PARTY OF EIGHT

We usher in the new year with Dateline star Andrea Canning, husband Tony Bancroft and their six children in beautiful Blue Mountain

- INTERVIEW: ALISON EASTWOOD PHOTOS: DAVID PIKE

The girls' hobbies range from the traditional family pastimes of skiing and golf to squash, basketball and lacrosse. Eldest child Anna (R) ski-races and is captain of her high school golf team. Six-year-old Tripp, meanwhile, enjoys T-ball, soccer and basketball.

'THERE'S SO MUCH FAMILY HISTORY HERE, IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE PLACE FROM WHO WE ARE' Andrea

If you bump into Andrea Canning on the slopes of Blue Mountain, you might not instantly recognize her as the woman who faced down Charlie Sheen in a now-infamous 20/20 interview – the one that became a viral cultural moment in 2011 and, last year, introduced her to a whole new generation of viewers when the Netflix docuseries aka Charlie Sheen hit screens. That's because in this part of the world, she's simply a part of the scenery.

Twice a year, Andrea and her family leave their home base in Westchester County, N.Y., for the tranquil mountaintop abode – where the 53-year-old Dateline correspondent was born and raised – close to the iconic Ontario ski and golf resort founded by her maternal grandparents, Jozo and Helena Weider. Her mother, Katherine Weider Canning (who passed away in 2007), was a champion ski racer, and this passion seeped into her daughter's blood. Andrea says.

Postcard-perfect beneath several inches of fresh snow, the Scandinavian-style home (owned by her father, Gordon, who lives there year-round) hums with activity. Just as flawless as she comes across on TV – our photographer is mesmerized by her “perfect” skin – Andrea reveals another skill off-camera: that of a multi-tasking mom corralling six children, orchestrating outfit swaps and logistics and rolling with last-minute changes after Hello! Canada’s exclusive photoshoot is rescheduled to New Year's Eve due to a snowstorm.