Florida Folks Want To Come West - To See Some Snow

Q. My husband and I, with our 2-year-old daughter, would like to plan a trip out West for the end of this year or the beginning of 1996, to see snow.

We would like to stay at a ski lodge. We don’t ski, but would like to ride a snowmobile and do other things like that. Could you please let us know of a nice place for the three of us to stay. Also, the best travel time (for airfare expense, etc.) and the best time that we could expect to see snow. - Mrs. D.I., Pompano Beach, Fla.

A. No problem. Spokespersons for some ski resorts tell me that many of their winter vacationers never ski at all.

To illustrate what’s possible, I chose a group of Colorado resorts promoted together as Ski The Summit. Visitors can stay at one and play in all four - Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. Shuttles pick up arriving visitors at Denver’s new International Airport for the 90-mile drive on Interstate 70, and free shuttles connect all the resorts, each about 30 minutes from each other.

Accommodations range from condo apartments to suites and rooms. With a 2-year-old, a condo is your best choice so the child has room to roam and you can fix breakfasts and snacks. Child-care programs are offered for children from 2 months and older.

Each resort is different. Breckenridge, my favorite, is a funky one-time mining town, with pastel Victorian homes and hundreds of cafes, shops and restaurants. Keystone is slick and luxurious, a yuppie enclave with touches like mountaintop gourmet dining at the Alpenglow Stube. Arapahoe Basin is part of Keystone, and Copper Mountain has excellent lodgings.

For non-skiers there are: horsedrawn sleigh rides; expeditions to the nearby gambling casinos of Central City and Black Hawk; factory outlet shopping; hot tubs; ice skating; indoor tennis and swimming; tours of an old gold mine; stagecoach rides; dog sledding; spa treatments, etc.

For information about The Summit resorts, call (800) 999-9510. How long you stay might depend on the sorts of packages they offer.

Or you might check into some travel agencies’ ski packages. Group prices might be better than you can obtain for yourself.