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Silver Star Summer
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by Anne Haight
It’s not just the days that are getting longer as summer approaches. Silver Star Bike Park is embarking on a major cross country expansion that will see its trail system grow to 50-plus kilometres by 2015 from its current 20 km network put in place last year.
“Our downhill trails are what make Silver Star one of the leading bike parks in North America,” says Ian Galbraith, summer business manager. “But there has been a growing demand to add a cross country trail system to our product. Last year was our first year and the response was overwhelming. It’s been a great compliment to our summer offerings.”
Summer gets underway on June 26, 2014 as the bike park opens for its regular seven day a week operations. The bike park features several bonus weekends as well, one on June 21 and 22, and a pair of weekends to end the season on September 6 and 7 and again on September 13 and 14.
The bike park features a pair of race bike festival weekends, as the Star Worx Freeride Festival happens July 11 to 13 and the B.C. Cup/NW Cup DH Race takes place July 19 and 20.
“Silver Star was recently recognized as the second best bike park in Western Canada by MTBParks.com,” says Galbraith, an avid downhill rider. “We built our park with progression in mind. We have trails to suit everyone from first-time riders to pros riding on the world cup circuit.” For those looking to enhance their riding skills, weeklong bike camps are also offered throughout the summer months.
The park features an outstanding selection of Aurum 6.3 bikes from their partners at Norco as well as XC Norco Fluid 7.2s.
While both downhill and cross country biking are the main draws to the mountain resort, the events calendar is full of other great events.
‘Piping Hot Summer Drummer’ returns in mid-July for its 21st year at Silver Star, featuring two weeks of camps and performances in the village centre. The resort also presents its family-friendly ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’ on top of the mountain on August 3, when children ride the scenic chairlift free when accompanied by a paying adult.
The resort’s premier summer event, the Mountain Top Food & Wine Festival, returns August 8 to 10. The festival features artists in the village, hiking tours, wine master dinners, and its main attraction, the progressive ‘Mile High Wine Tasting’ in the village on Saturday, August 9 at 4 p.m. “With only 500 tickets available, the progressive tasting sells out fast”, says Galbraith. “It’s such a great atmosphere in the village,” notes Galbraith. “With more than 30 wineries to sample from, and jazz music playing in the background, it makes for a pretty unique event.”
Galbraith said with the mix of scenic chairlift rides, hiking, disc golf, and on-site camping, Silver Star is a must-visit for tourists travelling through the Okanagan.
“Whether you’re a biker or a family travelling through the region, it’s definitely worth the 20 minute drive up the mountain.”
Visit summer.skisilverstar.com for all summer events and more resort information.