Ski resorts are laying out the white carpet for romance this Valentine’s Day with two for one deals, vow renewals, chairlift dating for singles, even a “wear that bridesmaid dress again” event. Here are some romantic ski offers for couples, and some ridiculous alpine propositions for single people on this annual “awkward to be single” day.

Okemo will reward you for wearing that bridesmaid dress again. Wear formal wedding attire to Okemo’s ticket window on Valentine's Day (a bridesmaid’s dress, wedding gown, prom dress, or tuxedo), and you ski for $59, get free chicken wings, and a free ticket to return any Sunday-Friday after March 10 if you participate in the on-mountain Valentine’s photo shoot. And you said you hated that dress, now it’s earning you free skiing and messy wings in your dressy things, cha ching.

Mount Snow is offering vow renewal for married couples, gathered around a heart painted in the snow atop the Cloud Nine lift, and two lift tickets for $49 for anyone who buys in advance on their site. Bromley is also offering two for one tickets 2/14 with an e-coupon from their site. Burke Mountain will also honor two for one skiing on Valentine’s.

Mad River Glen will let you and your sweetheart ski for $14 each if you kiss each other at the ticket window on Valentine’s. No speed dating on the single chair at Mad River however, and still no snowboarders.

The romantic Green Mountain Inn in Stowe has ski and stay packages this week starting at $218 per couple including lift tickets at Stowe, a great value given that a Stowe day ticket is $88.

In New Hampshire, Attitash, Cannon, Crotched, King Pine, Wildcat and Ragged have two for one on Feb. 14. Loon has a “SkiHeart” ski and stay package at the Mountain Club at Loon this week, with two lift tickets, two massages, Champagne, breakfast and a late checkout, starting at $239.

Saddleback in Maine will have speed dating on the Rangeley double chair, which is not so speedy – you have about 10 minutes to make your case and a possible love connection. Saddleback will also provide vow renewal at the top of the mountain at 1pm for already happily married couples on Valentine’s Day.

Jiminy Peak has an e-coupon online for $14 skiing Valentine’s evening from 3-10pm, maybe you can meet someone on the slopes that night.

So treat that someone special to a Valentine ’s Day on the snow. What could be more romantic than spontaneous midweek skiing (and two for one lift tickets)? And if you are single and ready to mingle, go to the mountains, you may find love in the lift line.

Who says Facebook is a waste of time? When it earns you ski deals, I say social media is sweet. Today is Facebook Friday at Okemo, with $59 lift tickets. Don't worry if you missed this one, next week Feb 17 is another one so be sure you sign up on the Okemo Facebook fan page, and see details on this limited deal. Sunday River has had a few Facebook Fridays, and promises more towards springs, so like them too. Another deal, if you have a Sunday River pass, invite a friend to ski for $49 Sunday thru Friday available now through Feb 17.

Other resorts have equally intriguing specials for their fans and followers. Stratton had free skiing for Facebook followers who clicked on a photo and signed up last month, so stay tuned. See, don't you just love social media when it comes to skiing?

The other sweet thing about social media is getting up to the moment snow reports. Whether you have a ski app like Alpine Replay or The North Face, or follow your favorite ski resorts on Twitter and Facebook, you will be in the know about recent snow, who has lifts on wind hold, you get the picture. This social ski revolution has also caused ski areas to face their fiercest fans, about accuracy on accumulation and conditions. When resorts exaggerate their foot of snow, fans will not restrain from sharing the reality of a mere five inches via Twitter and Facebook fan pages.

But mostly, snowcial media is fun and informative. I have been getting almost daily tweets that it is snowing in Wyoming, which is cruel but funny since I was there last month under sunny, snowless skies.

See how much fun this is?!

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Get it right for a change.

Black Mountain's annual chairlift speed dating event takes place Saturday at the Jackson, N.H. ski area, where skiers and riders will have the chance to meet someone while riding the double chairlift up the mountain with another single. Whether you choose to ski down with him or her is entirely up to you.

"Our self-proclaimed 'love consultants,' Mitzi and Karen, will be at the registration desk sharing dating advice and offering up some special questions to help you get started on your lift ride," Black marketing director Krissy Fraser said. "They will also be encouraging participants to contribute their best pick-up line which will be announced later in the day."

The "lift of love" will load participants from 2-4 p.m. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m., and is free, but all skiers and riders must have a valid lift ticket. Ticket rates for Saturday are $45 for adults and $30 for juniors or half-day rates starting at 12:30 p.m. are $30 for adults and $25 for juniors. The evening ends with a special après event in the Lostbo Pub, featuring special "love potions" and prizes.

