Here’s the early downhill action in Canada’s Rockies [Video]

The Canadian Rockies get tons of snow every winter, which makes for amazing scenery in the town of Banff and powdery thrills at its neighboring ski and snowboard resorts.

This video gives you the flavor of this season’s early days in Banff and on the slopes of the Sunshine Village and Lake Louise resorts. (Can you spot the 1.5-second glimpse of the guy smoking while snowboarding? Apparently just hurtling down a mountain isn’t risky enough for him.)

Anyway, think of this as a warm-up for our package of winter sports travel stories and photos -- coming soon to this space, with a host of tips on getting the best of Banff.

By the way, the town and resorts are all part of Banff National Park. To get there, fly to Calgary, then drive 75 miles west.

“A Minute Away” is a video series in which nothing much happens -- except you see the world, and hear it, and get a minute’s respite from workaday life. (Actually, some are as long as 1:40.) These are quiet, casual moments -- mostly just natural sound from Machu Picchu, Red Square, the Yucatan, an Alaska float plane, the Alamo or the reading room of the New York Public Library. We add new ones weekly, and we’ve got more than 60 of them now, so if you’d prefer a full hour away…