Mild west, frozen north

The Games never have been held in a place quite like this, a site surrounded by water but within reach of the mountains amid a climate so temperate that Vancouver conceivably could host the Summer Olympics during the winter. The mercurial weather is a byproduct of the city’s unique location, which promises a breathtaking backdrop that no previous host could offer.

The scenery was one of Vancouver’s selling points, along with its extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity, when the bidders wooed the International Olympic Committee seven years ago for the privilege of bringing this quadrennial sleighride back to Canada for the first time since Calgary played host in 1988.

The Sea to Sky Games, which begin Feb. 12 and run for 17 days, will give 3 billion global televiewers a spectacular glimpse of the country’s third largest (behind Toronto and Montreal) and most livable city, which has both a cosmopolitan and outdoorsy feel. You can stroll from the center of town into a 1,000-acre wilderness haven (Stanley Park) that has a lagoon, 17 miles of walking and cycling trails, an aquarium, a children’s farmyard, and a seawall path looking out on English Bay and Burrard Inlet.

Asian immigrants discovered Canada’s western gateway several decades ago, coming from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Philippines to add a distinct Eastern flavor to what was once a British enclave. Yet many residents of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes have yet to make it across the prairie for a visit.

Canada’s massive breadth has much to do with that, covering more than 3,100 miles, 10 provinces, three territories, and six time zones. “For us to go to Newfoundland is like going from Portugal to Siberia,’’ says John Furlong, chief executive of the Olympic organizing committee.