SullivanStone 18

Ski-in, ski-out, and central air SullivanStone sits on North Star Drive at Kimberley Alpine Resort, and unit 18 gives you ski access at the door in winter and something genuinely unusual in a Kootenay mountain condo the rest of the year: central air conditioning. Most places up here hand you a fan and wish you luck. This one does not.

Sleeping eleven Bedroom one and bedroom two each have a queen. Bedroom three is the flexible one, with two twin beds plus twin bunks and a trundle floor mattress, and there is a double pull-out sofa in the living room. That is a lot of configurations from three bedrooms, and it is what makes this unit work for a multi-generation trip or two families splitting a week. Two and a half bathrooms keep the ski morning honest.

The hot tub is yours Private to this unit rather than shared with the building, with mountain views off the deck. There are no posted hours and no waiting for a group of strangers to finish.

A kitchen that handles a crowd Full kitchen with oven and stove, dishwasher, microwave, toaster, kettle, blender, pots and pans, crockery, cutlery and wine glasses, and a dining table with room for the group. Feeding eleven people in restaurants twice a day is a holiday-sized expense; this kitchen is the answer to that. In-suite washer and dryer, so you are not travelling home with a bag of wet ski gear.

Evenings and weather days An indoor fireplace, board games, a smart TV, and a desk if someone has to answer email. Wi-Fi runs at 250+ Mbps, which is faster than most mountain rentals in the region manage.

Beyond the resort Trickle Creek Golf Resort and Bootleg Gap are both nearby, the Kimberley Nordic Centre trails run cross-country in winter and hiking and mountain biking in summer, and the Bavarian-themed Platzl downtown has restaurants, a brewery and the Happy Hans clock. Check-in is contactless and available around the clock.