Why Build a Golf Course on a Mountain?
The Okanagan Valley is blessed with mild winters and hot, dry summers. The valley bottom (elevation – 400 metres or 1320 feet) is dotted with golf courses, and there are over 20 courses within an hour’s drive of Vernon. A wide variety of golf courses are available, ranging from the incredibly inexpensive 9-hole Lumby Golf Course ($5 for 18 holes) to world class golf courses (and very expensive at $135 for 18 holes) like Predator Ridge. The golfing season can start as early as March or April, and often runs into November (about 8 months). Temperatures are normally mild, sunshine plentiful, and in the heat of the summer, golfers often prefer to golf early in the morning or in the evening, when temperatures are more tolerable. Hot afternoons are better spent sailing, waterskiing, or swimming at Kal Beach. At Silver Star Mountain, things are very different. The area around Silver Star’s proposed golf course is at 1350 metres elevation (4430 feet), and is normally covered in snow from mid-O
