Killington Resort’s parent company, Powdr Corp, announced it acquired its first Canadian resort on Dec. 3: SilverStar, a family owned ski area in British Columbia with 3,282 acres of skiable terrain, a 2,493 foot vertical drop, and annual snowfall of more than 23 feet.
Award-winning SilverStar Mountain Resort is recognized as one of Canada’s best destination mountains and a family favorite. SilverStar’s intimate, colorful, mid-mountain village provides ski-in, ski-out slope-side lodging. As a year-round mountain destination, SilverStar’s Bike Park is ranked by the International Mountain Bike Association as one of the premier downhill mountain bike facilities in North America.
“I am thrilled to pass the torch to such a competent and qualified operator as Powdr, who shares the same mission and beliefs with the SilverStar resort community and is committed to delivering memorable experiences and enhancing people’s lives,” said owner, Jane Cann. “Powdr is an enduring company focused on patiently making each of its destinations the best version of itself locally. I am confident that their scale and expertise will be beneficial in working toward the realization of SilverStar’s newly approved Master Plan.”
To date, Powdr has not followed the paths of Alterra Mountain Company or Vail Resorts in offering a branded, multi-destination pass. And while Killington Mountain Resort and many of Powdr’s 10 resorts (including Snowbird, Utah and Copper Mountain, Colorado) are part of Alterra’s Ikon Pass, a lift ticket at Killington isn’t good on its own at Snowbird in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon or at any other Powdr-owned resort.
What makes Powdr different from Alterra or Vail Resorts is this: despite the fact that it owns 10 mountain resorts (from Mt. Bachelor, Oregon to Pico, Vermont) it doesn’t consider itself to be in the ski resort business. It’s the “experience” business and those experiences —be they heliskiing or river rafting, mountain biking or ski racing, obstacle course racing or endurance trail running, are what Powdr seems to be fixated on. And with its growing brands such as Outside TV and its expanding family of Woodward action sports centers and camps, it has the youth market by the scruff of its neck and is helping it mainline adrenaline.
This acquisition brings together two family-owned companies, including Powdr, a proudly independent company focused on delivering quality local experiences, and Jane Cann, who owned SilverStar since 2002 and served as president since she acquired 100 percent of SilverStar in 2012. Powdr and Cann share a common vision for the long-term success of SilverStar as a community-oriented favorite for year-round, authentic family adventure. POWDR is acquiring Silver Star Ski Resort Ltd. and Silver Star Holidays Ltd., which operate SilverStar Mountain Resort, from Cann, who will retain Schumann Resorts Ltd., which holds 30 acres of SilverStar real estate development land.
“SilverStar is a world-class destination that fits well with who Powdr is, what our properties are—community favorites—and our commitment to protecting and enhancing the authentic year-round adventure experience for generations to come,” said Justin Sibley, POWDR co-president. “The resort team is impressive and they have an incredibly strong relationship with the community, which we hope to build upon. We are pleased to continue Jane and SilverStar’s more than six decades of fun, legacy and vision.”
SilverStar joins the Powdr portfolio of 10 mountain resorts in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Vermont; the experiential action sports company Woodward; adventure experiences including heli-ski and river rafting outfitters; and the Company’s media and entertainment holdings. Across each of its destinations, Powdr honors the local community’s essence by curating and integrating the best of all things local. There are no changes to SilverStar 2019/20 season passes, current operations or reciprocal agreements with other resorts.
