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The best way to appreciate the skill – some would say lunacy – of Olympic skiers and snowboarders is to follow their tracks down a World Cup run.

The infamous downhill course at Alberta's Lake Louise, for example, comprises four different marked trails: the precipitous, black-diamond Sunset Gully and Tickety Chute; the quad-busting Upper Wiwaxy; and lastly, the aptly named Men's Downhill. Late last month, Canada's Jan Hudec won the first gold medal of the downhill season by completing the three-kilometre run in one minute, 42.79 seconds. That's an average speed of around 105 kilometres an hour. (Repeat: Take this run to appreciate the skill; do not attempt to mimic it.)

In fact, many ski areas across Canada have seen, or are slated to see, World Cup or Olympic action. Others, meanwhile, are being used to train some of the planet's best skiers and boarders. This is especially true in B.C., where several resorts are touting their Olympic connections in anticipation of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler. Here, then, are some of the best Olympic experiences to be had on Canadian slopes:

Alberta

In addition to its World Cup terrain, Lake Louise is home to an on-hill Race Centre that offers group packages including lift tickets, organized competitions and training by experts from the resort's ski school. It's geared toward corporate groups, family and social outings – any kind of get-together that could go downhill in a hurry.

For more information, visit www.skilouise.com

Canada Olympic Park, located 15 minutes west of downtown Calgary, hosted several sports during the 1988 Winter Games: bobsleigh and luge, ski jumping, freestyle aerials and the Paralympic alpine events. And it won't let you forget it: The venue is home to the Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum, where, among other things, there are 20 Olympic torches on display. Bobsleigh rides down the Olympic track are open to the public, while an “Olympic Odyssey Audio Tour” acts as a guide.

For more information, visit canadaolympicpark.ca.

Speaking of the 1988 Games, Nakiska, a ski area in nearby Kananaskis Country, hosted all of the alpine skiing events. This legacy lives on: The resort's dependable early-season snow – and proximity to Calgary International Airport – draw World Cup teams from Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Britain, Spain, Serbia, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. (If possible, learn to say “I love your unitard” in the corresponding languages). Later, the resort is geared more toward families, but visitors can still sample the same slopes on which Alberto (La Bomba) Tomba won double gold for Italy and Karen Percy captured a pair of Canada's favourite medal: the bronze.

For more information, visit skinakiska.com.

British Columbia

The upcoming Olympic alpine events at Whistler Blackcomb are already having residual effects (see story below). But for amateurs looking to bash a few gates themselves, the Pontiac Race Centre on Blackcomb Mountain provides a timed, groomed dual giant slalom course for free (unless booked for a private race).

For more information, visit whistlerblackcomb.com.

For the past few years, Sun Peaks's ample early-season snow has lured the Austrian Ski Team each November for World Cup training. If visitors miss the Austrians, however, they can always seek technique tips (and autographs) from Canada's own Olympic and World Cup champion, Nancy Greene Raine, the resort's director of skiing. Greene Raine even offers complimentary tours of the mountain at 1 p.m. on most days.

For more information, visit sunpeaksresort.com.

Panorama Mountain Village couldn't wait to show off its competitive pedigree this season: It hosted World Cup women's ski races on its Hay Fever and Old Timer runs in late November, nearly two weeks before the mountain was slated to open to the public yesterday. Panorama even rolled out a new snowmaking system for the occasion and widened some of its runs.

Panorama, along with Kicking Horse, Fernie and Kimberley, have all become more accessible with the recent opening of the Canadian Rockies International Airport in nearby Cranbrook. The longer runway and enlarged terminal aim to accommodate transcontinental and even European flights.

For more information, visit panoramaresort.com.

Quebec

Go East, young snowboarder: Stoneham Mountain Resort near Quebec City is breaking in its new Olympic-calibre half-pipe with the Snowboard Jamboree 2008, which will include several World Cup events March 15-19. Don't fret: This big-air resource is open to the public when not in competitive use. In addition to races and aerial events, the festival will include a demo expo for gear heads, instructional camps and competitions for amateurs, and a “Fashion Jam” for the sartorial set.

For more information, visit ski-stoneham.com.

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