Hello Sliders!

Wintersports author, Martha Perantoni is the new editor for the Colorado version of SOTC. We think she's going to dig up some fabulous value for all of you interested in skiing or riding the biggest, and best known mountains in the world. Without any further delay...here's Martha!

SOTC Editor-in Chief Kevin Tinto kwtinto [at] aol.com

Hey Sliders!

Throughout this season, you'll find information on ways to save and not compromise your snowriding experience at all the resorts (and not just the majors!) in Colorado. We're here to provide weekly updates to the wheelin' good deals on the snow without the sales nonsense. We'll tell you the truth about the snow and the perks. And for this first newsletter, we'll tell you a little bit about ALL the CO resorts so you can sniff out what's out there and have all the links available to bookmark under "Mighty Fine Snowriding." It's true that Colorado's off to a slow start this season, but California had a similar beginning last year and the month of February provided some of the best dry Sierra powder in more than a decade. Do your part - put on your snowshoes, hold your breath for a count of ten, face northwest, and dance your mightiest snow dance to please Nanook of the North. The snow's out there, it just needs a direct invitation.

Ski Coupons.com
For ongoing savings and coupons you can print right off the web, visit www.skicoupons.com. You'll find outrageous savings on lift tickets, lodging, eats, shopping, and much more at participating resorts. Eighteen bucks off a lift ticket at A-Basin sounds all right by me.

Colorado Ski Country USA
Variety makes for spicy snowriding - Colorado Ski Country USA is offering a free Colorado Gems Pass, saving you up to $10 on adult and $5 on kids and senior ski passes at A-Basin, Loveland, Ski Cooper, SolVista, Monarch, Sunlight, and Powderhorn. Visit www.coloradoski.com. and hit the Gems link.

Okay...let's go Sliding on the Cheap!

A-Basin
A-Basin: Following deal available until December 31: A-Basin unlimited adult season passes, $199. Beginner lift tickets are still and will be always be only $5. Stay in an Alpenhutte ski lodge dorm room in Silverthorne for $27/night. And remember to Ski Above All at the highest lift-serviced elevation in the US! www.arapahoebasin.com.

Aspen/Snowmass/Buttermilk
The four-mountain resort is now offering Get in to Aspen packages for as low as $570. Get in to This: airfare, three nights lodging, and two days of lift tickets to the Highlands and Buttermilk are included in the package, restrictions and seasonal variations apply. As if that weren't enough, the Aspen Ski Plane runs R/T from Denver to Aspen/Pitken airport (a 25 minute ride) for only $99, and includes a lift ticket for all four mountains. There are NO hitches to this deal - fly up in the morning (and stop by the base of the mountains for a free refill on your java joe), ski for the day, enjoy a little apres-ski, then fly home. Santa should have it so lucky! www.stayaspensnowmass.com.

Beaver Creek
Catch the Perfect 10 Pass and get ten days of snowriding at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and A-Basin for $319. And for our West Coast guests, American Airlines will fly you R/T from San Francisco to Eagle County Airport for only $228 (gee whiz, you couldn't drive it for that!). Beaver Creek also gives you freshly baked cookies at the end of the ski day: everyday at 3:30pm the Beaver Creek Guest Service employees hand out FREE chocolate chip cookies in the village. Ask any one of the employees in red coats about "Operation Cookie." Repeat after me - FREE IS GOOD! beavercreek.snow.com

Berthoud Pass
Berthoud is going Trekkie this year with an innovative approach to skiing. Instead of running lifts, cat skiing is the game this year. Pay $185 solo or $1200 for a group of 12 for a full day of 11,000+ backcountry turns on virgin powder. www.berthoudpass.com.

Breckenridge
Ski two days and sleep two nights for $99 dollars mid-week throughout the season at the Grand Timber Lodge's Breck Inn - be prepared for a 90 minute sales pitch, but it's nothing a beer won't get you through. breckenridge.snow.com

Copper Mountain
Avoid the holiday rush and high prices - ski Copper for $49 through December 21. Better yet, buy three nights lodging and a three-day lift ticket and get the fourth night and lift ticket free! Early season at $61 per night, double occupancy, ends Christmas Day, and includes the BeeLine Advantage giving you a honey of a VIP deal. And if you book anything through Copper Mountain, you're pretty much guaranteed a 10% discount. www.ski-copper.com.

