AFTER THE THAW BRITISH COLUMBIA'S WHISTLER RESORT PULSES WITH ACTIVITY IN THE OFF-SEASON.

Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor

WHISTLER, British Columbia - The obstruction stretched across the narrow width of the river. That was its precise function, actually. It was a beaver dam.

Branches and twigs, gnawed at each end, had been meticulously fashioned into a mound, and just a little water was passing over the top. The kayak passed over, too, scraping a bit but not having a discernible effect on the construction. The realization struck too late that it probably would have been more neighborly to stop and go around.

Then again, maybe not. The overseer of this paddle trip down British Columbia's River of Golden Dreams last summer noted later that an older couple, following a ways behind in a canoe, had elected to get out along the bank and portage around the obstacle. While attempting to reboard downriver of the dam, their canoe began to tip wildly back and forth, eventually tipping over. They completed the trip sopping wet.

Say ``Whistler'' in any word-association exercise and just about everyone will say, ``Skiing.'' For good reason. The resort that nestles in Canada's Coast Mountains 75 miles north of Vancouver has drawn raves in recent years for its European-village layout, extensive apres-ski options and - particularly over the past two La Nina winters - phenomenal snow. Ski magazine recently ranked it the best winter resort in North America.

But when the snow begins to melt, Whistler still has much to offer for vacationers who enjoy an alpine setting in spring, summer and fall. There are rivers and lakes and high-mountain meadows ... plus golf and music and top-end dining.

Much of the appeal can be found in the numbers.

--Because British Columbia's coastal range plunges steeply into the Strait of Georgia here, you can climb from sea level to glacier-topped peaks in only a short distance. This spares visitors a wheezing, head- splitting adjustment to high altitude. Whistler's base village, for example, is only at about 2,200 feet, the top of its gondola at 6,000 and the tallest peak you'll want to climb no higher than 7,200.

--The Canadian dollar continues to be sluggish against its American cousin, hovering around an exchange rate of $1.35 Canadian to $1 U.S. That translates to quite a boon for U.S. travelers. At the elegant Pan Pacific Lodge, whose pool deck commands a sweeping view of Whistler Mountain, the mountain sightseeing package (including room, breakfast for two and two gondola passes), is priced at $169 Canadian per night from now through November. Your credit-card bill will record that expense as about $125 U.S.

The appeal of off-season Whistler is not a particularly well-kept secret. Because of its proximity to Vancouver - and the comparative ease of traversing Highway 99 when it isn't encrusted with ice - the resort area actually attracts more visitors between May and October (1.3 million last year) than it does during the November-to-April ski season (942,000 in 1998-99).

The summer diversions are certainly plentiful. There are four designer golf courses (although one of them, Whistler Golf Club, will be shut down early this season for improvements). Summer skiing is usually conducted on Blackcomb Mountain through July. And bicyclists seem to be everywhere - on mountain trails, on bike paths in the village, on dirt roads in forests.

Those who don't want to engage in such exertions while on vacation will find more sedate forms of amusement. The resort schedules a steady stream of festivals through this off-season, many of them geared around some form of music (jazz, Celtic, blues, folk, etc.).

Also, bands are booked to play at various outdoor stages in the village throughout the summer. During my visit in September, a popular Vancouver rock band, She Stole My Beer, delivered a rousing set in the Village Square on a weekday evening. Open-air bars and restaurants ring the square, and it didn't take long for this sprawling party to encompass the patrons of all of them.

A couple of days later, the Alpine Wine Festival drew a much more genteel gathering at the Roundhouse Lodge, the gondola terminus near the top of Whistler Mountain. The event, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this summer, features tastings of wines - mostly whites, though some pinot noir and merlot - produced in British Columbia's Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. The organizers are daring folks, presenting multiple tastings in the middle of a weekend day - at altitude.

It seemed a good idea to duck out of this event early. Especially with so much mountain scenery around. As with most ski areas, the Whistler gondola is operated for sightseeing purposes throughout the off-season months, enabling hikers to shortcut the tough, uphill part of a trek.

