TWO COOL

After skiing down Whistler Mountain’s 5,280 feet of vertical fun, I glanced at the summit and wondered why this massive, snow-topped peak had been rejected as a Winter Olympics host at least three times since the 1960s.

Always a bridesmaid . . . but wait.

Once Whistler teamed up with the city of Vancouver, 85 miles away, the International Olympic Committee gave the mountain and its neighboring city the nod to host the 21st Winter Olympics and Paralympics from Feb. 12 to 28.

The quality of the skiing and snowboarding on Whistler, a resort that nearly every ski and snowboarding magazine in North America ranked among the world’s best, is not an issue, and my schussing experience tells me those accolades are well deserved.

But you don’t have to be a powder hound to delight in Whistler and Vancouver. Whether you watch the Games from your couch or visit British Columbia before, during or after the Olympics, this Canadian tag team can delight foodies, joggers, tree-huggers, shopaholics, animal lovers and clean freaks, who will find the streets of Vancouver, a city of 2 million, so spotless they’ll think Mr. Clean is the mayor.

One big drawback for Americans who visit Whistler and Vancouver: You sense you’re in Canada because of the authentic Cuban cigars and the glut of televised hockey highlights, but otherwise, it’s not always clear, thanks to Starbucks outlets, McDonald’s franchises, Eddie Bauer stores, overpriced souvenir shops and “Seinfeld” reruns. You don’t even need an outlet converter.

But you will need a guide because the Great White North has much to offer. Here are some of the gems I gleaned on two visits this year (one winter, one fall) to Vancouver and Whistler.

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Mass transit options

You have to love that new-transit smell, which permeated the rail line I rode from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver.

The new Canada Line that opened in August was representative of the public transit system in Vancouver and Whistler: efficient, economical and easy to use.

No need for a rental car in Whistler or Vancouver. At Whistler, pedestrians can easily navigate the faux European village at the base of the mountain along a red brick walkway.

Downtown Vancouver, meanwhile, is about 68 square miles and rich in transportation options.

The transit choices were on display on my first day of sightseeing. From the rail line’s waterfront station, I jumped on a “hop on, hop off” trolley ($35 for a day pass) to the southern tip of Stanley Park, where I rented a bicycle (about $20 for half a day). I followed the smooth, flat sea wall bike path for several miles to the Hornby Street pier and caught a cute, multicolored aquabus ($3) across False Creek to Granville Island.

By taking public transit, you can pick up local insight from your driver. Bob Hunt, a gregarious trolley bus driver, told me where to get a great brewery tour (Granville Island Brewing) and where to spot the Olympic rings (on a barge in the middle of Coal Harbour) and see traditional First Nation totem poles (Brockton Point on the east end of Stanley Park).

To get to Whistler from Vancouver, you take the Sea to Sky Highway, a twisting, scenic, 85-mile stretch of road that was once known as the “death highway” before it was repaved and widened to accommodate Olympic traffic. It is still a harrowing drive.

I recommend jumping on one of several charter buses so you can enjoy the views of Howe Sound, Anvil Island and the Stawamus Chief, the massive granite dome with the profile of an Indian chief, bordering the highway. During the Olympics, the road will be closed to everyone except fans with tickets and residents.

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For the family

The display cases at the Granville Island public market pop with color, like a verdant rose garden. The copper of the freshly baked breads. The greens of the vegetables and fruits. The reds and silvers of the seafood. And of course, the dark browns of the coffee beans. (Caffeine addicts need not look far in Vancouver to find a coffee shop.)

Getting on to Granville Island is half the fun. SUV-size aquabuses take visitors from the mainland to Granville Island, across False Creek.

If you are visiting with children, the market needs to be stop No. 1 on your visit. Stock up on picnic food at the market, and take a bus to Stanley Park, the well-manicured 1,000-acre playground that’s home to several flower gardens and a grove of totem poles, each with a different story to tell.

While in Stanley Park, stop by the Vancouver Aquarium, where you’ll see two young ghostly white beluga whales that seem to float like spirits across the dark blue waters.

For a bit of an education about the region’s native people, check out the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia on the western tip of Vancouver. The accordion-shaped building is undergoing a $55.5-million upgrade that is expected to be completed in time for the Olympics. Step into the 122,000-square-foot building to examine towering totem poles, First Nation statues, colorful paintings and hand-woven rugs.

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Where to eat, party, shop

On a soggy fall morning, I sat down to breakfast with Amber Sessions, a Tourism Vancouver representative, at a cozy eatery called Medina Cafe. I took out my city map and asked her to recommend places to eat, party and shop. She marked so many places I could barely read the map.

“Good luck seeing it all in three days,” she said.

