The best skiing may start when spring begins

ALTA, Wyo. - The most enlightened alpine skiers have some of the most tanned faces.

They know the best time of year to hit the slopes isn't in the dead of winter, but rather when most Americans are turning their attention toward baseball and spring break beaches. There are more than a few resorts where spring skiing means good powder, sunny skies, no lines and reduced prices.

Take the first week of April in northwest Wyoming, for example. Last year, nearly 70 inches of snow fell at Grand Targhee between March 31 and April 7, including 21 inches from one storm on April 2. The late-season lift lines were thin, the cost of skiing and lodging relatively low, and the powder was deep - more than waist-deep in some spots.

These were the types of days ski instructor and Minnesota native Mark Hanson dreamed of when he left behind a traditional office job and headed for the Rockies with his wife some two decades ago.

"The days are longer, brighter, warmer, and there's generally more accumulation than any point in the season," Hanson said. "The snow is still adding until sometime in April, so chances are very good you'll have either powder or sunshine and maybe both, and who doesn't love that?"

On the other side of the Teton Range at expansive Jackson Hole ski resort, it was more of the same. The hard-core skiers made sure they caught an early tram ride to the summit so they could drop into a bed of fresh powder lining the famous Corbetz Couloir.

By most accounts, the last week of last season at Jackson Hole was arguably the best. An unusual dry spell left conditions below average for much of the heart of the season, leaving those who jammed the resort at peak times often skiing on manmade hard-pack and watching out for rocks and stumps in higher-difficulty areas.

Those who trickled into the historic fur-trading post turned world-famous destination in late March and through last Easter weekend got the bigger bang for their buck. Just about the whole mountain was open and covered with fresh snow, leaving skiers to choose their own ways down through wide open bowls or to snake fresh tracks between the trees.

Short lift lines meant enough runs to wear out even well-conditioned skiers. But those who had enough energy left to dine out were rewarded with easy reservations at the various fine-dining establishments in the area, from the Cadillac Grille in the heart of Jackson to the scenic Couloir at top of the gondola, which runs at night for diners desiring an expansive view of the Rockies at sunset.

Meanwhile, those who took a day off from the slopes to cruise the shops found enormous discounts, particularly on clearance items such as parkas or other ski apparel and accessories that were bound to get good use for many ski seasons to come.

This year, the last weekend in March at Jackson Hole will be highlighted by the three-day Mountain Festival, which will include a free concert and the Marmot Coombs Classic, an event in which participants earn raffle tickets for each time they ski designated parts of the mountain. The event is named for the late renowned backcountry skiing enthusiast Doug Coombs.

At higher elevations in spring,

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