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Deals, Discounts, and Special Events
Skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities around the globe
Winter/Spring 2006
INTERNATIONAL
Summer Skiing in Chile, $1,200
Hitting the Slopes in Dubai?
Ski France
Kids Ski and Stay Free at Whistler
Quebec's Ice Hotel for $99
Mont Tremblant Skiing for $909
Quebec City's Winter Carnival
WEST COAST
California Skiin'A one-night stay and lift ticket for $82 at Mammoth Mountain, which has already been hit with a record snowfall of more than 664 inches and expects to stay open through July 4
Spring Festivals in the Mountains
Colorado Skiing for $474
Culinary Classic & Celebrity Chef Ski Race
Colorado Skiing Weekend, $489
Skate and Stay at Lake Las Vegas, $164
Gunnison-Crested Butte Events
Free Snowshoe Tours
Keystone, Colorado for $423
Ski Free in Utah
EAST COAST
Stratton Ski Savings
Stowe Bookclub Weekend
Snowboard Camp of Champions
Adirondacks, NY Winter Packages
Ski Vermont
GENERAL
SUV Savings
When the last pockets of snow melt in the Rockies, die-hard skiers and boarders head south of the equator, where the season is roughly mid-June to mid-October. Chile's Portillo is the oldest (and, many would argue, the most charming) ski resort in the Andes. Its three lodging options can only accommodate 450 guests at a time, which means the slopes are never crowded. Weeklong packages--the only kind that are sold--include seven nights at the Hotel Portillo, all meals, a seven-day ski pass, and unlimited use of the resort's extensive facilities (gym, pool, hot tubs, yoga classes, climbing wall, cinema, etc.). When Saturday-to-Saturday stays. June 17, Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30 ($1,200); June 24, July 1, 8, 29, Aug. 5, 12, 19, 26, Sept. 2 ($1,900); July 15, 22 ($2,340). Details Extra nights from $171 (all-inclusive). Single supplement from $100. Portillo is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the Santiago airport; add $90 for round-trip shuttle transfers. The resort offers free day care for children ages 3-7. Contact Ski Portillo Chile, 800/829-5325, skiportillo.com
A long-time desert backwater, the United Arab Emirates' capital has morphed into a glitzy playground for the rich, and developers are tripping over themselves to build bigger and more outrageous attractions (The tallest skyscraper! An underwater hotel! 300 man-made sandy islands shaped like the world!). The latest see-it-to-believe-it novelty is Ski Dubai, a 5.5-acre resort within a 25-story slanted metal tube featuring a chairlift, five downhill runs, a cross-country trail, quarter-pipe for snowboarders, and ice sculptures. Fir trees and temperatures in the 20s stand in chilly, jarring contrast to the palm trees and sweltering heat outside. Since skiing in robes is not advisable or allowed, black winter parkas and equipment come with admission. Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayad Road, skidubai.ae.
Roundtrip airfare and seven nights in the Alpine ski town of Chamonix, host of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and famous for its rugged 15-mile Vallee Blanche run, $905 per person
Two nights, two days' worth of lift tickets with free skiing for kids, and a family pass to the new Tube Park from $199. Three-, five-, and seven-night packages also available. Better yet, kids fly free to Vancouver on United, Harmony, or Alaska Air. Book by Dec. 12; whistlerblackcomb.com
Rooms crafted from ice and snow with 18 ft. high ceilings, walls displaying original artwork, toasty fireplaces, and beds in the form of sleeping bags and deer pelts. Hot tubs, live entertainment, an Absolut Ice Bar serving signature vodka concoctions in ice mugs, and a chapel round out the fun and frosty experience. The 'Arctic Fox' package has suites, typically $249 per person, reduced to $99 per person. When: Jan. 6 - Apr. 2, 2006, Sun - Thurs. nights. Details: Book by Dec. 16, 2005. Additional hotel taxes of $16 per person per night. Contact: Ice Hotel, Quebec City, 877/505-0423, icehotel-canada.com.
Air from Boston or New York to Quebec, a five-day car rental, a three-day lift ticket, and four nights at Les Suites Tremblant, within walking distance of the slopes. When: Nov. 18-Dec. 22 ($909), Dec. 23-31 ($1,259), Jan. 1-Feb. 18 ($989), Feb. 19-25 ($1,119), Feb. 28-Mar. 18 ($989). Other Gateways: Chicago (from $929), Miami (from $949), Atlanta (from $979), L.A. (from $1,079). Details: Extra nights from $69. Single supplement from $269. Contact: Maxxim Vacations Gray Line, 800/567-6666, maxximvacations.com.
$559 air-hotel package for three nights in Canada's most charming city during its annual smorgasbord of concerts, sleigh rides, snow sculptures, ice skating, and festive goings-on.
Discounted stays and lift tickets paired with music fests and sporty competitions in Vail, Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, California
Air from Chicago or Dallas to Denver; three nights in Winter Park at the Vintage Hotel, with a free shuttle to the ski lifts; and a two-day lift pass. When: Monday and Tuesday departures until Mar. 28 ($559), Apr. 4 -14 ($474). Other Gateways: Houston, L.A., San Francisco ($579/$494); D.C. ($649/$564); Miami ($659/$574). Details: Extra nights from $84. Single supplement from $210. Airport transfers to Winter Park are $90 round trip. Contact: United Vacations, 888/328-6877, unitedvacations.com.
