17
Ski Destinations to Visit this Winter
by Erin Pagel
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Fall is coming
upon us. The kids are headed back to
school and soon the heat, the long days at the pool and the carefree days of
summer will be just a memory. The
beginning of fall means only one thing; it's time, once again, to start
planning your winter skiing
vacation.
Forget about
hitting the same old slopes this year.
No matter if it’s with the kids, with your friends or with your spouse,
this is your chance to fall in love with the sport for the first time or to
fall in love all over again. This mix of
17 popular
and lesser-known skiing destinations across North
America should give you a chance to find a completely new
experience. Discover different types of snow to widely varying slopes to a
myriad of new winter adventures.
Western United States
Long heralded as the destination for
skiers, millions of travelers flock to the Western U.S. each winter,
spending cool days on the slopes and hot evenings in the lodge. Colorado, Utah, Idaho and California all boast top
of the line slopes, snow and accommodations yet each is vastly different and
worth a visit.
Colorado is the iconic destination for North
American skiing. A little more than an hour west of Denver, Winter Park offers
several high
quality resorts and some of the best snow and slopes around. It is clear
why Winter Park
is one of the big names in North American skiing.
Utah
touts the cluster of Salt Lake City,
Snowbird and Park City, making it a
haven for die-hard skiers. Salt Lake City is at the heart of the Utah skiing region. With 4 resorts within 35 miles and several
others in the outlying area, it is easy to see why Salt Lake City was selected to host the 2002
Olympic Winter Games. With options like
the Ski
Salt Lake Super Pass, Salt
Lake is a perfect
destination for those who want to pack a lot of skiing into their trip. Less than 30 miles south of Salt Lake, Snowbird is ranked the
number 1 skiing destination in America with all the best winter activities like
luging, night skiing, snowboarding, snowcat skiing and guided snowmobile
tours. About 45 minutes west of Snowbird
lies Park City.
Park City has
three ski areas: Deer
Valley Resort, Park
City Mountain Resort and the
Canyons Resort. Each area has
hundreds of trails with the Canyons being the largest ski and snowboard resort
in Utah and
host of several skiing events in the Winter Olympics of 2002. Regardless of
where you make your destination, it is easy to visit the other two areas as
they are an easy 40-minute drive from one another.
Since opening in
2004, Tamarack
Ski Resort in Idaho
has become a top destination in the West for skiing holidays. Averaging over
300 inches of snowfall per year, Tamarack is an easy destination for beginner,
intermediate and advanced skiers. This Idaho destination also
offers several 3-5
star resort hotels to round out the luxury offerings at Tamarack.
California
features two top skiing destinations within driving distance of one another: Mammoth Mountain
and Lake Tahoe. Mammoth
Lakes is home to the Mammoth Mountain ski
resort which has 3,500 acres of skiable terrain. With 20 different lifts, however, its never
hard to get from trail to trail. As
somewhat of a bonus, Mammoth Mountain is only about a five hour drive from Las Vegas, for those
who really want to live it up this winter.
Three hours north of Mammoth Lakes is Lake Tahoe, the
premiere romantic skiing destination.
With seven
different resorts surrounding the lake and a number of romantic
lake cruises, you'll never run out of things to do with your significant
other.
Eastern United States
When we think of skiing in the U.S.
we immediately think of the Rockies Mountains of Colorado
and Utah but
the upper Northeast has its own skiing destinations perfect for those
East-Coasters looking for a weekend or week-long getaway.
Vermont is blessed with a mountainous
topography and high average snowfall making it perfect for winter sports. Killington is ideal
for thrill-seekers with the longest run in the Eastern
United States--the
Juggernaut at 6.6 miles--as well as the steepest and most challenging bump
runs, steeps and cruisers. Thirty
minutes due south of Killington is the popular Okemo
Mountain Resort in Ludlow. Home to Vermont's steepest vertical drop (2,200
ft.), Okemo boasts 117 different slopes, 2 pipes and six parks.
Upstate New York is home to the beautiful scenery of the Catskill Mountains.
Only about two hours from New
York City, Windham Mountain Resort offers
excellent skiing at competitive prices.
Night skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing are popular activities that
will give everyone in your group a fun experience.
Canada
Visit the Great
White North this winter for the best powder and the longest season—some resorts
are open upwards of 10 months. Canada has a number of
destinations including Banff, Fernie, Golden, Kimberley, Rossland, Whistler and Quebec City.
After skiing one of these locations, you'll want to do them all.
Banff, Alberta is known
for its stunning scenery, brisk air and amazing skiing. Banff
offers three world-class skiing areas: Norquay,
Sunshine Village and Lake Louise.
These skiing opportunities, combined with superior lodging and
magnificent views make Banff the premier
destination in Alberta
for ski vacations. A number of Banff ski
packages are available to purchase on-line that gives one the option to
reserve everything from Tri-Area lift tickets to lodging to non-skiing
activities and tours.
British Columbia is the mecca for Canadian
snow sport enthusiasts. Nestled among
the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia has a
number of first-rate skiing destinations including Fernie, Golden, Kimberley, Rossland and Whistler. Each of these resort destinations features
perfect powder and hundreds of acres of skiiable terrian. Aside from the ski slopes, the Kicking Horse
resort in Golden offers Sightseeing
and Bear Tours, Kimberley is home to Canada's
top resort golf course and Whistler is the winter destination for adventure
sports such as snowmobiling and snowcat excursions.
Just as with the United States, Western Canada seems to be the
main destination for skiers but Eastern Canada
offers excellent skiing as well. Quebec City, like Banff, offers multiple ski
areas. Mont-Sainte-Anne
and Stoneham are both world-class skiing destinations with Mont-Sainte-Anne
boasting its position as the number one North American destination for expert
skiing.
For a stress-free
planning, visit Vacations Made
Easy's special ski vacation planner.
There you can book everything from lodging to lift tickets in a few easy
clicks on-line or by dialing a toll-free number to speak with a customer
service representative. You work hard so
vacation easy.
Company Profile
Vacations Made Easy is an Internet-based
travel company whose goal is to provide all of the tools, resources, and
information necessary to assist travelers in creating memorable vacation
experiences. Our goal is simplified by a mission to treat every customer like
family. By applying that mission to our entire operation, we work to always
keep our customers at the forefront of everything that we do.
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