Thanks to a reference in today's web comic "XKCD," an 18-year-old skiing video game is burning up Google Trends.

As of 8:20 this morning, "skifree" was the No. 2 search on Google, followed closely by "skifree online" (No. 6), "skifree download" (No. 14), "skifree flash" (No. 26), and "skifree game" (No. 35).

Created by former Microsoft programmer Chris Pirih in 1991, SkiFree is a simplistic video game in which gamers control a skier's path down a slope until, inevitably, the Abominable Snowman catches up and ends things. The character in today's comic compares the game to the inevitability of death, only to find out there is a way to speed things up and escape. I tried. No luck.

You can play the flash version of the game here. Good luck getting the music out of your head.

While talk of a Nor'easter this weekend threatens to snarl holiday travel, New England skiers and riders are waiting with anticipation for what could be the first, big storm of the season.

It's still early, yet forecasters are hinting at jackpots in northern elevations. Vermont meteorologist Roger Hill is calling for snow "possibly in abundance" to hit Jay Peak Friday night into Saturday. Translation: Well over a foot.

We'll hold off on the giddiness factor for now, but some folks are even hinting as some downright silly totals for Stowe and Jay. Of course, both resorts pushed back their opening dates, so the only way to enjoy the turns will be by earning them.

Still, while it appears northern Vermont is forecasted to receive the goods in the storm, NECN's Matt Noyes also feels that this storm could blanket Maine and north-facing White Mountains. That could make this a killer weekend at Bretton Woods. If all works out, something tells me they'll have more than one trail open this weekend.

Matt Noyes has good news on the snow front…I think.

Anyway, while I may not understand half of what the NECN weather guy is saying in his 12-minute technical discussion today, I do believe I heard the Dec. 1, 4, and mid-December in there as possibilities for significant New England snow.

Options to satisfy the ski jones on a temperate November weekend:

• Make your way to Killington or Sunday River for some very limited early season turns.

• Hit up the Boston Ski and Snowsports Expo.

• Head to the House of Blues for a screening of Teton Gravity's Re:Session.

• Watch one of my favorite YouTube clips from 1974 in Alta (shot two days before I was born)….

  OK, that's probably not helping. Sorry. At least I didn't mention the record-setting November that Whistler just had - almost 14 feet and counting. Right?

I've always maintained that New England skiers and riders can't ask for more bang for their buck than they get at Wildcat Mountain. The Jackson, N.H. area runs some of the best deals running (including the return of one of its most popular promotions from a year ago – $9 Fridays – which will take place this season on Dec. 18, Jan. 22, Feb. 26, and March 26) on some of the most varied lift-serviced terrain in New Hampshire. And if you're a regular on the express quad, you know there is simply no better lift in all of New England.

Then there's the Wildcard special, which affords you three days of skiing for $130, the normal ticket window price for two. But Wildcat representatives will be on hand this week at the Boston Ski Expo (at the Bayside Expo Center, Thursday-Sunday), selling the Wildcard with the added bonus of a fourth mid-week day free with purchase. Even better, mid-week at Wildcat is considered Sunday-Thursday. Be aware though that the bonus days are limited. Wildcat sold out of them by Saturday at the expo last year.

That's four days of skiing and riding for $32.50 a day. Tough to beat that. Unless, of course, you happen to be a winter baby (guilty), in which case you ski free on your birthday at Wildcat, the only mountain in New England to offer that deal.

The frost on my car this morning was a good start.

Still, winter is taking its time making its way to New England, a not-so-insignificant matter that has forced many resorts to push back their anticipated opening dates. While Killington and Bretton Woods hope to re-open soon, the lifts, er, lift at least, keeps spinning at Sunday River, where skiers and riders can enjoy four trails today.

All other mountains remain quiet, hopeful that temperatures cooperate enough for snowmaking.

But the weather could take a significant change next week. Accuweather hints that temperatures should finally fall below normal by the end of next week, and that we could potentially see a late-week storm come our way.

So, sit tight. We've still got faith in Accuweather's Henry Margusity, who last month predicted this:

You won't get any argument here. Three Vermont resorts make the cut in Travel and Leisure Magazine's list of the world's scariest ski slopes: Black Hole at Smuggler's Notch, Mad River Glen's Paradise, and Goat at Stowe.

