It is amazing what $1 billion will buy, even in Canadian funds. Tremblant ski resort, 90 minutes northwest of Montreal, looks and feels like a centuries-old Alpine village, but it is all new in the past decade thanks to a mountain of money.

Tremblant’s magnificent makeover has catapulted the humble 1939 Quebec ski hamlet to world-class resort status with a sophisticated mountain village unlike any other in the East. An avalanche of awards for the posh slopeside design confirms that the transformation has been tasteful and top-notch. No wonder Aspen has acquired Tremblant, and Alterra ski resorts Steamboat, Winter Park, and Stratton too.