I hate Valentine’s Day, there I said it. I am already filled with dread and it is still days away. Last year all I got was speeding ticket (42 in a 25), so it’s just not my favorite festival. Call it annual disappointment day or too bad you are single day, I find it to be a recipe for failure unless you are a florist or Hallmark. I do not need long stem red roses that are overpriced in February and doomed to die in a few days. Heart shaped chocolate assortments are mostly icky flavors, and other romantic gestures just seem like are result of marketing pressure.

But then I discovered the ultimate Valentine’s gift that would make any skier swoon. No, not diamond bedazzled goggles, but an iconic turquoise blue box from Tiffany’s. Inside the trademark box is your Gold Ski Pass, which looks like an Olympic Silver Medal on a ribbon– except this one is engraved with Tiffany & Co. on the back. Wait, it gets better.

Your Tiffany’s Gold Pass is personalized and gets you free ski privileges at over 250 ski resorts around the country. Imagine showing up at the ticket window wearing your Tiffany medal, which is embossed with the US Ski, Snowboarding and Freeskiing Team logos, requesting your lift ticket. This Gold Pass is a real head turner, and $8,500 of your gift giver’s contribution (the pass costs $10,000) goes to benefit the US ski and snowboard team members.

So yes sweetheart, I would like a Tiffany’s Gold Ski Pass for Valentine’s Day, in lieu of another speeding ticket.

On a list that includes heavy-hitters such as Zermatt, Switzerland, Chamonix, France, and Aspen Colorado, New England proves that it can hold its own.

Two local alpine destinations made it to National Geographic's list of the "World's Best 25 Ski Towns;" North Conway, N.H. and Stowe, Vermont.

On North Conway, author Aaron Teasdale writes:

North Conway may be less well known than many of the towns on this list, but only a few towns in North America can rival its skiing heritage. Tucked into Mount Washington Valley in the White Mountains, some of the first purpose-cut ski runs on the continent and a host of other innovations in grooming, lifts, and ski schools were developed here in the 1930s. North Conway was one of the leading lights in American skiing for decades before Western resorts rose to prominence. Much of that old New England character lives on today in the town of 2,349, where skiing is still tightly woven into the small community's social fabric.

This may have something to do with the fact that there are no less than seven different downhill areas with an easy drive of town (and six Nordic ones). Visitors here will likely focus on three. Cranmore sits two miles from the main village. It's an excellent starting point for families, with its revered ski school and abundant non-skiing activities, including indoor tennis, climbing walls, on-mountain tubing, and a plummeting rail-coaster ride. Attitash, seven miles up the valley, is the biggest of the bunch, with 73 runs and the region's best terrain park. No-frills, expert-friendly Wildcat, a half-hour drive, is the wildest, tallest mountain of the three, with the most vertical and spectacular views of nearby Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. Wildcat and Attitash now share the same owners and feature interchangeable lift tickets, so if the weather is belligerent at Wildcat, which is not uncommon, you can skip 16 miles over to the more sheltered Attitash.

As for Stowe:

The archetypal New England ski village, Stowe is an impossibly quaint town of clapboard houses and steepled churches set in wooded hills at the foot of Vermont's Green Mountains. Main Street and Mountain Road are alive with boutiques and eateries. The larger community harbors more three- and four-star restaurants than any ski town in the Northeast. Partiers take note: Luxury lodging abounds, late-night revelry does not. You come to Stowe to live in a postcard, not a Harold and Kumar movie.

The skiing takes place a 15-minute drive up the road at Stowe Mountain Resort, where high-speed quads and gondolas whisk you up two separate mountains. Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, has plenty to offer adventurous skiers and snowboarders, including the famed "front four" - four double-black diamond runs that are among the most challenging in the East. Spruce Peak, newly connected by a short gondola ride to Mansfield, is the place for beginners, with its ski school and gently arcing blue and green runs. Side- and backcountry skiing from the area is some of the best in the East, including Mount Mansfield's original run, the Bruce Trail, a narrow, twisting, 2,400-foot drop cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s.

Each piece features a local (Tom Eastman for North Conway, Sam Von Trapp for Stowe) dishing out the best spots for dining, lodging, and other activities as well. Can't argue with any of the suggestions. We wish Von Trapp were able to still suggest The Shed, alas, RIP. 

