North Okanagan cross-country skiing enthusiasts have known it for years.
Now the rest of the world is on to our gems.
Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre and SilverStar Mountain Resort both finished in the top-10 of USA Today’s reader poll to determine the best cross-country ski resorts in North America.
Readers picked Sovereign Lake sixth overall, and ranked SilverStar No. 8.
The only Canadian destination was Mont-Sainte-Anne Cross-Country Ski Centre in Beaupré, Que. (No. 5).
Another resort close to the North Okanagan made the top-10. Methow Trails in Winthrop, Wash. was No. 10.
The top resort was White Grass Ski Touring Centre in Davis, West Va.
The top-10 are:
White Grass Ski Touring Center - Davis, W.V.
Tahoe Donner Cross Country Center - Truckee, Calif.
Devil’s Thumb Ranch - Tabernash, Colo.
Mont-Sainte-Anne Cross-Country Ski Center - Beaupré, Quebec
Latigo Ranch - Kremmling, Colo.
Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre - Vernon, British Columbia
Lone Mountain Ranch - Gallatin Gateway, Mt.
Silver Star Mountain Resort - Vernon, British Columbia
Jackson Ski Touring Center - Jackson, N.H.
Methow Trails - Winthrop, Wash.
A panel of experts partnered with USA Today 10Best editors to picked the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Peter Ashley, Reese Brown (Cross Country Ski Areas Association), John Morton, Liz Stephen and Jonathan Wiesel (Nordic Group International) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of the North American nordic ski scene.