Road Trippin’ the Thompson Okanagan - Part 1

Posted: Aug 3, 2009

Auspicious Beginnings:

Chances are if you’ve been riding a mountain bike for awhile, you’ve packed your bags, strapped a ridiculously expensive bike to a beater truck and set out on a road trip to explore fabled trails in far away lands. There’s an irony to the way we as bikers drive great distances to enjoy our pedal freedom. But carbon fat tire tracks aside, the road trip is ubiquitous to the sport of mountain cycling, and I for one am not about to abandon one of the cultural cornerstones of our sport and lifestyle.

Words by Ryan Kuhn
Video by Steve Crowe
Images by Ryan Kuhn and Steve Crowe

From July 26 to July 30, 2009, I set off with my good buddy Steve Crowe, a videographer for Briefly7 Productions and a fellow contributor to Pinkbike.com, to tour the Thompson Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. We converged at Silver Star Resort near Vernon, BC, to begin our 4-day journey, followed by a tour of the Larch Hills Traverse, a new epic XC adventure between Salmon Arm and Sicamous, some houseboat shenanigans, a visit to the first annual (and scorching hot) Intermontane Challenge, a multi-stage XC race in Kamloops, BC, followed by a day’s downhill session at Sun Peaks Resort. Along for the tour was our intrepid escort, Miles Prodan from Thompson Okanagan Tourism, and Andrew Gower of nsmb.

On the way we were fortunate to interview and ride with some icons of the sport – including Jay Hoots, Matt Hunter and Tinker Juarez. We got an update on what they’ve been up to, why they’re in the Thompson Okanagan region and their plans for the future. But dreadlocks and dreamboats aside, this was a road trip in the classic sense – stinky gear, stale beer, lake bathing and bike breakin’. It was a hectic schedule that we’ve broken down in four convenient installments for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy…

Part 1: Silver Star Mountain Resort, where berms meet the sky


Without a doubt Silver Star, near Vernon, BC, has seen remarkable growth in recent years both in terms of trails and riders visiting the North Okanagan resort. While the current incarnation of the park has been in operation for the past 4 years, Silver Star was among the first resorts to feature lift-access mountain biking in 1991, as well as hosting premier races in the early 1990’s including a World Cup event. The park was brought into the modern downhill era in 2005 with the intent of creating a park that has something for everyone, from beginner to pinner.

I first started riding Silver Star in 2004 as I lived in nearby Kamloops, BC, at the time. While I enjoyed the early evolution of the park in 2005, I hadn’t visited often in the past few years and was keen to see what the builders have been up to and where their vision is taking them.


After a good night’s rest and breakfast at the Bulldog Hotel we met up with Silver Star Bike Park Director Cam Sorensen. Cam has been involved in the bike park for the past seven years and Director for the past four. He has the vision and dedication required to build a destination resort. Cam has been improving both the concept of the park’s progression and the trails’ condition and his (and his crew’s) efforts are apparent.


All accessed from the 7.5-minute Comet Express chairlift (rising 1,600 vertical feet), Silverstar boasts 18 trails plus “The Vault” skills zone. There are five beginner, one beginner/intermediate, five intermediate, five advanced (single black), and two expert (double black) runs. We started out on Challenger, an often over-looked trail that offers a great selection of beginner features including small jumps, buff berms and wood features that are ideal for new riders looking to cut their teeth on the bike park experience or for more advanced riders wanting a good warm up (aka hangover assessment) cruise.


Following Challenger, we sampled some blue square action on Shazam, a super fun flowy treat of berms, small doubles and a whole lotta speed. For the beginner it’s a great transition to bigger features and more speed. For the experienced rider, it’s an often brakeless rip that waters the eyes and widens the smile.


According to Cam, this progression has been one of the prime focuses for the park and it shows. The consistency of the build and style of tables, berms and woodwork from green to black runs provides an ideal way for riders to progress without any unexpected surprises. What you see on Shazam is a much smaller version of the features found on blue and black trails, including their premier double black diamond run, Pipe Dream (a personal favorite), which has features big enough for the best riders to get their stoke on.


After a morning’s worth of shooting, we grabbed some lunch at the Bean to Cup Cafe, and proceeded to session Pipe Dream for a few laps of filming and talking with Cam. One of the most noticeable aspects of Silver Star is the remarkable quality of the dirt. While some resorts struggle with rock and roots, Silver Star is blessed with soil that sets well and lasts the rigors of heavy bike traffic in all but the dustiest conditions. Recent thundershowers spared the fires and set up the trails nicely for our mid-summer session.

Silver Star Tour:

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While Silver Star has garnered significant bike media attention for its progressive trails (and subsequent increasing visitor numbers) in recent years, I was most impressed by the fine tuning they’ve done to the park. The focus has been on improving what has been in place for a few years, and the most noticeable improvement (other than excellent trail maintenance) was a move towards consistency. No longer do you over-shoot one table only to come up short on the next. Troublesome sections have been remade, new progressive features added to existing trails and stunts have been tweaked to improve flow and safety.


Of course, no trip to Silver Star is complete without rips down Rock Star, a jump-laden classic black diamond run, and World Cup, the fast, flowy run under the lift that boasts two of the fastest wall rides I’ve ever had the pleasure of hitting. These are not to be missed.

With a long day of filming and riding behind us, we made our way to Clementine's Lounge for a few pints and some wholesome grub. Reflecting upon the day, it’s safe to say that Silver Star is a resort that caters to all levels of riding ability. The vibrant village is quiet, laid-back and entirely away from the hype of other famed mega-resorts. On-mountain accommodations are reasonable and as the summer product expands at the resort, so too have the restaurants, cafes and pubs that stay open later and more often than in years past.


Silver Star has come into its own and is a must-hit for anyone with a thirst for gravity-induced delights.

-Ryan Kuhn is a regular Pinkbike contributor and is proud to represent Devinci Bikes, Revolution Cycles and Service, Nema International, SMX Optics and Point 1. He lives in Rossland, BC, Canada.