The next time you have trouble getting out of bed to make first chair, complain about a lack of snow, a broken binding, or your kids whining about heading into the lodge for hot chocolate, watch this and re-gain some perspective.

Here's Josh Dueck a paraplegic who broke his back during a skiing accident in 2004. Since then, his dream has been to once again do a flip on snow, a task he accomplished last Friday. Dueck became the first person to perform a backflip on snow in a Sit Ski.

Newsflash – there is good skiing this season in New England

People, we have been over this before. Just because there is no snow in your backyard does not mean the skiing in the mountains is no good. You see, there is this not so modern invention called snowmaking.

Ski areas, particularly those in northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, have mid-winter ski conditions, deep base depths and most of their terrain open for your skiing and riding. Yes, it has been a lean year for natural snowfall, and there have been more rain events than any of us would like, but the skiing at Stowe, Jay Peak, Sugarbush, Bretton Woods and Loon, Sunday River, Saddleback and Sugarloaf (to name a few) are very good having received fresh snow in the past weeks on top of months of snowmaking.

Ironically I have skied three resorts in three states in the past three weeks, and at each the locals have said, “we are like the only resort with snow this season.” I personally love this passion, and protectiveness of their ski mountain above all others, so I do not bother correcting them.

I will however advise that the early bird gets the cord, the freshly groomed snow is really the best. Machine made snow does get firm (ok, even icy) as the day goes on, skiers and riders skid some of the softer snow off the slopes. On the flipside, manmade snow breaks down more slowly than natural, so snowmaking powerhouse resorts with deep snow depths are well set for spring skiing. But don’t wait that long.

Football is game over, it’s February, it’s time to go skiing. Stop looking at the brown ground in your backyard and go to the mountains.

Photo of Stowe by Greg Burke

Here is an interesting fact: ski resort bars, restaurants and condos are equipped with TVs. Here is another reality: the Superbowl doesn’t start until 6 pm on Sunday. One more factoid: the mountains have received fresh snow this week and the weekend forecast is for sun, blue sky, and low human count.

So here is a question: why are you not skiing this weekend? It finally feels like winter; at least the calendar says it is February. The Groundhog seeing his shadow has little meteorological accuracy, Punxsutawney Phil is correct in his prediction about 39% apparently. Despite Punxsutawney’s prediction of only six more weeks of winter, February and March are traditionally the snowiest months in New England for skiers and riders.

I will give the Groundhog a little credit for distracting the media from Gronk’s ankle for a few moments. But his forecasting is just lame, and he is clearly not a fan of skiing.

Skiing on Superbowl weekend does not imply that you are not passionate about football or that you are not a serious fan. Quite the contrary, you can ski in your Pats jersey (not a Giants jersey – unless you are skiing at Hunter Mountain) and show your support publicly on the ski slopes. Sunday, you can ski until 1pm and be home in plenty of time, or better still, stay in ski country for what will be a very un-crowded afternoon on the slopes, then watch the game at some après ski spot. I will be at Stowe enjoying the snow and the game on the big screen at the Hourglass Bar in the lovely slopeside Stowe Mountain lodge. Go skiing. Go Pats.

Photos by Greg Burke

If you are not first, you are last. This is the mantra around my competitive family. It applies to suppertime, and certainly skiing. On a powder day, or a perfect corduroy morning, there is nothing that compares to being on that first chair, looking down at untouched snow, knowing you are about to beat everyone else to the goods. You will get to leave your signature in the snow before the bed heads and the stragglers hit the slopes.

I am hooked on first tracks at Sunday River; it is like having your private ski mountain. I have experienced first tracks in perfect cord, on squeaky talcum powder snow fresh from the Sunday River guns, and last Friday six inches of dry light fluffy snow. The conditions for first tracks are usually the best of the day, and the camaraderie is high quality too. You are in company with others who prioritize skiing, and you get to meet Sunday River management – perhaps even the GM. Dana Bullen is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, and a great skier to boot.

Sunday River charges $25 per person for First Tracks on weekend and holidays, you must have a lift ticket or season pass as well. Once you have signed up at least 24 hours in advance, you get to load the Chondola to North Peak at 7:15am for 45 minutes of privileged skiing, typically on Spruce Peak, prior to the lifts opening to the public at 8am. First Tracks skiers and riders also get a cool sticker for bragging rights, and a coupon for hot cocoa in the lodge. When you take a break at 10am, after ten laps, you see the sea of skiers arrive. You can just imagine they are wondering who tracked up the trails already, while you reflect on your early exclusive runs.