Here is video of each of the three that the magazine included with its descriptions:

(The Black Hole comes in around 1:15.)

You could argue that one or two more East Coast ski resorts should have made the cut, but there's no doubt that Jay Peak belongs on Outside Magazine's list of North America's 16 best ski resorts.

The Vermont resort was the only ski area east of the Mississippi to make the magazine's list, featured in this month's edition. In the category, "perfect for off-piste," local expert Chris Young, a principal at Craftsbury School, wrote:

It's not your typical warm, wet East Coast snow. The storms stick around for a few days. We might not get Utah's four-foot dumps, but the glade system maintains the snow longer—there are skiable pockets for days after the storm if you know where to go. People divide the mountain into two sides: Tramside and Stateside. The Tramside runs tend to have longer vertical and get more traffic. Two epic Tramside glade runs are Staircase and Everglade—they go on forever and have steep, tight lines. I ski Stateside; it's easier to get farther out of bounds. Local knowledge comes in handy. I'm going to get killed if I give you any more information.

The other resorts to make the list were Alta/Snowbird, Snowmass, Whistler-Blackcomb, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Jackson Hole, Alyeska Resort, Silverton Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City, Power Mountain, Bridger Bowl, Crested Butte, Steamboat, Taos, and Mammoth Mountain.

Twitter's instant access provides skiers and riders with a powerful tool that can affect the way they plan their days on the slopes. Here's a list of some of the best New England resorts, weather forecasts, and other ski-related folks to folliow on Twitter:

Connecticut

• Woodbury Ski Area

Maine

• Shawnee Peak

• Sugarloaf

• Sugarloaf snow

• Sunday River

Massachusetts

• Nashoba Valley

• Ski Butternut

• Wachusett Mountain

• Jiminy Peak

New Hampshire

• The Balsams

• Black Mountain

• Bretton Woods

• Cranmore Mountain

• Crotched Mountain

• Granite Gorge

• Gunstock

• King Pine Ski Area

• Loon Mountain

• Mount Sunapee

• Waterville Valley

• Wildcat Mountain

Vermont

• Bolton Valley

• Killington

• Smuggler's Notch

• Magic Mountain

• Mad River Glen

• Mad River Glen conditions

• Jay Peak

• Jay Peak snow

• Stowe

• Sugarbush

• Okemo

• Mount Snow

• Pico Mountain

• Stratton

More New England ski and snowboard resources

• Boston.com ski updates

• Eastern Mountain Sports

• NECN's Matt Noyes' weather tweets

• Lift Ticket Deals

• Meathead Films

• Ski Vermont

• Ski Maine

• Ski New Hampshire

• Ski Travel Guru

• Ski Coupons

• RSN Resort TV

• Mount Washington Valley

• Chinese Downhill

• Ski the East

• MoeSnowNH

Missing someone? E-mail travel@boston.com to suggest an addition.

Some interesting numbers here from Snowsports Industries America's 2009 Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report (via AlpineZone):

• 1 in 14 of Americans consider themselves to be skiers or riders
• 14.8 million Americans participated in a snow sport in 2008
• The average snow sports participant is about 30 years old, has a college degree and household income exceeding $100,000 annually
• 1 in 5 female snowboarders are over 35 years old and plenty of girls are in the pipeline
• The snow sports demographic experienced a doubling in unemployment rate during the 2008.09 season as the economy tanked

That last statistic could prove significant for ski resorts during the 2009-10 season. While it's not surprising that the unemployment rate for skiers and riders would be on par with the rest of the country, it will be interesting to note whether this means longer mid-week lift lines with people out of work, or more enticing midweek deals to lure the cash-strapped unemployed to the slopes.

Killington has opened today for the Veteran's Day holiday, but nearby Pico has also piqued our interest with discount lift tickets available until Dec. 11.

The $35 "Pico 35" tickets are available only online, and offer a $24 savings off the resort's peak price. There is a limit of four per order, and typical blackout dates (Christmas vacation week, Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, and February vacation) apply.

As for Killington, the Beast will be running two lifts today with access to intermediate and advanced trails. Early-season rates ($49) are in effect.

