Here’s a make-believe scenario I never thought possible or probable at any winter ski resort on any continent.

A group of eight Australian college students are on an extended holiday at Silver Star Mountain Resort, British Columbia’s third-largest ski area. One morning these energetic Aussies are scurrying up and down the mountain with youthful abandon. They’re basking in the resort’s All-Inclusive package of choices: 128 runs, skiing four different mountain faces and 3,269 acres of skiable terrain, 21 acres of terrain-park and snow cross, tubing, skating, and 105 kilometers of diverse and daily-groomed Nordic trails.

 

 

By late afternoon, the snow barons have been on the mountain more than six hours. Sniffles are non-stop. Their beards and scarves are chunked with ice and nasty gunk. Indoor warmth sounds inviting. Conveniently, they ski right up to the front door of Pinheads……and go bowling. That’s right – kick off your boots, grab some shoes, select a ball, and start exercising more of your arms and less of your legs.

 

 

 

Pinheads offers the world’s first ski-in ski-out 10-pin bowling experience. There are four fully computerized and modern bowling lanes. Each lane comes with automatic bumper rails for the kids, 70-inch LCD screen entertainment, lighting displays, and a touch screen.

 

 

 

“After a fabulous day on the slopes, we offer something totally different,” gushed Heather Angel, Pinheads’ Manager. “The bowling alley makes us unique, three years ago we were first in the world providing it to our guests. Who doesn’t like bowling right next to a snowdrift?”

 

 

 

More on the wild-and-crazy Sunday-night soirees at Pinheads a little later.

Back to the slippery-slope biz at hand – skiing, deep powder, Nordic trails and programs, ski schools, snowmobiling, snowboarding, and a mid-mountain village lined with shops, cafés, and restaurants. It’s a short walk from any of the parking lots to the ticket office to the lifts. No vehicles needed.

 

 

 

“Our quaint little village has an old mining town, gaslight theme,” claimed Ian Galbraith, the resort’s Summer Business Manager with the mountain-man beard. “It’s magical at night. We’ve created a true sense of community. We’re proud of our mountain, it’s where everybody comes to play.

 

 

 

“In the summer or main ski chairs turns into a bike carrier. Mountain biking takes over on our daily-manicured trails. We also have 16 kilometers of scenic hiking trails that are spectacular with the native wildflowers blooming.  Beer and wine festivals round out our warm-weather menu.”

 

 

 

Galbraith guided us on a village tour. One must-see stop was Brewer’s Pond. Just behind the main parking lot and almost bumping up against Pinheads, the 2.5-acre pond was a frozen masterpiece. Smack dab in the middle of it was a small island forested with fir trees. What a cool picture postcard. The pond is natural and creek-fed from mountain water.  In winter, it’s designated for skaters and pickup hockey games. In summer, it’s a scenic stopping point.

 

 

 

Next up on the Silver Star discovery channel – Fat Biking?! WTH? You can rent these politically-non-correct beasts and go pound some powder. With 3.8-inch tires and rims wider than 44 millimeters (1.73 inches), Fat Bikes are heavier than most bikes and turn slowly. The blubbery tires (filled with Botox?) create a huge contact patch with the ground, grabbing up traction on slick and loose surfaces. The resulting floatation enables them to roll over snow, sand, mud, and wet rocks. Hence the attraction for winter pedalers.

 

 

 

When we first arrived at the resort, Marketing Projects Coordinator Doug Chimuk met us a few steps from the Bulldog Hotel. We were quickly shuffled into the packed office of Sales & Marketing Manager Anne Haight, where everyone was watching a live stream from the Winter X Games in Aspen. A few minutes later hometown favorite Kevin Hill won a Gold Medal in the Snowboard Cross. Cheers rocked the room. Hill is from Vernon (the closest city down the mountain) and his training site is Silver Star. Good timing, eh?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chimuk then rattled off his marketing message. “Our village is at 1,609 meters, one mile up,” he said. “The summit is 1,907 meters, and the bottom is 1,155 meters. We are mid-mountain, two-thirds of our trails drop below the resorts. That includes the 50 kilometers of Nordic trails and 14 kilometers of snowshoe trails we share with Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre.

 

 

“Our customer base, in general, comes from Calgary, Vancouver, Ontario, Seattle, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. We’ve formed an alliance (www.cwsaa.org) with other Western Canada area resorts because we would rather have people skiing in Western Canada than Europe or Asia.”

As an added bonus for top-tier passholders, Silver Star has become part of the Powder Alliance. This means these passholders are eligible for 36 FREE days at 12 of the best ski resorts in western Canada and the western United States. Boiled down, skiers receive three days of free skiing benefits at all other participating resorts plus special offers on lodging, rentals, and more.

 

 

 

Back to Pinheads and a typical Sunday evening. According to Angel, Sunday is “Sausage Sizzle” night when many Australian guests show up at the bowling alley for their traditional social night. It doesn’t take long for the joint to start jumpin’.

 

“We start the festivities by selling them a slice of white Wonder bread,” she explained. “They take the bread to the grill where they are provided a free sausage, fried onions, and tomato sauce (ketchup). Jugs of beer are flowing and they start singing their hearts out at Karaoke. At that moment the entire mountain is happy. Nobody leaves unhappy.”

 

 

 

Nothing better than a kielbasa in one hand and a bowling ball in the other. Try picking up a 7-10 split with that combination. Bowling on the slopes. Roll with it.