Get ready for ski season

EARLY SKI DEALS FROM SKI.COM

DENVER — Skiing is not exactly a budget form of recreation. But there are deals to be had, especially if you book now, before the snow falls, for later in the season.

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Park City Mountain Resort

The slopes are calling skiers to take advantage of early deals.

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The following packages for winter, available at Ski.com, are all about adding value to your trip by getting extra nights and other freebies:

• Cliff Lodge & Spa, Snowbird, Utah, offering seven nights with two nights free, and a six-day lift ticket from $1,534 a person (double occupancy), available Jan. 4-Feb. 4. Book at Ski.com by Oct. 24; package code 8785.

• Hotel Terra in Jackson Hole, Wyo., a new “green” hotel offering a fourth free night and a $50 spa credit, available Jan. 12-Jan. 31 (blackout dates Jan. 22-24). Package is $660 a person, based on double occupancy, and includes three-day lift tickets. Book by Nov. 15; package code 8793 on Ski.com.

• Independence Square Lodge, Aspen, Colo., offering five nights in a studio (fifth night free for Sunday arrivals), four-day lift tickets (fourth day free) from $538 a person (double occupancy), available Nov. 27-Dec. 12. Book by Nov. 14; package code 8522.

• Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada, offering five nights in a junior suite (fifth night free) and a four-day discounted lift ticket from $706 a person (double occupancy), available Nov. 21-Dec. 19. Book by Nov. 15; package code 8596.

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE RANKS TOP SKI RESORTS

NEW YORK — If you’re a powderhound gearing up for ski season, compare your favorite slopes with this list from Outside magazine’s November issue.

The magazine ranked the 15 best ski-and-snowboard destinations in North America based on snow quality and terrain.

Utah topped the list with Alta and Snowbird in first place, followed by Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; and Vail, Colo.

Jackson Hole, Wyo., took the No. 4 spot, with Snowbasin, Utah; Fernie Alpine Resort, British Columbia; and Silverton Mountain in Colorado next.

In eighth place were Colorado’s Aspen Highlands and Snowmass resorts, then Squaw Valley in California and Steamboat in Colorado.

The final five on the top 15 list were Mammoth in California; Telluride, Colo.; Solitude in Utah; Alyeska Resort in Alaska; and Taos, N.M.

FAKE SNOW AT LOVELAND, ARAPAHOE

GEORGETOWN, Colo. — Skiers take note: The snow is starting to fly, even if it is manmade.

Loveland Ski Area (an hour from Denver) fired up its snow guns Sept. 23 with a goal of opening the season in October.

The Rocky Mountains have already been dusted by natural snow, but Loveland crews had been waiting for colder nighttime temperatures and the right humidity to begin making more.

Nearby Arapahoe Basin Ski Area also started with machine-made snow. A-Basin opened for the season last year on Oct. 10, making it the earliest resort to open in the nation for two straight years.

— Associated Press reports