More than a few of the 20 or so folks in this small room at the Utah Olympic Park have thrown out the phrase ''bucket list,'' and the air is charged with the kind of nervous energy that can only come from the giddy sense that we're all about to do something that could kill us, but likely won't.
A gloomy pall caps the valley as the lift rattles at the bottom of the mountain. Slowly, it passes into the clouds, a frosty mist hitting passengers in the face as an eerie yellow light envelops the chair.
The Top 10 North American ski resorts as determined by Ski.com: 1. Snowmass, Utah 2. Breckenridge, Colo. 3. Beaver Creek, Colo. 4. Aspen, Colo.
Resorts are offering smaller classes and bigger family discounts for the parents-with-children set.
Ski resorts throughout the West have spruced up for the 2008-2009 season. Here is a sampling of what's new. UTAH Alta: ''Ski With the Girls,'' a new noncompetitive program designed for early intermediate through accomplished skiers, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesdays at Baldy Brews on the snow level of Watson Shelter. The only cost is your lift ticket. www.alta.com
Bargain-hunters got a break recently when Vail Resorts dropped multiday lift-ticket prices to last ski season's prices and offered discounts through early February on ski and snowboard lessons.
You used to be a cheap date, a weekend fling who didn't care that my budget was tight and my wallet thin. In the old days, you would welcome me with open arms, even if I showed up on your doorstep with a brown bag lunch and blue jeans sticking out of my ski boots.
Aspen's Buttermilk Mountain assumed two distinct personalities over a weekend in January 2008. It was almost like different ski mountains coexisting -- somewhat incredulously and barely aware of one another -- on the same hill at the same time.
The economy may be sputtering, but there's a silver lining in mountain country: better bargains for skiers. ''There are so many deals now, more than we normally see,'' said Dan Sherman of www.ski.com, one of the largest sellers of ski packages. ``It's a great opportunity for travelers.''
Here are a few of our favorite ski-together runs, perfect for the whole family.
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