Let’s hear it for Wachusett Mountain for wisely predicting long before the first flakes fall that skiers and snowboarders might be tightening their purse strings this winter amid an uncertain economy. To help ease our pain, the Princeton ski area is offering:

Incentives for those who carpool: If you buy four lift tickets for the same day online, you’ll get free parking (that’s $12).
Early discounted price for a season pass: You can buy a pass at last year’s rate through Oct. 29.
Discounts for college students: Wachusett’s UPass has the same benefits as the Bronze Century Pass, which goes for $209.
Deals on lessons: One-day with rentals, lesson, and lower-mountain lift ticket is $74; two days, $124; three days, $199.
Health plan reimbursement: Fallon Community Health Plan members can use their $300 family fitness reimbursement toward lifts, lessons, and season passes.
‘‘Three-Peat’’ cards: For $99 you get three days of skiing (the days don’t have to be consecutive) anytime during the season. The card can be reloaded after the three days are used.

Vacations may be put on hold as Wall Street trembles and high gas prices keep consumers at home. But for those still looking to get away, "lean and green" may be the mantra.
That's one conclusion of a survey of more than 3,000 US travelers from TripAdvisor LLC of Newton, which operates such branded travel websites as airfarewatchdog.com and smartertravel.com.
Many of the survey's respondents said they plan to go hiking or engage in an outdoor activity in a national park, and 11 percent of respondents said they are "likely to participate in an extreme sports activity," up from 8 percent a year ago, TripAdvisor said.
(The photo above this story was taken from smartertravel.com, where people are invited to post pictures from their vacations. According to the website, this photo was taken by Heather Wade, and it shows Bryan Nay bungee-jumping off Bob's Peak in Queenstown, New Zealand.)
No word yet on how many folks qualify as "extreme and green" vacationers, but green thinking is now part of many travel plan decisions.
"Thirty-four percent of US respondents said they will visit an environmentally-friendly hotel or resort in the coming year," up from 30 percent in a previous survey, TripAdvisor said. "Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions this year than they were the year before. Last year, 26 percent said they would be more environmentally conscious."
TripAdvisor's press release included a statement from Michele Perry, a company vice president.
"An emerging trend," she said, "is travelers getting greener."
Posted by Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

New Hampshire ski areas spent about $10 million over the summer spiffing up their alpine and cross-country skiing operations, according to Ski New Hampshire, the statewide association of ski resorts and lodging properties. That's about half as much as the 38 resorts spent last summer on things like new trails, chair lifts, grooming, and snow-making equipment, but "it shows the continuing effort of the ski areas of New Hampshire to provide a high-caliber product for their guests," said spokesman Karl Stone. "A lot of it involves moves to snow-making equipment that's more environmentally friendly and requires lower amounts of energy. A lot of the groomers are being switched over to biodiesel."
Posted by Nicole C. Wong, Globe Staff

Just got an email from an old friend, long on the move. Seems he hasn't slowed down:

"hi tom,
yes, just got the confirmation for angola.
will be there from august 1 till september 17.
as I previously told u, immediately after that there will be the festival in salekhard, siberia (sept 21-27) and hopefully few more!
I hope u can wait for me for sardinia, in spring maybe...

what about new years in bariloche?
please try to come!

presently still in srbija, went to exit festival in novi sad, great fun, especially manu chao's concert.
will be in brcko for a few days this week on the way back to italy.

send news when u can!"

Not that there's anything wrong with settling in one place. Take, for example, this from an Argentine friend who has lived in recent years in Kabul, Paris and San Francisco, and now arrived in Rio:

"My little house in Ipanema has a patio and bbq and is 3 blocks from the beach – I'm getting back in shape running every morning to leave the gordos club!, although this evening will cook stuffed squid."

Would make a good first line of a novel, by the way...

Snow may have evaporated from most of New England’s neighborhoods and forest floors, but up in O Canada --- namely, at Rigaud, Québec’s Sucrerie Lavigne, about an hour west of Montreal --- you can still experience maple sugaring season, and eat yourself silly on a traditional Quebecois brunch. To a half century-old sugar shack, Jean-Paul and Claire L. Lavigne added a rambling and folksy dining hall where locals mingle with weekenders to scarf down the $20 all-you-can-eat buffet. The menu includes potatoes, beans, eggs, sausage, ham, homemade pickles --- plus some unexpected, local specialties like a custardy, eggy concoction called “omelette au lard”; pork cracklings; pea soup; squares of pork fat pate called “cretons”; and, for dessert, luscious, thick pancakes (more the consistency of crepes than pancakes) and maple sugar pie. All drenched in real maple syrup. If you’re not already bloated to bursting, waddle outside to the window where you can sample fresh sugar-on-snow taffy on a stick. There’s also horse drawn wagon rides, walking trails and sugar shack to poke into.

