ANDREA WOO

VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail

Published Thursday, Apr. 11 2013, 8:55 PM EDT

Free to a good home: one egg-shaped tree dwelling, gently lived in. Featured in architecture and design magazine Dwell. Sought after by tourists from around the world.

Nearly four years after Joel Allen…

Quick, how do folks in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada pass the time in February?

a) wading through snow drifts b) shoveling sidewalks, or c) counting flowers.

You got it. It's c) counting flowers.

Thanks to warm ocean currents, spring comes early to coastal British Columbia, dotting parks and gardens with blossoms while most North Americans are still scraping ice off their windshields.

Residents of Victoria, the provincial capital, like to take this phenomenon…

Tucked into mountain valleys, along pretty shorelines, next door to wilderness and far away from well-used routes, are small towns of British Columbia that brim with adventure. Rather than becoming dormant after a long, warm summer, many of these villages pulsate with excitement. If winter adventures – both soft and hard-core – quicken your pulse, here’s a few of many possibilities throughout British Columbia.

The little town of Clearwater (…

Deserted beaches, crashing waves, candle-lit dining, starry skies… you get the picture. If you’re looking for a setting to woo your beloved, British Columbia is the place.

But don’t take our word for it: this province is so rife with romantic potential that, last season, the producers of ABC’s The Bachelor, whose job it is to set millions of hearts aflutter each week, chose not one but two BC locations for their finalists’ dream dates.

Last November, 20 million fans…

For travelers seeking the ultimate destination for carving the slopes, the status quo isn’t good enough. British Columbia’s thriving ski and snowboard resorts are always on the lookout for ways of exceeding the expectations of its guests – whether they’re locals or visitors coming halfway around the world. Opening up new terrain, providing better terrain parks, faster lifts, more reliable snow conditions and keeping runs buffed to perfection are just some of the challenges that BC resorts…

Throughout the winter months, hard-core mountain bikers pose one question: Is it summer yet?

Thankfully, the time has come to load your freeride steeds onto the trailer or roof rack and hit the road in British Columbia.  Whether you’re a hard-core dirt jumper or laid-back, cross-country cruiser, you’ll find awesome riding in virtually every community in the province.

No matter how you travel, there’s a mountain biking safari that is well within your price range. Accommodations…

Sitting on a sun-splashed lake in the calm of early morning, I watch the poetic movements of Charlie Oldring as he gently lays his line out to lure trout from their watery home. He performs an almost slow-motion arm movement, then a languid swing sends the silvery line in a lazy loop above the aquamarine lake. I try.

"Go back, then forward to 11 o'clock, then back cast and stop at one o'clock. Just cast to your comfort measure, it may be only ten feet," instructs Oldring of Lillooet…

Skiers and snowboarders are an optimistic lot. That's the major conclusion to be drawn from talking to Jimmie Spencer, President of the Canada West Ski Areas Association, based out of Vernon, BC. Despite having experienced some of the most challenging and unpredictable winter weather in his memory (and Mr. Spencer is well into his seventies), he says that virtually all ski areas in western Canada are reporting strong early season pass sales and vacation bookings for the upcoming…

With a flurry of adventure for the whole family, one can’t help but embrace winter in British Columbia. This great western province holds a whopping selection of winter treats - and we aren’t just talking about skiing. While it’s a given that BC boasts some of the world’s best terrain for downhill riders and boarders, it’s also fact that the province houses a myriad of other snowy pastimes worthy of exploration.

Girls' Getaway

When girls plan a getaway, two passions collide:…

Nothing makes the pulse of skiers and snowboarders race quite like the words "first tracks" - arcing huge, fat turns across a vast canvas of untouched snow. Thanks to the most developed and regulated helicopter and snowcat skiing industry in the world, British Columbia stands alone when it comes to delivering 'powder to the people'. BC-based adventure skiers not only pioneered helicopter and snowcat vacations, they have continuously improved and refined ski vacation options to offer…

An ancient Japanese greeting expresses the wish that “Like the snow that falls today, let good things pile up more and more.”  For winter sports enthusiasts, that poetic sentiment neatly sums up the mood at resorts across BC.

