Resort Whistler skiing pleasure of the Seasons

WHISTLER, British Columbia — Not every luxury hotel manager trudges through snow to the base of a ski mountain to make certain his guests are equipped with the proper skis, boots and poles. Scott Taber, who orchestrated the opening of the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, isn’t your typical hotelier.

Hosting dinner at the hotel’s fire-and-ice-themed Fifty Two 80 Bistro — the mile of vertical feet one can ski down Blackcomb Mountain — Mr. Taber admits to being a bona fide marathon runner and sports nut, especially when it comes to winter recreation.

“I grew up playing hockey in Rochester, N.Y.,” he says. “I was even crazy enough to play hockey in Singapore.” Now his young son is skating after the puck in this snow-packed winter wonderland, which can’t wait to be the host mountain and athletes’ village for the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010.

Before we climb aboard the Wizard Express and ski these world-famous chutes and runs, let’s explore the Four Seasons Whistler, nestled among trees at the base of Blackcomb and Whistler mountains.

The five-star hotel, which opened amid much fanfare in 2004, boasts all the special services and amenities one expects from a Four Seasons, but add rustic ambience to this alpine jewel, courtesy of a Canadian architect and San Francisco design studio.

Accented in rich wood paneling, the resort has 273 spacious bedrooms, including 95 suites. Every room, unless otherwise requested, has a king-size bed, a gas fireplace that lights at the touch of a button, a pull-out sofa bed that is surprisingly comfortable, a private balcony with spectacular vistas, and an entertainment center with large-screen TV.

Then there’s the tall vase of fresh-cut flowers, delivered to our suite by the hotel’s teen concierge, 17-year-old Ben Podborski — it obviously pays to travel with my 18-year-old daughter, Kerry.

Ben grew up on these slopes. His father, Steve, was one of the famous Crazy Canucks, a handful of fearless, kamikaze-style downhill racers during the 1970s who changed how World Cup competitions were won. He also brought home an Olympic bronze medal in 1980, the first downhill medal won by a North American male.

We find the young concierge, his Four Seasons uniform a red, white and black fleece, seated next to the large wood-burning fireplace in the lobby, sharing secrets with teen guests on where in this expansive resort to have the most fun: whether it’s snowboarding, hanging out in always-happening Whistler Village or hanging on during a Ziptrek Eco-Adventure, a must-do, hair-raising steel zip line that Kerry and I cling to while sailing above the frozen rain forest.

A separate Teen Apres is held at 4 p.m. daily in the lobby library, with soft drinks and Hershey’s S’mores served by the fireplace in fine Four Seasons fashion.

Ben takes a break to steer me in the direction of the best sushi rolled at Whistler: Sachi Sushi on Main Street, popular with the locals.

Once upon a time, I insisted on lugging my vintage Rossignol skis, circa 1978, and almost knee-high plastic boots across the continental United States and Canada, but not anymore. Given the revolution under way with skis and bindings, I would be missing out if I didn’t allow the Four Seasons staff to fit me from head to toe with the latest in high-performance gear.

It’s called the Ski Lite program. We go into the hotel’s upscale ski shop in the lower lobby, where the attentive young staff sizes us up and down. Before we know it, we’re done. No crowds, no lines, no wet socks.

Better yet, we don’t leave with any ski equipment. Instead, our personal information is entered into the computer, and when we’re ready to hit the slopes the next morning, our skis and boots, along with cups of piping-hot cider and cocoa, await us at the Four Seasons Ski Concierge, a separate facility at the base of 8,000-foot Blackcomb Mountain. Whistler’s ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb, has two side-by-side mountains joined at the base.

We don’t carry our cumbersome ski gear to the airport, and we don’t even have to lug it to the slopes.

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