British Columbia Canada Blog

Good news for Paintball lovers ! Silver Star mountain resort is ready to offer paintball attraction to the guests this summer. Silver Star is already world famous for its Bike park in summer and now paintball would be another activity that guests can enjoy while at the resort. Silver Star’s cool and dry summer weather is perfect for paintball game.

In the words of General Manager Michael Sherwood:

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in Silver Star Bike Park in the past three years and we recognized the need to build on our success. We think Silver Star Paintball fits that need as it offers another unique alternative to the Silver Star experience.”

Location : It will be located in parking lot E, in a location well to the west of Silver Star’s main village, opposite the entrance to the Ridge sub- division.

Opening Date and Timings: Silver Star Paintball will open June 26, coinciding with the launch of the summer biking and hiking season. The courses will be open every Thursday to Sunday during the summer season, from noon until 8 p.m.

Related Links:
Activities Thompson Okanagan
Silver Star Lodging
Thompson Okanagan Biking

I did not think much of Kicking Horse until I visited it last week and found out all about it. It is certainly a great place for adventure sports.

Location: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is surrounded by lovely peaks and Canada’s most picturesque National Parks. The resort is located in Golden, British Columbia, just 1.5 hours west of Banff (145 kilometers), 2.5 hours west of Calgary (270 Kilometers) on the Trans-Canada highway,  6 hours from Edmonton (558 kilometers) and about 8.5 hours from Vancouver ( 711 kilometers) .

 Accommodation: There are many lodges and chalets on the mountain but many travellers prefer staying in Golden ( more hotel style properties). If you rent a condo on the hill, you can probably cook yourself and save on eating out everyday.

Activities: Some of the activities you can enjoy while in Kicking Horse include:

Summer Activities: Whitewater rafting on Kicking Horse River, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Golfing, Kayaking, Rock Climbing and Fishing.

Winter Activities:  Winter day time temperatures usually range from - 12 degree Celsius to 2 degree Celsius and sometimes dropping to -20/- 25 degree Celsius.  Heliskiing, Dog-sledding, Snowmobiling, Snowshoeing, Ice climbing, Ice fishing etc. 

Dining: Try Kicking horse grill for contemporary Canadian cuisine.

Pictures of Kicking Horse:

The Golden Eagle Express Gondola

Kicking Horse  Village View

Advanced Ski runs - Kicking Horse usually has good snow even in the month of April

 Skiers on the top of the mountain- Getting ready to go down on a run

Snow covered peaks in Kicking Horse

View of the village from The Golden Eagle Express Gondola

Related Links
Kootenay Rockies
Skiing BC

I visited Sun Peaks last weekend and was surprised to see that there is still a lot of snow in the resort.  The Skihill is closing on April 13th so you still have a few days to enjoy last minute skiing. 

As far as accommodations are concerned, Sun Peaks has a lot to offer to tourists and locals. There are several ski in/ski out hotels like Nancy Green’s Cahility Lodge, Delta Sun Peaks, Coast Sundance Lodge, Sun Peaks Lodge etc. I personally prefer condos and chalets and Sun Peaks never ceases to impress me. Check out pictures of some popular units below:

 Village Center Sun Peaks, British Columbia

Timberline Accommodations in Sun Peaks, British Columbia

Mcgillivray Creek Chalet -  Sun Peaks, British Columbia

Trappers Landing (Upper Village) - Sun Peaks, British Columbia

Crystal Forest (Upper Village) -Sun Peaks

Delta Sun Peaks Hotel - Village Centre

Highly recommended restaurant in Sun Peaks: Macker’s (just next to Nancy Green’s Cahilty Lodge in the village center) 

Related Links
British Columbia Resorts
Ski British Columbia

A few weeks ago I met up with a few friends for a winter weekend away in the Okanagan. A phone call to Louise at Raven B&B at Idabel Lake was all it took to set something up. She has a guest house (it’s not really a B&B since she does not do a breakfast unless there is a special request – usually from Snowmobile groups or summer cycling groups travelling the Trans Canada Trail, which runs right by her place) Winter was setting in at the higher elevations and the lakes were freezing over, with an marked shortage of snow.

Temperatures had dipped to -20 degrees Celsius in the previous nights, so with caution, we tiptoed out onto her dugout which had frozen over. The ice was solid, so Louise and her husband began to flood the ice for their private skating rink. This requires drilling a hole in the ice and setting up a pump to spray a thin layer of water across the top to create a perfectly smooth surface. Since the dugout was sufficiently frozen, we decided to venture out onto the adjacent marshland and then eventually onto Idabel Lake. The surface was almost perfectly smooth, and with 4-5 inches of ice it made a perfect skating surface. Since we hadn’t thought to pack along our skates, we had to settle for sliding around in our boots. 

Our sliding took us past the popular Idabel Lake Resort which is situated right on the edge of the lake, facing west. The resort itself has numerous rooms, with balconies and hot-tubs, as well as several self-contained cabins perched up on the hillside, also facing west. We definitely plan to return to the resort in the future to have some drinks in a hot-tub after skating or cross-country skiing. What could be a better way to watch the sun set over a frozen lake on a cold winter evening than from a hot-tub? The remainder of the weekend was very relaxing, enjoying the fireplace  and some great food and drinks at the guest house.