If you're in the mood to do more than ski or snowboard, there’s an abundance of outdoor options to pursue, including perennial Canadian favourites like snowshoeing, skating and dogsledding. For those game to try something off the grid, how about ice climbing or…

For heavenly heli adventures, look no further than Whistler’s Ski the Dream: The Ultimate Ski Experience package. This high-flying exploration takes off, via helicopter, from Vancouver International Airport, arriving at the all-season mountain town for four nights of luxurious accommodations at the Four Seasons Whistler. Two days with a Whistler Blackcomb instructor will guide adventurers to the greatest spots on the two mountains — all in preparation for a day in the…

Here’s a riddle: is wonder a place or state of mind? A physical space or a state of grace? The best place to ponder the answer awaits this winter in the Coast Mountains at Whistler Blackcomb. The resort’s new network of six tours, trails, waypoints and rest stops — dubbed the Wonder Routes — was created to help skiers and snowboarders discover “wonder-filled” places on both mountains. Showcasing the most unique aspects of the twin peaks, you could, for example, take in the views from…

According to Whistler Blackcomb, 560cm (18.4 feet) of snow has fallen this season and that amount of accumulation through November and December is above normal.

Nate Rigos, communications coordinator with Whistler Blackcomb, said 343cm (11.3 feet) of snow has accumulated in Whistler this month.

“That is the most snowfall we’ve had in the month of December in ten years,” said Rigos. “We started calling it Deepcember.”

He noted the biggest December snows on record fell in…

Whistler Blackcomb has yet another notch under its belt with a label of one of "America's Top 10 Ski Resorts" from the popular men's magazine Men's Fitness.

The editors of the popular health magazine, unaware that Whistler is not in America but Canada, features Whistler Blackcomb on the top of its list of America's Top 10 Ski Resorts." They say Whistler’s "insane" numbers speak for themselves: an annual average of 469 inches of snowfall, more than 8,000 acres, and almost 5,500 feet of…

Offering everything from heliskiing to mud runs it's no wonder why this Canadian ski town is a year-round haven for adrenaline junkies of all kinds.

Home to the 2010 Winter Olympics and the world’s coldest ice bar, this village nestled in the Canadian Coast Mountains is so much more than just a ski town—although the skiing here is legendary. It’s also a…

Three … Two … One …

Whistler’s wintry resort-setting First Night New Year’s Eve celebrations focus on family-friendly festivities, complete with live music, art workshops, street entertainment and more. www.whistlerfirstnight.com

In the Kootenay Rockies, Panorama Mountain Village near Invermere promotes family togetherness with carolling, snow fort building, cosy…

Dim the lights … places, please.  It’s time for Caravan Farm Theatre!  For inspiring entertainment, pull out the woollies for Caravan’s latest seasonal production: The Gift Horse, December 10 - 31. Set on 32 hectares (80 acres) of field and forest near Armstrong in the Thompson Okanagan, The Gift Horse tells a heart-warming holiday tale about unconditional love, redemption, and appreciation of life's precious gifts.  The twist?  Guests will be transported from scene to…

If you’re looking for a blast from the gold mining past, head to the province’s largest historic site, where yuletide carols, horse-drawn sleigh rides and snowy exploration in the Enchanted Forest reign during Barkerville’s Victorian Christmas celebrations, December 10 - 12. Here in the Cariboo Chilcotin, families can overnight in a heritage hotel or B&B, stroll through museum displays, snag a keepsake from one of the shops, enjoy homemade treats at Goldfield Bakery, and take in…

BC’s year-round evergreen provides the perfect setting for twinkling lights.  Need proof? Qualicum Beach’s Milner Christmas Magic shows how it’s done, thanks to Vancouver Island old-growth Douglas firs and cedars decked out in shimmer, musical interludes by local talent and sweet treats in the tearoom during the first three weekends in December. www.milnergardens.org

Bright Nights in Stanley Park, a yearly…