Crested Butte
Not only do the huge, fresh piles of snow at CB entice you to the San Juans, the melt-your-willpower hot offers will close the deal: for instance, ski and stay for $2/hour. Do the math - stay two nights at the manor and buy a two-day lift ticket for $48/pp/pn (some blackouts apply). That should leave you enough denaro for a Holiday Happy Hour microbrew at The Eldo. www.skicb.com.

Cuchara:
Negotiations are still underway for a change of ownership, but keep your eyes peeled and your boards tuned - they'll undoubtedly be offering some terrific start-up deals to entice you back to the Spanish Peaks. www.cuchara.com.

Durango Mountain (formerly Purgatory)
For you web-surfing ski-buffs, check out Internet lodging special #3 - a two-night lodging, two-day lift ticket weekend retreat for only $139 per person. Contact Durango Central Reservations at 1-800-982-6103. www.durangomountainresort.com.

Eldora: It's only 47 miles from Denver and 15 miles from Boulder.
It has a brand new 16,000-foot Skier Services Lodge and a new Super Pipe. And you can still get a mid-week season pass for only $219. Not bad for a chance to own a piece of the Rockies. www.eldora.com.

Howelsen
They may have only 3 lifts and a 440-foot vertical drop, but Howelsen boasts the almost-cheapest lift tix in Colorado - $11 for an adult full day. Jump to your heart's content on this largest natural ski jumping complex in North America. www.steamboat-springs.net/recreation/howlesen.

Kendall Mountain
If you've got kids and want to keep them busy without emptying your wallet, try the $6 lift tix (that's adult price) at this way-it-used-to-be resort near Silverton. Aptly called a recreation area, the mountain also offers Nordic trails, ice-skating, snow shoeing, and sledding. www.silverton.org/kendallmtn.

Keystone
Stay in a Keystone 2BR Forest Neighborhood condo for $65/pp/pn and ski for free! And when you're done riding, Mountain Passport Activities like snowshoeing, ice-skating, and wine tasting are included as well. keystone.snow.com

Loveland
Once again, Loveland is offering their Loveland Pass, For a $32 fee ($29 for previous Pass holders), you'll enjoy your first day of riding free and every day thereafter at the Basin or the Valley for a reduced rate. Use your Loveland Pass for other discounts throughout the area. www.skiloveland.com.

Monarch
Your Hometown Mountain at www.skimonarch.com. has teamed up with over 20 local facilities to offer you Play & Stay Lodging Packages, starting as low as $37/pp/pn. Better yet, get their SnowBank Card, ride for as little as $20, rack up five visits and the sixth visit is free. www.skimonarch.com.

Powderhorn
For you Grand Junction snowriders, ALL lift tickets are only $18 Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, holidays excepting. Get your Powderhorn Plus Card and receive discounts on lift tickets, all ages, everyday. www.powderhorn.com.

Ski Cooper
This home of the 10th Mountain Division is still offering season passes for $299. If you're a backcountry die-hard, it's also one of the few CO resorts offering cat skiing: sign up for a full day of virgin powder (lunch included) for only $234. www.skicooper.com.

SolVista
Everyone's getting in on it, and this little gem is no exception - buy two days lodging and lift tickets, get the third night/third day free, and kids ski/stay free; seasonal rates apply. www.solvista.com.

Steamboat
Hurry and make reservations at Steamboat for 2 nights lodging and a 2 day lift ticket, and not only is your 3rd night and 3rd day FREE, but kids under 12 ski free (last night of lodging and last day of skiing is Christmas Day - what a way to spend the holiday!). And while you're at it, ski alongside Olympic Gold himself, Billy Kidd. www.steamboat.com.

Sunlight
Ski, SWIM and Stay at Sunlight, and no you don't have to be a polar bear. One- and two-day packages include lift tickets to the resort, passes to the Hot Springs Pool, and a night's lodging at one of 14 facilities in the Glenwood area. Starting as low as $61 ($79 if you stay right at the Hot Springs Lodge), kids ski free. Some blackouts apply. www.sunlightmtn.com.