Saddleback has Ski with Management at 7:30am on Sundays, no charge, no sign up, just show up with a valid lift ticket or pass, enjoy freshly groomed or freshly fallen snow, followed by coffee and pastries with your new friends.

Sugarbush has first track cat skiing at Lincoln Peak for $75, up to 12 skiers and snowboarders board the Lincoln Limo snow cat at 7am for private skiing prior to the lifts opening.

First Tracks is like the backstage pass of skiing, you should be an expert or advanced skier or rider to keep up with the enthusiastic group. You will be on the mountain with patrol and usually some major players from ski area management. Of course, you have to drive to the ski resort at dawn, but when you board that first chair and the early sunlight is sparkling off the fresh snow awaiting your ski signature, it’s worth every second stolen from your pillow.

Photos by Greg Burke of Sunday River First Tracks

Over a million skiers and snowboarders were glued to their TVs this weekend, and 70,000 fans were on their feet witnessing the four days of live action at Aspen’s Buttermilk Jan 26-29. The Winter X Games are huge, certainly bigger than ski racing in the U.S. Launching huge tricks and flips in a halfpipe, and sliding down frozen staircases and rails, is apparently more entertaining than chasing sticks down a slippery ski slope.

If you missed the party on snow in Aspen, here are highlights. Shaun White made redheads (like me) and snowboarders everywhere proud when he five-peated his Gold medal performance in Snowboard Superpipe with a perfect score. He launched a double cork 1260 with an injured ankle, impressive or insane; this is why people watch these games.

Norwegian Torstein Horgmo who won Snowboard Big Air last year brought an even bigger triple cork 1440 to this year’s event to earn silver, but Canadian Mark McMorris’ backside triple cork mute 1440 earned Gold.

U.S. Tom Wallisch won the Men's Ski Slopestyle, and David Wise won Skiing Superpipe with a switch double flip, the first American to win this showcase event since Tanner Hall in 2008. Wallisch and Wise were referred to as the old men on the podium at age 24 and 21 respectively. Yes, the Winter X Games is a decidedly young fresh venue where skiers and riders launch crazy twisting inverted flips, with the occasional big crash. The snowmobile double backflip crash by Justin Hover (hover - ironic name) was particularly harrowing.

The most somber moment during this Winter X Games came during a Sarah Burke tribute, just a week after her tragic superpipe ski accident in Park City, Utah. Many of the 200 athletes at the X Games dedicated their performances to Sarah, who was favored to win Gold, with purple ribbons and “I ski for Sarah” stickers. Her Canadian teammate and friend, Roz Groenewoud won the Women’s Ski Superpipe event, and said after her emotional victory lap, “I definitely felt like I had Sarah with me.”

This was the 16th Winter X Games, and more gnarly events continue to be added, like street style inspired ski and snowboard events. Winter X Games first started in 1997 at Big Bear in California. The following two years were held at Crested Butte, Colorado. Then Winter X Games moved east to Mount Snow, Vermont for two seasons. Ever since 2002, the Winter X Games have been held at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado.

If you missed the mayhem, and death defying tricks in Aspen over the weekend, put the 4th Dumont Cup at Sunday River on your calendar March 23-24, 2012 to see top freeskiers compete.

Wouldn't it be grand to have your own ski butler? Hauling your heavy ski gear to the airport, paying extra bag fees to the apathetic attendant who provides zero assurance your skis will arrive at your alpine destination, takes some of the joy out of your ski trip. If your skis do make it, they are typically the last bags loaded off the plane, placed in a remote baggage claim area, like a secret door for golf clubs, strollers and skis. You could instead ship your skis with FedEx, box them up a week in advance, pay big bucks for that tracking number, and repeat the cumbersome packaging at the end of your ski trip.

Wouldn't you rather have your own Jeeves of Skis, a ski butler who delivers freshly tuned, fitted skis upon your arrival at your ski hotel, perhaps even fat powder boards instead of your Eastern shaped carvers?

For about $50 a day, you can have a Ski Butler deliver the skis or snowboard you selected online to your lodging property upon your arrival. In Jackson Hole, my ski butler arrived promptly at 7am, as I had requested, with the exact length of Rossignols I had selected, along with ski poles, from their extensive fleet. My butler quickly adjusted my skis to my boots inside the comfortable lobby, gave me the local ski report, and confirmed the day I would be departing when he would retrieve the skis. Oh, and if I had any issues, my butler was a cell call away to tune or swap out the skis during my trip. This sure beats waiting in line at a rental shop with the rest of the SPORES (code: special people on rental equipment).

