Planes, trains, snowmobiles ... golf carts? Whistler, B.C.

Whistler is certain to be one of the most exciting and active vacations you'll ever have. From late April through mid-October, in addition to golf and ziptrekking, activities include mountain biking -- Whistler's renowned ski slopes turn into a mosh pit of young mountain bikers in summer -- horseback riding, hiking, bear watching, river and lake sports and oodles of shopping.

One of the advantages of hosting the 2010 Olympics is that the highway from Vancouver to Whistler -- now a winding, two-lane road -- is being widened to four lanes, which will make the drive less time-consuming, but no less scenic.

A friend of mine asked upon my return from Whistler if I'd recommend the destination for that nice, relaxing vacation he was in such need of.

"Absolutely not," I replied.

"But I thought you said it was a fantastic trip?" he asked.

"Oh, it was," I told him, flashing back to my vein-popping zip down the mountain that very first day. "But relaxing? No way!"