Thursday Thirteen #2

Here I am, smack-dab in the middle of the East Coast. This is a place where we have SEASONS...you know...winter, spring, summer and fall??? Well, today's high will be 70°F, and they're expecting these temps to continue until the middle of next week. Those of you who are freezing your butts off might ask "Why is she complaining?" My answer would be a very simple "I WANT SOME SNOW!!!!!" And we all know it ain't gonna snow when it's 70 degress outside, right? So, to make me feel better (and stop whining - right?), my Thursday Thirteen is a list of places I've snow-skied in the U.S. If that won't make me think of snow, nothing will.

1. Massanutten, Virgina - the first place I ever skiied (NO, I didn't use wooden skis...). Some prefer to call it "Massa-nuthin", but for those of us who can't head up north or out west at the drop of a hat, it rocks.

2. Wintergreen, Virginia - OK, so they sometimes have to make snow there, but I can jump in my car and be there in about 2 hours. The have a great black diamond (would probably be a "blue" out west) called "The Highlands".

4. Snowshoe, West Virginia - terrific natural snow and wonderful runs and trails. You can hear John Denver singing in your ears as you swoosh down piste. They also have some bodacious tubing here for the non-skiers.

5. Park City West, Utah (now called "The Canyons") - a sweet little mountain next to huge Park City Resort where I saw my first snowboarder.

6. Park City, Utah - the home of the U.S. Ski Team. Awesome long runs and beautiful terrain. The Sundance Film Festival is held here every year.

7. Deer Valley, Utah - the valets come up to your car when you pull up, take your skis off the rack, and carry them to the slope for you. Fabulous houses are built along the slopes, and the food is to die for.

8. Copper Mountain, Colorado - tough, tough terrain. The hardest skiing I ever experienced.

9. Keystone, Colorado - fabulous bowl skiing, and they have a spot at the bottom of one of the slopes for sunbathing.

10. Beaver Creek, Colorado - another great Colorado ski resort. They have a quaint little store near the resort called "Beaver Liquor" (I'll show you my T-shirt sometime!).

11. Vail, Colorado - THE BOWLS, THE BOWLS, THE BOWLS. Huge resort, so much to do and see, and unparalled skiing. There's a huge restaurant at the bottom of one of the black diamond slopes where everyone rates the best falls down the hill (kinda sick, huh?).

12. Aspen, Colorado - tough terrain, but great for people watching (I sat next to Michael Keaton at a bar there).

13. Snowmass, Colorado - my A-#1, top favorite ski resort of all time. The most beautiful scenery anywhere, and in the early morning, you can follow the snow cats down the slopes during their grooming sessions. I think I did some of my best skiing ever at this wonderful place.

So...Happy Thursday, everyone...THINK SNOW!!!!!