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Spring skiing offers some of the best conditions for enthusiasts of all ability levels.

Travelocity Highlights 2007 Spring Skiing Trends

Travelocity editors, including the newest contributing editor and ski guru Larry Olmsted, have carved, dug and traversed tirelessly to uncover the latest trends in 2007 spring skiing. Although skiing is universally considered a "Winter Sport," some of the savviest travelers don't even hit the slopes until spring has sprung.

"What many may not realize is that springtime offers some of the best ski conditions across the board, including warm and sunny climates, cheaper travel deals and plenty of deep powder," said Larry Olmsted, Travelocity contributing editor. "You don't need to suffer to enjoy sliding on snow."

Travelocity editors have compiled a list of this year's top spring skiing destinations, latest trends, and best locations to carve through the slopes.

Spring Break 2007 (Feb. 23 - March 26) Top Ski Destinations:

1. Denver
2. Salt Lake City
3. Reno
4. Vail Eagle
5. Steamboat Springs
6. Vancouver, BC
7. Jackson
8. Bozeman
9. Montrose
10. Calgary

2007 Spring Skiing Trends and Tricks of the Trade:

For the Extreme Skier: Ski resorts have been turning it up a notch and now offer skiers a new variety of 'extreme options'. The trend started with Wyoming's Jackson Hole which offers guided, controlled backcountry tours and lessons. A must for all extreme skiers, these backcountry tours include a safety lesson, loaner avalanche transceivers and probes, and lift access to areas previously only available to skiers by hiking.

Cat skiing, which typically involves machines used to smooth ski runs throughout resorts, is the newest way for skiers to reach the unreachable. In Colorado, Keystone and Copper recently began using cats like lifts. Keystone sells one-ride snow-cat shuttles to its high-altitude North and South Bowls for just $5 a ride, offering access to untracked, in-bounds backcountry-style skiing in Bergman and Erickson bowls. Just down the road, Copper offers skiers a free cat shuttle to the top of Tucker Mountain, with more than 1,200 vertical feet of the resort's most challenging terrain.

For the Intermediate Skier: Ski popularity began to wane in the 80s and 90s primarily because it's such a difficult sport to master. It took decades, but skiing finally took a page from golf's recent history and mastered the art of clinics, lessons and ski camps through their immersion ski school approach. Now, skiers are invited to take multi-day courses in an organized program with the same instructor.

Many of these programs and specialty camps are all-inclusive combining luxurious lodging, fine dining, parties and the best equipment. Due to their growing popularity, specialty sessions are now offered in steep skiing camps, mogul clinics and women's clinics, while offering the same for snowboarding or tele skiing. Many clinics are taught by former Olympians or World Cup Racers, from the Mahre brothers at Deer Valley to Tommy Moe in Jackson.

For the Beginning Skier: Many ski resorts offer unbeatable ski-in/ski-out access to the slopes through on-site villages, which make it easy on beginners. Recent upgrades to these all-inclusive villages and accommodations include pedestrian access to food, shopping and entertainment via gondolas or plaza style walkways.

Travelocity's Top 3 Reasons to Ski Spring 2007:

Warm and Sunny: Jackson Hole is known for its frigid conditions in January and February, but things really heat up in April. Temperatures range from 40 to 50 degrees during the spring months on this warm mountain.
More Snow: Many regions, like central Colorado and the Sierras, statistically get more snow in March than any other month. If there is one thing snowboarders and skiers can agree on, it's the more snow the better.
More Bang for the Buck: In January and February, many ski resorts drop prices on lift tickets, lodging and even airfares for March and April. And, if you know where to look, there's good skiing to be had almost into summer.

Where to Find the Best Snow This Year Last Minute:

Whistler, British Columbia in 2007 are experiencing record snowfalls.
Lake Tahoe, California offers a dozen or so resorts, some of which average nearly 60 feet of snow annually. Top snow resorts - Heavenly, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and Kirkwood.
Colorado's Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin usually close in the late spring months because they run out of skiers before snow.
Mt. Bachelor, Oregon goes into July on average years and is already having a snowfall stunner this year.
The Park City, Utah region, including nearby Alta and Snowbird, often remains open until mid-May thanks to 500 average inches of its famed "champagne powder" each.

To read the complete article, visit Travelocity

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Travelocity Highlights 2007 Spring Skiing Trends

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