BCAA

TRAVEL 12 BCA A .COM WINTER 2018 (previous page) iStock, SilverStar Mountain Resort/Blake Jorgenson; (this page) Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism/Phil Best MEMBERS SAVE BCAA Members save on the Standard Room Rate and on regular-price packages at Vernon's Sparkling Hill Resort. Plus, save up to - at Fernie Alpine Resort and up to at the Best Western Plus Fernie Mountain Lodge. bcaa.com/sparkling hill; bcaa.com/ fernieski; bcaa.com/bestwestern REVEL IN THE COLD Quick getaway: Nelson Quirky Nelson, located deep in the West Kootenays, is irresistible for a weekend away that won't break the bank. You could easily fill your days people-watching and eating on downtown's Baker Street, a quick walk from the stylish and affordable Cloudside Hotel, located in a 1900 historic house. Hit Oso Negro for fresh-roasted morning coffee, stop in at Cantina Del Centro for tofu tacos and visit Backroads Brewing for a happy hour saison. Then, head up to Pitchfork restaurant for a farm-to-table dinner. Or perhaps you want to earn your ingestible rewards. The reason to make the pilgrimage to isolated Nelson in winter, after all, is to ski. Drive the 20 minutes to Whitewater Ski Resort, and ascend into an alpine zone of steeps, chutes, bowls and glades that cache sinfully light snow. The small hill – just 956 hectares and 610 vertical metres – is easy to explore in a weekend, and you'll never run out of powder stashes. Little rippers can get comfortable riding in deep snow with a group ski or snowboard lesson. After going hard for a couple of days, take a drive along the west side of Kootenay Lake to Ainsworth Hot Springs. These natural springs boast a cave that makes a unique spot for soakers to rejuvenate tired muscles après-ski. Week-long escape: SilverStar Mountain Resort, Vernon Tucked into a snow-globe world near the Monashee Mountains, SilverStar Mountain, near Vernon, is the third largest ski resort in BC, with 1,328 skiable hectares spread across four mountain faces. Ski-in-ski-out accommodations and a brand-new, eight- passenger gondola make it easy for families to access all that terrain. When not cooking meals in a family suite at Silver Creek Lodge, hit the restaurants in the resort's Victorian- style village, from pub fare at The Bulldog to Canadian beef paired with BC wine at the Silver Grill. Our family of four spent some long weekends skiing here last season, hoping our youngest would take to the sport. Thanks to a few lessons, and a well-timed horse-drawn sleigh ride to a rustic cabin après-ski (cue hot chocolate and cookies), we landed on a preferred winter pastime. It helps that there is so much to do off- slope. It's a quick walk to Brewer's Pond for ice-skating or sledding at the adjacent tube park for kids. Parents can either watch the

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