Colorado's Beaver Creek Resort and Bon Appétit magazine join forces with over 30 acclaimed local and guest chefs for an eighth annual weekend of tastings, wine seminars, live music, and skiing. Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin (New York), Govind Armstrong of Table 8 (Los Angeles), Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake (San Francisco), Charles Hays of Toscanini (Beaver Creek) and others will compete in the free culinary MasterChef Challenge and on the slopes, testing talents of a different sort in the Chef Ski Race. When: February 2-5, 2006. Details: rates at the Pines Lodge start at $199 per night and a two-day lift ticket is $169. Events range from free to $200 per person. Beavercreek.snow.com, 800-404-3535 for lodgings, 888-920-2787 for tickets.
Air from Chicago or Dallas to Denver; three nights at the Winter Park Mountain Lodge, a five-minute, free shuttle ride from Winter Park's ski lifts; and a two-day lift pass. When: Monday and Tuesday departures Feb. 3-Mar. 28 ($579), Apr. 4-14 ($489). Other Gateways: Houston, L.A., San Francisco ($599/$509); D.C. ($669/$579); Miami, Orlando ($679/$589). Details: Extra nights from $44. Single supplement from $140. Airport transfers to Winter Park are $90 round trip. Contact: United Vacations, 888/328-6877, unitedvacations.com.
A concept as farfetched and fun as a floating ice-skating rink could only be found in one place: Vegas. Or in this case, 17 miles from the Strip at Montelago Village, a Lake Las Vegas desert resort. Anchored near the shore of the 320-acre manmade lake, the rink was created this fall for the second consecutive year by 110 five-gallon buckets of water and a 12,000-pound freezer. The Village gets gussied up for the holidays, with a Santa posted by the 20-foot Christmas tree and roaming Victorian carolers. Rounding out the mix are wine and cigar bars, boutique shops, and restaurants such as the Cajun-flavored Bistro Zinc, a January 2006 newcomer from Joseph Keller--the brother of French Laundry's famed chef Thomas Keller. Details: $164 per person for two nights in a luxury studio condominium, skating and skate rentals. When: Through Feb. 14, 2006. Contact: Montelago Village, 866-399-2753, montelagovillage.com
The two southwest Colorado towns (four hours from Denver, three from Colorado Springs) team up for a ski season's worth of events, stretching from mid-November to mid-April. Among the highlights: skiing clinics with Olympian Rebecca Dussault, a Christmas Eve torchlight parade, a Mardi Gras Festival, Learn to Ski for Free, performances by the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Contact: Gunnison-Crested Butte, 800-814-8893, gunnisoncrestedbutte.com
Park rangers schooled in Mt. Rainier, WA's plants and animals lead free two-hour (1.2 mile) snowshoe treks for up to 25 hearty souls. Rentals will set you back $1. When: Dec. 18 - Jan. 2, daily at 12:30 and 2:30 P.M.; through Apr. 13, Sat. and Sun. only. Contact: Mt. Rainier National Park, nps.gov/mora/recreation/winter.htm
American Airlines flights from Chicago to Denver and four nights at the Inn at Keystone, 300 yards from the lifts of Keystone Ski Resort. When: Sun.-Thurs. stays Jan. 16-Feb. 16. Other Gateways: L.A. ($433), Dallas ($442), New York ($489). Details: Extra nights $56. Singles pay $452. Contact: AmericanAirlines Vacations, 800/321-2121, aavacations.com.
Fly into Salt Lake City in the morning and you can ski free that day at one of Park City's three resorts, 35 miles from the airport, as part of a promotion called Quick Start Vacation (limited dates through April 16, 2006, parkcityinfo.com).
Two nights' accommodations at the Vermont ski resort and two lift tickets, $65
Two nights' accommodations, a one-hour chat with one of Oprah's favorite authors, Chris Bohjalian, an autographed book, and private shopping excursion from $65.50--plus, late-season ski discounts
Two-time World Champ, 2002 Olympian and 2006 Turin hopeful Tricia Byrnes will lead an intense two-day snowboard tutorial in her hometown of Stratton, VT, Dec. 22 - 23. First-rate coaches from the Stratton Snowboard School will chip in with the training and tips on prepping for competitions of all sorts. $259 per person, 800-STRATTON, stratton.com.
The Finnish-style Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center, managed by U.S. Olympic skier Olavi Hirvonen, sets up guests in tupas (private cottages), with woodstoves and surrounding trails, ice skating and a snow-tubing area. Look for the two domesticated reindeer. $75 per person per night for two nights, with a third night free, Dec. - Apr; 518-863-4974, laplandlake.com. At Lake Placid, NY's Mirror Lake Inn, guests staying two nights will get the third night free and two lift tickets for Whiteface or Gore Mountain, $650 per couple, Feb. 26 - Mar. 14; 518-523-2544, mirrorlakeinn.com. The Copperfield Inn's New Year's Eve package treats all comers to three nights and dinners, breakfast daily, and a four-hour New Year's Eve party with live entertainment. $414 per person, Dec. 29-Jan. 2; 800-424-9910, copperfieldinn.com. Melody Lodge, once a private music school, offers Bed n' Sled, a two-night midweek stay, a two-day snowmobile rental, safety orientation and helmet, $235 per person, mid-Dec. - mid-April; 518-545-6562, melodylodge.com. A two-day package at the Wawbeek includes meals, a campfire cocktail hour, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, $375 per couple, Jan. - Mar; 800-953-2656, wawbeek.com.
Accommodations at Stratton Mountain, two daily group lessons in skiing or snowboarding, and equipment rental from $99 per person per night
Hertz is discounting SUVs for skiers at 32 locations near the mountains, with $50 off weekly rentals and $20 off weekend rates, hertz.com.