GO DOGSLEDDING
Fur trappers, traders and First Nations all used dog-powered sleds to traverse Canada's frozen wilderness. Thanks to Canadian Wilderness Adventures, you can too on a family-friendly dog sled ride in the Callaghan Valley. Help a professional musher harness and stage the Arctic-bred sled dogs, then learn the commands and try steering the six-dog team. Alternatively, just sit back and enjoy the ride through the valley's scenic old growth forest. Along the way, you'll visit an abandoned trapper's camp and learn more about the history of Canada's fur trappers.
It's only from an aerial perspective that you can truly appreciate just how vast North America's largest ski resort really is.Credit: Toshi Kawano
RELAX AT SCANDINAVE SPA
Located overlooking a tranquil cedar forest, this Nordic-inspired outdoor spa has eucalyptus steam baths, Finnish saunas, waterfalls, plunge pools, solariums and hammocks. Guests are encouraged to cycle between areas – alternating between hot, cold and relaxation therapies to promote blood circulation and activate the lymphatic system. There's also a wide range of massages on offer, from prenatal to deep tissue. The best bit? No talking or Wi-Fi. According to the website, "By embracing silence, one finds inner stillness."
See scandinave.com
TAKE A SCENIC HELICOPTER FLIGHT
It's only from an aerial perspective that you can truly appreciate just how vast North America's largest ski resort really is. However, soaring over Whistler-Blackcomb isn't the only highlight on this exhilarating scenic flight with Blackcomb Helicopters. You'll also get to see the vast, emerald-green Cheakamus Lake, study the intricate ice flows on Cheakamus Glacier and admire the distinctive mountain peaks of Castle Towers and Black Tusk. The tour culminates with a landing on Rainbow Mountain, where you'll explore a 12,000-year-old glacier before whizzing back to base.
VISIT THE AUDAIN ART MUSEUM
A ski resort is an unlikely setting for one of Canada's most distinguished art museums. Located a five-minute stroll from the heart of Whistler Village, the Audain Art Museum showcases some of the best British Columbia art from the late 18th-century to the present day. Highlights of the 200-piece permanent collection include an intricately carved cedar dance screen by James Hart and a striking display of First Nations masks. Equally impressive is the building itself, its elegant wooden exterior and minimalist clean lines complement its peaceful forest setting.
BOBSLED ON AN OLYMPIC TRACK
You'll pull four Gs and reach 125km/h as you race down the world's fastest bobsled track at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Famous as a venue during the 2010 Winter Olympics, the facility is still used as a national training centre but also offers rides with a professional bobsled driver. Feeling even more intrepid? Try the skeleton, where you'll speed through six turns lying face down on a metal sled at up to 100km/h. It's the only place in Canada you can do it.
SNOWMOBILE TO DINNER
Mount Sproatt is one of the few peaks around Whistler that's licensed for snowmobiles. On this sunset dinner tour, you'll drive up a 15-kilometre winding trail, past pillowy snowdrifts and through dense, foreboding forest. Once inside the rustic, candlelit Sproatt cabin, enjoy a hearty three-course feast of hot soup, juicy Angus steak and a homemade dessert. After dinner, jump back on the snowmobiles for an eerie return journey along undulating tree-lined trails at night.
Rob McFarland was a guest of Vail Resorts (whistlerblackcomb.com).
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.