Martin Sadler, manager of the new ski division of property investment company Assetz, is in little doubt that the North American country does at the very least hold its own against the emerging European opposition. He says Canada offers "an established infrastructure, culture and lifestyle, where buyers can see themselves living on retirement".

Besides this, the general strength of the Canadian property market makes a great investment, according to Sadler: "House price growth in Canada is expected to hit 11.2 per cent annually by the end of 2006, creating strong prospective capital gains as well as a burgeoning rental market, as the Canadian ski resorts become more accessible to European tourists".

With Whistler, in the province of British Columbia, gearing up to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada's winter property market also has plenty of publicity waiting in the wings to keep its prices soaring.

But even though the increase in low-cost flights from the UK to Canada with Zoom, Air Transat and Canadian Affair has made visiting a property in the Rockies almost as cheap as flying to emerging European destinations, there's no doubt that Canadian mountain resorts come with a much higher price tag.

Consider, for example, the two new four-bedroom ski chalets at the Kadenwood development in Whistler Creek Village available for £2,334,279 (pictured). Yes, they are aimed at the luxury market, yes, they are huge – 5,000 square feet – and yes, they are constructed out of high-spec local materials, but they are about one hundred times more expensive than a bargain basement property in Bulgaria. Whoever can afford these properties really has no need of low-cost flights!

Assetz, however, is also offering cheaper Canadian properties, such fractional ownership of one-bedroom ski apartments in Whistler from £65,000, or three-bedroom townhouses from £150,000 in Tremblant, the most popular ski resort in Quebec, Eastern Canada.

Other Canadian properties with piste potential include The Timberline Lodges in Three Sisters Mountain Village, Alberta, and the Humber Valley Resort, Newfoundland.

In the former, apartments with hardwood floors and stone chimney breasts are available from approximately £260,000; in the latter, well-appointed apartments are available from approximately £190,000 and come with an annual rental guarantee of 6 per cent.

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Article first published on 11 October 2006