NORTHERN ESCAPE

With some of the most accessible backcountry terrain in Canada and a bounty of ski resorts for on-piste pursuits, British Columbia is the ultimate winter playground for well-heeled travellers, writes Jennifer Ennion.

- Jennifer Ennion

Standing atop a precipice covered in a duvet of feather-light snow, one inevitably feels the skier’s rush; that potent mix of excitement and nerves, anticipation and awe. Zoom in and you’re surrounded by like-minded souls from around the world, all here to experience the art of skiing. Zoom out and you’re a fleck of rainbow outerwear in a landscape of soaring peaks and startling white. And then you let go, carving your own line down a milky mountain face, the lightest of British Columbia powder spraying your goggles. There is nothing like it, which is why every heli-ski opportunity must be respected and savoured.

A Whistler prelude 

If Canada were a canvas, British Columbia would be the masterpiece, and at the centre, capturing your gaze, would be Whistler Blackcomb. As Canada’s biggest ski resort, with more than 200 marked trails, 16 bowls and three glaciers, Whistler is the ultimate place Australians can get ski fit. Here, you can start as slow as you like on runs that meander through Christmas trees or you can jump straight in the deep end and deep powder in the famous black diamond Whistler Bowl.