The night loop at SilverStar opens at dusk. By 7 PM on a Thursday in February, the floodlights along the 4-kilometer trail are already glowing against the snow. Most people are finishing dinner. A handful of us are clicking into our skis.

Cross-country skiing at night is a different animal than daytime Nordic skiing. Your world shrinks to the lit corridor ahead. The forest beyond the lights disappears into darkness. You hear more. The swish of skis, your own breathing, the occasional crack of a tree branch under snow weight. It's quieter than you'd expect for being 20 minutes from Vernon.

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What 105 Kilometers Actually Means

SilverStar maintains 55 kilometers of Nordic trails. Another 50 kilometers connect through Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre. It's Canada's largest daily-groomed Nordic network, which sounds impressive until you actually try to ski all of it in one day. You can't. Even attempting 30 kilometers will leave most recreational skiers exhausted.

The trails range properly. Greens that meander gently through lower forests. Blues with rolling terrain that build leg burn. Blacks with climbs that make you question your fitness level. Both classic track and skate skiing lanes are groomed daily. The high elevation (1,609 meters at the village) means the snow stays cold and dry rather than turning to slush.

Warming huts appear along the trail network. Simple structures with benches and some shelter from wind. On a night ski, they're markers more than destinations. You don't need to stop when you're only doing the 4K loop.

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The Village After Dark

SilverStar's Victorian-style village looks better at night than during the day. The colored buildings, which read slightly kitsch in daylight, work better when they're just shapes and lights against snow. Everything is walkable. The entire pedestrian village spans maybe 200 meters.

After skiing, you have options. Bugaboos Bakery stays open late with actual hot chocolate. The Den has craft beer and usually live music. Long John's Pub serves pub food without trying to be fancy. Most people end up at one of these three places because they're the spots that actually feel lived-in rather than resort-generic.

The 2.5-acre skating pond at Brewer's is lit until 8 PM most weeknights. Outdoor fire pit, music playing. Some people skate. More people stand around the fire with drinks from Tube Town Cafe. It's the unofficial gathering spot.

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Living Here vs Visiting

Here's what changes with ownership. You stop treating every mountain visit like it needs to be maximized. No more "we drove all this way so we better ski all day." You ski for two hours on a Thursday because you feel like it. You take a day off entirely because the conditions are poor. You go night skiing on a whim because your meeting ended early.

Real estate at SilverStar ranges widely. Two-bedroom condos near the Silver Queen Chair start around $500,000. Larger properties on The Knoll with better views run $800,000-1.2 million. Ski-in/ski-out access matters more here than at most resorts because spontaneous use is the whole point.

Some owners rent their units when they're not using them. SilverStar is 65 kilometers from Kelowna Airport, which helps with short-term rental demand. But the rental income math is secondary to the access equation. If you're buying purely as an investment, there are better options. You buy here because you want to use it.

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The Thursday Night Regulars

The same people show up for night skiing. You start recognizing faces even if you never learn names. There's the guy who always does two loops. The couple who brings their dog on the dog-friendly sections. The woman who skis faster than everyone else and makes it look easy.

It's different from weekend crowds. Weekends bring families, tourists, people learning to ski. Thursday night attracts locals and owners who've done this loop enough times that they're not here for the novelty. They're here because it's what they do.

The Olympic athletes who train at Sovereign Lake occasionally appear on the trails. You're not competing with them. You're just sharing the same snow. That's the weird thing about Nordic skiing: everyone's on the same trails regardless of ability level, just moving at different speeds.

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What This Actually Costs

Beyond the purchase price, SilverStar condos run $300-600 monthly in strata fees depending on size and amenities. Property taxes add another $2,000-4,000 annually. If you're not renting it out, figure $8,000-12,000 yearly in carrying costs before utilities and maintenance.

Compare that to hotel stays. A weekend at SilverStar runs $300-500 per night for accommodation alone. Do that six times a winter and you're at $3,600-6,000 annually just for lodging. Ownership starts penciling out if you're using it frequently or generating rental income during vacant periods.

But the financial justification only works if you actually want to be here regularly. February in the Okanagan means legitimate winter. Snow from November to April. Cold temperatures. Limited daylight. If you're buying because you like the idea of mountain living more than the reality, you'll end up with an expensive problem.

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The Quiet Part

Nordic skiing doesn't have the same cultural cache as downhill. You can't show off your gear the same way. The après scene is muted. It's fundamentally a solo or small-group activity even when you're on crowded trails.

That's actually the appeal. After a day of meetings and emails and the general noise of working life, gliding through a lit trail in the forest is about as close to meditation as most people get. No music in your ears. No one talking. Just movement and cold air.

SilverStar's night loop isn't dramatic. It's not going to make your Instagram followers jealous. It's just consistently available whenever you want it. That reliability is worth more than spectacular.