DATE: Monday, October 20, 1997              TAG: 9710180305
SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CAROL HORTON, PILOT ONLINE 

                                            LENGTH:   87 lines

PLANNING YOUR SKI (OR DOG SLED OR SNOWMOBILE) TRIP GETS A NICE LIFT FROM THE WEB

All of this talk of El Nino has got me wondering whether it'll be sink or ski this winter. And since I'd rather ski, I decided to be optimistic and see how the Web could help me plan my sporting getaway. But what I learned about included a lot more than just skiing.

Ski vacations nowadays include options such as dogsledding in the wilderness, snowmobiling through Yellowstone, snowshoeing in the Rockies and exclusive dinners at rustic bistros that can only be reached by moonlit sleigh rides.

Honey, get my parka. Even I could shrug off my cold weather phobia for this kind of scenery and adventure (and a glass of cabarnet).

To check out the following web sites, click on Pilot Online at http://www.PilotOnline.com and go to the Business section. There you'll find an online version of this column, complete with clickable links to your next ski adventure.

If your ski plans are as wide open as an ungroomed trail after a fresh snowfall, a good place to start is SkiNet, a long list of links to ski areas in North America and Europe. Unfortunately for us, the Southeast ski areas are conspicuously absent from this otherwise extensive list. If you decide you want to ski out West or in the Northeast this site is a great tool for deciding which resort to try.

It's here that I learned about the ski-alternative activities like dogsledding available at many of the Western ski areas. The site also includes a link to U.S. ski reports, which wasn't working at press time - probably because there aren't any yet at this early date.

A tool most skiers will find useful in determining where they want to ski is The Ski Map Archive. It includes trail maps of ski resorts all over the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. Once again, no Virginia resorts show up, but Cannan Valley and Timberline in West Virginia are included.

Warning: most of these files are quite large and take several minutes to download - and once they do appear, the resolution isn't the greatest on most of them. Consequently, this probably isn't a site you'll just want to surf, but if there are a few specific maps you're interested in, it's a useful tool. A message says more maps are being added all the time, so it's worth checking back.

Also there's an extensive list of links, some are active - some not - to sites about skiing all over the world. Specific interests are also targeted, like avalanche safety and snow reports, but most of them pertain to the West.

If you know you want to stay closer to home, your best source for information is probably to go directly to the ski resort's web site. Wintergreen, west of Charlottesville, is one of the most popular resorts with Hampton Roads skiiers.

Its site has comprehensive information on accommodations, dining and reservations. And it is updated with '97-'98 ski information on pre-season savings like a price break on lift tickets purchased before Nov. 15. Many resorts offer discounts like this one, so be sure to inquire.

Bryce Resort, two hours west of Washington, D.C., still has all its golf information up on its very basic home page and their link to ski information wasn't working at press time. They're not alone in this situation, which is understandable given the fact that the leaves are still on the trees.

Nonetheless, if you're a planner like me, it can be frustrating. At least you can get the phone number from the site and give it a call for answers to your questions.

Massanutten Resort, north of Harrisonburg, has a slick site which has already been updated with '97-'98 ski prices for lift tickets and rentals, including helmets for the kids and those cool-looking shaped skis that are supposed to turn for you (sure) - they're 6 bucks extra. There's also a nice, easy-to-read trail map and info on snowboarding and night skiing.

If you've got more time and don't mind driving a little farther, The West Virginia Ski Area web site has links to all of that state's ski areas complete with directions. (If you print them out and take them along, you can avoid the ``Why don't you stop and ask?'' fight.)

There are also several different weather links including radar and satellite maps, which could come in handy if you're trying to decide whether to make the drive from Hampton Roads during wintry weather.

And of course, you can't properly decide where you want to ski without knowing what kind of snow is there. Intellicast's Ski Report is thorough and slick. It has all the conditions and stats for most ski areas in the U.S., Canada and Europe including current weather conditions, amount of new snow, what the base is and number of trails open. This is a great site to bookmark if you're strictly interested in ski conditions, as it won't help you with lift ticket or rental information.

And don't forget, when Old Man Winter comes knocking at our door, you can always come home to Pilot Online for weather information around the state, country and world.

Now, if I could just find a site that would explain how to get to a fancy dinner via a snowmobile without having bad hair. Alas, there are some answers even the Internet can't provide.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu