At U.S. Ski Resorts, Look for Sweet Deals

Mammoth Mountain, another remote, splendid peak (11,053-foot summit, 3,500 skiable acres) on the east side of the Sierra Range, just became more accessible with the launch of daily one-hour flights via Horizon Air from Los Angeles. Mammoth's lures include $99-per-person, per-night ski-stay packages, offered until Dec. 17, and similar packages at $119, offered Jan. 4-29. Horizon should have one-way service from Los Angeles for $79 to $99 starting Dec. 18. After helping to improve its regional airport, Mammoth hopes to attract flights next year from the San Francisco area and Las Vegas.

Consider also California's Squaw Valley, on the west side of Lake Tahoe. Squaw hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics and offers some of the best expert terrain on earth. Ski-stay offers include an $87-per-person, per-night deal until Dec. 18, with one two-hour group lesson tossed in free; and a similar, $114 deal for three nights or more for a non-holiday, midweek stay.

For those sticking closer to home, don't be daunted if parts of the East Coast lack natural snowfall in the early season. Most resorts here have manufactured snow covering half to all of their terrain.

Shop for deals. Many resorts in the Northeast belt are counting on drive-up traffic from metro areas to remain robust, precluding the need for big discounts. Others choose to be proactive, just in case. There's an array of deals at the Snow Time resorts (Liberty Mountain, Whitetail Resorts and Ski Roundtop) in Pennsylvania. For example, their Advantage Card ($119 for individuals, $199 for families) provides 40 percent savings at all three resorts all day, every day. That means that an adult's one-day lift ticket at, for instance, Ski Liberty that costs $40 to $61 depending on time and length of session, would cost $24 to $36.60.

In New Hampshire, a multi-resort option such as the unlimited "Threedom Pass" for access to Bretton Woods, Mount Cranmore and Waterville sets you back a stiff $799. But if you want to go for just a few days and still score a 20 percent discount on rates, go the Ski New Hampshire Web site (http://www.skinh.com/anywhereanytime.cfm). There you will find day tickets in the $25-and-up range for 12 tickets or more. Once purchased, you can share the tickets with family and friends.

Killington in Vermont has a marvelous new deal. Buy an Express Card for $24. Then ski right to the lift line and have the card scanned, and your credit card will be charged for the day at $10 off the regular $82 day rate on Saturdays and holidays, and $20 off the $77 midweek price.

Here's a bottom line for winter sports this season. If you feel like a skittish consumer, shift gears. Become a smart consumer. Shop like you mean it.