Spring and Summer Skiing

NEW YORK - Winter is drawing to a close, but there are options for ski junkies who aren't ready to give up the slopes.

If you want to ski this spring, head west, where prices are lower and the slopes are emptier in March and April than January and February.

If you want to ski this summer, head south — way south, to the Southern Hemisphere, where August is prime ski month in Argentina and Chile.

For spring skiing closer to home, consider Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes in California; Park City, Utah, and Breckenridge and Steamboat Springs, Colo. Those are the top five destinations for ski-trip bookings on Orbitz.com for March and April.

All five resorts remain open until Easter, except Steamboat Springs, which is closing this year on April 9. A few, like the Mammoth Lake resorts, and Alpine and Squaw in Lake Tahoe, typically stay open until Memorial Day.

Ski Magazine's March/April issue is also showcasing destinations for spring skiing.

For the best powder, the magazine recommends Alta, Utah. For the best "corn" or granular snow, try California's Kirkwood resort, located about 80 miles from the Renoe/Tahoe airport. And for skiers who like the cold, Big Sky, Mont., doesn't feel all that springlike in April, when the average temperature is 42 degrees.

Looking ahead to summer, jetsetting skiers may want to head down to South America, where the ski season starts June 15 and ends Oct. 1, depending on snowfall.

The Ski.com Web site recommends four South American resorts. In Argentina, consider the "Gran Catedral" ski area near the picturesque town of Bariloche, in Patagonia, and Las Lenas, an all-inclusive resort.

In Chile, check out the Valle Nevado resort in the Andes, and Portillo, which is South America's best-known ski resort, located three hours from Santiago. The classic ski run at Portillo is the nine-mile trip from the well-known local statue of the Christ of the Andes back to the resort.

Ski.com also offers the following advice for South American ski trips. Book five months in advance; avoid July 15-July 30, which is holiday time in South America, when resorts there will be busier than usual; and plan to stay seven days at Las Lenas, Valle Nevado and Portillo resorts, which only accept visitors for weeklong stays with Friday and Saturday arrivals. Portillo prefers weeklong reservations but accepts shorter stays when not fully booked.

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