Thanks to the tanking dollar against the rising pound and Euro, accents are
plentiful on New England's slopes, from the Eastern Europeans manning the
lifts to the Brits skiing. Bretton Woods, N.H., is no exception. So, I
wasn't surprised, when I struck up a conversation on the Rosebrook Express
chair, to hear what sounded like a British accent peppering the reply to my
usual conversation opener: "Having a good day?"
I've met folks from all over and received insider tips from those chance
chairlift meetings, and I've meet folks from Newfoundland to Alaska, Bosnia
to New Zealand. But until yesterday, no one had ever replied to my "Where's
home?" question with "The Isle of Man."
Whoa -- I Googled the grade school geography files collecting dust in my
brain: Great Britain, no; Ireland, no; Scotland, close; Wales, not really.
Hmm, as familiar as I was with the name, I couldn't pinpoint it on my
inner-vision map.
"It's way out in the Irish Sea," he said. At least I was somewhat close in
my mental ramblings.
Back in my room, I Googled my computer's brain. Ahhh yes. The 227-square-mile Isle
of Man is located between England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (roughly
midway between Liverpool, England, and Belfast, Ireland). It's a
self-governing kingdom with its own language (Manx) and currency, although
English is the spoken language and the pound is accepted. Its parliament,
called Tynwald, was founded by the Vikings 1,000 years ago. Who knew? Not
me, but I'm intrigued enough to see if I can add it to a travel itinerary
the next time I'm in the general area.
But it won't be for skiing: It doesn't have a ski resort.

Posted by Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

“I’m tired from yesterday,” I overheard a skier say at Pico today. I looked at him, smiled and added, “And the day before, and the day before, and the day before that too.”

We were part way down a steep trail called KA (named after Pico’s first ski instructor Karl Acker) and had stopped to catch our breath. All the snow that fell last week — 27 inches, they say — lay in soft, puffy moguls beneath us. It was like skiing in Colorado without the hassle of air travel. Except I was so tired — my back in knots, my quads too sore to touch — that I probably should have stayed home. Not that I’m looking for sympathy (and my husband reminds me that I deserve none). But who can stay home when the skiing is this good?

Posted by Globe correspondent Peggy Shinn

Maybe your legs are shot from skiing or you’re just looking for a different way to explore the mountains. Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, N.H., is whisking people up the Mt. Washington Auto Road this year aboard a custom-designed SnowCoach, which is a 9-passenger van that has a unique track system instead of tires. The SnowCoach takes passengers to treeline, at about 4,000 feet, where they can enjoy expansive views of the White Mountains. Those interested in getting a workout, can snowshoe 4.5 miles back down the road. SnowCoach tours last just over an hour and run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, weather permitting, through March. Tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for kids 5 to 12, and there’s no minimum age. Call 603-466-2333 for more info.

Waterville Valley, in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, has a deal for the first two weeks of February. The Fab Feb. offer includes midweek lodging and lift tickets, access to the White Mountain Athletic Club, and shuttle bus transportation. Guests who book for three nights will get a $50 voucher for Town Square restaurants and shops. This two-night minimum package starts at $99 per person per night and is valid through Feb. 14. A group lesson can be added for $18 a person. Either go to the Fab Feb. page or call 800-GO-VALLEY.

Posted by Richard P. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine -- After spending a winter day outdoors
skiing, snowshoeing or snowmobiling, it's nice to come home to a hot

meal. "Sugarloaf Cooks" provides plenty of options for preparing one.
It also dishes on plenty of good ways to start the day, from Swedish
oven pancakes to meal-in-a-muffin. Sure, there are the expected crock-
pot favorites, pastas and chiles, but these are balanced with
creative recipes ideal for entertaining, such as salmon with orange-
champagne sauce and Roquefort-stuffed tenderloin with duxelle
topping. The cookbook, published in autumn 2007, is a fundraiser for
a new library/community center for Carrabassett Valley, home of
Sugarloaf Ski Area. It's available for $15 at shops throughout the
area. It's a great souvenir for a good cause.

And speaking of Sugarloaf, mountain crews did a fabulous job grinding
up yesterday's, how-shall-I-put-this-gently, "hardpack," and turning
it into loose granular with even a few spots that approached powder,
at least on the trails I skied this morning: Tote Road, Sluice,
Spillway, Binder and Scoot. If tonight's predicted five inches
blankets that, it should be a fine weekend, indeed.

