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Where to Ski Tips
Timberline Lodge, OR
If your snow sliding addiction cries for a fix in the summer and you cannot afford to “go Southern Hemisphere”, get to Mt. Hood, Oregon's Timberline Lodge. The lodge's ski area offers year-round skiing (with about a ten-day break for lift maintenance after Labor Day), thanks to its lift-served access to Mt. Hood's Palmer Glacier. The summer skiing there is great, and the view from Palmer Glacier is breathtaking.
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Regional Resort
Some resorts thrive off skiers in their regions. These regional resorts have enough of the resort equation to draw crowds--just not from “all over”. Often, regional resort fans hope the rest of the skiing world never finds their hidden paradise. A good example of a regional resort is Washington's Crystal Mountain. Skiing there is incredible, but the resort has limited potential to grow into a draw for people outside the Pacific Northwest.
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Chile's Portillo
Portillo's concept stands alone in the world of skiing. The resort's experience has been likened to a cruise ship high in the mountains. To that end, visitors (of which there are no more than 450 at any given time) find but one bar, but one restaurant (the same place as the bar), and one world-class ski mountain. Portillo is a Southern Hemisphere skiing Mecca. There may be limitations in your après ski options, but you simply came to ski anyway, right?
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Ski in Maine – on the Coast!
Camden is a special, romantic place on Maine's shoreline – a small town with something to offer every type of person (resident or tourist), especially in summer. During ski season, what makes the local ski area, Camden Snow Bowl, special in its own right is simple. It is the only United States ski area with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. That fact by itself almost makes Camden a must-ski for skiers in the East.
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Destination Resort
If people regularly fly to a ski resort with lots of amenities--and maybe a ludicrous amount of amenities--then it is a destination resort. Aspen, Vail, Killington, and Whistler, are well known examples of destination resorts. In such locales, the skiing and the amenities are often equally astounding, but so can be the price tag.
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Lift Ticket Costs at Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts
The full price of an adult lift ticket can vary greatly at Lake Tahoe ski resorts. If you are going to be heading to Tahoe for your next ski outing, here are a few examples of what the different Lake Tahoe ski resorts are getting for lift ticket fees these days.
Alpine Meadows ski resort in Tahoe City has a cost of $39 for a full day's lift ticket.
Boreal ski resort at Donner Summit gets $36.
On the higher end, Heavenly Lake Tahoe ski resort gets $62 for an adult lift ticket while Northstar at Tahoe gets $58.
There are some Lake Tahoe ski resorts that cost as little as $24 a day for lift tickets, such as Soda Springs.
As you can see, the cost of lift tickets at Lake Tahoe ski resorts can vary greatly. The key is that Lake Tahoe ski resorts offer enough of an array of choices to suit anyone's budget.
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Ski British Columbia – on an Island!
British Columbia is full of great skiing. The unusual thing about BC's Mount Washington is the fact it sits on Vancouver Island – more than two hours northwest of Victoria! Mount Washington is rare in the ski community in that getting there will most likely involve a ferry. Perhaps the resort's out-of-the-way location is its own reason for pointing your skis in Mount Washington's direction. Ski there so you can say you did it!
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Whistler Blackcomb, BC
The flagship resort of Intrawest Corporation, Whistler Blackcomb is seen by many plank riders as “the most”. It has the most terrain, the most vertical drop, the most acclaim. The list goes and goes. Whistler Blackcomb's skiing and après ski scene are world-renowned.
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Killington, VT
What needs to be said about Killington? They work hard to run the longest ski season in the East (about seven months long, thanks to their snowmaking abilities). Killington has everything most people expect from a ski resort (varied terrain, amenities, and alas, crowds on weekends).
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Alabama? Now, That is Going too Far!
Not that you might want to travel outside – say – Alabama to ski there, but Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort near Mentone, Alabama, offers skiing on two, rope tow-served trails to give locals a taste of skiing. At 150 feet, Cloudmont's vertical is surely not remarkable – outside its region, that is! May Cloudmont know many seasons for offering folks in its area the chance to ski at all.
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Mt. Rose, NV
Mt. Rose would be the precious secret of Reno locals on an ideal ski planet. With its steeps and panoramic views, Mt. Rose is worth a day of any Lake Tahoe vacationer's trip. Go on a weekday and you will enjoy plenty of elbowroom, and lift ticket specials. (Weekday lift ticket details are available at Mt. Rose's website.)
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New Zealand's Mt. Hutt
One hour from metro-minded Christchurch, Mt. Hutt boasts the longest ski season south of the equator. In 2004, the resort cranked up its lifts on June 7, making Mt. Hutt the first ski operation open for the season in Australasia. Skiers from around the world sojourn to New Zealand specifically to ski Hutt's light powder.
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Feeder Area
You may see this term in the ski media. It applies to many ski areas. “Feeder area” means that a ski area's market niche is attracting skiing and snowboarding neophytes and feeding them into the industry. Thus, ski areas are not solely competition to big resorts. The areas with fewer bells and whistles also bring people in that may later spend the big money for resort skiing.
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Berkshire East, MA
Many of the runs in western Massachusetts' Berkshire East are resort quality in design and upkeep. Those same runs are undiscovered. If you sometimes find yourself barreling north on Interstate 91 to ski in Vermont, try a Massachusetts detour. Exit onto Highway 2 West, and go 18 miles to the town of Charlemont. You will find Berkshire East, great snow, steep trails, and no crowds, which all serve to make up for the lack of amenities.
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Vail, CO
Annually, magazine readers pick Vail as the top-rated ski resort in the United States. Why? Many reasons: Terrain, snow, après ski, the back bowls, the long season. Vail has it all -- even the high prices. But the cost doesn't keep away skiers and snowboarders. Vail has been popular for decades.
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New England Skiing for the Purist
The next time you head to Vermont to ski one of that great state's “name” resorts, make a day for Mad River Glen. Three miles from Sugarbush, “MRG” is a fabled ski area – owned by a cooperative of skiing devotees content to ride the only diesel-powered single chair remaining in America to 2,000 feet of vertical on demanding, “old school New England”, narrow trails. The antithesis of corporate-owned, mega-resort skiing, Mad River Glen is for the hearty skier – nearly 7/8s of its terrain is tree skiing!
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Spas at Ski Resorts
There is nothing like a deep tissue massage to relax after a long day skiing. Many ski resorts are equipped with luxurious spas ready to meet your every whim. These ski resorts offer spas with beauty treatments, massages, and sometimes even Jacuzzis. If you are booking yourself a ski trip and staying at a ski resort, book your spa treatment ahead of time. From my experience, ski resorts often are at full capacity during the ski season, and their spa can book up quickly. You may not remember the weather conditions, but you will never forget the spa at your next ski vacation!
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Amenities at Ski Resorts
Most ski resorts today come complete with spas, restaurants, and bars. There is nothing like taking advantage of these luxuries at the end of a day on the slopes. My favorite way to unwind is in front of the ski resorts fireplace, which your resort undoubtedly has. When you travel with friends or family to ski resorts, unwinding at the end of the day can make for some amazing bonding time. After accomplishing so much individually on the mountain, taking the time to have a nice dinner just steps away from your room at the ski resort, then enjoying a drink at the bar will make even the most special day feel perfect.
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Alpental, WA
If you can ski all that Alpental offers, you can ski! Off the Edelweiss Chair, Alpental serves up only advanced and expert terrain. From International to 500 acres of restricted access backcountry terrain, Edelweiss is your gateway to “no whiners” skiing. The view from the top astounds (on a rare clear day), but beware! There is no easy way down.
