March 31, 2006 (Vernon, BC) – On the heels of a record 2004-05 season, Silver Star Resort has broken another seasonal record for the fourth year in a row, again solidifying itself as the interior’s second most popular resort, located in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.

“The snow was incredible and plentiful this year,” says Michael J. Balllingall, Senior Vice President of Silver Star and Big White Resorts, “Combined with our family friendly focus and Victorian charm, Silver Star couldn’t have asked for a better winter season.”
The number or skier visits was up thousands over last year’s record number, by 10 percent. Silver Star’s sister resort Big White Ski Resort located near Kelowna, B.C. has also surpassed last years record number and both resorts are continuing to set daily records during their spring season.
Bookings for accommodation were also up substantially this year. With new non-stop flights by West Jet and Air Canada from Toronto to Kelowna, visits from Ontario residents have increased tremendously. “Our resorts using the Kelowna International Airport as a gateway are now the closest resorts in the west to the valuable Ontario market,” commented Jim Loyd, Director of Sales for Big White and Silver Star Resorts. Hawaii has also become another growth market for both resorts. “Our work with Harmony Airways has paid handsomely this year,” says Loyd , “Direct flights between Honolulu and Kelowna means Hawaiians can now easily find out what it’s like to surf waves of the Okanagan’s champagne powder.”
Thanks to the growth in skier visits, Schumann Resorts, which purchased Silver Star in 2001, is continuing its investment in the resort. In early March, 49 new housing sites in the new Alpine Meadows sold out in hours. The sale of those properties allowed the resort to order a new lift for the 2006-07 winter season. The $1.5M Doppelmayr fixed-grip quad chairlift will whisk skiers and snowboarders from the Alpine Meadows to the top of the Attridge ski area, long known by locals as the best place to go find powder on the front side of the mountain.
Silver Star Mountain Resort (www.skisilverstar.com) is located 18 kilometers (12 miles) east of Vernon, BC, and an hour’s drive from Kelowna International Airport in British Columbia’s Thompson-Okanagan Tourism Region. Big White Ski Resort (www.bigwhite.com) is located 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Kelowna.

For more information, contact:
Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President, Big White and Silver Star Resorts (250) 765-3101 – e-mail: mballingall@bigwhite.com

Steven Threndyle, Media Relations Officer, Big White and Silver Star Resorts, (250) 764-2143 – e-mail: sthrendyle@bigwhite.com