By Nicky Holford
Why restrict yourself to skiing when you can start or finish your winter holiday with a few days of sun-drenched beachy relaxation or a culture-filled city break?
Acclimatise to US time by enjoying the highlights of Boston.
The city is easy to get around and has the old world feel of traditional America.
After all, it is home to Harvard, now over 350 years old - with 24 US presidents
educated there. The city has a wealth of museums and attractions, top restaurants
and lots of Irish bars, but its number one tourist attraction is shopping. Retail
heaven is in Newbury Street, eight blocks of shops. Heading out of town to the
snowy wilderness of Stowe in Vermont you'll find picture postcard New England
with quaint clapboard shops, and roaring fires. The skiing is on two linked
mountains Manfield and Spruce mountain where you can stick to cruising or challenge
yourself on the moguls, and then head back for some après ski or a few samples
of Ben & Jerry's ice cream at the factory down the road.
Or else try combining Boston with Killington
or Boston with North Conway.
Take the tram up and down the hilly streets of San
Francisco, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge or try one of the city's many
restaurants. It's a great city to wander about in, or people-watch with a coffee.
Visit Fisherman's Wharf, have dim sum in Chinatown, take in a play or even visit
the Napa Valley for some wine tasting. Then head out towards the ski areas of
Lake
Tahoe on the border of Nevada. Once in Nevada you're in gambling country;
it's quite a sight, bright neon lights just five minutes from the ski slopes
at Heavenly. Don't miss the superb skiing and views across Lake Tahoe from the
chairlift at Heavenly. This and Squaw Valley are the biggest ski areas but the
small ones, there are 14 around the lake, all have their own character.
Or else try combining San Francisco with Squaw Valley, or San Francisco with Mammoth
Las Vegas - you may have seen it in films or on TV but nothing can prepare you for it! A hotel shaped like a pyramid, a replica of the Eiffel Tower and Venice complete with canals and gondolas that are as real as the original: the sheer size, colour and energy of this frenetic gambling hubbub is fascinating and fun. It's so different from the snowy world of Mammoth Mountain that you'll feel you've had two holidays. But it's easy to switch to life on skis, watching the spectacular mountain scenery from the chairlift, swishing down the tree-lined slopes. The resort of Mammoth, which is a short drive from the town Mammoth Lakes has 29 lifts and 500 acres of pistes - but it's easy to find your way around. The lift pass also covers nearby June mountain famous for one of ski extreme's best-known characters - Glen Plake recognised by his trademark Mohawk.
Or else try combining Las Vegas with Lake
Tahoe, LA with Tahoe, LA with Mammoth,
LA with Squaw Valley
Aloha! Sun and surf, sand between your toes, a garland of frangipani flowers
around your neck and a cocktail in hand: this is Hawaii
where guaranteed sun is part of the package. If you can tear yourself away from
the thundering surf it might be to see the seven waterfalls on Maui or watch
for the bubbling lava of Kilauea on Hawaii. After a few days of perfecting your
tan, head off and up the Pacific coast to Whistler,
Canada's top Rocky Mountain resort. Out will come the thermals as you head up
the Peak to Peak gondola which has just opened to join Whistler and Blackcomb
mountain. The town of Whistler is car-free and easy to negotiate - not so the
mountains which make up the largest ski area in North America. There is everything,
tricky steep couloirs, easy beginner slopes, long scenic runs with a good selection
of on mountain restaurant and excellent après ski. Or else do the skiing first
and then ease your aches under the Hawaiian sun - the choice is yours!
Or else trycombining Hawaii with Mammoth, Hawaii with Squaw Valley, Vancouver with Whistler
If you fancy a skiing holiday with some sunshine or culture thrown
in, check out our latest deals now.
Nicky Holford is a freelance travel writer. She writes regularly for the Sunday Telegraph and is addicted to powder snow! Her favourite resorts are Chamonix, St. Anton and Alagna in Italy.