WHISTLER, British Columbia — As I ride to the top of Whistler Mountain in a gondola, I see mountain bikers stirring up dust clouds beneath me. To my left, a zip-liner streaks past me between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

Not far away — though out of my sight range — I know skiers are plying their summer sport on Blackcomb’s glacier, and below me, golfers are enjoying what many, including Golf Digest, say are the best courses in Canada. (The bears think so, too; they often show up on the fairways).

This little mountain town is a perpetual motion machine. But the most popular sport, by the numbers, is the one I’m practicing: rubber-necking. Whatever brings you to Whistler, you’ll wind up gaping at the mountains, trees and rivers.

That’s what makes the Whistler Mountaineer the perfect way to get to the village. The train trip takes three hours, when you can drive it in about two, but who wants to be concentrating on curves instead of the landscape? So my husband and I booked the Mountaineer for the trip up and, a day later, back.

As the trip starts, one of our car’s two guides pours mimosas so we can toast our trip. We’re then served breakfast: fresh fruit, a cheese omelet, Canadian bacon, potatoes, coffee and juice. Thus stoked, we stare out the window.

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By Helen Anders, statesman.com, >>> continue reading