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Features
Not sure how to use those carry over sick days? Here are eight great resorts, both East and West, offering the best in all that spring skiing has to offer. BACK EASTKillington ResortKillington, VT
Spring Fling: 7th Annual Pond Skimming &2nd Annual Special Olympics Penguin Plunge takes place on April 26th. Whoever can skim and surf the furthest across the pond wins, but there are a lot of other categories for those who have been drinking a few too many stouts this winter.
Sugarbush Resort Big Deal: The rest of the year, ski for $159. They expect to be open till the 4th of May, so enjoy the month of April at The ’Bush. Spring Fling: The Mutha Hucka Freestyle Spring Jam is on April 13th. Lots of big air competition action, freestyle pros and a fair share of wipeouts in the Adrenaline Zone Terrain Park. Entry fee is only $15...how can you go wrong?
Sugarloaf/USA Carrabassett Valley, ME Rundown: When most New Englanders think spring skiing, they think The ‘Loaf. When you’re here, you’ve got the second highest peak in the state, the only place servicing above tree line in the East, and the most continuous vertical in New England! Still not impressed? How about over 10% of this place is made up of glades? Now that’s got to get you up here. They’ve also managed to make a major resort feel less corporate. There’s only one base lodge, you can ski more or less where you want, and in the spring, they keep the snow on the mountain with over 90% snowmaking capacity. Sure it’s a hike to get there, but then you only benefit from shorter lines. Big Deal: Instead of the blanket pass that gets you up there, but may not have the snow, Sugarloaf offers lift tickets for $29 from April 7th - 11th and April 14th - 20th.Spring Fling: The 15 Annual Budweiser Reggae Fest is being held April 10 through the 13th. Lots of ski/stay packages available, or if you just want to Fire On The Mountain during the day, see the deals that coincide above.
Sunday River  Rundown: Mottos and claims to fame are rampant in the ski industry, but when you avoid the glitz and glamour, and just go for the slogan "most dependable snow in New England", you’ve got to have some great old school skiing. Well, they certainly do. And throw in the best outdoor fire pit on the edge of Bumps Pub, and you’ve got the ultimate East coast spring getaway. If you want to really earn those beers, Sunday River has not only 40% expert terrain, but 17% of the mountain is made up of double blacks which includes the famous bumps of White Heat. Total vertical here is over 2300 feet, so speed is never an issue. Unless you don’t want speed, you want jibbin’...well then The River has 4 world class terrain parks to keep you entertained through May.Big Deal: How does a mountain rub it in the face of those other places that can’t stay open late season? How about this deal. For the rest of the year, get a $29 lift ticket when you show your season pass from a resort that has closed for the season. Not bad huh? Spring Fling: If you missed the excitement of Sunday River’s annual Parrothead weekend, don’t worry...on May 1st, to celebrate the year gone by, and to say thanks for another good year...everyone skis for free. There may not be as many drunk Buffet fans on the slopes, but it won’t cost you a dime to sing "Cheeseburger in Paradise" from the lift.
OUT WESTArapahoe Basin Ski AreaKeystone, CO Rundown: A-Basin, located less than 70 miles West of Denver, is a spring skiers paradise. With a summit elevation of over 13,000 feet, the highest skiable terrain in North America, you can be sure you’ll have snow late into the year, but don’t equate the elevation with bitter cold. The sun is a common sight, keeping the snow soft, the temps high, and "the beach", the muddy parking lot, stocked with revelers. Annual snowfall here is around 30 feet, so don’t worry about those nasty bare spots like you scrape over at most other mountains. Looking for adrenaline before hitting the lodge? Close to half the place is intermediate or expert, and we’re talking Colorado intermediate, not New Hampshire, so pack a couple power bars. Big Deal: The Bonus Pass gives you unlimited usage at A-Basin for the remainder of the 2002-03 season as well as the 2003-04 season, plus five non-transferable lift tickets valid any day of the 2003-04 ski season at Keystone or Breckenridge. One of those tickets can even be used at Vail or Beaver Creek. Think you might ski four times next year? Well, you get all this for $219.Spring Fling: May 24th is the Memorial Weekend Beach Party &2nd Annual Festival of the Brewpubs. Live music, microbeer "samplings" and of course, plenty of skiing.
