food.
Travel miles: From Portland, 1140 miles round trip, plus mileage to the ski areas
Trip Leader: Ken Wenzel, skiwenzel@hotmail.com
BOOKINGS
Bookings are closed for this event at this time. Contact the trip leader for any questions.