Interestingly, Ski Butlers was started by a Sugarloafer in 2004. Bryn Carey of Kingfield, Maine, launched Ski Butlers during his senior year at UNH, where he was captain of the ski team, before moving out west. Carey's fleet has expanded to thousands of skis and snowboards, with butler service at over 30 ski resort in North America: Heavenly and Squaw Valley in California; Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone, Snowmass, Steamboat, Telluride, and Vail in Colorado; Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons in Utah; Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.

Batman had a Butler who set him up with cool gadgets. Don't you want a ski butler who will slide you into top gear? Check out SkiButlers.com for your next ski trip. And "like" Ski Butlers on facebook for your chance to win one of six free pair of skis.

Photos by Greg Burke

I had not skied Loon in years, 17 to be exact. I remember because I was skiing with my daughter in a backpack (that is no longer allowed). Loon keeps popping up in my ski report research, often with the most open ski acreage in New Hampshire, thanks to an investment of over $20 million in the past five years - much of it in snow production.

Loon was still blowing snow on several trails that already had serious base depths last Friday, demonstrating their power of 600 new tower guns (that is not a typo) making quiet, light dry snow. As a bonus, Mother Nature dropped 8-10 inches of fresh snow Friday morning on top of Loon's manmade groomed.

With the addition of South Peak, opened in 2008 after 25 years of planning and permitting, Loon now sprawls across three peaks, offering a variety of runs from the steeps of Flume on North Peak, to classic curvy trails from the centerpiece Gondola - Flying Fox, Picked Rock and Bear Claw, to South Peak's wide, well-pitched new trails.

I had not expected South Peak to be so inviting, six trails of varying steepness, Ripsaw being the gnarliest and Cruiser the most tame. A swift Lincoln Express Quad accesses these long runs at South Peak, and a cozy Pemigewasset Base Camp yurt at the base provides services and a yummy burrito bar. South Peak's terrain is well worth the short but scenic Tote Road transportation quad from Loon's main area, and spreads out skiers and riders on busy days at Loon.

Park rats must love Loon's amped up offerings in recent years, Loon now builds legit terrain parks loaded with features and even a Big Air Bag for soft landings. Loon has also added eight glades to their trail map of 61, the only terrain not yet open this season.

But not everything at Loon has changed. The signature silver gondola remains as a speedy ride to Loon Peak. Angel Street was as steep as I remembered, but it was perfectly coated with fresh snow from Friday's storm and I was among the first down this daunting trail. I was relieved to ski the same great run on Walking Boss with beautiful views of Mount Washington. Loon's lower mountain still offers a dozen ego-pleasing intermediate trails like Rum Runner, Rampasture and Blue Ox.

My recommendation, if you haven't skied Loon in awhile, you should. Sneak away midweek to Loon if you can, stay in one of the many condo properties in Lincoln, or on the slopes at The Mountain Club at Loon. On Sunday afternoons, Loon tickets are only $25 from noon to 4pm (except 2/19). Bring your camera; the surrounding White Mountains beg to be photographed.

Photos by Greg Burke

All is right with the world, and New Englanders in particular have much to smile about. The New England Patriots are going to their seventh Super Bowl. And winter finally arrived in the mountains with last week?s snowstorms, albeit a little late for California, Utah, Colorado and The East.

If the start to the ski season was painful - perhaps even ugly at times, so was the Patriot?s victory over the Ravens. But we New Englanders can be forgetful or at least forgiving, once we are winning. As for skiing, trail counts are up around Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. With the AFC Championship in hand, you can go skiing for the next two weeks without the stress or depression that typically accompanies a January playoff loss and lack of snow. We are stoked and snowy.

Which brings me to an important point; you should be skiing while your Superbowl team is prepping for the February show down in Indianapolis. Superbowl Sunday is notoriously under attended on the ski slopes. February 5 should be a giant ski day, since most people will forgo the slopes with their focus on that evening?s football game.

Go Pats. See you on the slopes.

Photo by Greg Burke

I know everyone has football on the brain for this weekend, but ski season is finally here. Thursday night’s snow in the White Mountains, Maine and northern Vermont dumped almost a foot of snow. Friday morning skiing at Loon was the best of the season, with about 10-inches of soft fluffy snow blanketing the groomed trails for those fortunate skiers.

