Fall is fading, days are shorter, and the latest Warren Miller film is just around the corner. It's time to book winter trips to snow country. The question, of course, is where to go.
North America offers coast-to-coast regional options for vacationers yearning to slide down slopes. Each tenders its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. With that in mind, here's a quick pro-and-con look at some of the continent's more renowned winter sports destinations.
Tahoe
The region: Nine ski areas circle Lake Tahoe on the Nevada-California border, and another three grace nearby Donner Pass. The easiest air access is through Reno.
The pros: Lake Tahoe shimmers like a sapphire set in platinum, and the slope-side views alone make the trip worthwhile. Temperatures tend to hover around freezing, and sunny days are the norm. A third of the lake lies in Nevada, which means skiers can schuss slopes by day and stuff slots at night. Reno, less than an hour's drive away, offers lodging bargains not normally found in isolated resort areas.
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The con: Lake Tahoe snow has been nicknamed "Sierra Cement." Deposited when Pacific moisture hits the Sierra, flakes here can fall deep and damp.
"Yes, sometimes the snow is heavier because the weather is warmer, but it definitely is not always true," says Squaw Valley's Savannah Cowley. "Almost all of the powder days this year, I walked out to my car and just blew the snow off."
Contact: Ski Lake Tahoe (1-800-588-7669, www.skilaketahoe.com).
Utah
The region: Home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Utah offers 10 ski resorts within an hour's drive of Salt Lake City, site of the nearest major airport.
The pros: Utah is known for its powder, and some resorts average more than 500 inches of dry white fluff annually. Powder hounds vie to become the first to lay S-turns down untracked chutes. Those who prefer their powder packed will find some of the most aggressively groomed slopes around. Resorts range from old and funky to run-hugging, ritzy real estate developments. Compared to other close-to-the-city ski resorts, Utah slopes tend to be less crowded.
The con: Utah has the West's quirkiest liquor laws. For example, those who would like a toe-warming toddy have two choices — buy their beverage with an appropriate meal or join a private club.
"People get a bug with the fact that they have to pay a membership fee," says Adam Barker of the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Really, it's not a big deal."
Contact: Ski Utah (1-801- 534-1779, www.skiutah.com).
Colorado
The region: The Colorado Rockies offer 26 ski areas with more than 37,000 acres of terrain. Air access is through Denver or seven jet-served mountain airports.
The pros: Colorado offers something for everyone, with areas ranging from family-priced resorts called "Gems" to the posh powder playgrounds of Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek and Telluride. Those with a hankering for height can descend the loftiest lift-served terrain in North America. Many resorts are closely spaced, allowing skiers to sample numerous slopes, and some lift tickets cover multiple areas.
The con: The biggest problem with Colorado skiing is that Coloradans ski. The worst traffic jams in the state occur on mountain-crossing Interstate 70, and, on powder-plastered weekends, lift lines often stretch for blocks.
"People can ski Vail and Aspen midweek and have the mountains to themselves, then head to a Gem on the weekend," suggests Molly Cuffe of Colorado Ski Country.
Contact: Colorado Ski Country (1-303-837-0793, www.coloradoski.com).
Northern Rockies
The region: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho hold several large resorts with a reputation for quality skiing. Smaller city airports handle the region.
The pros: This is a wide-open land featuring a stirring mix of terrain. Wyoming offers steeps and deeps at Jackson Hole and powder at Grand Targhee. Idaho features intermediate-friendly hills at Sun Valley. Montana biggie-sizes everything, with acres of bowls, glades and groomers at Big Mountain and Big Sky. The region proffers a distinctive Western feel, with logs framing lodges, antlers hanging in lobbies and Moose Drool gracing bar menus.
The con: Around these parts, snowstorms and fog are regular occurrences. The region averages as much as 500 inches of snow annually, and not all of it drops at night.
"We have the bluebird days, but we get a lot of snow and clouds," admits Big Mountain spokeswoman Lisa Jones. "But we probably have two sunny days a week."
Contacts: Travel Montana (1-800-847-4868, www.winter mt.com), Wyoming Tourism and Travel (1-800-225-5996, www.wyomingtourism.org) and Idaho Division of Tourism Development (1-208-334-2470, www.idahowinter.org).
New Mexico
The region: Largely unknown by the general public, New Mexico features eight small ski areas in the Southern Rockies. Air access is through Albuquerque.
The pros: The Land of Enchantment offers two skiing amenities not found elsewhere — adobe-walled culture and New Mexican cuisine. The official state question is: Red or green (which flavor chile do you want)? And in Santa Fe and Taos, art galleries outnumber ski shops. New Mexico's resorts offer surprisingly good snow, and because they're far from any metropolis, slopes remain generally uncrowded.
The con: New Mexico ski areas are small and scattered. Skiable terrain ranges from 200 to 1,200 acres each, and even neighboring areas lie an hour's drive apart. Skiers should plan on repeated runs.
"People ask why they should travel so far to ski in a little tiny area. Then they go to Colorado and get so tired of lift lines, they leave. We get them back again," says Kathy Pitre of Ski New Mexico.
Contact: Ski New Mexico (1-800-755-7669, www.skinewmexico.com).
Pacific Northwest
The region: A scattering of ski areas occupies the snow-plastered Cascades of Oregon and Washington. Major air access is through Portland and Seattle.
The pros: The Cascade Mountains produce some of the biggest snow dumps in North America. The world's annual snowfall record, 1,140 inches, is held by Washington's Mount Baker Ski Area. These glacier-feeding flakes allow ski seasons to extend into summer and beyond. The scenery is superb.
The con: Ski-in/ski-out lodging is rare. Because they are on public lands, most Northwest ski areas lack grand base-area developments. With a few exceptions, visitors must stay in neighboring towns and commute to the slopes.
"The positive side of that is the value," says Dave Tragethon of Oregon's Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort. "Room rates are going to be affordable."
Contacts: Travel Oregon (1-800-547-7842, www.traveloregon.com) and Washington State Tourism (1-800-544-1800, www.experience washington.com).
If you go
Warren Miller's new action ski movie, "Playground," will screen at 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Tickets are $20. To order, call 547-3040, Ext. 2.