If I had to recommend a neighborhood for dining, it would be Yaletown, a former warehouse district that has been remade as a haven for loft-dwelling yuppies and upscale eateries, like Blue Water Cafe, Bacchus at the Wedgewood Hotel and Goldfish Pacific Kitchen. But if you want to save money and dine with the locals, check out Hon’s Wun-Tun House on Robson Street, a noisy, crowded eatery where you can munch on a plate of pot stickers for about $4.

For night life, Granville Street from Nelson Street to Robson Street throbs every weekend night with young, rowdy partygoers, bouncing from nightclub to nightclub. One of the longest lines on the street snaked out of the Tonic Nightclub, a three-story riot of pulsating music, strobe lights, disco balls and booze.

The shopping hub of downtown Vancouver is along Robson Street, between Jervis and Burrard streets. Besides a few local shops, sushi restaurants and pubs, the street is dominated by the usual chain stores. Welcome to the United States of Canada.

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For outdoor enthusiasts

After stuffing my face with pot stickers at Hon’s Wun-Tun House, I tried to work off the calories on a bicycle ride along what locals call the sea wall, a smooth, flat bike and jogging path that encircles most of downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park. My ride was frequently interrupted by great photo opportunities: the towering Lion’s Gate Bridge, the statue of “Girl in a Wetsuit” along the shore of Vancouver Harbour and the inukshuk at English Bay Beach, the massive stone landmark that has been adopted as the symbol of the Olympics.

If you make the two-hour trek between Vancouver and Whistler, be sure to check out two of nature’s most spectacular attractions. About 35 miles north of Vancouver, along Highway 99, stop to check out the 1,100-foot white-water cascade of Shannon Falls, the fifth-highest waterfall in the world. The view is well worth the short hike along a dirt trail from a small parking lot to the base of the falls.

A few miles north of the falls, make another stop at Brackendale, a tiny community known as one of the largest gathering spots of eagles in North America. In 1994, the town set the world record for most eagles in one spot: 3,769. America’s national symbols gather along the Squamish River to feast on spawning salmon between mid-November and mid-February. I was here in early November, but it was too early in the season, the driver of my shuttle bus said. I still caught sight of a lone eagle that soared over the river, its outstretched wings cutting a majestic silhouette against the cloudy skies.

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Skier high point

In 1960, a group of Vancouver entrepreneurs created the Garibaldi Olympic Development Assn. to pitch Whistler as a venue for the 1968 Winter Olympics.

But the 7,156-foot peak was still undeveloped, with few visitor accommodations. The only access to the mountain was a treacherous dirt and gravel road. Olympic bids for the 1976 Games and for the 1980 Games were rejected for many of the same reasons.

Those early fans had reason to love Whistler. Conde Nast Traveler, Outside and Skiing magazines have ranked it among the best in North America for its humongous vertical drop (second in the world only to Revelstoke Mountain in British Columbia) and one of the longest ski seasons in North America.

From early November to late May, the mountain gets an average of 33 feet of snow.

More than 100 trails and 4,757 acres of skiable terrain cover Whistler alone. The recently added Peak2Peak gondola, the world’s longest, now connects Whistler to the adjacent Blackcomb peak, adding to your ski menu 100 or so more trails plus 3,414 acres of skiable area -- more than you can get at Vail, Colo., and Sun Valley, Idaho, combined.

That may sound intimidating to novice skiers. But even an intermediate skier with a strong sense of self-preservation can get down the mountain from almost any lift by a moderately safe route.

Locals say the altitude and the proximity to the sea make the snow here extra fluffy -- although it felt cold and hard to me when I performed my usual face plants on one of my many runs.

Once on my feet, I sliced down several runs that seemed to last 20 minutes or more, past stands of snow-frosted Douglas fir, western hemlock, red cedar and spruce.

Note: All of the mountain will be open before and after the Olympics, and only 10% of the terrain will be closed during the Winter Games.

In hopes of offsetting a drop in visits afterward, the resort has launched some great ski packages for post-Olympic visitors. (Check out the ski-and-stay packages that start for $111 per night at www.whistler blackcomb.com. If you still haven’t booked lodging during the Olympics, you may be able to rent a private home, a bed-and-breakfast or an RV site through www.2010destination planner.com.)

One morning, while nursing my cramped legs in a cantina at the base of the mountain, I overheard three American skiers at the next table debating whether to abandon Whistler and take the Peak2Peak gondola to Blackcomb.

After a brief discussion, the men decided to stick to Whistler for the day and try Blackcomb the next day. “There is so much up there we haven’t skied,” one of the men reasoned.

True. But there are other ways to appreciate the beauty of the mountain besides flying down the slopes at breakneck speeds.

Fitzsimmons Canyon, a scenic valley of temperate forest rain between Whistler and Blackcomb, is an ideal escape for snowshoers.

