Travel: After a snow-starved season, the king of Canadian ski resorts comes back with new terrain, hotels, dining and deals. Let's get the ugly facts out of the way: It did rain in Whistler last January. For eight torrential, unheard-of days. "It was an anomaly, says mountain manager Doug MacFarlane, who's been here for 17 years. (Last year was the second-worst season on the books, with 33 fewer feet of snow than during the record-breaking '98—'99 season.) To Whistler's credit, the lifts kept running, but little could save the season—not even the sun that shone through clear skies for the next six weeks straight.