Posted by Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

Feel that your life is incomplete because you have never slept in an igloo? Spirit Trail Adventures, a Canadian company, offers a mountain winter night in an igloo near Kimberley, B.C., with candlelight, hot chocolate, sleeping bags, and breakfast. The cost is about $180 US for two, or you can just have a salmon dinner in the igloo for about $90 a person.
Posted by Richard C. Carpenter, Globe correspondent

This just in folks...92.5 the River just whispered something great in my ear, right after Ryan Adams did. TODAY, Jan. 25, start coughing and sniffling and tell your boss you have to leave early. The first 100 people to present their Ski & Ride coupon at Cannon Mountain TODAY can ski for ONLY $9.25. And if that's not sweet enough, the station is also sponsoring a Bass Apres Ski Party in The Lift pub from 2-4 p.m. There will also be chances to win some great prizes, including a pair of skis from Fischer Ski! Earn your Oscar now, and ski for under ten bucks today!

The thermometer this morning showed minus-13 degrees, but that might have included the chill from the breeze wafting off the Mississippi. A better temperature reading is how your face responds during a pre-breakfast walk, how quickly you develop that piercing "ice-cream headache'' and how rapidly the tears drawn forth by the wind freeze on your cheek. Today, it was maybe two minutes, so I'm not quibbling about minus-13. It was minus-30 last night.

I'm in town for the US Figure Skating Championships, which are being held indoors but easily could be staged on the frozen river. Not that it would deter the local folk, who think that January is a splendid time to be frolicking out of doors. The Winter Carnival, which began yesterday, runs past Groundhog Day (they'd have to thaw out the beast in a microwave here). It's been going since 1886, after a few underheated newspapermen from out East declared that the state capital was an American Siberia, "unfit for human habitation.''

Minnesotans are connoisseurs of the cold. Up on the Iron Range, where Bob Dylan lived, pucks have been known to break apart during hockey games on the lakes. No problem. Pucks are cheap and plentiful hereabouts. If you bundle up properly, you can function outdoors for hours. One man's frostbitten face is another man's rosy cheeks.

In fact, I have been colder elsewhere -- Edmonton, Lake Placid, Moscow. The Russians don't even bother asking whether the temperature is plus or minus. They assume it's minus. Tsar Nicholas said he'd let his two best generals, January and February, handle the Crimean War.

Tropical weather, though, is on the way for the Twin Cities. Tomorrow, the mercury will soar to 23 degrees and the residents will break out shorts and flip-flops. Spring is just around the corner.

Posted by John Powers, Globe staff

There's white gold in them thar hills. Rain and sleet elsewhere in New England today was glorious powder at Sugarloaf in western Maine. Although high winds closed lifts early in the day, by late morning, skiers and boarders were tracking up about eight inches of fresh snow, and by mid afternoon, the sun was peeking through the clouds. Some kids were lucky enough to have school canceled -- not a bad way
to kick off the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.

Posted by Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

Not looking forward to braving long lift lines at some of the busier ski areas in New Hampshire and Vermont? Been there, done that. So head west instead: Hawk Mountain Lodge in Charlemont is offering a ski-and-stay package, with the skiing at nearby Berkshire East Ski Resort. The lodge is a renovated 1800s farmhouse with five rooms, and prices range from $55–$125 per room per night. You get a $5 discount off a daily lift pass and 10 percent off a meal at Stillwaters Restaurant. Family-friendly Berkshire East offers plenty of terrain with more than 45 trails and five lifts. And it recently added a snow tubing park, which opened Dec. 26. Wheee!

I was beginning to think that snow isn't good for anything but shoveling,
when I got an email from the Birches Resort on Moosehead Lake (Rockwood,
Maine) about their snowmobile programs. Think New England winter sports and
you usually think of the big downhill ski resorts. But even with Big Squaw
Mountain ski area in nearby Greenville, the Moosehead region is more a land
of wide-open spaces, and this compound of cabins, cabin tents, and yurts has
come up with a much more off-the-beaten-path winter outing. Instead of a
one-horse open sleigh, you dash through the woods on an Arctic Cat
snowmobile. The three-night guided excursion starts at the Birches Resort,
journeys to cabins (with hot tubs) in Baxter State Park, then on to a
traditional lumber camp on the northern edge of Moosehead Lake before
returning to the Birches in time for lunch. The open sleigh was probably
more environmentally friendly (apart from equine methane), but I've been
told that newer snowmobiles are no longer the ear-splitting, blue-belching
beasts of old. Guided Lodge-to-Lodge Snowmobile Excursion trips start in
January. For more details visit www.birches.com or call 800-825-9453.

