Greetings, Rocky Mountain Sliders!

Spring is here, Spring is sprung, the ski is on the wing! This entire month is devoted to great ways to get to Colorado tru-pow throughout the March holiday season without emptying your wallet. Some of the deals are combis, some are singles, some are pretty creative, but they're ALL dedicated to the fine art of saving you money so you won't worry about having anything but a good time. After all, what are holidays for? We'll be looking at most all the resorts in Colorado to increase your options and chances for clear sailing. So, if one doesn't work for you, there's likely to be something else that will tantalize you to the slopes and keep you slip-slidin' away. And we're adding a brief section on transportation news, both air and ground, so you can get to your destination with minimum hassles.

Tip o' the Ski Week: "Excuse me," "please," and "thank you" will get you much farther with mountain locals than whining and complaining. Remember, the folks who sell you lift tickets, pour your soup, and hold the chair for you also live in the region, and if you're really nice they'll likely be really nice in return. It's the Golden Rule of the Mountains: do unto locals kindly and they'll tell you where the best secret pow-stashes are.

Co' Sno' Repo': Word has it that if you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait half an hour. That's why we have happy sponsors like www.weather.com. who keep us informed with up-to-the-minute weather forecasting so we can catch the best riding conditions. It's snowing now west of the Continental Divide and will be through Friday. Partly cloudy/chance of snow over the weekend, then chance of snow early next week, and cold, Cold, COLD!

Thought of the week: If Tuesday Weld married Frederic March III, she'd be Tuesday March III........

Transport Skivvies: Many resorts are offering carpooling incentives to help lighten the load on the I-70 corridor out of Denver. Some will save you parking bucks, some get you closer to the base area, some give you vouchers for grub. Copper Mountain charges only $5 for prime base-area parking, as long as there are four in your auto. Vail will give you a $20 coupon for mountain grub if there are four in your carpool (and so far, they've given out almost 500 coupons!). There are some restrictions, so be certain to visit each website for details.

AHHHHH-BASIN: March on to A-Basin for the entire month because the deals
are INCROYABLE! Stay in a condo, three nights lodging, two days lift tickets, $99/pp/pn based on a quad occupancy, $116/pp/pn based on double. That makes lifts $46 and lodging $53/pp/pn. OR stay at the Best Western Lake Dillon Lodge in Frisco for $79.50/pp/pn, and the deal includes a single-day adult lift ticket. That makes lifts $46 and lodging $33.50. OR stay and ski free at the Guesthouse International Arapahoe in Keystone for $59/pp/pn/mid-week, $69/pp/pn/weekends. That's $46/lifts and $13 lodging. OR stay at the Alpen Hutte Lodge, dorm-style, for $27/pp/pn, go to www.skicoupons.com, find the coupon for $18 off your lift ticket at A-Basin, bringing it down to $28, and your total daily cost (shy of beans and brew) is $55. I'm liking the overall downward direction of this economical look-see! And kids ages 6-14 ski free with each paid adult lift ticket! www.arapahoebasin.com, hit the Hot Deals link.

ASPEN/SNOWMASS: The Aspen Ski Plane is still flying the friendly skies,
$99/pp/pday or $299/pp/do/overnight stay, and get 1000 miles credit on your Mileage Plus card. The virtual hostel page is still drumming up great deals at www.stayaspensnowmass.com. (does $75/pn/single at the Little Red Ski Haus or $95/pn/studio condo at the Laurelwood sound like an invitation?!) Buy your lift tickets seven days in advance, and save big bucks - if you're a college student 24 or younger and have a valid ID, ride Aspen/Snowmass $49/day, Highlands/Buttermilk $39/day. Get your free java jolt every morning at the base of all the mountains, and Happy Hour at the J-Bar (in the Hotel Jerome) includes $1 draft pints, $2 domestic bottles, $3 micros, and 25% off the bar menu from 2-6 PM. And you know, First Tracks are always free to those early birds (advanced signup required) who appreciate carving fresh turns on Colorado's tru-pow. If you miss First Tracks, try the G-zones at the top of Highlands Bowl, and your lack of O2 won't be because of alti2ude! Laugh yourself silly as well at the US Comedy Arts Festival through Sunday and you might find yourself on a lift with Mr. Smoochy hisself, Robin Williams. www.aspensnowmass.com.

BRECKENRIDGE: Stay at the Great Divide Lodge for $199/pn/S-Th, or book a
3BR condo (sleeps 6) at Rocky Mountain Resort Lodging's Village Point for $239/pn. That's $40/pp/pn. The Colorado Adventure Mobile (www.coloradoadventuremobile.com) is running to Breck this Sunday, so say Hallelujah 'cause it's only $15/RT! Stop in at any King Soopers before heading up the hill and purchase your adult single-day lift ticket for only $45, regularly $59. Get your lunch at the deli before you go and you're truly a member of the Skibabe/Skidude Club! www.breckenridge.snow.com.

