Whistler/Blackcomb has topped every "Best Places to Ski" list in North America for several years, and I had been planning to see what all the hoopla was about for at least that long. However, when I finally got serious and started planning a Whistler ski vacation for April, I discovered that there is much more to British Columbia than skiing, and my "to do and see" list began taking on a life of its own.

I had been really impressed with Vancouver a decade before, when disembarking there from a Sea Goddess cruise down Alaska's Inside Passage. I had vowed to return someday. As I was planning my ski trip, the provincial tourism folks mentioned nearby Vancouver Island's worldclass trout and salmon fishing. Then I heard about the splendors of Victoria, British Columbia's capital, on Vancouver Island. Finally, my friend Bill suggested a train ride across the Rockies.

In no time, our ski trip to Whistler had grown into a ten-day tour of British Columbia.

Fall/Winter 1997