ROOMY ONLY

Most lodging in Canada is accommodationonly, but the lack of catering is compensated for with plenty of space and facilities – large rooms, beds and kitchen-diners – and often a hot tub nearby. where, legs shaking, I followed Drew, didn’t look down, and crossed that line.

In Whistler the action doesn’t stop once the lifts close – the resort has 200 restaurants, and we made the most of them, enjoying chicken wings and cocktails in the Beacon Pub and Eatery, and pan-seared Pacific snapper at Basalt Wine + Salumeria. Later, there was the opportunity to dance in ski boots or sing at open-mic nights, but we opted for outdoor activities instead – ziplining over towering trees, and splashing about in the secluded Scandinave Spa, an outdoor haven of hot tubs and steam rooms.

After three days in Whistler it was time for a change of pace, and we packed our bags and headed down to Vancouver. A short flight to Kamloops and a 45-minute transfer later, we arrived in Sun Peaks in a snowstorm and were engulfed by space and silence. The next morning we piled on extra layers to deal with 1.4F (-17C) temperatures.

While I was having my epiphany in Whistler, Dan had been quietly developing his own love affair with skiing. In Sun Peaks he quickly bonded with his instructor, Paul, and was full of confidence as he set off for another day’s tuition. Meanwhile, I cruised around Sun Peaks’ near-empty slopes. It’s more laid-back than Whistler, and quieter, though still impressive in size, with 4,270 acres to explore. Over the coming winters, Sun Peaks will receive a $60million (£34.3 million) facelift, including a new four-person chairlift and accommodation.

Travelling across the resort’s three mountains – Sundance, Mt Morrisey and Crystal – I became more confident. I embraced my new love of knee-deep snow among the trees, discovering how the powder stays fresh for longer under the branches, and practised carving on 5 Mile run, all the way from the top of Crystal to the village centre.

Come après time, as in Whistler, we skipped the bars and this time strapped on head torches and snowshoes for a twilight hiking tour.

But by far the most un-European après adventure was an early morning ice-fishing trip with local guide Campbell, from Elevated Fishing Adventures in Sun Peaks. As we marched across the frozen lake at 7.30am, Dan and I looked at each other in wonder – not just because Campbell was flimsily dressed in a flannel shirt and bucket hat, but because we were going fishing on a ski holiday.

“Now this is real Canada,” I whispered to Dan as Campbell regaled us with stories of learning to hunt with his grandfather near Toronto, while we sipped hot chocolate, rods poised over the holes we’d drilled through the ice into the cold water below.

Thanks to our early wake-up call, we were at the front of the queue for the opening of the Sun Peaks lifts, and skied together for the first time on the trip. We lapped the resort’s green and blue runs all morning, our favourites being Three Bears and Sundance on Sundance Mountain. Then Dan took the plunge into an easy tree run with me, weaving between branches and mining powder pockets. It was bliss. Rather than the long lunch I usually insist on, we stopped only for homemade cinnamon buns at the Sunburst Bar and Eatery.

Our final day ended with a trip to the top of the ski area, Crystal mountain at 2,061m, and selfies in front of the snow ghosts – trees drowned in snow and frozen solid. Yet another first for us – a fitting climax to our trip.

Crystal Ski Holidays (crystalski.co. uk; 020 8610 3123) offers a week’s room-only stay at the Crystal Lodge in Whistler from £1,058, including flights from Heathrow to Vancouver. A week’s stay at the Coast Sundance Lodge in Sun Peaks costs from £1,107, including flights from Heathrow to Kamloops via Vancouver. Both prices include transfers, and are based on two sharing.