A<$z$>nxious about the amount of snow at an area you favour for winter sports? Worried there might not be enough? A recent media kit from California's Squaw Valley recalled the past winter as one of the snowiest in its history — 628 inches!Yes, there is such a thing as too much snow, a point where it's actually difficult for cars, planes and trains to get there. However, it's certainly more interesting than the alternative.

I once regularly skied an area in far northern Michigan up near Lake Superior where snowfall was so heavy, entry to homes was sometimes made through second floor windows. Local snowploughs were so gigantic they looked like they'd done service in the Arctic.

Following the philosophy of Squaw Valley's famed founder, Alex Cushing who died this summer at the age of 92, the resort is determined to "refrain from expansion beyond the natural impact".

Sounds good to this outdoor enthusiast. Their 4,000 acres, which hosted a Winter Olympics, boasts more than 170 trails, six peaks and 12 open bowls.

The beauty of Lake Tahoe and the High Sierras are heady inducements and we've been drawn back to the area a number of times. We found their suite accommodations exceptionally comfortable, with oversized picture windows looking out over panoramic views.

Bigger and better gondolas are in the news everywhere from Stowe, Vermont to Aspen and Snowmass. Stowe, anxious to compete with prestige western slopes, plans to invest $400 million over ten years. See www.stowe.com.

Aspen's new six passenger gondola cabins will offer distracting 360 degree panoramas, while Snowmass's eight passenger gondolas take only seven and a half minutes to go up 1,400 vertical feet. They'll also be offering back country 'Out of Bounds' skiing, which seems to be the latest trendy "in" thing.

Park City, Utah's Deer Valley — always one of the big spenders when it comes to maintaining high standards — is not about to disappoint fans. It was rated the number one ski resort in North America by the readers of Ski Magazine again last year.

Back when this journalist had more time to handle such assignments, being a regular correspondent for Ski Magazine taught me how intensely a resort is judged before receiving that distinction.

International attention will focus there when another FIS Freestyle World Cup is scheduled between January 11-13, 2007. Just 36 miles from Salt Lake City, it made headlines during the 2002 Winter Olympics and continues to enhance its offerings.

There are three very distinctive and different slopes to try here, and guests have the option of buying special lift tickets offering an opportunity to ski all of them on different days. There's also a wide diversity of places to stay, dine, shop — all the things a skier looks for. See www.DeerValley.com.

Comparatively new as headline ski resorts go, Deer Valley was created by skiers for skiers in 1981. It covers more than 1,800 acres and its 91 trails are mostly north-facing slopes.

But with many non-skiers showing ever more interest in savouring winter mountain vacations, there's growing emphasis on other activities as well.

Time was that was mainly limited to ice-skating and horse-drawn sleigh rides.

Now snowmobiling is growing in popularity among Deer Valley guests. It's offered at nearby Garff Ranch where they've just purchased 50 brand new Ski-Doo snowmobiles to replace their fleet. Snowcats groom ranch trails all winter, in an effort to keep them in prime condition.

This access to over 7,000 acres of open lands for snowmobiling, with great mountain views, becomes more popular each year.

The year 2010 may sound a far piece down the road. But British Columbia is proceeding full speed ahead with plans for that year's winter Olympics. Set for Vancouver and Whistler, some winter sports enthusiasts are anxious to get a preview of what's ahead.

A super scenic setting, Whistler has 30 lifts and more than 200 trails stretched out over some 8,000 acres. The adventurous converge there year-around for such extreme challenges as summer high country heli-skiing, even taking to glaciers to pursue that sport.

But don't be deterred by its acclaim by experts. There's plenty to attract beginners and intermediate skiers who like to be among those attracted to "in" places.

Whistler (www.tourismWhistler.com) is a two-hour drive from downtown Vancouver via rented car, airport shuttle, plane or train. The road is in process of being widened for the Olympics so delays are possible.

With one of the most dramatic locations in North America, Vancouver is a rare place where you can enjoy the city's attractions in the morning, and be skiing the slopes of nearby Grouse Mountain after lunch.

Practically within sight of Canada is Montana's Big Mountain Ski Area at Whitefish. It sits atop a more controlled kind of resort development than Telluride's excessive Mountain Village, offering some of that state's most acclaimed skiing.

On my only ski trip there, the challenging cross country possibilities held special appeal, as well as the downhill slopes. A ten mile trail network spreads out from its Nordic Centre. Now after reaching it on an encore Amtrak trip via the Empire Builder, I'm reminded of how much fun it was to originally get there via train.

For those who have time and really want to unwind and relax, consider making it a ski train adventure. In my college days, that was the most popular way to get to the slopes, and it's an experience that bears repeating.

Big Mountain averages around 300 inches of snow annually with plenty of lifts, including high speed quads and more than eight trails. Elevation at its summit is 7,000 feet, vertical drop 2,300 hundred feet. There are even lights for night skiing (www.bigmtn.com.)

For something truly out of the ordinary there's cross-country skiing in nearby Glacier National Park. Although heavy snows close most roads through the park interior, it's possible to enjoy the tranquillity of this snowbound wonderland via skis or snowshoes.

There's a special, haunting beauty exploring such a pristine wilderness surrounded by solitude. But don't ever venture out on such expeditions alone. Although you don't expect complications, there's safety in numbers if any problems, injury or accident occurs.

Some of the places we've talked about here may sound a bit off trail but the extra effort expanded getting there is well worth the effort. Aren't you looking for something out of the ordinary, a world apart that fulfils your dream of a skitopia?

But you needn't go to the ends of the earth to find them. Sometimes there're just a long weekend away. Would it surprise you to learn that over four million skiers and snowboarders found their way to Vermont last year? It's in third place so far as US ski destinations are concerned, trailing Colorado and California.

Helping put it on that list are destinations like Stratton, Mount Snow, Killington, Smugglers' Notch and Sugarbush. Stratton and Mount Snow are the most convenient to those coming from New York.

Ski Magazine and Transworld Snowboarding Magazine rated its terrain tops in the east. For the 22nd consecutive year, it will once again host the US Open Snowboarding Championships www.stratton.com.

Smugglers' Notch, a name that alone is enough to attract one's attention, boasts northern Vermont's longest, highest vertical at 2,610 feet. It's been around for 50 years and has big birthday plans for celebrating that anniversary in 2007.

With such early snowfall, this has the promise of a wonderful winter sports season.

It's downhill from here