Learn a Snow Sport Month offi­cially kicked off last week with free or dis­counted learn­ing pro­grams offered by alpine ski and snow­board resorts as well as Nordic cen­ters through­out the U.S.

There has never been a bet­ter time to plan an Aspen/Snowmass vaca­tion. Aspen/Snowmass announces spe­cial deals and pro­mo­tions for the 2009–2010 ski/snowboard sea­son, with sav­ings from open­ing day in November through clos­ing day in April.

The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA) is sell­ing a card that allows the holder to ski at 28 dif­fer­ent Michigan ski areas this win­ter for just $189.

Beginning this week, Explore Minnesota Tourism will pub­lish weekly reports on down­hill ski and win­ter trail con­di­tions. These online reports offer enthu­si­asts infor­ma­tion on where the con­di­tions for down­hill and cross-country ski­ing and snow­mo­bil­ing are optimal.

As the weather changes and glimpses of the hol­i­day sea­son begin to appear, cre­ate mem­o­ries that will last a life­time with a win­ter escape to Colorado. Perfectly groomed ski slopes, free lift tick­ets and fun-filled train rides to the North Pole are just a cou­ple rea­sons to plan a win­ter vaca­tion in Colorado. Now through the New Year, trav­el­ers head­ing to this win­ter won­der­land can take advan­tage of a mul­ti­tude of holiday-inspired pack­ages and events. Below are just some of the ways to cel­e­brate the hol­i­days in Colorado this year. For a com­plete list of travel pack­ages, vaca­tion val­ues, itin­er­aries and more, visit www.colorado.com.