It's All About Your Altitude

We almost spoke too soon. Here we were, ready to complain about another powder-free Springfield winter, when Old Man Winter blindsides us like the nasty son of a bitch he is. That said, it's nearly impossible to do anything other than sled or sling snowballs around here-snowboards and skis just don't have the same zip in the Great Plains. For that kind of action, you'll have to travel a bit.

Diana Wray, a travel agent with Great Southern Travel in Springfield, says there are still opportunities to put a package together to the destination of your choice. Here are five (ahem) high points.

Aspen
"I'm talkin' about a place where the beer flows like wine." Okay, so Dumb and Dumber was actually filmed in Breckenridge, but for a truly upscale getaway on the slopes, Aspen really is the place to be. (No word on whether the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.)

Aspen Mountain, also known as Ajax, lets you ski right into the heart of town, but it's not considered a good mountain for beginners. Aspen Highlands has trails to suit a broader range of abilities, with slope angles as steep as 48 degrees and numerous expert-only areas, but also beginners' courses approximately halfway up the mountain. Finally, Buttermik Mountain is distinctive for two reasons: It's the home of ESPN's Winter X Games through 2010, and it's renowned for its beginner-friendliness.

Vail
Vail is the most popular skiing destination among people from Springfield, says Wray. Located about 90 minutes west of Denver on Interstate 70, the town of 4,500 people has long been the X marked on the Colorado map when it comes to ski trips.

From the moment you step off the plane, one piece of scenery dominates your view: Vail Mountain. There are more than 200 trails waiting for you to ski down, divided by region: the Front Side, the Back Bowls and the Blue Sky Basin. You can go to Vail's official website, vail.snow.com, to download an up-to-date map of this year's trails.
 
What's more, Vail knows how to party. Matt O'Reilly, owner of Dynamic Earth Outfitters on South Fremont Avenue, is a frequent visitor to Colorado. He says Vail's nightlife is by far the best of any he's seen among the resort towns. The place to be, he says, is Bridge Street in central Vail, where restaurants and bars such as The Tap Room and Sanctuary (970-479-0500, taproomvail.com) fill with visitors once the slopes close.

Breckenridge
Found in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Wray says Breckenridge offers the steep slopes experienced downhillers crave. (Peak 7 reaches a maximum slope of 45 degress, for example.) Greg Mustain, who owns the Ski Shack on South Campbell Avenue and is a Colorado native, agrees, adding that the ski school at the base of the mountain will help you pick up any missing tools necessary to hit the most difficult trails.

Breckenridge has four snow-packed peaks for just that. Known simply as Peaks 7 through 10, the four points jutting upward on Breckenridge Mountain are considered challenging-even by locals. To test your reflexes, there are rocks to jump and lots of trees to avoid. If you can handle the trip back down, though, the view of the Rocky Mountains from Horseshoe Bowl or Imperial Bowl on Peak 8 are absolutely breathtaking.

Whistler, Canada
Whistler (which, along with Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Olympics) and Blackcomb mountains are a haven for experienced skiers and snowboarders and consistently rank among the top five ski resorts in North America in magazines such as Ski, Skiing, Powder and Transworld Snowboarding. Their reputation comes with good reason: Each of the two mountains is more than 5,000 feet tall and has downhill runs as long as seven miles, more than 100 trails on each mountain and pipes for snowboarders. If starting your downhill run from the ground isn't exciting enough, Whistler Heli-Skiing will let you jump out the doors of its Huey helicopter almost anywhere in the more than 500,000 acres of land it can fly you to. Package prices start at $695 per person (so start saving).

Taos, New Mexico
Say the words New Mexico, and one's first thought usually turns to cacti, A-bomb tests and stretches of arrow-straight highway. Taos just might stand as the opposite of that vision. Located about an hour from the Colorado border in north central New Mexico, Taos is perched in the region's Sangre de Cristo Mountains, more than 300 inches of glistening white powder blanket the land each year. If you're thinking of taking your snowboard to Taos, however, forget about it. The town is one of the few remaining resorts in North America that does not allow snowboarding on its slopes.

For ridiculously detailed travel information (including airline, lodging and dining suggestions) check out the December issue of 417 Magazine or go to 417mag.com.