Travel: Whistler, a winter wonderland
A stirring legacy from the Winter Olympics is the Sea to Sky Highway, an engineering triumph that fuses Vancouver and Whistler with a medley of jaw-dropping roadside scenery. Photogenic Squamish is located halfway between Vancouver and Whistler. It's a hot-spot for rock climbing, and trainspotters should check out the Railway Heritage Park, which is home to Western Canada's last steam train, the Rocky Hudson.
But the prize draw is Whistler, a year-round tourist mecca. The alpine village is one of the world's most acclaimed ski destinations, with a colony of Kiwis based there on working holidays.
The village is the quintessential Northern Hemisphere ski resort, spangled in fairy-lights, gabled roofs and timber-framed lodges. Even in summer Whistler is jam-packed with visitors who hike and bike on the alpine trails, wine, dine and shop. The village is studded with designer stores, from Cartier to Versace.
Whistler's answer to bungy-jumping is zip-lining; 70m above the forest floor, you step out into thin air and hurtle down a cable to which your body harness is attached.
Spoil yourself with a night of indulgence at the Fairmont Whistler. At the base of Blackcomb Mountain, the Fairmont, a luxury mountain lodge, delivers impeccable service, superb cuisine and heavenly accommodation. Enjoy live entertainment in the apres ski lounge and savour a soak in the slope-side whirlpools.
