Cyber ski budget buddies
Just in time for the season, a Massachusetts skier has launched a new cyber-organization, the New England Virtual Ski Association, to put individual skiers on the slopes at group-discount rates.
While the club exists only on the Internet, its benefits are real: For annual dues of $29.50, members can save from $7 per day to 50 percent off regular rates at more than 15 participating ski areas in New England and New York state. Family memberships start at $49 for a family of three; each additional child costs $10. Some resorts also offer discounted lodging. So far, the association has signed up resorts including Loon, Cannon, Burke, and Jay Peak, as well as family-oriented mountains such as Berkshire East, Mad River Glen, and Catamount.
By showing club ID at the ticket window, members can ski at any participating area anytime, at rates usually reserved for bus groups or clubs with a mountainside lodge. They can also meet online.
New England Virtual Ski Association: www.nevskiassoc.org.JANE ROY BROWN
Savings for Sox fans
Eighty-six years of losing is about to pay off. Long-suffering Boston Red Sox fans can extend their winning-season celebrations into the winter with the "World Champ Getaway Packages" offered by the New England Inn Resorts Association.
Dozens of inns are offering price reductions and deals through this month and beyond. Examples include the Ardmore Inn in Woodstock, Vt., offering 20 percent off regular rates to anyone who shows up wearing Sox attire, and the Adair Country Inn in Bethlehem, N.H., offering 20 percent off room rates, plus a six-pack of beer and two boxes of Cracker Jacks. And who can resist $86 per night rate at the Cortina Inn & Resort in Killington, N.H.? "One dollar for every year of misery we had to endure," they say.
New England Inn Resorts Association: www.newenglandinns.com or 888-705-5353.NECEE REGIS