Mammoth Mountain  Rundown: You can be pretty sure that any mountain that brags about having 300 sunny days a year will certainly have good spring skiing. And where else could you find such a stat than the LA area. Tucked in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (mmmm, Sierra Nevada), Mammoth is an easy weekend stop for any spring getaway, from Vegas to San Diego. Open till mid-July some years, this place is a great spot for late-late season riding. I say riding, ‘cause Mammoth’s four terrain parks are ranked top in the US, and they showcase the typical half pipes, but also boast a legendary 22 foot quarter pipe. Bring your best pair of Oakley’s and your favorite hoodie...chances are they are filming a movie here, it’s featured in quite a few.Big Deal: The Value Pass. It won’t cut you a deal this spring, but if you like what you ski, for $399 you can have the place all year long next season. Ski 7 days and it’s paid for, but the real deal here is in the upgrade. For another $130 (hey it’s California), you get the bike pass as well. These are limited, so don’t wait till summer. Spring Fling: The West Coast Invitational is the first weekend in May. The three-day event features concerts, contests, parties, and tons of weekend packages.
Squaw Valley USA Olympic Valley, CA Rundown: Squaw claims to be the North America’s spring skiing capital, and with a base depth over 11 feet combined with a years snowfall that topped 25 feet, it’s hard to argue with them. Just 40 or so miles from Reno for you slot monkeys, and under 200 from San Fran for you Bay area skiers, Squaw offers the best of the West. Made up of wide open bowls stretching over six peaks and 4000 acres, the trail map is a little to big for the average screen saver. Although a great deal of Squaw is geared for intermediates and beginners, you won’t have a hard time finding plenty of hairy terrain, steep chutes or glade skiing either. It’s everywhere, and anywhere. Wide open spaces don’t mean casual rides, it just means less direct contact with tourists. Big Deal: Buy next years seasons pass, and get the rest of this year included for free. Now we’re still talking a good chunk of change, in the ballpark of $1200 for the weekend pass, but at least next year, you’ve already gotten one bill out of the way.Spring Fling: Spring Jam 6 is being held on April 12th and 13th this year. Packed full of on-mountain competitions, you also get plenty of music and "the biggest high-altitude pool party you've ever seen."
Whistler Blackcomb Big Deal: The Spring Steal as they like to call it will get you a couple days on the mountain and in a slope side condo for around $200. If you’ve got time to burn, remember, you’re in Vancouver so you’ve got more than time to burn, there are 5 day steals too. Spring Fling: The Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival is the ultimate music/ski event, and it’s being held April 11th through the 20th. It’s a full ten days and nights of competitions, shows, vendors and the festivities.
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Most people equate the coming of spring as the ultimate sign that they’ve survived yet another long and dreary winter. Finally, the chance to come out of hibernation, crack open the windows, and put the boots and hats away for another year. Time to enjoy the spring rays, and anticipate the coming of another endless summer. Sure, that’s what "most" people are saying...but certainly not skiers and riders with a passion for softer snow, shorter lift lines and cheaper drink specials out on the snow deck. That’s right, it’s not the end of winter, it’s the beginning of spring ski season; and with the amount of snow many places got this year (Killington got dumped with over 2 feet just last week), resorts are looking to run the lifts right through June!
Rundown: It’s common knowledge that this winter was unusually great in the East, but not everywhere got the dumps that the midsections of New England received. Sure it’s only Exit 1 off 89, but that didn’t stop the seven peaks of Killington from getting 24 feet of snow this year! That may still not look like much to those West coasters, but typical snowfall here is only 15 feet...that’s a 100 inches less than this year, and we ain’t done yet. Winter winds don’t effect Killington skiers, ’cause you can stay warm all day inside the two heated gondolas, but now that spring is here, there are around 30 other ways to bask in the sun as you head up the mountain.
