Ashleigh McIvor's top three ski resorts in British Columbia

When it comes to the top places for skiing and winter sports in British Columbia, Canadian cross skier and Olympic hopeful, Ashleigh McIvor knows best.

Not only is she known as one of the sexiest skiers in the world, but she’s also competed in the X-Games, recently won Silver in ski cross at the World Cup in December 2009, and is gearing up as one of Canada's hopefuls in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. 

 

TripAtlas.com sat down with Ashley and asked her about her favourite places to ski in British Columbia. Here were her top three picks:

"I grew up in Whistler and in small mountain ski towns throughout B.C. where skiing is a way of life," says Ashleigh. "Vail and other ski destinations are great and I've skied at a lot of them for competitions but there's so much awesome skiing (and downhill mountain biking, dirt biking, and surfing) in B.C. that I don’t really need to leave home."

"Whistler has the best skiing in the world, hands down," boasts Ashleigh. Whistler Blackcomb is the official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic Games and has been rated time and time again as one of the best ski destinations in the world.

Second place goes to Revelstoke. With recent expansions to the resort, Revelstoke Mountain Resort now boasts the highest chairlift-accessible vertical drop in North America, Ashleigh tells me. The ski resort was also recently named the Heli-Skiing Capital of the World by the New York Times.

"Whitewater Resort just outside Nelson, B.C., also has great skiing," says Ashleigh, naming it as her third pick. This small town resort has been rated by Ski Canada as having some of B.C.'s best deeps, bowls, and glades and is perfect for backcountry skiing with lots of terrain.

"The huge diversity of terrain in BC has really been a well kept secret up to now. I'm glad that this year we are getting a chance to share it with the world," says McIvor.

Until March 1, 2010, Canadian & U.S. residents can enter Tourism British Columbia’s Great Mountain Giveaway (www.GreatMountainGiveaway.com) for the chance to "Win a Mountain for a Day." You and 19 of your closest friends will get the VIP experience at one of British Columbia’s 13 world-class resorts as well as a chance to ski with Ashleigh McIvor.

If you’re thinking about booking a ski trip, TripAtlas.com’s Trip Builder will put you in touch with local travel agents ready to offer you custom prices on your trip.