Posted by Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

Cambridge had just enough snowfall to cover the irresponsible behavior of
certain dog-owning neighbors when we lit out for the territories, i.e.,
Vermont, for a quick escape on behalf of the Checking In column. But as we
pushed west, the accumulation began to mount. Passing Fitchburg, we saw
snowplow drifts (boding well for Wachusett Mountain) and by the time we
started up I-91 into Vermont, the roadside piles grew higher and higher.
When we parked at our inn in Chester, Vt., nearly a foot of fluffy stuff
covered the town's wide green.

Now we know (at least we've heard) that the ski mountains have been open since mid-November, but it's not really winter until the snow's deep enough for snowshoes and cross-country skis. Sure enough, 10 minutes away from the inn, Grafton Ponds opened 15 km of groomed trails for classic Nordic and skate skiing on Saturday and turned showshoers loose on their seemingly endless fields of fresh powder.

Snow is here! (And, as our innkeeper said, rubbing her hands together,
"There's more coming on Sunday.")

Posted by David Lyon, Globe Correspondent

At Crane Beach, the property managed by The Trustees of Reservations at the eastern edge of Massachusetts, there are sand and sea and darting plovers. A run through summer dunes brings slipping, slogging steps up and down open slopes.

A world away and yet only at the western side of the state, there is Field Farm, another Trustees property, home to hay fields and, in summer, strong-winged bobolinks, yellow-capped birds that travel across the equator to avoid winter winds.

At the ocean's edge, wind gusts flat and strong. In the Berkshire valley tucked beneath Mount Greylock, the state's highest peak, it does that too. But it also breaks, suddenly, into chaotic twists and turns shaped by contours of the land.

It is a striking place to go after spending time in the settled world. Over the past three days, I've driven crowded highways, passing in and out of bustling towns, stopping to watch films set in the music-filled streets of New York, the dust-blown desert of India, and the corn-fed fields of Iowa.

This morning, 12 degrees and bright sun, bobolinks long gone from Field Farm and Greylock's summit looming clearly, not the sea, I set out on a run. Snow, not sand, gave way beneath each step, as mid-morning warmth softened the surface. The "South Trail" traced a frozen pond, an open field, then ducked into woods. Tiny tracks crossed my path.

I ran another mile deeper among the leafless trees and, as at the ocean's edge, found solitude, and strength.

New England is home to three of TripAdvisor’s "Top Ten Overlooked (and Under Budget) Ski Destinations in the US"
Editors at the Needham-based travel company rated ski resorts that featured mountains with a 2,000 foot vertical drop on average that offered less-expensive lift tickets and more affordable lodging and night life than many of the country's more celebrated resorts.
Jay Peak in Westfield, Vt., (adult ticket, $62) came out king of the mountain. "Located in a snow belt that generates a remarkable 350 inches of snow on average annually, Jay Peak has developed a reputation for its excellent powder skiing with adventurous off-piste opportunities, and with less traffic than Vermont's trendier ski spots," the report said.
Taking fourth place is Cannon Mountain, in Franconia, N.H. ($54). "Experience wonderful skiing and a bit of history on Taft Slalom, one of the first ski trails cut in the US."
Saddleback Mountain, in Rangeley, Maine ($40), came in at No . 9. "After undergoing renovations in the past few years, Saddleback now boasts great skiing along with a new ski lift, additional ski terrain and a new lodge at an elevation of 2,460 feet -- the second highest in New England."
The rest of the best:
2. Solitude Mountain, Solitude, Utah, $55
3. Schweitzer Mountain, Sandpoint, Idaho, $55
5. Durango Mountain, Durango, Colo., $60
6. Taos Ski Valley, Taos, N.M., $63
7. Diamond Peak, Incline Village, Nev., $48
8. Big Mountain, Whitefish, Mont., $56
10. Gore Mountain, North Creek, N.Y., $115 (2 day pass)

Posted by Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent

The writer at the summit of Mount Kearsarge.

I’ve recently realized something about myself. Though I enjoy many
kinds of physical activities — I’m fairly energetic; not a couch
potato — my tolerance for such activities lasts for about an hour. Do I
like to kayak? Sure. For about an hour. Go to the gym? An hour, max,
will do. Ditto for sailing, gardening, home improvement projects,
ice-skating, baking, bird watching, and chopping wood. (OK, so I’ve
never chopped wood. But if I did, I could do it for about an hour.)