Related Links

BC Resorts
BC B&B

This past weekend we traveled to Silver Star Resort in Vernon British Columbia.  Silver Star is better known for its skiing/snowboarding vacations in winter, however there is still much fun to be had in the summer as well.  Silver Star is actually only 20 minutes away from downtown Vernon and hosts numerous condos, chalets and restaurants.  We stayed at Silver Star’s spectacular Snowbird lodge and were very impressed with the high quality of the room.  Here’s a brief overview of our room at the Snowbird Lodge.

The Snowbird Lodge 3 bedroom executive unit has 1 king size bed (or queen) in bedroom 1 and bedding varies per second and third bedroom and living room. This unit has 2 bathrooms. The unit offers a dining area, as well as a kitchen with fridge, stove, oven, dishwasher, microwave, a living area, TV/DVD fireplace, wireless Internet access, private outdoor hot tub, balcony and private laundry facility. - SilverStar.com

We also took advantage of the warm weather at Silver Star to take a chair lift to the mountain top in order to hike down one of many trails.  The hike actually only took 40 minutes and provided us with wonderful views of the entire resort.

Related Links:
Silver Star Hotels
Silver Star Resorts
BC Hiking

In this post I would like to share my top 5 reasons why you should visit Sun Peaks, British Columbia - through pictures.

Related Links

Ski Kamloops
Thompson Okanagan Resorts

This past weekend we traveled to the beautiful Sun Peaks Resort located near Kamloops, British Columbia.  Now you would ask, Why visit a ski resort in the summer?  Good question, and the answer is because there is so much to do at the Sun Peaks Resort!  Activities include: Shopping, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Golfing, Dining and simply enjoying the peaceful community.

We stayed at Trapper’s Landing and were amazed how beautiful the Chalet was.  Our unit was meant to accommodate 6 people and included features such as a hot-tub, heated floors, 3 TVs, beautiful kitchen, games room and much more!  I would highly recommend visiting Sun Peaks.

Related Links

Ski Kamloops
Thompson Okanagan Resorts

Here are some photos from Fernie and Kimberley British Columbia. Both cities offer world class ski resorts and lodges where visitors can wake up to perfect snow conditions every day.

Another great escape in Central BC is the Prestige Hotel in Salmon Arm. Last year, my girlfriend and I dropped in for a few nights and the staff were kind enough to upgrade us to one of their theme suites. It was the Barbados Suite and it had a hot-tub right in the room and a fabulous view out over the Salmon Arm of the Shuswap Lake.  It was the ‘off-season’ and the hotel was very quiet. That’s by far the best time to go anywhere, in my opinion. Salmon Arm is another one of those BC cities that bursts at the seams in the peak of the summer season due its hot weather and proximity to the Shuswap Lake.  So if you can get there in the off-season, you’ll find everything that you need and more, but no crowds. There’s plenty of shops along the main street in town, and several great little restaurants. One of the restaurants that we ate at (I can’t remember the name) served awesome seafood, and had a live pianist that was amazing. Everything is within walking distance of the hotel, so you don’t have to hold back on the wine with dinner!

I am back from my trip to Fernie and Kimberley and I must say that the trip has been a total rejuvenation of my senses.  It’s quite a drive if you plan to take a road trip from Kelowna to Kimberley but it’s totally worth it because of the amazing scenic beauty.  It takes about six hours to drive from Kelowna to Kimberley via Grandforks, Christina Lake, Castlegar, Nelson, Creston and Cranbrook. The nearest Airport from The Kimberley Alpine resort is Cranbrook.

Although Kimberley is a small ski resort compared to Fernie it offers fun and adventure to all ages. Winter Activities that can be enjoyed here include skiing, snowboarding and skating.  During the summer months mountain biking, hiking, fishing and golfing attracts tourists from all over the world.  In Kimberley I stayed at the Residence Inn, Marriott Trickle Creek which is a gold star property with all the amenities of a modern living.  I was totally impressed with this hotel as it is built with tall, lodge pole pine beams and river rock pillars.  One can relax in the outdoor heated pool, hot tubs or try their fully equipped fitness center. Visitors can also choose to unwind with a nice book in front of the fireplace with wonderful views of the Rocky Mountains and Ski slopes.  Stay at Residence inn includes a complimentary daily hot breakfast buffet which is really mouth watering and hits the spot.

Trickle Creek Golf resort is one of the top ten places to Golf in Canada as per Gold Digest.  After a long day of outdoor adventure one can enjoy a sumptuous meal at Kelsey’s which is located just next to Trickle Creek Marriott.  Other nice places to stay include Polaris Lodge which has some nice spacious units.  If you decide to stay on the slope side you can pick from a number of town homes or condos like Northstar and McGinty’s landing. On the lower mountain which is about 15 minutes walk from the ski runs, you can find reasonable lodging in Mountain Edge and Silver Birch. Visit Kimberley for a wonderful Purcell mountains experience.

Related Links:
Kootenay Rockies
Fernie Hotels
British Columbia Skiing