Silver Star 2009 Trail Preview
Mountain biking has been a part of Silver Star Resort since at least the early 1990s. I remember seeing John Tomac race a World Cup there in 1994. The mountain has been offering lift-accessed riding for a number of years, as well. In fact, the first mountain report I wrote on the trails at the Star dates back six years.
Since then, the mountain has been improving the trails and services for riders. The Comet chair now has four-bike carriers, and the seven minute ride to the top is easy to swallow. The trail crew has been increasing the choice of runs steadily over the last few years. There’s plenty to choose from, with trails for serious riders who like speed and stunts, lots of hits for dirt jumpers, and blue runs for intermediate riders who are interested in practicing skills and riding trails with flow.
Looking down at the Silver Star village from half-way up the Comet chair. Beers, bike rentals, lift tickets, the repair shop – everything you need is located there.
The fact that Silver Star, 20 minutes outside of Vernon in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, is less than five hours from Vancouver makes it an easy weekend destination. There’s accommodation on the hill, so you can just roll out of bed and ride.
Riding at Silver Star is different than the coast. Vernon is located in a much drier ecosystem than Vancouver, so the terrain is rooty, rocky and drier, but it’s a nice change from Whistler or the Shore (or Washington state and Alberta, if you’re located outside B.C.).
I went up to Silver Star over the July long weekend with nsmb’s Vernon-based gear tester Dan Austin to check out the trails and see what was new this year. We were fortunate to be able to turn some laps with bike park manager Cam Sorensen, who showed us the old favourites and new additions.
We had an ulterior motive for riding with Cam, though. We weren’t just checking out the hill for our own edification. We wanted to scope some lines for AIRprentice 2009.
For those of you who aren’t attending nsmb’s annual rider tryout, consider this photo essay a glimpse of what Silver Star has to offer. If you’re one of the lucky nine riders to be chosen to strut your stuff, here’s a look at some of the trails and stunts that MAY feature into this event. You never know what you’ll end up riding, though, once the action starts.
There are stunts all over the hill. Dan Austin launches himself out of a start house on one of the ski runs.
Silver Star could be called the home of the big berm. There are plenty of them all over the mountain. Some trails feature long series of berms linked together. Dan carves with speed on Pipe Dream, one of those trails.
There are plenty of medium-sized hits on Pipe Dream, and once you get them dialled, you can fly down the trail. The views along the way aren’t bad, either. Trail crew member Mike Hainault casts a mean shadow.
The first thing that bike park manager Cam Sorensen showed us was the new and improved Pipe Dream trail. Pipe Dream features all-new big jumps, fast corners and plenty of air for riders who are willing to stay off the brakes.
One of the best things about the mountain are the little treats all over the place. This hip doesn’t look like much, but you can air it out like Cam did here – if you know what you’re looking for.
Our second run down the hill was on my favourite trail at the Star – Double Dog. The trail starts off with a short but steep downhill, and then a series of stunts. Cam effortlessly cruises over this teeter. And yes, that is snow you see in the background.
Silver Star has more than its fair share of wall rides. This one is located near the top of Double Dog. Dan launches off the wall like he’s done it dozens of times. Which he probably has.
The views of the Okanagan Valley make Silver Star special. Somehow, Cam managed to focus on his line through these berms.
Feature indeed. Red Bull held a trail building competition at Silver Star in 2007, and there are plenty of treats left over from the event. Walls, hips, jumps, gaps – all in the woods. Take a run to check them out, and then hit them again with speed.
Riding with the park manager means you get to see things that are off the map. And AIRprentice riders might get to see them, too.
It was tough to do, but I managed to get the guys to ride in a train. It was hard because nobody wanted to take it easy and just cruise so I could get pictures. They were having too much fun.
Mike and Cam have been riding this line for a long time, and even though Mike claims this launch was ugly, it still looked pretty sweet to me. The line starts behind the rock on the top right: you ride up it, make a 90° turn at the top, roll the first rock, and then launch the drop at the end. If everything goes according to plan…
Silver Star hasn’t forgotten the dirt jumpers in the crowd. The Vault is a little DJ extravaganza with three lines to choose from. Start small and work up to the big hits, and end it all off with the fade-away booters at the bottom of the jumps.
So, does Silver Star look like the kind of place you’d like to ride? Want to hear from the locals? Wonder which of those tasty “features” we’ll be dragging the AIRprentice hopefuls over? Head on over to the boards and spill your guts.
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