by Tony Crocker

Revelstoke (BC), Canada - For several decades Revelstoke has been home base for some of the world's finest backcountry powder skiing, but in 2007-08 the tiny local Powder Springs ski area was replaced by the new Revelstoke Mountain Resort on Mt. MacKenzie, which now boasts the greatest lift-served vertical drop of any ski resort in North America.

by James Michaud

Banff (AB), Canada - During my salad days as a bachelor, well-meaning friends would occasionally set me up on blind dates with “someone you’ll really like.” You know the drill; they tell you that she’s beautiful, smart, funny, loves the outdoors, cooks like Mario Batali, has a great career, etc. In fact, their descriptions are so convincing that for the next day or so, you build elaborate fantasies about the undiscovered model you’re about to meet – the one who scored a 1580 on her SATs. But more often than not, after you walk into a pre-appointed meeting place and set eyes on the person in question, the description from friends doesn’t quite match up with your perception of reality.

by Tony Crocker

Pincher Creek (AB), Canada - Prior to 1998-99, only local skiers from the southern Alberta towns of Lethbridge and Pincher Creek patronized Castle Mountain, formerly known as Westcastle Park with its 1,700 vertical feet and 400 acres. In the summer of 1998 Castle purchased a double chair from Sunshine Village and expanded the mountain upward to 2,800 vertical feet and 1,440 acres. First Tracks!! Online Editor Marc Guido and I each independently visited Castle during that 1998-99 season, and both of us came away with same reaction that it was “The Best Ski Hill You’ve Never Heard Of.”

by Jay Silveira

Golden (BC), Canada - I really remember just a few snapshots from the collision… a sharp voice shouting from behind me… something big moving from left to right in front of me...and my friend Greg’s hands protecting his face as he watched the spectacle from the passenger seat. It seemed as though we’d tagged the hind quarter of a rather large animal, which careened off the right side of the car and out of sight. Then suddenly, as though the entire episode was simply a concoction of our road-weary minds, we were once again cruising along in the gentle monotony of a dark and deserted Canadian highway. But something was different. My myopic view from the headlights had shifted upward. I realized that our vehicle was slightly awry, and it wasn’t long before my companions, Greg, Chris, and Dave knew it too.

Story and photos by James Michaud

Lake Louise (AB), Canada - It’s been said somewhere that your chances of scoring powder or otherwise exceptional conditions on an advanced-booked destination ski trip are, at best, in the 35% range. Based on the 25 cross-country or transatlantic expeditions I’ve made over the past six seasons, that figure seems to be about right. Like most people who don’t live a short drive from a world-class ski region and have to bank their frequent flier rewards to scratch that itch three or four times each winter, I’ve had my share of both fantastic and really awful conditions. They say that a bad day of skiing is better than a good day at work. But when you’re burning hard-earned vacation days and spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on hotels and expensive flights only to hear from locals that you should have been there last week or even the day before, it’s tough to feel lucky.

Whistler (B.C.), Canada - We dispatched snow statistician and First Tracks!! Online Contributing Writer Tony Crocker to British Columbia's famed Whistler Blackcomb Resort last March to experience two sides of the ski and snowboard megaplex. Tony, likewise, delivered a report with two sides! Read on for the "Yin and the Yang" of Whistler- Ed.

by Sharon Heller

Nelson (BC), Canada - Let’s just put this into simple terms: a day spent with Valhalla Powdercats in the Valhalla Range of British Columbia ranked amongst the very best days of skiing ever experienced in my entire 32 years in the sport. Snowcat skiing, while not as luxurious as heli-skiing, is still a gratifying way to get fresh powder at every turn.

by Sharon Heller

Nelson (BC), Canada - Are you looking for a ski vacation that is a little different than the usual? One that’s unlike any you may have ever taken in the <st1:country-region>United States</st1:country-region> to the resorts of Colorado, Vermont, Utah or Tahoe? Maybe one that does not involve mega-resorts and condos, or even high speed chair lifts and gondolas, but does not skimp on the powder, in quality or quantity, or local charm? If your primary interest is quality snow, of the light and fluffy variety, that is constantly replenishing not in feet at a time that requires a snorkel to breathe, but from four to eight inches of fluff every day or two, you should head in the direction of Nelson, British Columbia.