All trails lead to slopes of fun Susan Glaser and Greg Burnett | Ski resorts are ready to roll The Plain Dealer

SEVEN SPRINGS Miles by Slopes Average Terrain Seven Springs’ terrain parks are the best in the East, car from and Skiable Longest Vertical yearly park/ Snow Cross On-site Child Weekend according to one magazine. Cleveland trails Lifts acres run drop snowfall pipe tubing country lodging care lift ticket* Rentals** Alpine Valley $25 adult, A Munson Township 2,000 230 120 Yes/ $35 adult, 30 9 7 72 Yes No No No $21 children, 440-285-2211 feet feet inches No $33 children 6–12 $27 snowboard alpinevalleyohio.com Alpine Valley, in the heart of Northeast Ohio’s snow belt, is an economical choice for first-timers. The resort offers a beginner package for $32, which includes a lesson, rentals and four-hour lift ticket. More-experienced skiers and boarders can look forward to new features in the rail park. Boston Mills/Brandywine $28 adult, B Peninsula 3,530 240 60 Yes/ $41 adult, 20 18 15 85 Yes No No No $23 children, 1-800-875-4241 feet feet inches Yes $36 children 5-12 $28 snowboard bmbw.com These sister resorts in northern Summit County have invested in new equipment in the off-season. Snowboarders in particular may be pleased with the 1,000 new sets of freestyle bindings, which provide more flexibility and responsiveness on the snow. Also new this year: Polar Blast, the snow-tubing park, will be open on Thursday evenings.

Mad River Mountain OHIO $25 adult, C Bellefontaine 3,000 300 36 Yes/ $43 adult, 180 23 12 144 Yes No No No $20 children, 1-800-231-7669 feet feet inches No $31 children 7-12 cutline goes here $29 snowboard skimadriver.com With 144 skiable acres, Mad River Mountain, about 40 miles northwest of Columbus, is Ohio’s largest ski resort. Season-pass holders at Boston Mills/Brandywine can ski here for half-price. New this year: an enlarged Children’s Adventure Place and outdoor deck. Snow Trails $29 adult, BRENT VEVERKA | BOSTON MILLS/ D Mansfield 2,000 300 60 Yes/ $45 adult, 75 16 7 75 Yes No No No $21 children, BRANDYWINE 1-800-644-6754 feet feet inches No $35 children 6-12 $29 snowboard Boston Mills/Brandywine in snowtrails.com Summit County is adding new snowboard equipment Snow Trails, near Mansfield, marks its 50th anniversary this season with a new lodge for its tubing park. The heated facility has restrooms, a snack bar and great this year. views of the tubing chutes. Bristol Mountain $26 adult, E Canandaigua 10,560 1,200 130 Yes/ $58 adult, 280 34 6 160 No Yes Yes Yes $18 children, 585-374-6000 feet feet inches Yes $48 children 8-12 $26 snowboard bristolmountain.com Bristol Mountain, about 45 minutes south of Rochester, offers the longest run and biggest vertical drop in western New York. New this year: Lower North Star, an intermediate slope on the north side of the mountain. Also new: Mountain Match-up, three nights of speed dating while skiing.

Cockaigne $38 adult, $25 adult, F Cherry Creek 3,600 430 275 Yes/ 165 15 4 100 No No Yes No $31 children 12 $21 children, 716-287-3223 feet feet inches Yes and under $30 snowboard cockaigne.com Economical Cockaigne, with among the lowest lift-ticket prices in the region, is an even better deal for families this year: Kids 12 and under ski for half-price with a paying adult; kids 5 and under ski free. Greek Peak $32 adult, G Cortland 6,575 952 122 Yes/ $59 adult, 365 32 8 228 Yes Yes Yes Yes $26 children, 1-800-955-2754 feet feet inches Yes $50 children 7-14 $35 snowboard greekpeak.net Hope Lake Lodge, with 106 units, opened last December at the base of Greek Peak Mountain. The adjacent 41,000-square-foot Cascades Indoor Waterpark offers an 84-degree respite from the cold. Also on-site: two restaurants and Waterfalls Spa.