COPPER MOUNTAIN: It's the final week for the stay free/ski free promo -
buy three nights lodging and three days lift tix, get the fourth night and day free, $68/pp/pn/S-Th, $93/pp/pn/F-Sa, based on quad occupancy in a 2BR condo. If you're a day-tripper, Copper also offers adult single-day lift tickets at King Soopers for $43, regularly $57. www.coppercolorado.com.

CRESTED BUTTE: Butte-i-ful skies, Butte-i-ful snow, Butte-i-ful STEEPS
only the way the Butte can serve them up. I'm still pinching myself over these March 2-17 specials: Gold Medal packages at the Sheraton Crested Butte, land only starting at $336, air inclusive $656; Silver Medal packages at a Mt. Crested Butte condo, land only starting at $246, air inclusive $547; and Bronze Medal packages at the Manor Lodge, land only starting at $199, air inclusive $521. Land packages include 4 nights lodging, three days lift tickets, per person; air packages include 4 nights lodging, three days lift tickets, R/T air from Houston or Dallas, but other flights are available. www.skicb.com/email/GOLD.htm.

DURANGO: Sunday is Local Motion #7, an amateur slalom individual or team
competition, $15/pp entry fee, and includes prizes, raffles, and after-glow at the Steamworks Brewing Company in Durango. Jam to the Cajun sounds of Flambeau's at Purgy's in the village, 3-7 Fri-Sun. You can still book a Slopeside Getaway at Purgatory Village through March 7 for $63/pp/pn, two night minimum, S-Tu arrival, includes lodging and lift tick. The Total Adventure Ticket is still available to offset your already glorious experience at the mountain formerly called Purgatory - trade in one of your four-day lift tickets for a taste of what else the region has to offer, almost all of the activities at no extra cost. www.ski-purg.com, and for lodging packages hit Vacation Planner, then the Packages link.

ELDORA: Purchase the Club Eldora Card at various retailers in Boulder,
Golden, Denver, Ft. Collins, or Greeley for $43, get your first day riding free and every day after that pay the half-day price for a full day of skiing. www.eldora.com.

HESPERUS: Ski 12 hours straight, 9 AM - 9 PM, for only $43 - that's less
than $4/hour for the chance to watch the sun go down and ride under the Colorado constellations 11 miles west of Durango, and look Mom! no crowds! www.skihesperus.com.

KEYSTONE: The Big Spring Deals include 40% off condos in many of Keystone's
Neighborhoods, either slopeside or in quiet seclusion. I don't know about you, but that's almost buy-one-get-one-free - I also took a peek at rates, and a 1 BR condo goes for $109/pn through Sunday. It also includes a FREE Mountain Passport accessing FREE activities like ice skating, snowshoeing, yoga, wine tasting, and more. And the Colorado Adventure Mobile is heading to Key's Threes 3/9, so make your reservations now! www.keystoneresort.com.

LOVELAND: The Land of Love has gone NUTS! Go to any store in the Denver
metro area that sells Pearson's Candy (word is the candy shelves at Wal-Mart are a good bet), buy two Pearson's Salted Nut Rolls (great for energy snacks on the hill) and receive a coupon good for $14 off the price of an adult, mid-week lift ticket. If you don't see the coupons, be certain to ask. Don't want to ski an entire day? Purchase the Flex Pass, the only one of its kind in Colorado - for $32 ski any four consecutive hours of the day, so YOU decide when your riding day begins. www.skiloveland.com.

MONARCH: If you haven't already, bank on the Snowbank Card. Sign up for
$15, and the variable rate ticket pricing will save you mucho denaro. For example, March 1-7 offers lift tick prices anywhere from $22/day to $29/day. AND, ride Monarch five times, no matter what you pay, and the sixth visit is free! Play & Stay Packages are still as low as $37/pp/pn, lodging and lift tick included. www.skimonarch.com.

POWDERHORN: The Horn of Powder, 35 miles east of Grand Junction, is
offering some powder-pouncing ski-n-stay deals. F'rintstance, get a cabin at Bryce Spaulding Mountain Cabins in Cedaredge for $70/pn, and two adult lift tix are included. Holy Gadzooks, Robin Hood, there's more! Check out the other deals at www.powderhorn.com/stay-hotdeal.htm.

SILVERTON MOUNTAIN: I can't say anymore about this because Mr. Webster
doesn't have enough positive adjectives - you simply have to experience it for yourself. www.silvertonmountain.com.

SKI COOPER: Super-cheap is good, especially when you're into the
mountain more than the motel. The Leadville Hostel & Inn (www.leadvillehostel.com) has a new owner and a cleaner look. Rates are $15-$20/pp/pn, and with Ski Cooper's $30 lift tickets you'll be able to afford that gourmet dinner at the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse. If you really want to jump head first into the pow, hop onto a Chicago Ridge Snowcat Tour for $234/pp/pd, hot lunch included, advanced-expert only need apply. www.skicooper.com.

