Spring forward

When ski reports read like 1990s stock reports – 300 inches of snowfall and rising – it’s time to book a spring ski vacation. And since most Western ski resorts have the biggest piles of snow they’ve experienced in a decade, they guarantee a long spring of riding and sliding.

There are $29 lift tickets at Sun Valley for collegiate types, 25 percent off lodging at Deer Valley for the Bogner-suit set, and 25 percent off luxury rooms at Big Sky’s Summit Hotel for the steep-slope skiers.

Deal makers at Whitefish Mountain Resort are offering creative lift-and-lodging packages for stays through the last day of skiing on what was formerly called The Big Mountain.

In this 60th anniversary year for the resort, the lodging crew created “60 Days That You Can’t Pass Up,” with $60 lift and lodging packages.

Here’s the deal: Anytime between now and the April 6 closing date, skiers and riders get in a day of skiing, a soak in a hot tub, a warm bed in the Hibernation House on the mountain, and a hot breakfast for $60.

The rate is per person, per night, valid for stays of at least two consecutive nights and based on double occupancy.

Other Ski Whitefish Getaways vary from the elegant and historic Garden Wall Inn to lakeside luxury condos and a bit of everything in between.

The Garden Wall Inn package includes four nights’ lodging for two people at the historic home in downtown Whitefish; two-day lift tickets for each person; full gourmet breakfasts each morning prepared by chef-owners Rhonda Fitzgerald and Chris Schustrom; and afternoon hors d’oeuvres in front of the log fire.

The free skier shuttle stops just one small-town block from the inn. Apres skiing includes two complimentary, one-day passes to The WAVE (Whitefish’s state-of-the-art aquatic and fitness center).

All of this skiing and eating is $369 per person, based on double occupancy; three-day pricing also is available.

For skiers interested in arriving by rail, Amtrak offers a 50-percent-off companion fare with the purchase of a full-fare ticket through the end of April. The coupon is available for the Empire Builder through bookings with the Garden Wall Inn ( www.gardenwallinn.com, 888-530-1700). Two Amtrak blackout days apply: March 21 and 24.

The Lodge at Whitefish Lake offers lakeshore rooms, mountain views and superb spring deals for skiers at $119 per night in deluxe accommodations.

The deal includes lift tickets and transportation to and from the ski resort for $119 per person per day based on two-night minimum stay and double occupancy. The offer, which is good through April 6, does not include taxes and fees.

For other Lodge at Whitefish spring deals, call (877) 887-4026 or visit www.lodgeatwhitefishlake.com.

The Web site www.explorewhitefish.com touts updated packages and links to an extended list of lodging options in the area.

For activities, ski reports and general information on Whitefish Mountain Resort, call (800) 858-4152 or visit www.skiwhitefish.com.

Big Sky Resort

Neighbors to the south, Big Sky Resort offers several lift and lodging packages for those on spring break who will relish the substantial snow coverage off the Lone Peak Tram, the Bavarian Forest, the three terrain parks among 20 lifts, 3,812 acres and spring corn.

The luxury Summit Hotel offers 25 percent off a studio or hotel room with two queen beds; a five-night minimum applies. The Summit also offers the same-size room for $280 a night with a three-night minimum through the end of the season, April 13.

Big Horn Condominium specials include a fourth night free in the three-bedroom condos through April 13. The skiers’ favorite, the Shoshone Condominium, offers 20 percent off a three-night stay or longer through the same date. And Huntley Lodge guests save 30 percent during April.

As with all Big Sky lodgings, kids 10 and under ski free with a skiing/paying adult (up to two children per paying adult).

Big Sky updates ski deals regularly; see www.bigskyresort.com or (800) 548-4486.

With your savings, splurge on the resort’s newest restaurant, Andiamo Italian Grille in the Village Center, which serves eclectic, Tuscan-influenced meals in the 73-seat dining room, the bar, the private wine room or the outdoor patio in the spring sun.

Reservation are suggested at (406) 995-8041.

Sun Valley

March is bargain blitz time at Idaho’s Sun Valley, where 200 inches of snow had fallen as of press time.

Sun Valley offers perhaps the best ski deal of the West this year: Through the end of the ski season, all college students and faculty with current ID ski for only $29 per day. That’s down from a regularly priced adult lift ticket at $79.

To receive the discount, you must show the identification when purchasing a ticket.

For the non-college crowd, four nights lodging in a two-bedroom, two-bath Elkhorn condominium and three days of skiing is just $375 per person, quad occupancy through March 30, with Sun Valley Lodging. For more information call (800) 635-4444 or see www.premier-sunvalley.com.

For families using Sun Valley lodging, kids 15 and under stay and ski free – one child per parent, with a limit of two free children per hotel room or condo. Sun Valley also offers a “midweek madness” lift and lodging special for $105 per person, double occupancy.

Then there’s the Spring Ski Package, which begins March 27 at the lovely Sun Valley Lodge or the famed Sun Valley Inn for only $74 per person double occupancy. The rate includes a one-day ski pass and can be booked for multiple days through Sun Valley reservations, (800) 786-8259 or www.sunvalley.com.

Park City

Utah’s famed Park City offers late-winter deals for skiers and riders to enjoy the 310 inches of snowfall so far this year. Some Park City lodgings offer packages as low as $155 per night per adult, based on two adults, and the kids stay and ski free.

The package includes a one-bedroom condominium located one mile from the Park City Mountain Resort, round-trip transfers from the Salt Lake City airport and three-day lift tickets at Park City Mountain Resort for two adults and two children (12 and under). The property offers an enclosed swimming pool and hot tub, workout room, ski shuttle and equipment storage. This offer is flexible, with extra nights or additional lift tickets available at an added cost.

Details are available at (800) 331-3178 or www.parkcitymountain.com.

Deer Valley

For a taste of Utah’s upper-crust skiing, a visit to Deer Valley Resort is discounted this spring.

Deer Valley Lodging promises 25 percent off at the resort’s 600 condominiums for a minimum of three nights’ lodging and four adult lift tickets.

For example, the Family of Four Exceptional Value Package starts at $106 per person, per night, and includes three nights in a two-bedroom Snow Park condominium and two days of skiing for two adults and two children.

The deals are available from March 30 through April 13; at a few select properties, the offer starts March 23. For more information, call (800) 453-3833 or see www.deervalleylodging.com.

Mt. Bachelor

Mt. Bachelor in Central Oregon boasts one of the West’s longest ski seasons, which usually ends in late May.

Seventh Mountain Resort in nearby Bend offers a romantic interlude with that special someone. You get one night’s lodging in a one-bedroom premium suite with a king-size bed, kitchen, stone fireplace, two 27-inch flat TVs, a DVD player, a private deck and an amenity basket including a bottle of champagne plus exotic cheeses and crackers – along with a relaxing in-room massage therapy treatment – for $259.

A free daily shuttle service takes riders to Mt. Bachelor. Additional nights lodging may be available for a special discounted rate of $149 plus taxes and recreation fee per night.

The offer is valid through June 12. More information is available at (800) 452-6810 or www.seventhmountain.com.

Lift ticket deals such as two-for-one Wednesdays and college skier discounts are available at www.mtbachelor.com or (800) 829-2442.