Holiday Valley Holiday Valley $32 adult, A newbie snowboarder H Ellicottville 4,400 750 180 Yes/ $60 adult, 186 58 13 282 Yes Yes Yes Yes $25 children, shows off her stuff at 1-800-323-0020 feet feet inches Yes $46 children 6-11 $42 snowboard Holiday Valley. holidayvalley.com Holiday Valley, New York’s busiest ski resort, is adding a third high-speed chairlift this year, on the Morning Star slope. The resort is also adding a green trail, Bear Cub, to the south of the SnowPine lift. New last season: The well-appointed Tamarack Club, a slope-side condominium-hotel with a restaurant, spa and pool. HoliMont $47 adult, $28 adult, I Ellicottville 4,000 700 180 Yes/ 186 52 9 140 No Yes No Yes $37 children 6-11 $23 children, 716-699-2320 feet feet inches Yes (weekday rates) $28 snowboard

NEW YORK NEW holimont.com Private HoliMont, which opens its slopes to the public Monday through Friday, broke ground on a $22 million expansion this fall. Dubbed WestMont Ridge, the project includes 93 homes, 72 condos, a new day lodge, several new slopes, a high-speed chairlift, outdoor skating rink and more. Construction is expected to start in the spring. Kissing Bridge $24 adult, J Glenwood 6,000 550 190 Yes/ $55 adult, 190 39 10 255 Yes No No No $19 children, 716-592-4963 feet feet inches No $46 children 6-13 $30 snowboard kbski.com Kissing Bridge is celebrating its 50th birthday this year with a relocated and enlarged Children’s Center. The resort, about 30 miles south of Buffalo, is also expand- ing the kids learn-to-ski slope, which has been renamed Cruisers Corner. Peek’n Peak $30 adult, K Findley Lake 4,100 400 130 Yes/ $56 adult, 130 27 9 105 Yes Yes Yes Yes $24 children, 716-355-4141 feet feet inches Yes $43 children 6-11 $36 snowboard pknpk.com Greater Clevelanders love easy-to-reach Peek’n Peak, just across the Pennsylvania border in western New York. The resort filed for bankruptcy last spring, but visitors shouldn’t notice any changes. The resort is making it more economical to stay overnight, with a midweek Stay-and-Play package that includes lift tickets, Swain Resorts overnight accommodations and a dining credit for $238 per night. Flying through the air Swain at Swain in western New $26 adult, L Swain 5,280 650 130 Yes/ $45 adult, York. 240 30 5 100 Yes No No Yes $16 children, 607-545-6511 feet feet inches No $36 children 8-12 $26 snowboard swain.com Swain, 60 miles south of Rochester, is adding a natural-terrain park this season, with log steps, a wall ride, tree stall and a ski-over lean-to. The resort also recently purchased the Mountain Side Inn, which sleeps up to 40 and offers terrific slope-side views. Also new: cellular phone service on the mountain. Blue Knob $30 adult, M Claysburg 10,560 1,072 135 Yes/ $55 adult, 250 34 4 82 Yes Yes Yes Yes $30 children, 1-800-458-3403 feet feet inches No $45 children 6-12 $42 snowboard blueknob.com Blue Knob, about two hours east of Pittsburgh, is home to Pennsylvania’s longest and steepest runs and is consistently ranked among the region’s best for its challenging ter- rain. New this year: an easy, affordable learn-to-ski program from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday and Sunday. Price is just $55 and includes ski rental, lift ticket and lesson. Hidden Valley $26 adult, N Hidden Valley 6,000 470 160 Yes/ $50 adult, 190 28 8 70 Yes No Yes Yes $26 children, 814-443-8000 feet feet inches Yes $40 children 6-17 $32 snowboard hiddenvalleyresort.com Family-friendly Hidden Valley is making it even easier for beginners with a new, secluded beginners teaching area and conveyor lift. The resort also is introducing the Smart Start program, which aims to shorten the learning curve for first-timers. Also new: additional chutes on the snow-tubing hill.

Seven Springs

PENNSYLVANIA $34 adult, O Champion 6,950 750 105 Yes/ $68 adult, 180 32 15 285 Yes No Yes Yes $29 children, 1-800-452-2223 feet feet inches Yes $52 children 6-11 SEVEN SPRINGS $42 snowboard There’s more than one way 7springs.com down the hill: Try snow- Seven Springs earned top marks this year from Transworld Snowboarding magazine, which named the resort the best in the East for its terrain parks and halfpipe. boarding at Seven Springs The resort’s superpipe last season was massive — 600 feet long, with 18-foot walls — thanks to almost 20 feet of natural snow. this winter. Miles by Slopes Lifts Skiable Longest Vertical Average Terrain Snow Cross On-site Child Weekend Rentals** car from and acres run drop yearly park/ tubing country lodging care lift ticket* Cleveland trails snowfall pipe Miles by Slopes Average Terrain car from and Skiable Longest Vertical yearly park/ Snow Cross On-site Child Weekend Cleveland trails Lifts acres run drop snowfall pipe tubing country lodging care lift ticket* Rentals** Boyne Mountain $57 adult, $38 adult, P Boyne Falls 5,000 500 140 Yes/ 420 60 12 415 Yes Yes Yes Yes $52 children 13-18 $23 children, 1-800-462-6963 feet feet inches Yes boyne.com $46 children 9-12 $38 snowboard The Boyne properties — Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls and Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs — are adding terrain-park features, plus increasing snow-making capacity this season. Also new: Twin Zip rides, a new thrill for fans of zip-lining. Riders race against each other on the Twin Zip, 1,350 feet long at Boyne Highlands and 780 feet at Boyne Mountain. Both resorts also offer traditional zip-lining. Crystal Mountain $49 adult $35 adult, Q Thompsonville 2,640 375 125 Yes/ 392 45 9 86 No Yes Yes Yes $39 children 9-15 $20-$30 1-800-968-7686 feet feet inches Yes 8 and under free children crystalmountain.com Bored with the same old snowy fun? Try paint biathlon at Crystal Mountain, where cross-country skiers and snowshoers can run and shoot on the 1.5-mile course every Sunday and compete in a contest on Sunday, Jan. 8. Also new: a ski/boarder cross course, for daily downhill side-by-side racing.