In the canyon, the sun slices between the branches of 600-year-old trees, as thick as cathedral columns, and glistens off the snow-frosted leaves. The only sound is the crunch of snowshoes.

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hugo.martin@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

If you go

FROM CITY TO SKI

On my recent visits to Vancouver and Whistler, I checked out several places to stay in both places, although those rooms may be sold out for the Games. I also added, to the extensive list above, a couple of restaurants in Vancouver that I liked and some in Whistler. -- Hugo Martin

THE BEST WAY TO VANCOUVER

From LAX, nonstop service to Vancouver is offered on Air Canada, Alaska and United, and connecting service (change of planes) is offered on Delta, Air Canada, Alaska and United. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $217.

WHERE TO STAY

In Vancouver:

Opus Hotel, 322 Davie St.; (604) 642-6787, www.opushotel.com. O is for opulent. This stylish boutique hotel is a favorite of celebrities and business moguls. Doubles from $209.

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 1110 Howe St.; (604) 684-2151, www.holidayinn.com. This mid-priced hotel is centrally located and offers great amenities, including an indoor pool. Doubles from $81.

Best Western Chateau Granville, 1100 Granville St.; (604) 669-7070, www.chateaugranville.com. An economy hotel with all the basics. Stay away from the courtyard building with its entrance from a scary alley. Doubles from $89 in the main tower.

In Whistler:

Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre, 4299 Blackcomb Way; (604) 966-5500, www.panpacific.com. This luxury hotel with a year-round outdoor heated saltwater lap pool is within walking distance of the ski lifts. Doubles from $314, including breakfast.

Westin Resort & Spa, 4090 Whistler Way; (604) 905-5000, www.westinwhistler.com. Spacious, comfortable rooms less than a block from the lifts on Whistler Mountain. Doubles from $180.

Whistler Village Inn & Suites; 4429 Sundial Place; (800) 663-6418, www.whistlervillageinnandsuites.com. Moderately priced hotel in the heart of Whistler Village. Doubles from $123.

WHERE TO EAT

In Vancouver:

Hon’s Wun-Tun House, 1339 Robson St.; (604) 685-0871, www.hons.ca. Authentic Chinese food in a lively, family-friendly atmosphere. Entrees from $9.

Phat, 1055 Mainland St.; (604) 684-6239, www.phatdeli.com. Breakfast and lunch deli that offers great eggs Benedict. Entrees from $5.50.

In Whistler:

Araxi, 4222 Village Square; (604) 932-4540, www.araxi.com. Rated as one of the best restaurants in Whistler. Basic American fare with a Canadian twist. Entrees from $28.50.

Caramba, 12-4314 Main St. Town Plaza; (604) 938-1879, www.caramba-restaurante.com. A colorful family-friendly eatery that specializes in pasta and pizza. Entrees from $13.

The Brewhouse, 4355 Blackcomb Way; (604) 905-2739, www.drinkfreshbeer.com. A burger and pizza joint with lots of blaring TV screens and a great selection of locally brewed beer. Entrees from $14.

TO LEARN MORE

Canadian Tourism Commission,

www.canada.travel

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SPOTS TO SEE -- AND SKIP

If you are tight on time during your visit to Vancouver and Whistler, here are a couple of tips on places you can skip and others you should not miss:

Steam clock. In Gastown, tourists flock to the historic steam clock, a street-side clock that emits toots and blasts every hour on the hour. It’s somewhat charming but not worth the trek for a scene reminiscent of watching a teapot boiling.

Eastside. For the most part, downtown Vancouver is a model of tidiness and order. But be careful you don’t stumble into the Eastside neighborhoods north of Chinatown and east of Gastown, where crime, drug dealing and gang violence are a growing problem. I got lost in that area one night and wished I had worn my running shoes.

Zipline tour. The first leap off a wooden platform, perched more than 1,000 feet above a surging creek, can be daunting. But the ensuing rush is worth it. Take one of several zipline tours offered at the base of Whistler mountain and you will swoon at the views of the woods in Fitzsimmons Canyon and scream like a lunatic when you fly 60 mph over Fitzsimmons Creek, suspended by a half-inch steel cable.

Cloud 9. For another gorgeous view, above the noise and crowds of Vancouver, visit Cloud 9, the rotating restaurant on the 42nd floor of the Empire Landmark Hotel on Robson Street. It takes the restaurant about 80 minutes to rotate a full 360 degrees. The perfect amount of time to take in a glass of wine and soak in the glimmering city lights, cruise ships pulling out of Vancouver Harbor, tour buses circling Stanley Park and charter boats cutting white trails across English Bay.

-- Hugo Martin

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latimes.com/vancouver

City and mountain

Go online for more photographs of Vancouver and Whistler.