So the skiing this weekend should be fantastic after groomers have had a chance to smooth out Mother Nature’s gift into perfect corduroy. I predict many people will skip skiing, instead glued to their TVs, or going to the package store to gear up for Sunday’s Pats game. But if you are a core skier, I suggest you can do both, ski and still be ready for Sunday’s kick off against the Ravens at 3pm.

Playoff football is the best possible après ski. With high speed quads, you can have your 10-15 runs, be done by noon and home in time for football. Ordering pizza and putting your Pats jersey on does not take that long. Find a seat on the couch with a beverage in hand and nachos nearby after your own thigh burning work out on the white slopes that morning. Gronkowski and Brady will be taking care of pre-game preparation at Foxboro, so go ski and enjoy the snow, now that fresh powder and the AFC Championships are finally here…

photo by Greg Burke

Despite Dan Shaughnessy's claim today that the "Sox are the only folks having a worse winter than New England ski resorts," the truth is, skiing a riding conditions have improved dramatically over the past 10 days.

Last week's snow was a bounty for the resorts leading up to the long weekend, and last night, a number of spots saw significant accumulation heading into what should be another storm tomorrow.

Here are some of the reported overnight accumulations:

Bolton Valley: 4-6 inches
Smugglers' Notch Resort: 5-6 inches
Stowe Mountain Resort: 5-7 inches
Sugarbush: 4 inches (Currently running on nearly 100 percent of its trails -  or 97.29729 percent as the resort tweeted this morning.)
Attitash: 8 inches
Wildcat: 8 inches
Black Mountain: 9 inches
Cannon: 6 inches
Loon: 6 inches
Cranmore: 6 inches
Sunday River: 8 inches
Sugarloaf: 6-8 inches
Saddleback: 8 inches

Locally, Wachusett saw three inches overnight, and is expecting up to 6 more after tomorrow's storm. Stay tuned on that one, but early forecasts seems to be projecting more of a bounty for southern New England than the mountains to the north.

Not bad, right? Let's just hope there's not an epic season-ending collapse looming down the road - like one team which we won't mention.

Turns out the Hollywood moguls love Wyoming just as much as skiers. Celebs like Harrison Ford, Sandra Bullock, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel like hiding out in Wyoming. Dick Cheney lives here too. The stars are drawn to the same attraction as we are, the postcard-perfect scenery of the Grand Tetons and big mountain skiing, but the cowboy culture of no tolerance for paparazzi has them staying.

We discovered our own heavenly hideaway while skiing Wyoming, it’s called Amangani, and it’s amazing. Arriving at Amangani is like reaching your private hideaway above the spectacular Teton Valley of Jackson. This new west hotel is tucked on a mountainside, perfectly blended into the landscape with low-profile architecture of natural stone and wood. The concierge and management team welcome us by name and whisk us into a grand three-level lobby of soaring redwood, flagstone and glass that frames the beautiful setting. As if on cue, a herd of elk graze outside.

Despite my excitement, I lower my voice in this spa-like atmosphere, as we tour the 40-suite resort. Our spacious suite has all the latest luxuries in an art-deco new meets west motif, plus a private balcony, extravagant bath with slate walk-in shower and soaking tub all framed by floor to ceiling windows to the valley and aforementioned elk.

We put on our fluffy robes and head to the spa for the awesome outdoor heated pool and hot tub with distant views of the ski slopes of Snow King and Jackson Hole.

After a spa soak, it is time for après ski drinks from the Zinc Bar in the expansive lobby with two grand fireplaces. There is also an inviting fireside library stocked with games, DVDs and guidebooks to all the other Aman Resorts. Amangani is one of 19 posh properties spread across 13 countries.

Dinner at Amangani Grill is truly haute cuisine above 6,000’. Native bison, elk, and steelhead trout prepared by a James Beard award-winning chef, served in the dining room with yet another fireplace, fantastic artwork, and more windows on Wyoming.

The next morning, we could take the complimentary shuttle to ski legendary Jackson Hole, just 20-minutes away, where Amangani has an exclusive Ski Lounge for your boots and gear. But after skiing Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee for several days, we decide to ski Snow King Mountain in town. Dating back to 1939, Snow King is Wyoming’s first ski area, and still the steepest ski resort in the country with a real retro feel. A double chair takes you 1,571’ vertical to the summit where you ski 40-degree trails of soft snow, providing sensational views down to the town of Jackson and the Grand Tetons beyond. There are no groomers, blue or green trails, off Snow King’s 7,808’ summit.