Nub’s Nob $58 adult, $38 adult, R Harbor Springs 4,620 427 130 Yes/ MICHIGAN 435 53 10 246 No Yes yes Yes $50 teens 13-19, $23 children, 1-800-754-6827 feet feet inches Yes Boyne Mountain $43 children 9-12 $38 snowboard nubsnob.com An unusual way to enjoy the win- Nub’s Nob, a local favorite in northern Michigan, offers a new Race Arena this season, a dedicated slope for aspiring slalom and giant slalom racers. Look for an ter scenery: dog expanded halfpipe and new features in the terrain park, plus new snowmaking and grooming equipment. sledding at Boyne Shanty Creek $55 adult, Highlands in north- $38 adult, S Bellaire 5,280 450 200 Yes/ $45 children 9-17 ern Michigan. 450 52 8 350 Yes Yes Yes Yes $28 children, 1-800-678-4111 feet feet inches Yes $5 children 8 and $38 snowboard shantycreek.com under Shanty Creek, about 30 miles east of Traverse City, is offering what it calls Michigan’s “Most Affordable Lift Ticket”: an $18 pass for the resort’s Summit area (rent- als are another $17). Over on Schuss Mountain, the resort has added three new runs and a new terrain park. Also new: a solar-powered lighted cross country trail. Canaan Valley Resort $28 adult, T Davis 6,000 850 180 Yes/ $50 adult, 280 39 3 91 Yes Yes Yes No $25 children, 1-800-622-4121 feet feet inches No $40 children 6-12 $37 snowboard canaanresort.com Canaan Valley, a West Virginia State Park, is one of just a handful of resorts in the Eastern United States where you can try Airboarding, a high-tech version of sledding. The resort’s Annual Airboard Race is Saturday, Feb. 5. On Wednesdays, buy one lift ticket and get one free.

Snowshoe Mountain $33-$39 adult, U Snowshoe 7,920 1,500 180 Yes/ $75 adult, $29-$35 children 320 60 15 244 Yes Yes Yes Yes 1-877-441-4386 feet feet inches Yes $62 children 6-12 $33-$39 snow- snowshoemtn.com board Snowshoe, in southern West Virginia, is adding a new beginner terrain park, Robertson’s Run, to its Silver Creek area, which brings the resort’s total number of terrain parks to five. Also new at Snowshoe: a buy-one-lesson, get-one-free deal for adults, plus new family dining options.

WEST VIRGINIA WEST Timberline Resort $30 adult, V Davis 10,560 1,000 200 Yes/ $57 adult, 280 37 4 100 No Yes Yes Yes $24 children, 1-800-766-9464 feet feet inches No $37 children 6-12 Canaan Valley $36 snowboard timberlineresort.com Skiers make their way through the white stuff at Canaan Timberline opened a new 20-unit slope-side hotel in January. Look for discounted ski-and-stay packages this season, along with increased glade skiing. Valley in West Virginia.

d Wisp $36 adult, w McHenry, Md. 7,920 700 100 Yes/ $59 adult, 250 32 12 132 Yes Yes Yes Yes $36 children, 301-387-4911 feet feet inches Yes $39 children 6-12 $36 snowboard wispresort.com Nonskiers in your group won’t get bored this winter at Wisp, in far western Maryland. Among the many cold-weather ways to play: outdoor ice skating, snow tubing, snowshoeing, a new canopy tour and the area’s only mountain coaster (open year-round). arylan M

* Prices shown are for the most expensive weekend rate. ** Snowboard rentals for children may be less. SOURCES: The resorts: interviews.