Club feature: Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club.

The Okanagan Valley in southern British Columbia has more days of sunshine than any other region in all of Canada. With over 23 feet of dry Okanagan powder snow dumped annually and ample blue sky, you know the skiing there has to be good.

Dominated by the stunning 60-mile long Okanagan Lake, the Okanagan Valley bisects huge, rounded mountains. Near the north end of the lake and just 30 minutes up from the city of Vernon sits Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre. Just above at 5,200 feet in elevation, Silver Star Mountain Resort attracts locals and travelers alike. Although Sovereign Lake and Silver Star could easily stand alone as a superb cross country ski areas, together the two are seamlessly joined to form one of the finest Nordic ski areas in North America.

Although their trails connect, each area is very different in terms of how they operate. One is a nonprofit club. One is a corporation. Operated by the Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club, the ski area maintains trails in Silver Star Provincial Park. Silver Star Mountain Resort is a mid-sized alpine ski area with Nordic trails included.

But to us lucky skiers the areas are very much alike. The terrain, the sub-alpine forest, the superb snow and the same high standards of grooming make it almost impossible to separate the two. Over the years the club and company have integrated well together to provide skiers with over 105 km of trails.

Skiing on and around Silver Star Mountain really started in the late '30s with the formation of the Silver Star Ski Club. In the early days before the road to the mountain was built, hardy skiers would climb up to enjoy the great snow. In the late '50s, installation of the first small rope tow at Sovereign Lake shifted the main focus of the club to downhill skiing.