With the coming of this year’s Chicago Ski & Snowboard Show less than three weeks away, can winter–and winter sports fun–be far behind? The short answer is no. The Chicago Ski & Snowboard Show will be held Nov. 7-10 at the Rosemont Convention Center, where more than 200 exhibitors will overwhelm winter sports fans with equipment sales, exhibits, demonstrations and tour promotions.
You’ll find the latest in technology as well. Colorado Resort Net (http://www.skicolorado.org) is offering a new and exciting way for skiers to obtain information on ski and travel sites as well as make travel arrangements via the Internet. The interactive site on the World Wide Web features daily postings of special rates from more than 200 hotels, lodges and ski resorts. By filling out a vacation planner, net skiers can communicate specific travel needs to any number of resorts and take advantage of special rates.
If you’d rather talk to a real person, representatives from ski areas in Colorado, the New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as well as Canadian resorts will be on hand to provide travel advice and vacation recommendations. Mergers and consolidations in the New England ski industry are good news for skiers, who now can take advantage of a wider range of values. For example, the “Magnificent Seven” card entitles the bearer to seven days of skiing at any of the American Skiing Resorts for $273, which breaks down to $39 per day.
Among the other interesting ski packages offered at the show is the opportunity to rent Tyrol Basin, located near Mt. Horeb, Wis., on any day Sundays through Thursdays between Dec. 1 and 18 for four hours, day or evening. The cost is $1,000 for up to 500 guests and includes trail grooming, lift operation and a one-hour beginner’s instructions. Ski or snowboard rental equipment is available for $11 per person, and you can arrange for a stand-up hors d’oeuvre dinner for $8.50 per person. Call 608-437-4135.
The Chicago Ski & Snowboard Show hours are from 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 7-8 (Thursday and Friday), from noon to 11 p.m. on Nov. 9 (Saturday) and from noon to 5 p.m. on Nov. 10 (Sunday). Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-12 with children 5 and under admitted free. For more information, call 312-622-4905.
Sierras and Rockies
Backroads is offering four ski vacations to California’s Sierras, the Canadian Rockies and the Colorado Rockies, three areas famed for their natural beauty and superior skiing.
The Sierras are the backdrop for a five-night cross-country ski package on the groomed trails at Royal Gorge Cross-Country Ski Resort. The package–from San Francisco–costs $1,398 per person double if booked by Nov. 1, $1,698 (single supplement $550) after.
You’ll glide past Canada’s most beautiful frozen lakes and glittering glaciers in the five-day “Canadian Rockies Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe” package, and after a hard day’s Nordic skiing, you’ll put your feet up at the world famous Chateau Lake Louise. The package–from Calgary–costs $1,298 per person double if booked by Nov. 1, $1,495 (single supplement $350) after.
If you’re looking for more of a challenge in cross-country skiing, try the six-night “Canadian Rockies Heli-Ski and Snowshoe” tour in and around Yoho National Park. You’ll take a helicopter ride to remote Purcell Mountains for more back-country skiing led by expert guides. Accommodations are at Lake O’Hara Lodge and Purcell Lodge. The package–from Banff–costs $1,998 per person double (single supplement $550).
Finally, the “Colorado Rockies Cross-Country and Downhill Ski” package gives you Nordic skiing at the Ashcroft Touring Center near the Elk Mountains and alpine skiing at Aspen Mountain, Snowmass or Aspen Highlands. The six-night package–from Aspen–costs $2,598 per person double if booked by Nov. 1, $2,798 (single supplement $400) after.
Prices include accommodations, all meals, daily lessons and guides. Downhill skiing also is offered at some resorts, with lift tickets available for an extra charge. Call 800-462-2848, or visit the Backroads site on the World Wide Web at http://www.backroads.com.
Spa and ski
Summer fun very often does not require the same muscles as winter fun, which is why The Peaks at Telluride is offering Ski Conditioning Week not once but twice, Nov. 9-15 and 16-22. The spa packages include fitness classes, speakers, hikes, snowshoe jaunts, cooking demonstrations and nutrition advice. The Peaks’ seven-night package is $1,665 per person double (single rate $2,044), which includes accommodations, three meals daily, one 50-minute spa service per day, one fitness assessment and one nutrition consultation, admission to workshops, daily access to the spa’s indoor/outdoor pool and separate lap pool, saunas, steam rooms and weight room plus transfers to the Telluride Regional Airport.
Ski season at The Peaks kicks off Nov. 28 with an early-season ski package featuring accommodations with an outdoor terrace and two free lift tickets per day. The package is priced, per night, from $90 per person double (single rate $150) from Nov. 28 to Dec. 20. The package also includes complimentary coffee and tea in the morning, use of spa facilities and shuttle service to the Telluride Regional Airport.
For either package, call 800-789-2220.
Midwest moguls
The hard thing about Alpine skiing is that you need mountains. Since the Midwest is short on mountains, the opportunities here abound for Nordic, or cross-country, skiing. Just-N-Trails Country Inn/Nordic Ski Center in Sparta, Wis. (just four hours from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg), has everything you need for a week or weekend of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, Sno-Tubing and Skijoring, in which the skier is drawn over ice or snow by a harnessed dog.
Special Moonlight Ski evenings under a full moon are scheduled for Dec. 24, Jan. 23, Feb. 22 and March 23. The resort features 8 miles of groomed trails, special tracks for children and the latest in equipment rental and instruction. Cross-country trail passes are $6 per day and $4 for children 4-12. Ski, snowshoe and Sno-Tube rentals are available. Individual and family season ski passes are $35 and $85 respectively. Call 800-488-4521.