STEAMBOAT: Das Boot's SnowFlight packages are the latest in the
destination resort installment. Packages include R/T air, four nights lodging, three days lift tix, and kids ski free. Chicago air package starts at $603/pp. Jumpin' Jehosaphat, a 3-day pass alone is $177! If you're just making 11th hour plans now, go to www.skitown.com. and hit up the Last Second Club for last minute deals. Some of the rates are so low you'll wonder why you'd want to go anywhere else. www.steamboat.com.

SOLVISTA: The View of the Sun is, simply put, a great place to bring the
kids. The accommodations are family-friendly, the hill isn't too steep, there are lots of meadows to build snowpersons, cross-country ski areas abound, the adjacent Arapaho National Forest is full of snowshoeing trails, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, and sleigh rides are all nearby, and the nearby Fraser Tubing Hill is a screamer! And until March 9, buy two nights lodging/two days lift tix at Kicking Horse Lodge, get the third of each FREE, and kids stay and ski FREE! They're practically giving it away! www.solvista.com.

SUNLIGHT: Glenwood's local favorite offers Spring Break Ski, Swim & Stay
packages for as low as $75/pp/pn/do, and kids 13 and under ski free! If you want to day-trip it, spend $300 (not a hard thing to do these days) at either City Market or King Soopers and get two adult lift tix for 2 bucks, OR if you run with a smaller appetite, King Soopers will sell you an adult lift tick for $27 or a Ski & Swim tick for $33. www.sunlightmtn.com.

TELL-U-RIDE: Ride and U-Tell at the San Juan pride and joy. Visit the
home page, hit the Hot Deals link and prepare to be astounded at deals like the Closeout Sale at the Johnstone Inn, four nights minimum, $95/pn. What, in Tell-U-Ride?! Purchase your 2002/2003 College Pass/Card NOW and start using it to save TODAY! Example: buy next season's College Pass now for only $175, ride the 2002/2003 season for no additional cost, PLUS ride the remainder of this season (March 2-April 7, 2002) for only $25 per day. 'Nuther example: buy next season's College Card now for only $25, ride the 2002/2003 season for only $30 per day, PLUS ride the remainder of this season for only $44 (March 2-30, 2002) or $30 (March 31-April 7, 2002) per day. If you're looking for cheap fun, Jack's Place has got it! From 4-6 PM Happy Hour, domestic tap brews are $1.50, micros $2.50, well drinks $2, a dozen chicken wings are $3.50, slice of pizza $1.50, and if you're really hungry, a half-pound burger with fries is only 5 bucks. If you've imagined yourself a budding crooner, Thursday nights after 8 PM Jack's hosts Karaoke. Located on Main Street across from the courthouse. Otherwise, it's www.tellurideskiresort.com.

VAIL: Stay in a 1 BR condo at Eagle Point in West Vail for $121/pn, two
night minimum stay required. And while you're there, Saturday is the Smirnoff Ice Speed Cross, a happy blend of traditional downhill and freestyle - four pro racers compete for a $5G purse on a course featuring gates, berms, rollers, and anything else the designers can throw in the mix. www.gohighline.com. for event info, www.vail.snow.com. for resort beta.

WINTER PARK: Need an oil change? It's a good thing to have for extreme
mountain driving conditions (5-30W synthetic is what's recommended), and especially good if you want to ride WP. Go to any Grease Monkey in the Denver Metro area, buy an oil change, and you'll get a coupon for a free lift ticket to go with the lift tick you'll purchase at Winter Park. Offer is good M-F only (but what perfect timing for Spring Breaks!) and be certain you call the oil change prestidigitators first to verify that their franchise is participating in the offer. www.skiwinterpark.com.

WOLF CREEK: Tele with some of San Juan's finest at the WC Tele clinic on
Sunday, $44 for lift and lesson. Get a fully furnished cabin for five, $350 for the WEEK (that's $70/pp/per WEEK, or $10/pp/per NIGHT! YIKES!) at Colorado Pines in Pagosa Springs and be close to the hot springs, the resort, and the fun. www.wolfcreekski.com. and click on the lodging link.

Backcountry/Nordic/Avalanche: BERTHOUD PASS may not be lift-serviced, but
if you're into crawling around the backcountry looking for fresh stash, the pass is the place to be. If you're qualified, park in the pull-off past the resort and hike up the west couloir for spectacular rides and views. If you need a guide, go to www.berthoudpass.com. and look for the Powder Guides link.

Till next week, stay low, stay smart, and stay luz,
Your Robin Hood of the Rockies,
Martha
skibabeage [at] hotmail.com