In my world, too much of a good thing easily becomes just too much. So
it was with great delight that I learned I could hike to the top of Mount
Kearsarge (2937 feet) in Rollins State Park in New Hampshire … in about
an hour! How is that possible, you ask? Well, there’s a 3.5 mile scenic
road from the park entrance (on the south side of the mountain in the
town of Warner) that climbs up to a parking lot and picnic area. From
there, it’s a half-mile hike to the top and a vista that includes the
White Mountains, the Green Mountains, the coasts of New Hampshire and
Maine and, on a clear day, some skyscrapers in Boston, 80 miles
away.

The trail itself is rigorous: steep, rocky, and muddy in places. But so
what? It only lasts an hour! And it’s just enough of a workout to make
you feel pleased with yourself. Besides, if that 3-year-old child
and elderly woman with the cane (I’m not making this up) could get to
the summit, I thought, then I could too.

P.S. When the park is closed in winter months the Kearsarge Trail
Snails Snowmobile Club grooms the road to the picnic area, which
becomes accessible by snowmobile, snowshoe, cross-country skis, or
foot. Warning: It will take much longer than an hour to reach the
summit.

Posted by Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

The leaves are still falling in New England, but now’s the time to start hunting down deals to ease the cost of that family ski vacation. Here’s one that’s worth checking out: Ski.com has hooked up with United Airlines and is offering packages that include free flights (not including taxes and fees) for kids 12 and under and free lift tickets or ski and snowboard rentals at resorts including Vail, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Steamboat, and Jackson Hole. Just be sure to read the fine print: midweek travel and a 5-day minimum stay are required.

After several days of skiing in Park City, Utah, I decided to look for some non-leg-burning activities and found two real gems. At the Utah Olympic Park , just 10 minutes west of Park City, I toured the 2002 Olympic venues for the ski jump, bobsled,

luge, and skeleton competitions. My guide mentioned that it’s common to see athletes practicing on site.
The park’s Alf Engen Ski Museum chronicles Utah’s ski history and the 2002 Olympics, and if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can get a sense of what it’s like to go screaming (literally) down a bobsled track. Several times a month, visitors can go for a ride with a professional bobsled coach down The Comet, the park’s bobsled track. Two friends and I gave it a shot and hit 74 miles per hour on the way down. It’s not cheap — $200 per person, per ride —but it was worth every penny for such a unique thrill. I’ve heard they recently started a bobsled driving school, too (check out the website for updates).
For something a little more subdued, consider taking a trip to The Viking Yurt , located at 8,000 feet in the mountains above The Canyons Ski Resort. Guests catch a sleigh ride (pulled by a motorized Cat rather than horses) to the yurt — a Mongolian-style, tent-like dome made of canvas and wood — for a delicious venison dinner (vegetarians meals are also available).

Posted by Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

You'll think you're in Switzerland. At the very least, you'll have that giddy feeling that can only come from fresh air in the mountains. This summer I fell in love with the Loon Mountain Club, a resort/spa that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, but will give you the escape-from-the-city therapy that you might need. It's on a hill overlooking the gondola up to Loon's peak. But get a room that looks the other way -- toward the Pemi River across the way, because the sound of that white-water river is pure, ambient bliss. Leave your window open and enjoy.
This is a modern place with all the amenities -- most rooms also have kingsize beds -- and there's the Viaggio Spa and Health Club on the premises, which offers hot-stone massages. Treat yourself to luxury without paying Canyon Ranch prices. Not that you'll need it this winter, but there's also a great outdoor swimming pool.
Plus, the on-site Seasons Restaurant will entice the palate.

Posted by Steve Morse, Globe Correspondent

GIRDWOOD, Alaska -- As alpine enthusiasts contemplate how they'll be breaking in their equipment this season, the managers at Alaska's only ski resort hope powder-lovers will bypass the classic slopes of Whistler, Deer Valley and Aspen and head to the far north.

The Alyeska Resort, long considered a niche venue for locals and adventure skiers, is undergoing a $25 million expansion to lure larger groups of winter vacationers, families especially, to the peaks of south-central Alaska. The resort's owner, a wealthy real estate investor and self-professed ski junkie from Utah, has stoked big changes at the Girdwood institution, from new conveyor-belt lifts for beginners and snowmaking machines, to refurbished guest rooms and healthier menus.

John Byrne III, who bought the resort last year, is also negotiating with the U.S. Forest Service to build a lift that would open hundreds of acres of raw terrain in the Chugach Mountains to highly skilled off-piste skiers and snow-boarders. But the top priority, Byrne said, is making steep and rugged Mount Alyeska less daunting for novices. Intermediate runs, most on the harder side, make up about half of the 1,400 acres of groomed trail. Another 10 percent are sculpted for beginners and 37 percent are black diamonds, the most difficult. (AP)