If the hot desert sun is melting your sunglasses, let me help with some snow. Snow, blanketing the largest ski resort in North America, is inviting the world to have fun, relax and indulge in its winter wonderland.
Welcome to British Columbia's Whistler-Blackcomb, the Canadian star of the ski world, which is also to play host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Itinerary of thrills
I thought I would join the thousands of visitors there this year. On my itinerary were snowmobiling, ziptrekking, a spa, fine dining and snowboarding two mountains linked by the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, the world's longest and highest lift system.
In the past decade, Whistler, two hours' drive from Vancouver, has seen an explosion in development.
Hotels, timeshare complexes and townhouses have mushroomed, leading to an accompanying explosion of shops, restaurants and activities to keep the visitors happy.
The population is just about 10,000 but up to two million visitors go there every year.
I checked in at the Four Seasons, just minutes by foot from the base of Blackcomb.
Celebrity favourite
While the town is called Whistler, it has two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, which together offer 38 lifts and an incredible 8,000 acres of skiable area — over 50 per cent more terrain than any other resort on the continent.
Add first-class facilities and a discounted Canadian dollar, and it's no wonder Whistler has become so popular with celebrities, which include Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock and Harrison Ford.
Other visitors include Prince Charles and his sons and Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, who also owns a stake in the Four Seasons Hotel chain.
After loading up on a sublime meal at the hotel's Fifty Two 80 restaurant (named for the number of feet that can be skied on Blackcomb Mountain's vertical mile), I was up for my first adventure.
I've been itching to get on a snowmobile for years and Canadian Snowmobile Adventures offers various packages to introduce both newbies and experts to the surrounding terrain.
Need for speed
My four-stroke Yamaha snowmobile was surprisingly easy to control once I got the hang of its weight and power.
Thumbing the throttle, I blasted off into the snow on backcountry trails that snaked through forest paths, leading to a frozen lake where I could feed my speed addiction.
Cotton balls of snow were falling and once I turned off the engine, it was unnerving to realise how quiet nature could be.
Snowmobiling, dogsledding, a tube park, fondues — there are plenty of options for those who don't ski.
There's also the opportunity to head into the forest to experience ziptrekking.
Offering the highest and longest ziplines in North America, Ziptrek Ecotours combines the experience of an ancient forest with the thrill of speeding at 80 kilometres per hour between trees.
Fastened safely to a harness, it's fun for people of all ages. I zipped from one elevated wooden platform to another, spinning upside down, enjoying the unique bird's-eye view of the ravine separating Whistler and Blackcomb.
Three hours and five ziplines later, I returned to the village, passing the Whistler Sliding Centre, where tourists can experience bobsleighing after the Winter Olympics.
A visit to the newly built Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre reminded me that the indigenous people living there for thousands of years and the nations of Squamish and Lil'wat, which shared the land, have a rich and thriving heritage.
Their art, carvings and bark weavings made for a fascinating visit. There were also multimedia displays and an excellent art gallery.
Early to rise
By now, I was getting hungry and if I was going to have to tackle both the mountains in the morning (via a programme called Fresh Tracks, which allows the first 650 people who show up to hit the slopes before the gondolas officially open), I was going to have to stock up on some carbohydrates.
One for the palate
Trattoria di Umberto is a local eatery, which opened its doors way back in 1981.
With an open-kitchen design, it allows visitors to chat with chefs as they create Tuscan-inspired meals.
After this visitors are served carpaccio, wild Pacific salmon and a veal dish.
By the time the Sun rose the next day, I was gliding over 15 centimetres of fresh powder, my snowboard carving the first run of the day in the alpine terrain.
The skiing options are almost limitless and the snow nothing short of glorious.
This is not Ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates — this is the real thing.
Six hours later, I returned to the Four Seasons, exhausted, elated and thoroughly deserving of an apres-ski massage, complete with hot rocks to soothe my aching muscles and frozen toes.
— Columnist Robin Esrock is the co-host of Word Travels on
Nat Geo Adventure
Go there, do that
Sleep in style at the Four Seasons Resort Whistler (www.fourseasons.com/whistler), at the foot of Blackcomb, with a full service spa and exquisite West Coast dining at Fifty Two 80 Bistro.
Whistler offers 24 hotels with over 10,000 bedrooms and caters to all tastes and budgets.
Discover a treasured local secret and tasty Italian cuisine at Trattoria di Umberto and its sister restaurant Il Camineto di Umberto (www.umberto.com).
Don't ski? Snowmobiling, dogsledding and ATV adventures are offered through Canadian Snowmobile & All Terrain Adventures (www.canadiansnowmobile.com).
You can also go zipping with Ziptrek Ecotours (www.ziptrek.com). Daily tours introduce visitors to the indigenous culture at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (www.slcc.ca).
For more information about Whistler-Blackcomb, the village and the 2010 Winter Olympics, visit www.whistler.com
Fly to the snowy delight
Whistler is located 120 kilometres from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Buses, limousines and car-rental companies are available at Vancouver Airport.
Numerous airlines offer flights from Dubai to Vancouver, with stopovers in London, New York, Amsterdam or Frankfurt.
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