As the wine festival was building momentum, the gondola was disgorging groups of day-trippers. From the Roundhouse, they trudged up a steep road (a wide ski run in winter) to Little Whistler Peak, from which the forested slopes and snow-topped summits of Garibaldi Provincial Park provide a stunning panorama to the east. Other popular sights include two glacier patches just below the ridge, some puddle-like alpine lakes, and of course the view of the village far below.

The summit is otherwise pretty desolate. The tree line is much lower here than in the High Sierra, such that the forests fizzle out at about 6,000 feet.

The day before, a local adventurer had recommended the 12-mile Musical Bumps Trail, but it seemed a bit much to undertake alone. A 6.2-mile route called the Village Descent seemed a more reasonable idea. According to the hiking map, it roughly followed ski runs to the bottom, with a number of detours through thick evergreen forests. If you could find it, that is. Trail markings were evident in some places, but then the path would disappear entirely, leaving you to endure a pounding to your knees on steep ski runs until you could pick it up again.

Hikers are advised to wear bear bells so as not to surprise the numerous black bears fattening up for winter on the mountain. The one I encountered - smack in the middle of the intended route, of course - seemed neither surprised nor impressed by my bell as he rose on his hind legs, gazed my way, sniffed the air and took two steps toward me before returning to his bugs or berries or whatever. Once my heart resumed beating, I opted for a detour.

At the bottom of the mountain, the first establishment encountered was the Longhorn Saloon. It was also the first stop. Like most such watering holes and restaurants here, it has an enormous patio for outdoor seating, and it was nearly full this day.

Construction workers, who had just finished their labors on a quad chairlift and a Westin hotel, drank draft beer by the pint and played pool, mixing easily with some yuppies in designer bicycle attire, one of whom seemed to have an unnatural attachment to his cell phone.

One of the appealing things about Whistler is that it is not exclusively a tourist enclave. People actually live and work here (the permanent population is about 9,000). And there seems to be an easy coexistence of locals and tourists.

As with a lot of skiing destinations in the West, Whistler has attempted to create the feel of a European mountain hamlet. Shops are next to condos, which are alongside restaurants, which are close to hotels, which are convenient to clubs. There is also a heavy emphasis on pedestrian traffic, with cars kept to the fringes.

There is a drawback, however, to creating a mock-Bavarian town. In the warren of quaint, narrow streets and winding side alleys, it's awfully easy for newcomers to get confused and turned around. Common sight: befuddled pedestrians stopped in front of one of the large maps of the village, locating the ``You Are Here'' arrow, and trying to link it up with the one they stopped at 50 yards ago.

Whistler's bike paths, waterways and trails are a bit easier to navigate, particularly if you hook up with Whistler Backroads, an adventure outfitter run by a Ray Liotta look-alike named Eric Wight. The company leads walks and hikes and rents canoes, kayaks and bikes.

One option seemed particularly interesting: a self-guided tour that involved both bike and kayak. The company calls it Peddle and Paddle, but apparently the misspelling is purely an oversight - don't worry, there is no selling involved.

You pedal out of the village on a mountain bike and work your way along paths by the Whistler Golf Club until you get to Alta Lake and a rendezvous with the outfitters. They collect the bike and get you set up in a canoe or kayak. Then it's across the lake and down the river (beaver dam thrown in at no extra charge). At a muddy beach, you crawl out of the river, make a phone call and wait for your bike to be delivered. Then it's a challenging climb into the hills and a ride along forest trails, past aptly named Lost Lake, and a return to the village.

This excursion involved about 6 miles on the bike and 6 more in the kayak, and the time required pretty much depends on your level of vigor (allow at least four hours). It costs around $36 U.S., about twice that if you want a guide to come along.

As I wheeled up to the launching area at Alta Lake, I joined about a dozen people who were undertaking paddle-only trips. Wight gave us a dry- land tutorial, then sent us out onto the lake to get familiar with various oar techniques. All of the instruction was quickly forgotten once you got into the river and the current's extremely stubborn mind of its own took over.

The two-person canoes require a carefully coordinated paddling effort to get the thing to move in a straight line. It was clear, while observing from a one-man kayak, that the canoes could really put a marriage to the test. (In fact, Wight said, when he has two couples along on a trip, he often puts the wives in one canoe, the two husbands in another.)

