Taos to Permit Snowboarding
If you treasure Taos Ski Valley's (tel. 866/968-7386; www.skitaos.org) skier-only policy, better head there quickly, because starting Mar. 19, the 52-year-old resort will permit snowboarding. Expect to find a lot of riders in the hike-to expert chutes but not too many in the Kachina area due to the long traverse back to the base. That leaves three skier-only areas in the country: Alta and Deer Valley, UT, and Mad River Glen, VT.
Kids' Center at Snowmass; Kids' Gondola at Beaver Creek
Two major Colorado resorts became even more kid-congenial. Snowmass (tel. 800/525-6200 or 970/925-1220; www.aspensnowmass.com) has the $17 million, 25,000-square-foot Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center with seven age-appropriate rooms for kids from ages eight weeks. The center makes life easier for parents with Ski & Snowboard School check-in, rental, retail and family aprè s entertainment under one roof. It also offers underground parking, front-door drop off, free shuttle bus access including pickup from Aspen Mountain and the Sky Cab gondola from the Village Mall. And Beaver Creek's (tel. 970/845-5464; www.beavercreek.com) new Buckaroo Express Gondola and new learning area improve the children's ski and snowboard learning experience. Kids take a warm, comfortable 3.75-minute ride in an enclosed cabin to premier beginner learning terrain with customized slopes and new moving carpets.
Crested Butte's Upgraded Terrain Park and Lodging
Crested Butte (tel. 888/223-2632 or 970/349-2222; www.skicb.com) redesigned the DC Terrain Park and DC Superpipe, both off the Paradise Express chairlift. It also has a tamer Kids' Park off the mellow Painter Boy lift. Two properties herald the makeover of the base village. The ski-in, ski-out Elevation Hotel, the main hotel at the base of the mountain, has been completely renovated. The nearby Lodge at Mountaineer Square is an all-new condo-hotel with hotel rooms, studios and one- to three-bedroom condos.
Free Digital Camera with Lodging Bookings
Book four or more nights through ResortQuest (tel. 800/GO-RELAX; www.resortquest.com) at Aspen, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Keystone, Steamboat or Telluride in Colorado; Park City, Deer Valley or The Canyons, Utah, or Sun Valley, Idaho, and get a free digital camera at check-in. The promotional code is DIR CAM. Lodging options include suites, condos and private homes. Blackout dates apply and vary by resort. The offer is good through May 1.
Jackson Hole Boasts New Super-Green Hotel
The new slopeside Hotel Terra Jackson Hole (tel. 800/631-6281; www.hotelterrajacksonhole.com), the resort's first "eco-boutique hotel," combines luxury with environmentally sustainable building and operating practices. The hotel's pending Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification will make it one of just five LEED-certified hotels in the United States.
New Direct Air Service to Santa Fe
Visitors heading for the slopes of Ski Santa Fe (tel. 505/983-9155; www.skisantafe.com) or to Taos farther north now have convenient new nonstop options. Direct flights have begun to Santa Fe Municipal Airport via American Eagle from both Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles International and via Delta from Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Previously, Albuquerque was the only gateway to these resorts with scheduled commercial service.
Big Sky Offers Free Wireless Internet
Big Sky, MT (tel. 800/548-4486 or 406/005-5000; www.bigskyresort.com) now provides free high-speed wireless Internet access through Big Sky Village, including public space of all lodgings and meeting facilities. Most lodges also offer free wired access in guest rooms.
Skiing the Super-Steeps
For most of the season, Silverton Mountain (tel. 970/387-5706; www.silvertonmountain.com), CO, the capital of the steep and deep, offers only guided skiing and riding -- essentially like heli-skiing or snowcat skiing. But come spring, going unguided is an option. Start planning now. Students can ski unguided for two days for $150-$180, including lodging. A women's program called Sisters in the Steeps (Apr. 26-27) offers two days of skiing, lodging and a ski industry roundtable session, also from $150.
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