Winter Olympics 2010: Whistler Blackcomb gears up for the main eventuality in stately character

The mountains have been spruced up, the pistes groomed to perfection, the trees have been wrapped in thousands of tiny lights and the cobbled, pedestrian town scrubbed to Disney-esque levels of quaintness.

Even the road from Vancouver has been rebuilt. The air of excitement and anticipation at the Canadian ski resort of Whistler is electric as the Winter Olympics opens for business next week.

Whistle while you work: Whistler offers some truly demanding downhill runs

It"s here - and at the neighbouring mountain of Blackcomb - that the downhill, cross-country and bobsleigh events are being held.

Both mountains boast top-to-bottom runs that total seven miles in length - one, Peak-to-Creek, is such a thigh-burner that there are strategically placed benches on the way down.

For all the incredible skiing (Whistler Blackcomb is consistently voted the world"s No.1 ski area), there"s no escaping the ten-hour flight, followed by the near two-hour drive from Vancouver airport. But there"s none of the queues of Europe, better food than the U.S. and wide-open skiable spaces, with snow almost guaranteed. More...Feature: Is Whistler Blackcomb worth a blast?Feature: A Whistler stop tour of the RockiesMore downhill delights in our skiing section

Just about every lift, even at the summits, has at least one green (beginner) and blue (intermediate) run off it, and every restaurant (don"t miss the fruit waffles at the Crystal Hut on Blackcomb) and mountain lodge is within the reach of novices.

This clever layout makes Whistler Blackcomb perfect for families and groups of different ability levels.

The Olympic run is a great place to start - then it"s just an 11-minute, jaw-dropping gondola ride across the divide to Blackcomb on the highspeed Peak-2-Peak cable car.

This means you don"t need to ski back down to the village that links the mountains to ascend the other peak, saving a good hour of skiing time in a day. Blackcomb has a swathe of wide cruising blues for building confidence, including Jersey Cream, Honeycomb and Rock"n"Roll, many deserted when I skied them last month.

For experts, both mountains have so many bowls and off-piste terrain that there"s no need to fork out for heliskiing or Snowcat-skiing. If you really want to find fresh powder, get up early and pay the 10.60 to ride the Whistler gondola up the mountain from 7.15am. Eating breakfast on the mountain as the sun rises is an unforgettable experience and worth it for the view alone.

When the mountain is ready to open, a cowbell sounds and you"re free to hit the slopes - 45 minutes before anyone else. This year, it"s a badge of honour to ski the two miles and 33 turns of the men"s downhill Olympic course, the Dave Murray (named after the Canadian racer) Downhill, and pit yourself against the top athletes.

The fastest I managed on the downhill course was 45 miles an hour, and that was terrifying. But when the fearless Olympic skiers, including our very own Chemmy Alcott take it on, they"ll be reaching speeds of between 75 miles and 92 miles an hour.

Downhill damsel: Britain"s Chemmy Alcott will be taking on the challenges of Whistler

The other crucial point that sets Canada apart from the U.S. is the apres ski. Whistler may be a chi-chi resort, but it is also young and fun.

Start at the Garibaldi Lift Company bar in Whistler Village, a raucous venue that draws crowds. Its terrace is a good spot to watch the Sunday night Fire And Ice Show (6.30pm), when freestyle skiers and boarders dazzle the crowds.

For fine dining, try Chateau Whistler"s The Chalet, a romantic fondue restaurant on the edge of the village. In town, Araxi has British Columbian fish, seafood and venison in wow surroundings.

Yes, Whistler is a trek, but if you stay for more than a week, skiing in Canada is more cost-effective than Europe, with more nightlife and a better atmosphere than most U.S. resorts.

And the bragging rights of skiing the Olympic downhill run without falling will make up for the jet lag.

Beware: once you"ve skied Whistler, you"ll be spoiled for ever more.

Travel Facts

Frontier Ski (020 8776 8709, www.frontier ski.co.uk) has seven nights in Whistler staying at Fairmont Chateau Whistler from 1,317pp including flights and transfers, www.whistlerblackcomb.com.