Old Man Winter might have ignored most of the Western Hemisphere in December 2011, but now the crusty grouch is back in cahoots with La Niña. Skiers everywhere are hoping the pair will work their magic well into springtime.
During the second half of January, several storms cut swaths from the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada and through the heart of the Rockies. The Lake Tahoe area got as much as 48 inches at Mt. Rose as resorts in the Rocky Mountains saw two feet or more before it was all over.
With the new snow came the opening of huge amounts of terrain. The takeaway: Now is the time to book that mountain getaway. Nab a deal while the getting's good.
Northeast (U.S.)
Super Bowl Sunday is a notoriously slow day on the slopes, and Okemo Mountain Resort, right in the thick of Patriots country in Vermont, is offering a two-day lift ticket this weekend (Feb. 3-4) for just $99 with its "Weekend Warrior" deal. Try out Okemo's new 50-foot Amp Energy Air Bag while you're there.
Rockies (U.S.)
In Old Town Park City, Utah, the Old Town Guest House is having a Â?White SaleÂ? during the month of February at the B&B, with rooms starting at $149.
Nearby, ski free when you book a condo at the Lodge at Mountain Village at Park City Mountain Resort. You get one pass per day for a one-bedroom unit, or two passes per day in a two-bedroom or larger unit. Passes are good at Park City as well as the Canyons and Deer Valley.
In Montana's Yellowstone Country, stay at nearby 320 Ranch and ski Moonlight Basin for as little as $110 per day/night or Big Sky for $132 per day/night. Or ski both with the "Biggest Skiing in America Pass," from $150 per day/night. Or have a "Date Night" weekend at Big Sky: Ski two days and stay in Mountain Village for two nights and throw in a couple's massage or another spa treatment for $189 per person per night (good Feb. 10-15).
Ski.com is offering a package where kids fly free to Aspen, Colorado, in March: Families buying a five-night package at Aspen/Snowmass receive one free airline ticket for kids ages 7 to 12. The deal must be booked by Feb. 17.
California/Pacific (U.S.)
At Northstar California, the "Ski and Stay Free" package nets you a room on the mountain and lift tickets for as little as $115 per night.
Head to South Lake Tahoe and book Heavenly's Snow Binge Package by Feb. 5 for lodging and lift tickets from $99 per night. It's only good through Feb. 16.
Ski Lake Tahoe's deals page has more great offers for hitting all that new snow in the High Sierra.
With an amazing 400 inches as of early January, Alyeska Resort in Alaska is just the place to go for snow -- lots of it. Take advantage of the bounty with the resort's Epic Alaska Package, including four nights of lodging and three days of skiing (including one day of guided snowcat skiing) starting at $699.
Canada
At Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia, kids 12 and under stay and ski free in March when you book five nights. Ski-and-stay packages at Big White start at $77 per person per day, a deal that looks even better when you consider walk-up lift tickets are $75.
In Alberta's Banff National Park, the deal to beat is Enjoy Banff's "3's the Magic Number" deal: $333 gets you three lift tickets to the park's three resident resorts (Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, and Mt. Norquay), three-nights lodging in downtown Banff.