Whether you ski, shop the wild west town of Jackson, or roam with the wildlife in the nearby National Parks and Elk Refuge, you know you have Amangani (translation: peaceful home) to retreat to at day’s end.

Wyoming is addictive, it’s hard to leave. I see why so many New Englanders and the Hollywood set have moved here for big mountain skiing, serious snow (it’s snowing heavily as I write this), gorgeous Grand Teton scenery, cowboy culture, no crowds. There are so many reasons you should ski Wyoming.

Photos by Greg Burke

Grand Targhee doesn’t make most skiers’ must-visit list, that’s just one reason this Wyoming ski area is a must. Among others: 500+ inches of snow annually, stunning Grand Teton scenery, a low-key friendly vibe, and one of the best après ski bars I have seen in years.

Grand Targhee is a big small ski resort. Targhee has big mountain skiing on 2,602 acres of wide-open terrain from groomed bowls to powder runs, plus a plethora of steep chutes. But Grand Targhee’s base is a small, humble ski village where you can be one of the lucky few staying in only 100 lodging units. Otherwise the nearest towns of Alta, Wyoming, and Driggs, Idaho, are 12 miles down a curvy access road, where you find more lodging – but we loved the convenient casual atmosphere of staying on mountain.

Grand Targhee is the antithesis of Jackson Hole, just an hour away. Targhee’s three mountain peaks offer everything from long groomed cruisers to moderately pitched bowls, to avalanche chutes. Targhee doesn’t have any fancy hotels, but doesn’t get lines for first lift either, just friendly locals and incredibly soft snow on 2,270’ vertical.

We did laps on the Dreamcatcher high speed quad and the Blackfoot double chair on Fred’s Mountain, admiring the amazing Grand Teton at 13,770’ that dominates the skyline. Next we skied Peaked Mountain’s short but exciting chutes and broad Medicine Bowl served by the Sacajewa Quad. On a powder day at Targhee, a frequency, you can be getting freshies all day. If all that’s not enough, Targhee also has 600 exclusive acres of cat skiing.

Staying on the mountain in the compact village, we could enjoy après ski at Targhee to the fullest. For family activities, there is snow tubing, snow biking on fat tires, snowshoeing, Nordic trails, or just soaking in the outdoor heated salt water pool and hot tub. If your kids are 12 and under, they stay, ski and eat free when you buy an adult ski and stay package for three or more nights. Targhee even organizes game nights and movies for kids during the week, so parents can enjoy The Trap Bar. The Trap is everything you picture in a ski bar, nothing fancy, just fun people dancing in ski boots to live music, a retro setting with a view of the ski slopes.

Dining at Grand Targhee is limited to a few places, but The Branding Iron serves delicious Kobe beef, soups and salads, while the Snorkel makes a serious breakfast burrito. One night, we took Miller’s Sleigh Ride Dinner for an authentic horse drawn sleigh through the snowy forest to a wood fired yurt where cowboy Miller himself served us heaping plates of steak, Wydaho potatoes and homemade scones drizzled with honey butter. For entertainment, Miller tells stories of the rodeo and ranching. I recommend you dress warmly and BYOB, this is no Disney ride - this is the real deal.

After a few days, we felt like family. Grand Targhee is a special place with plentiful snow and super nice people. I should also tell you that you ski free with any North American ski pass when you book three or more nights lodging at Targhee this winter. There are so many reasons why you should ski Grand Targhee. Oh, and it’s snowing there right now…

Photos by Greg Burke

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming is well-branded (cowboy joke) for its butt kicking terrain, garnering #1 for challenging terrain in annual ski surveys. In addition to the 2,500 acres of inbounds terrain, 50% of which is expert, there is another 3,000 accessible backcountry of snowy bowls, steeps chutes and gullies. But there is a softer side to Jackson Hole – specifically the luxurious lodging at the base of the lifts in the swank Teton Village.

Staying at the slopeside Four Seasons Jackson Hole we felt absolutely spoiled. Perhaps it was the ski concierge offering to buckle my ski boots (really!) then placing my skis on the snow for me, or maybe it was the spa attendant keeping our fluffy towels and robes in a warmer while we soaked in the outdoor hot-springs style heated pools with views of the ski slopes.

Yes, the Four Seasons Jackson Hole is first class, five-star and the finest ski hotel in my extensive travels. Our spacious suite had an incredible view of the slopes, at night we could see the groomers’ lights sweeping over the slopes prepping for our first tracks (no excuse not to make first lift when you are a snowball’s toss from the gondola and someone is going to buckle your boots).