For the most part, the ride is leisurely and incredibly scenic - if you can relax enough to enjoy it. The river was running low in September, which meant sometimes bumping over submerged logs - or being turned sideways by them and then rapidly propelled by the current toward the bank or various low-hanging tree branches.

It proved to be quite a workout for the arms and lower back, such that you came to an unimaginable yearning: to be back on the bike, pedaling up a steep hill.

There are a lot of whirlpool tubs in the hotel and condo complexes of Whistler to soothe aching muscles after a vigorous trek. In the village on a crisp night, there is also hearty food, cold drink - and space heaters positioned near the outdoor tables. There are bands and revelry.

And to think they call this the off-season.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: Two airlines, Alaska and Canadian, provide the bulk of the service between Los Angeles and Vancouver. Car rentals run about $35 U.S. per day, and Whistler lies 75 miles north along scenic Highway 99. B.C. Rail also serves Whistler; phone: [phone]. Heads up: Travelers passing through Vancouver International Airport are socked with an airport-improvement fee of $10 Canadian per person.

ACTIVITIES: Whistler Backroads offers the pedal and paddle bike/kayak excursion (about $36 U.S.), and also rents bikes and leads nature walks and hikes. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.whistlermountainbiking.com. Whistler's gondola accommodates sightseers for a daily fee of about $17 U.S. for adults (about $15 for teen-agers; age 12 and under free). The golf is outstanding at this resort. Expect to pay between $60 and $130 for Chateau Whistler or Nicklaus North, depending on the time of year and time of week.

LODGING: Nearly 5,000 hotel and condo units are available in varying price ranges in or near the village. Chateau Whistler, a Canadian Pacific property, has received raves, but it was booked solid during my visit. The Pan Pacific Lodge proved to be a delightful alternative in a prime location (base of the Whistler gondola). Standard rates are about $204 U.S. for a studio, $316 for a one-bedroom suite, $446 for a two-bedroom suite. Packages are available, and rates are lower early and late in the off-season. Central reservations number for the entire resort: [phone].

DINING: There are close to 100 restaurants, lounges and bars in Whistler, and if you can subsist on pub food, you'll do very well here. For a fine-dining option, consider Il Caminetto di Umberto in the main village, where the menu features a generous array of pasta choices, plus such main courses as grilled salmon in citrus sauce (to come to British Columbia and not eat salmon frequently seems a sacrilege). With the still-friendly exchange rate, dinner here, with wine, can come in at about $55 per person before tip.

INFORMATION: For general information and reservations, call [phone]. Web:www.whistler-resort.com.

MAIN EVENTS

A sampling of some of the festivals planned for Whistler this spring, summer and fall:

The Travelling Canadian Film Festival, April 17-19

Weekend Street Entertainment, May 28-June 18

Arts Experience, June 9-11

Roots Weekend (Celtic, world beat, bluegrass and folk music), July 14-16

Really Big Street Fest (lots of clowns), Aug. 18-20

Alpine Wine Festival, Sept. 11-12

Jazz and Blues Weekend, Sept. 15-17

Oktoberfest, Oct. 13-14

Cornucopia (food and wine celebration), Nov. 9-12

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 2 boxes

Photo: (1 -- color) Paddling a kayak across Alta Lake is an optimal way to get a sense of the serenity and splendor of Whistler, British Columbia, which still has considerable appeal after the skiers depart.

(2 -- color) Whistler's village is extremely pedestrian-friendly - by design. Vehicles are prohibited in most of it.

(3 -- color) Bicycling through the woods is a popular pastime at Whistler, which boasts an intricate network of paths.

(4) Snowy summits, alpine lakes and meadows await sightseers who wander the trails at the top of Whistler Mountain during the spring, summer and fall seasons.

(5) One of Whistler's most popular summer events is the Alpine Wine Festival, where visitors sample British Columbia's wine.

Noland/Travel Editor

Box: (1) IF YOU GO (See text)

(2) MAIN EVENTS (See text)