Skiers and snowboarders: a year-round to-do list

For skiers and snowboarders, the best time of year is almost at hand with U.S. and Canadian resorts opening again for the season.

Some Colorado resorts already opened last month, including Arapahoe Basin and Loveland. Alta, in Utah, is due to open Thursday. Most other big U.S. and Canadian resorts, including Whistler, B.C., are set to open around Thanksgiving to snag the enthusiastic early-bird skiers.

But dedication to the slopes does not begin at Thanksgiving and end at Easter.

Jet-setters can chase snow around the globe, year-round. Even those who stay close to home have — or should have — a year-round to-do list, from staying in shape in the off-season to looking for sales on gear and attending ski swaps.

Here's a 12-month calendar, starting from this month, for skiers and boarders who live for snow but who must find other ways to feed their habit year-round.

November

• Who cares about turkey? At most major North American resorts, the Thanksgiving holiday is your first chance to ski since spring. If you're thinking Colorado, Utah, Northern California or somewhere farther afield, look fast for flights since they're running very full over the holiday; at this point your best bet is to fly on Thanksgiving Day and come back the following Monday or Tuesday.

• It's a rite of late autumn for skiers to catch the newest Warren Miller movie, an annual feature-length film showing snow-sports highlights from the previous year. Miller began making the movies more than 50 years ago. This year's movie, "Off the Grid," includes footage of a skier going over a 245-foot cliff and the World Snowball Fighting Championships in Japan. It's playing in Bellevue today at the Meydenbauer Center; at McCaw Hall in the Seattle Center Thursday-Saturday; and around the state during the rest of November. For a schedule and tickets, go to www.warrenmiller.com (they're also available at sports stores such as REI and Sturtevant's).

• To find out what local ski areas are doing — and check out the latest ski and snowboard gear — the Washington Ski and Snowboard Expo is Friday-Nov.19 at Qwest Field Event Center: www.onthesnow.com/bewi/seattle/ or 206-381-7500 (press "7"). There's info on resorts, all sorts of skis, boards and clothing for sale; lift passes and more. And the adventurous can take a zip-line ride in Qwest Field, zooming over the field in a body harness attached to a cable.

December

All you want for Christmas is a chance to ski.

To beat the crowds, give yourself an early gift and hit the slopes in the beginning of December. If you go during the Christmas-New Year school break, be ready for high prices — hotels sometimes double their rates — and long lift lines. However, the days right before Christmas, when many people are preoccupied with shopping and cooking, can be a bit less crowded.

Check around for good snow conditions and cheap flights and take a last-minute trip if the price looks right to Utah resorts (see www.skiutah.com), where the snow's almost always good. Stay on the slopes or (more economically ) in Salt Lake City and take shuttle buses to the resorts.

In the Northwest, phone around to find if there are any last-minute, holiday vacancies at ski-resort hotels; you might be able to get a deal — and it never hurts to ask.

Oregon's Mount Bachelor (www.mtbachelor.com) is on the colder side of the Cascades; it may have powder when other Northwest slopes are soggy, and the nearby town of Bend has some relatively economical motels. Closer to home, Crystal (www.skicrystal.com) and White Pass (www.skiwhitepass.com) have limited on-the-slopes lodging.

If you're up for a longer drive, consider ski resorts in central B.C. such as Sun Peaks and Silver Star. (See an article on those resorts in the Seattle Times' Northwest Weekend section Thursday). Unfortunately, the weak U.S. dollar means Canada isn't the bargain it used to be for Americans.

January

This is the worst month for ski injuries, according to physical therapist Carl Petersen, author of "Fit to Ski" and director of high performance training at City Sports & Physiotherapy Clinics in Vancouver, B.C.

Collisions on crowded slopes during winter holidays, icy conditions, falls and lack of conditioning all contribute, with knee injuries are the most common ailment.

"Keeping your knees healthy and a pre-ski workout can help," says Petersen. "Warm up to ski, don't ski to warm up."

