Benita Liao, 30, anesthesiology resident, and Bob Gekle, 28, ER doctor
Budget: Tight
Duration: One Week
“Bob is an avid snowboarder; I’d indulge in yoga classes or hot-tub relaxation while he’s on the slopes. We love checking out local wineries and breweries, too.”
Go here: Revelstoke, British Columbia
Why now: Canada’s choicest new snowboarding destination enters its sixth season this December. About a two-hour drive from Kelowna, Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s remote location, 3,121 navigable acres, and annual snowfall between 35 and 50 feet make for less crowded slopes and more serious shredders. At 5,620 feet, it’s also North America’s most vertical lift-service.
What to do: Go heli-boarding, of course. Selkirk Tangiers’ “Powder Excursion” includes three runs, equipment, and helicopter access ($814 per person; selkirk-tangiers.com). Revelstoke Dogsled Adventures, meanwhile, runs two mushing tours a day with Alaskan racing huskies ($265 for two people; revelstokedogsledadventures.ca).
Where to stay: In addition to ski-in-ski-out accommodations, the Sutton Place Hotel (from $174, including lift tickets; 2950 Camozzi Rd.; revelstoke.suttonplace.com) boasts après-ski yoga, a heated outdoor pool, and hot tubs. Each of the three rooms at the Edwardian-era Minto Manor B&B (from $107; 815 MacKenzie Ave.; mintomanor.com), meanwhile, has antique furniture and picturesque mountain views.
What to eat: Pop down to local haunt the Village Idiot (306 MacKenzie Ave.; 250-837-6240) if you want to rub elbows with your ski instructor and clink glasses of locally brewed Mt. Begbie beer over pizza and wraps.
Buy this: In December, bowling alley turned art gallery the Cabin (200 E. 1st St.; 250-837-2144) plans to stock rigs from Trapper Snowboards (from $715), a Revelstoke brand that makes its bases from locally cut, kiln-dried timber.
Also consider: The isolated hill village of Gulmarg, India, in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gulmarg Gondola brings snowbirds 12,293 feet up Mount Apharwat, making it one of the highest lift-serviced destinations in the world and ideal for off-piste snowboarding.