The high altitude skiing at Jackson can exhaust an eastern skier, so we indulged in an afternoon off the slopes for a wilderness safari. The Four Seasons Concierge arranged our private tour with the on-staff biologist,Tenley, who toured us around the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park in a Mercedes SUV equipped with Swarovski binoculars for each of us. We saw herds of elk, moose, deer bison, (the bear were hibernating), and bighorn sheep grazing amid the incredible backdrop of the Grand Tetons. Elegant white trumpeter swan bobbed in the Snake River while we snacked on our delicious car picnic created by the Four Seasons chef.

That evening, we stretched out in sumptuous cowhide chairs in the lovely fireside lobby bar, enjoying artfully prepared game on a plate, toasting our good fortune to be back at the Four Seasons at Jackson Hole.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s take on skiing the biggest small ski resort – Grand Targhee.

Photos by Greg Burke

Elk graze along the roads, snow sparkles on The Grand Tetons, and cowboys driving pickups greet us as we arrive in Jackson Hole for our ski week. Why go to Wyoming for skiing, you ask?

First, there is the snow. Wyoming has simply gotten more this season, more than Colorado and Utah and obviously New England. Next, there is the classic cowboy town of Jackson. This Wild West Wyoming hamlet is home to the famous elk arches and some of the best après ski bars.

Our ideal in-town lodging spot for our first night is The White Buffalo Club, 15 minutes from the airport, two minutes to Snow King Ski Area, and twenty to legendary Jackson Hole. Our beautifully appointed suite offers Rocky Mountain décor, an expansive kitchen, and an elegant stone bathroom larger than my first apartment. We walk two blocks to town for our Wyoming fix of bison burgers and western boutiques, beefing up for big skiing the next day.

9am, we are on first tram at Jackson Hole – the unrivaled ski resort renowned for its 4,139’ vertical of steep and deep served by this legendary base to summit lift. Only in Europe do you find comparable aerial lift access and high alpine terrain (Snowbird and Big Sky do come close). Jackson’s Tram opened in 1966 as the ski area’s only lift, that original Tram was replaced in 2008 with a $31 million 100-passenger Tram – the most expensive lift in the U.S. In nine minutes, we are standing atop 10,450’ Rendezvous Mountain with incredible views of The Grand Tetons and steep, ungroomed, unbelievable terrain. Jackson Hole is noted as an expert skiers’ haven, no blue or green trails up here, just the longest continuous vertical runs in the U.S. The snow is crisp, the skies bright blue and clear, but my focus was on each turn down the expansive bowl.

After a head-rushing 4,000’ vertical run off the “Big Red” Tram, we explore more of Jackson Hole,and I am happy to report that there is intermediate groomed terrain on Jackson’s north side, Après Vous, the sunny pleasant Casper lift, and the modern Bridger gondola that whisks you from the base up 2,720’ vertical. Here you will discover a beautiful 9,095’ lodge where you can rest and refuel with a fantastic lunch at Couloir dining on duck, buffalo or bison, with unbeatable views of skiing below and above on Corbet’s Couloir – an insane chute on every extreme skiers’ bucket list.

Jackson Hole lives up to its reputation for big mountain skiing on 2,500 acres plus access to 3,000 backcountry, sizable snow with over 475’ annually, but no big crowds in the wide-open, least populated state of Wyoming.

More about why you should ski Wyoming tomorrow, including the finest ski hotel I have ever encountered, and how you can chase bison and elk, then enjoy them on your dinner plate that evening.

Visit: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Website

Photos by Greg Burke

So those snow dances finally worked. New England ski resorts saw significant snow in the past several days, and winter has arrived with more seasonal temperatures. Can you say brrrr?

The combo of cold temps and real snow has allowed ski resorts to make snow and drop ropes on more trails. Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, Stowe, Smugglers and Jay Peak got over a foot of snow over the weekend. Sunday River and Killington are both skiing on over 400 acres on all peaks. Stowe has 95% of their terrain open, and Loon has 82%, a significant increase since just last week. Even smaller ski areas like King Pine and Pat’s Peak in New Hampshire have managed to open 100% of their terrain.

Yes, it’s cold and blustery, so bundle up, wear lots of layers, and be sure to protect that face from frostbite. But go ski while winter is here.

Photo of Sugarbush skiing by Greg Burke