If you over-ate/over-indulged during the holidays, make a New Year's vow to get back in shape — and start right away.

February

Beware of crowded conditions during President's Week (beginning Feb. 19, 2007) when kids are out of school and families flock to the slopes.

Need new ski clothing? This month, look for clearance sales in sporting-goods stores, since they're already beginning to stock for spring sports.

If you're feeling flush, think about a ski holiday in the European Alps while winter airfares still are low. Just double-check the snow conditions; they've had some lean snow years recently.

March

The first half of March can be an excellent time to ski and board — good snow and good weather, with more daylight. And with peak snowpack, backcountry skiing beckons.

Specialty ski shops start their sales this month, so shop around for new gear.

April

Easter is last call for skiing at many resorts, with end-of-season budget deals and parties. It's a good time to treat yourself to a stay in a pricier hotel or resort since many cut their rates.

Need some new skis? Clearance sales on gear and clothing at resorts get serious this month.

For a soggy ski adventure, check out pond-skimming, in which skiers try to skim across a slushy puddle at the bottom of a run. The World Pond-Skimming Championships are held in Vail, Colo., in April.

May

You can still ski at some places including Whistler (Whistler Mountain is usually open into June; summer skiing on the glacier at adjacent Blackcomb Mountain then takes over) and glacier skiing at Timberline at Oregon's Mount Hood. Mammoth Mountain in California has had skiing July 4 each of the last two years,

Mark the end of the Northwest ski season with the Mount Baker Ski to Sea, an 85-mile relay race that begins with Mount Baker skiing and includes biking, running and paddling and ends in Bellingham Bay. www.bellingham.com/skitosea/

June

Most resorts are closed, although you can still hike to terrain skiing in parts of the West, or, for daredevils only, head to New Hampshire's Tuckerman Ravine, where windblown snow on the southeastern shoulder of Mount Washington often lasts well into the summer and can reach depths of 75 feet. The spectator sport here is watching skiers attempt the steep headwall, but the ravine can also be treacherous — more than 30 skiers and hikers have died here; http://tuckerman.org/

Not ready for such adventurous skiing? Just start a fitness routine for the snowless months ahead.

Lisa Densmore, a veteran U.S. skier who has won 36 national masters titles in alpine skiing since 1991, recommends inline skating, mountain biking or trail running. In the gym, she says, "the key is to make sure you balance your quads (muscles in the front of the thigh) and your hamstrings (muscles in the back of the thigh). If you have strong quads and weak hamstrings, you set yourself up for knee injury."

July

Really dedicated skiers head to South America, to resorts in the Andes (in the southern hemisphere our summer is their winter).

Argentina has resorts near Bariloche and Las Lenas. In Chile, there's a famous nine-mile run from the Portillo resort to a local Christ of the Andes statue. But South American slopes can be crowded in July, as schools let out for their winter breaks.

See what your favorite resort offers when there is no snow. Lots of ski towns have summer golfing, mountain biking and festivals.

August

Start shopping around for early-bird discounted season passes. And keep up your fitness regime so you'll be read for the slopes.

Care to combine desert heat with winter chills? It may be 120 degrees in Dubai, part of the Mideast's United Arab Emirates, but you can rent a parka and go skiing indoors there at the Emirates Mall indoor ski hill, www.skidxb.com/ The air-conditioning will blast you so badly you'll be dying for a hot chocolate.

September

The newest gear and fashions are available this month.

Ski fanatics on http://snowheads.com are buzzing this month about where to go this winter. Got a question about a ski destination somewhere in the world? Post a query. Chances are you'll hear back from folks who've been there, worked there or even lived there. Check the snowEvents section of the forum for some great mountain trips, especially to European resorts.

Start shopping for preseason offers, especially if you don't ski enough to make a season pass worthwhile, or if you want reservations for a peak holiday period. If, for example, you need childcare at a ski resort over Christmas, find out how soon you can make a reservation. Spots fill up fast.

October

It's time to think snow — and get your gear ready so you'll be ready to hit the slopes soon.