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December 12-14,2006 Sun Peaks,Silverstar,Big White
- Zap
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19 years 1 month ago #212618
by Zap
December 12-14,2006 Sun Peaks,Silverstar,Big White was created by Zap
After analyzing the weather forecasts for days, we decided in Bellingham to head for the Okanagan ski areas versus Whistler. It was a good choice. We attend the Warren Miller film each year to get the coupons to ski free at Apex, Sun Peaks, Silverstar and Big White. It's about 6 hours from Seattle to Sun Peaks. Jill's been limping for weeks with a hip problem and this was going to be her first ski days and the test. Sun Peaks does an incredible grooming job and the recent 5" of new plus another couple of new overnite were ideal for cruising. The snow was very dusty and Jill was skiing without pain. After 22K vertical she was going strong and my quads were talking. I convinced her to stop and save something for tomorrow. The coverage on the trails was excellent. You do not want to ski off piste due to the low coverage.
Drove the 100 miles from Sun Peaks to Silverstar on Tuesday afternoon and spent the evening at a WalMart parking area in Vernon so Jill could watch a favorite TV program. Ok, I also enjoy the show. We haven't skied Silverstar in 2 years and they added a high speed quad in the Silver Woods area and another fixed quad named Alpine Meadows providing easy access to Attridge. Overnight they received 5"of very light powder and it was another great cruiser. There was excellent coverage on the main trails and about 85% of the mountain was open. The extremely steep trails on the back lift did not have enough coverage for me. Silverstar as some great terrain in and out of bounds. Jill was skiing well and I finally convinced her to save something for Big White.
We stopped in the Rec Center in Vernon for a soak in the hot tub and a swim($4.35cdn) then drove the 80 miles to Big White. After departing Kelowna on highway 33, traffic was stopped for 6 hours due to a 2 car fatality accident that closed the road. We just parked on the road, started the generator and cooked dinner, turned on the furnace, napped and used the indoor toilet. The campervan made the long wait bearable. Big White has the smallest base and the least amount of terrain open of the 3 areas we visited. It was extremely cold and no new snow overnight. We cruised for a few hours and wanted to get an early start on the 360 mile return trip home. The drive back to Kelowna was easy but just as we left town it began snowing heavily and it was a full on blizzard across 97C to highway 5 and down to Hope. Probably the worst conditions we have ever experienced in the Oknagan. Once in Hope, we heard the weather forecast for Vancouver and Bellingham and decided to quickly drive back to Seattle. Although the winds were high, it rained all the way back. We noticed the following prices for gas in BC: $.929C per liter in the lower mainland and $.969C per liter in the Okanagan region. Jill's still walking with a limp but she can ski downhill without pain. Now, I have to see if she can break trail for an old guy.
Zap
Drove the 100 miles from Sun Peaks to Silverstar on Tuesday afternoon and spent the evening at a WalMart parking area in Vernon so Jill could watch a favorite TV program. Ok, I also enjoy the show. We haven't skied Silverstar in 2 years and they added a high speed quad in the Silver Woods area and another fixed quad named Alpine Meadows providing easy access to Attridge. Overnight they received 5"of very light powder and it was another great cruiser. There was excellent coverage on the main trails and about 85% of the mountain was open. The extremely steep trails on the back lift did not have enough coverage for me. Silverstar as some great terrain in and out of bounds. Jill was skiing well and I finally convinced her to save something for Big White.
We stopped in the Rec Center in Vernon for a soak in the hot tub and a swim($4.35cdn) then drove the 80 miles to Big White. After departing Kelowna on highway 33, traffic was stopped for 6 hours due to a 2 car fatality accident that closed the road. We just parked on the road, started the generator and cooked dinner, turned on the furnace, napped and used the indoor toilet. The campervan made the long wait bearable. Big White has the smallest base and the least amount of terrain open of the 3 areas we visited. It was extremely cold and no new snow overnight. We cruised for a few hours and wanted to get an early start on the 360 mile return trip home. The drive back to Kelowna was easy but just as we left town it began snowing heavily and it was a full on blizzard across 97C to highway 5 and down to Hope. Probably the worst conditions we have ever experienced in the Oknagan. Once in Hope, we heard the weather forecast for Vancouver and Bellingham and decided to quickly drive back to Seattle. Although the winds were high, it rained all the way back. We noticed the following prices for gas in BC: $.929C per liter in the lower mainland and $.969C per liter in the Okanagan region. Jill's still walking with a limp but she can ski downhill without pain. Now, I have to see if she can break trail for an old guy.
Zap
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