DOOR-TO-DOOR service can put the icing on the cake of a white holiday, and nowhere is it a bigger priority than at Big White. Guests at every apartment, lodge and condominium in the Australian-owned resort can ski to and from their doorsteps. That makes it Canada's biggest ski-in, ski-out village. And that means an extra level of convenience and comfort for every skier in the 18,000-capacity resort.

It can make all the difference when you're enjoying a hot tub or a hot chocolate in the privacy of your own lodge straight off the slopes. Or sipping a gin and tonic by the fireside instead of dealing with cold, tired and hungry kids, getting the family down the mountain when you'd rather be staying up there.

It also comes in handy in the middle of the day. What better place to have lunch than your apartment? Especially when you can kick your boots off and have your feet up and the kettle on within minutes. Just stock up on groceries at the start of the week at the nearby town of Kelowna, or at the on-mountain grocery store, and it's just like home. You'll notice another benefit first thing in the morning. There's no need to get up at the crack of dawn. You can have a lie-in, a
leisurely breakfast and still be in time to make first tracks in the snow. And late at night? There's no need to count every drink in the bar when your apartment is within staggering distance.

The Australian connection with Big White couldn't be stronger. It's owned by Victoria's Schumann family, who once owned Mt Hotham, and Aussies make up 90 per cent of the staff as well as some 80 per cent of winter visitors outside North America. "We probably couldn't exist without them," Big White sales manager Rob Crichton says. "It's a perfect fit. The Aussies on our staff are usually on working holidays, so it suits them too. "Many are highly qualified and experienced."

Big White is renowned as a family resort, with more than 70 per cent of its terrain for beginners and intermediates, but there's a challenging section for experts, too, called The Cliff. Door-to-door service for Australians is already streamlined, with a direct flight from Sydney to Vancouver, a 45-minute connecting flight to Kelowna, then a one-hour road trip to Big White.