Boyne Resorts has really made its frequent skier card an attractive option heading into this season.

For the same price as last year’s card ($89), skiers and riders can save $25 on midweek, non-holiday, and $15 on weekend and holiday tickets at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon Mountain. This season, however, the card includes a lift ticket good at one of the resorts. Consider that a regular season lift ticket at Sugarloaf is $75 ($77 at Sunday River; Loon has yet to announce its rates this season), and that can add up to big savings at the window.

The cards can be purchased online, or you can simply upgrade your one-day lift ticket purchase at the ticket window.

Here we are nestled into mid-April. The New England ski areas have not seen any substantial snow events for weeks. However, the mountains are still offering plenty of spring snow surfaces to turn on.

As of today, Good Friday, there were still 16 resorts twisting the chairs in New England.

Most of them are still operating on over 75% of their terrain. These are the big players in the game who place a premium on making snow. That effort, coupled with the lack of a January thaw and great snows in the first two months of 2009 have blessed the skiers and snowboarders with beautiful spring conditions all through March and into April. All in spite of the fact that Old Man Winter left the party early and Mother Nature only gave us rain (she must have been crying over his premature departure).

The folks up at Sugarbush have put together some lodging deals that will leave you without any excuses. These ski and stay options are truly deep discounts and the Bush has plenty of snow up there for you to sink your edges into.

Have a look – there are midweek options that start as low as $50 per person for a lift ticket and bed.

Looking for a venue to hit some great Spring skiing and riding conditions? Ready to attend some very cool events or see some fantastic live music? Maybe you are looking to just throw a few back in the sunshine with friends in the mountains?

Whichever you’re fancying - Sunday River is the answer for the next few weekends.

Keep reading to find out what is happening up at Sunday River for this weekend and next.

Check out this LINK.

The CEO of Vail Resorts Co. gave up his 2009 salary = $840K.

White Gold has perks,
S.G.

Okemo season passes for the 2009/2010 ski season are available for purchase now. Up until April 30th Okemo Mountain Resort is locking their rates for season passes at the same levels they were offered up last year.

Purchasing a season pass from Okemo scores you all sorts of benefits. These include skiing at Okemo’s sister resorts, Mount Sunapee, NH and Crested Butte, CO. Plus Okemo’s pass alliance with Vermont’s Stratton Mountain will also still be in force next winter.

Still there is more: Here are some other benefits options Okemo is putting on the table.

• Purchase a 2009/2010 Ultra Pass or Peak Pass by April 30 will receive one Companion Day ticket, so the pass holder can bring a friend skiing for free, any one day during the entire 2009/2010 season.
• Okemo is offering a Pre-Buy Plus Spring Season Pass option. For a slightly higher rate, skiers and riders can purchase a season pass for next winter that also includes the remainder of this great season. This option is available now through closing day in mid-April.

Shawnee Peak is promoting their season pass rates for next season. The price points are all very reasonable.

If you purchase one now you will be allowed to use the lifts for the remained of this season as well! Plus the pass for next year will get you invited to the end of season pass holder events this Spring. Not bad – check out the price points with this LINK.

S.G. Note - The Family Pass could be a perfect solution if you have a place within a short drive of Shawnee next winter and more than a couple children in tow.

This weekend on Saturday (3/21) is the resorts Spring Fling!

Here is a You Tube clip from the Pond Skimming last spring.

Maybe we do get that last big powder day this season…and if it comes midweek you need to be sure not to miss out. That means prepping the boss now for a short notice vacation day, or just playing hooky.

The location is the easy part. Just over an hour up I93 North from Boston. The parking lot at Tenney Mountain is only 6 miles off of the highway (exit 23).

This weekend on Saturday March 21st Jiminy Peak is hosting a Spring Fling. This is a day up in Hancock, MA that has something for everyone! If you have been thinking about switching gears from the normal weekend trek north this is your ticket. The Berkshires have always been a nice option for a weekend getaway.

The Spring Fling – Cardboard Box Derby! Bikini Slaloms! Pond Skimming!

• Registration begins at 8:30 am EDT in the Upper Courtyard of Village Center.
• Entry for all events is free of charge!
• Must be pre-registered at least 30 minutes prior to the start of each event.