Go Online Before You Go

So many mountains, so little time. How do you choose a different ski resort to try out this winter?

Try browsing through some of the many guides to slopes and snow that are available on the Internet, some focusing on specific regions and others with a broader range of information.

And many of these Web sites offer advance lift ticket sales and vacation package deals.

Thinking about that deep snow in the Sierra Nevada? Take a look at Ski Lake Tahoe - www.skilaketahoe.com/ - which offers to help you book your hotel room and airline, and to sell you lift tickets before you're even packed. You can check conditions, trail maps and the pictures from live Web cams by clicking on links to the area's resorts including Alpine Meadow and Squaw Valley, which has been welcoming skiers since 1949.

A little farther east, they brag about the quality of their snow in Utah - www.utah.com/ski/ - home of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and the 2002 Winter Games.

If the well-known Sundance and Alta resorts aren't exactly what you're looking for, try The Canyons with its 17 lifts on eight mountains, or Solitude, where your kids can stay and ski for free. And click on "Board" to see which areas welcome snowboards.

Flakes have been piling up since October in Colorado, according to the snow report at Colorado Ski Country - www.coloradoski.com/ - where you can link to the details on resorts from Arapahoe Basin to Vail, along with Buttermilk and Sunlight. Discover Colorado - www .discovercolorado.com/ - has "Today's Deals" where you check for early winter discounts and other potential bargains.

If you're going in February, catch the Crested Butte Alley Loop on Feb. 3, the highest-altitude Nordic marathon in this country.

Survey resorts all across the rest of the West and in the rugged mountains of Canada with the help of Ski the Rockies - www.skitherockies.com/ - a source of links to the major resorts, plus vacation packages that might net you a free night or two if you reserve early.

If you don't see what you need there, try Skiing the Rockies - www.skiingthe rockies.com/ - for links to slopes from Arizona to British Columbia. Then visit Resorts of the Canadian Rockies - www.skircr.com/ - to learn more about how much fun you can have on Canadian dollars.

Is the Northeast what you had in mind? Get connections to all the slopes through New England Ski Resorts - www.newenglandskiresorts .com/ - ranging from the well-known Killington to the ominously named Suicide Six, both in Vermont. Bet you didn't know that even Rhode Island claims a place to play in the snow.

Want a quick top 10 list? Go to ESPN SportsTravel - sports.espn.go.com/travel/ index - look for "Spotlight" on the left side of the page, select "Skiing" and click on the ski photo.

Along with a top 10 selection, there's an article titled "Beyond Black" for really steep runs, plus links for savings on vacation packages and advance lift ticket purchases.

Get a really wide-ranging overview from Away.com - away.com/skiing/ski_index .html - where you can explore by region, from the Mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest, plus Canada, Europe, Japan and the Southern Hemisphere. It also provides a handy section titled "Top Picks by Interest," in case you're looking specifically for powder, snowboarding, family skiing or nightlife.

You can even select for most scenic (try Big Sky in Montana) or least crowded (take a look at Wyoming's Grand Targhee, which averages more than 500 inches of snow a year).