Tell-U-Ride
The Big T is offering an early season ski'n'stay, valid 11/21-12/22. Get lodging for as low as $79 a night, lift tickets included (put on your glasses and read the Hot Deals fine print CLOSELY). Hot of the press: fly Chicago/Montrose (65 miles from Tell-U-Ride) for $199 R/T on American; some restrictions apply. With another 733 superb acres in the new Prospect Bowl opening early 2002, once you ski you might never leave. And don't forget to stop by the New Sheridan for an apres-ski brew and some local color. www.tellurideskiresort.com.

Vail
First time snowriders get three days of lessons and tickets for the price of one. During non-holiday periods, $145 will get you three days of lift tickets, rentals, and beginner lessons. Those looking to escape Atlanta can fly Atlanta-Vail for $353 R/T on Delta; some restrictions apply. vail.snow.com

Winter Park/Mary Jane
Colorado's favorite takes care of its snowriders, and if you thought it was too late to book for the holidays, Santa says you're wrong! Have a guaranteed white Christmas at North America's eighth largest ski resort in a 1 BR condo at the Hi Country Haus (sleeps 4) for only $164 per night, and the fourth night it FREE! Now my calculator says that's $31/pp/pn, so that leaves plenty of change for some huge cinnamon rolls at Carver's. Available ONLY at Continental Management Company: call 1-800-228-1025 for this incredible holiday offer. www.skiwinterpark.com.

Wolf Creek
Ski 'n' stay at the High Country Lodge for $65/pp/double occupancy and get not only lodging and a lift ticket at Wolf Creek, but a free breakfast buffet and use of the hot tubs for which Pagosa Springs is noted. You'll find the best, powderiest, most uncrowded snowriding at Wolf Creek. www.wolfcreekski.com.

Backcountry/Nordic
For those of you powder hounds preferring the skinny on the skinnies, follow these links to Nordic information and tellie partners: Backcountry Magazine and Publishing - the be-all, do-all hardcores of backcountry and telemark skiing are found online at www.backcountrymagazine.com. Based in Arvada, not only do these folks free-heel with the best of them, they are the guerilla warfare team of the non-motorized backcountry experience. Sierra Club - www.rmc.sierraclub.org. will lead you to links and activities of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club. Call them also at the Denver office at (303) 861-8819. Colorado Mountain Club - if you're new to free heeling, CMC offers a thorough course in cross-country skiing technique and backcountry safety. Not for the faint-hearted, look for course information at www.cmc.org/cmc.

Avalanche news
Did you know Colorado is #1 in the contiguous 48 for avalanche hazard and fatalities, and in fact there were over 160 avalanches this Thanksgiving weekend alone? The only state that beats out CO is AK, and we don't mean Arkansas. If you're bucking for first place in the Darwin Awards (www.darwinawards.com, head into Colorado's backcountry unprepared. If you're smarter than that, the following will lead you to avalanche wisdom and personal safety:

- Recreational Equipment, Inc. - this muscle-powered sport membership super-toy store, begun by Jim Whitaker, first American to summit Mt. Everest, offers clinics at many of their Colorado locations. Check out the free avalanche basics courses at the Denver Flagship and area stores by following the links starting at www.rei.com.

- Colorado Avalanche Information Center - Denver/Boulder (303) 275-5360. Numbers are available for other regions throughout CO, or visit the website at geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche for information and updates.

- Colorado Mountain Club - this largest of US outdoor clubs offers avalanche awareness courses each season. Classes are limited and fill up quickly - visit them online at www.cmc.org/cmc. and follow the links.

The Weather
For the most reasonable weather report, visit www.iwin.nws.noaa.gov. The interactive link provides information on regional forecasts as well as state and nationwide trends. If NWS doesn't give you what you want, there's always the Farmer's Almanac at www.farmerslamanac.com.

Till next week, stay low, stay smart, and stay luz,
Martha
harpo [at] rkymtnhi.com