The specific promotions described in this article have now passed, but it remains online so that the resources named will be of future use to travelers.
Super-Squaw Builds Superpipe
In California's Squaw Valley USA (tel. 800/403-0206 (lodging); 530/583-6985 (general info); www.squaw.com) has built a 400-foot-long superpipe to replace the regular old halfpipe, which seems so yesterday. The new Riviera Superpipe boasts 18-foot walls, a 16-degree pitch. The new superpipe is also trenched, meaning that it can be opened earlier and maintained more consistently than a pipe that is totally built of snow. At the other end of the parks-and-pipes spectrum is gentle Papoose Park, with three terrain features for beginner skiers and riders to get a comfortable start in park riding.
March in Idaho Means Kids Ski Free
Beginning March 1, Sun Valley (tel. 800/234-0599; www.visitsunvalley.com) provides a free lift ticket for one youngster 15 years old and under with each paid adult ticket for the same number of days. The deal is based on two adults and two children staying two nights or longer in a participating hotel or three nights or longer in a condo. Mention Deal #1060 when reserving. Up in the panhandle, Silver Mountain (tel. 866/344-2675; www.silvermt.com) similarly offers a free lift ticket for each paying adult when the family stays two nights or longer at the Morning Star Lodge. Other values at these two resorts: Sun Valley's college ticket drops to $29 a day (current student ID required), and Silver Mountain offers free skiing to current season pass holders from any other mountain when the guests stay at least two nights at the Morning Star Lodge.
Homewood Cranks Up Après-ski
Homewood, California (tel. 530-525-2992; www.skihomewood.com), has dropped prices and upped the après-ski scene with Hoop's Happy Hour and a Half. The North Lodge is pouring $2 drafts and $10 pitchers from Thursdays through Sundays for the rest of the season. There's also sometimes live music on the deck.
Horsepower, Literally, Operates Italian Ski Tows
Alta Badia (tel. +1 (39) 0471.836176;Â www.altabadia.org/en-US/home-11en.html) in Italy's Dolomite Mountains has installed what must the most eco-friendly "ski lifts" on the planet. To get from the Lagazuoi/Armentarola ski run to the Skicarosello sector or from the San Croce run to the Oies/Tana dell'Orso mountain restaurant, skiers grab a long tow rope attached to a sort of sled that is powered by a team of horses. This horsepower is fueled by hay and fodder, not fossil fuels.
Sugar Bowl Includes Rentals and Lesson in Day-Ticket Price
For the remainder of the season, Sugar Bowl, California (tel. 530/426-9000; www.sugarbowl.com), includes rental equipment and a lesson in the price of a full-day lift ticket. What a deal for beginners or for anyone who has been off the boards for a while and wants both a technique refresher and a chance to try current gear.
Austrian Resorts Change Marketing Identity
Kaprun and Zell am See have long marketed themselves together as the Europa-Sportregion, but not any longer. They have stopped using the name and now call themselves "Zell am See-Kaprun" (tel. +1 (43) 6542 770; http://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/index.php?id=168&L=1). This doesn't change the convenience of the joint lift pass or the ski experiences, which includes the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, an important summer ski center, but it might help if you are looking for it from here on it.
Train to Chamonix? Chance to Win a Prize
Resorts are tripping all over each other in the greener-than-thou efforts, including incentives for visitors to help save energy. To reward visitors who did not drive, the Chamonix Tourist Office (tel. +1 (33) 450 53 00 24; www.chamonix.com) holds a drawing each Saturday at 6:00 p.m. for people traveled there by train, which many American guests do anyway. Guests must be present with rail ticket in hand to participate. The prize is a basket of local and regional products. Some foods can be brought back into the US; others must be consumed while overseas.
Colorado-based Claire Walter is an award-winning freelance writer and author, specializing in skiing, travel and food. She maintains a travel blog at travel-babel.blogspot.com.
