Brad Tuttle: Casino action? The answer’s gotta be the Reno-Lake Tahoe area (www.renolaketahoe.com). Within an hour or so of town, there are 18 ski resorts and I’d estimate in the neighborhood of a gazillion slot machines. Lots of the casinos offer lift ticket and lodging deals if you want to stay right in Reno. For more peace and quiet- and scenery that’s a heckuvalot more beautiful - stay closer to the lake. There’s no need for beginners and intermediates to hit the big-time slopes of Kirkwood, Heavenly, or Squaw Valley. All you want is a decent ski hill that’s affordable, so I’d recommend some of the smaller resorts: Homewood, Donner Ski Ranch, and Alpine Meadows are a few examples. As for the question of finding deals, they can come from anywhere and everywhere. I can’t say that one source is the best. You’ve gotta shop around at all those sources you mentioned, and I’d add in that the local visitors bureaus (such as renolaketahoe.com) and state-sponsored ski tourism sites (such as skiutah.com) tend to be great resources.

_______________________

Lakeland, FL: What are good ski resorts for early season skiing (specifically December)?

Brad Tuttle: Utah and Colorado typically have the most consistent snowfall, though some locals would argue with that statement. Looking up the snowfall stats gives an indication, but it's no guarantee they'll be freshies when you arrive. You're fairly safe in Colorado at Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin, and Vail. In Utah, at Snowbird and Alta. In the Pac Northwest, at Mt. Baker. And just because they make so much good snow artificially, in the Northeast you're fairly safe at Killington, Stratton, Okemo, all in Vermont.

_______________________

Anonymous: Hi Brad, is there any good skiing in Nebraska?

Brad Tuttle: Absolutely!!!!! But you're asking about cross-country skiing right? Sorry, things don't get much flatter than Nebraska, so I can't in good conscience qualify anywhere there are "good skiing." Nebraska's best skiing is several hundred miles west of the border, in Colorado or Wyoming.

_______________________

Chicago, IL: My friends and I - approximately 10 of us - are thinking of a week long ski trip at the end of March/early April. Is skiing still good around that time? We are not sure where we should go - Denver, Aspen, Vail, etc. Any place you suggest in Colorado that is affordable, but also provide us with some options?

Brad Tuttle: I answered one like this on our site's message boards just last week, so I'm going to cheat and cut and paste that answer here:

It's not too late to go then, and in fact, you'll get a better deal compared to a few weeks earlier or going for prime weeks like Christmas-New Year's.

All the ski resorts pretty much stay open until Easter. There's plenty of snow for them to stay open later than that, but most close down because of lack of interest. Prime time for snow to be falling is February and early March, but there's a decent chance of fresh powder in late March and early April as well. There's a good chance of getting those trademark blue-sky days too at this time of year. In any event, there's no shot of it raining like there is in New England in early spring.

Every resort -- including the pricey places like Vail and Aspen -- will offer some kind of package with condo or hotel and lift tickets. If you're going with a few people, it's usually cheapest to go this route. Just check their websites for offers. The ski resorts of Summit County, including Breckenridge, Copper Mtn, and Keystone, are closer to Denver, and you'll pay a bit less than at Vail. If you book a package to any of these places, the lift ticket that comes with it is usually valid at several ski mountains, so you can sample 3-4 in the course of a week. Booking lodging far in advance is not that important for a trip this late in the season (unless it's over Easter, which is when things can get booked up -- I'm not sure when Easter falls in '05). But you'll want to book airline tickets by like mid-January, maybe even earlier if you're trying to fly directly into Eagle, which is closest to Vail. Tix to Denver are a little easier to come by, since it's a big airport and there are plenty of seats.

As always, being flexible helps for finding the best deals on flights. If you really want Vail and you're cool with waiting things out until the last minute, check out www.vailonsale.com. The site has lots of last minute deals on condos -- sometimes you get 50 percent off the normal rate, but only if you book within a few weeks of going. If you want a package with everything -- flights, lift tix, car rental, etc. -- ask a travel agent or check out sites such as www.ski.com, www.skithewest.com, or www.skimoguls.com. But know that booking a package like these folks offer isn't necessarily going to net you the best deal. Sometimes finding a cheap flight and condo deal separately is the smarter way to go. And if it's possible, plan your ski days to be during the middle of the week -- the slopes will be less crowded, and you'll have a much better time. For more info on Colorado ski resorts, go to www.coloradoski.com.

_______________________

Anonymous: Where is the best skiing places in Utah? I've just moved here in January and I live near Salt Lake City and Sundance. Could you give me an address? Thanks.

Brad Tuttle: For value, Powder Mountain, Solitude, Brighton, Alta, and Beaver Mountain. For a real village, try Park City. For experts, go with Alta, Snowbird, or Snowbasin. For the upscale pampered experience, hit Deer Valley, the Canyons, or Sundance. But if you're in Salt Lake City, try them all eventually. They're all within an hour or so of you, and of the airport, which is why the area is so great for skiers flying in.

_______________________

Hartford, CT: My son was born 2 ¹/₂ years ago. Since he was born I've only skied 12 days (before that I would ski 20+ days a year). I'm looking forward to teaching him to ski but is 2 ¹/₂  too soon to introduce him to skiing? I don't want to push it.

Brad Tuttle: Not to plug our magazine or anything, but take a look at our Dec/Jan issue, which should be available on newsstands by mid-November. It has an article with questions about when a child is ready for skiing (and for ski lessons). I've help teach my nephews to ski recently, and believe me, you don't want to push it. For fun one day, put the boots on him and let him walk around in the living room. Then add some skis and make a game out of it. For the first couple days on the snow, be happy if he's out there for an hour without crying or complaining that he's cold. Let him be the one who wants to do it, not you pushing him into it. Approach it in the same way you would a day of sleigh riding or making snowmen -- basically you're just playing in the snow. Very few kids have the strength or coordination to actually be able to make consistent turns before they're 4 or so, so don't expect him to be hot on your tracks soon. But you'll be shocked at how quickly they get good -- by age 6, he could be handling the blue runs with no problem. And best of all, kids bounce back from just about any fall on the snow. It helps that they're so close to the ground.

_______________________

Brad Tuttle: Well, that's it for me folks. Thanks for having me. Pray for snow, and I'll see you on the lifts.

_______________________