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Actress, Author Mariel Hemingway & Travelers Advantage say: Hit the Slopes in 37 states

NORWALK, Conn., Feb. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the perfect time of year to go skiing, and with resorts in 37 states - many experiencing record snowfall - vacationers have plenty of splendid choices. For actress and author Mariel Hemingway, the top spots are Idaho and Wyoming.

 "I love skiing Sun Valley, Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole," she said. "Places like Jackson Hole and Sun Valley have a real small town feel, making skiing there an intimate experience."

From Alaska to Vermont - and lesser known Midwest and Southeast climes in between - resorts are grooming the slopes, greasing the lifts and cranking up the snow machines for sky-high adventure on the peaks.

"As we glide through winter and the peak skiing season, it is hard to believe that we have such a great variety of exciting mountain resorts in America," said Leslie Downey, director of communication for Travelers Advantage and Travelersadvantage.com.

"In fact, skiing is available in nearly 75 percent of the states in the U.S."

The Travelers Advantage snow bunnies offer a peek at some great U.S. peaks:

  -- West  ...

  1.  Alaska - The Alyeska Resort - remarkably boasts the lowest base

      elevation (250 feet) for any major ski resort in the U.S.  This

      burgeoning mountain resort features 1,000 acres of terrain, ranging

      from gentle slopes for beginners to a vast selection of double black

      diamond runs to challenge the experts.

  2.  California - Squaw Valley - This Lake Tahoe resort boasts over 4,000

      acres of skiable terrain. Spread over six high Sierra peaks, and

      accessed by one of the most extensive lift systems in the world, Squaw

      enjoys an abundance of warm California sunshine nearly 300 days of the

      year. Its wide open bowls and carefully groomed runs beckon the

      beginner to the advanced.

 3.  Nevada - Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe - Perched high on the Nevada side of the

      Sierras, Mt. Rose has the highest base elevation of any ski area at

      Lake Tahoe - 8,260 feet.  With more than 1,200 acres of skiable

      terrain, a vertical drop of 1,800 feet, and 60 runs, Mt. Rose provides

      exciting terrain for every level of skier and snowboarder!

  -- Rocky Mountains  ...

  1.  Arizona - Sunrise Park Resort - With 65 trails spread over three

      mountains - Sunrise Peak, Apache Peak and Cyclone Circle - Sunrise

      offers a wide range of runs for beginner or intermediate skiers, and

      enough slopes to keep the experts guessing. You also can snowboard,

      cross-country ski and go tubing!

  2.  Colorado - Keystone Resort - Three mountains offer some of the best

      terrain, including steeps, bowls, bumps, glades, rails, hits, and

      lights. Keystone is home to the largest single-mountain night skiing

      experience in North America.

  3.  Utah - Park City Mountain Resort - Utah's largest ski area, both in

      terms of skiable acreage and lift capacity, Park City's 100 trails and

      750 acres of open bowl skiing offer terrain to please every ability

      level and taste.  Night skiing is offered seven nights a week on

      Payday, the longest lighted run in the Rockies, as well as First Time,

      a special area just for beginners.

  -- Midwest  ...

  1.  Iowa - Mt. Crescent Ski Area - Provides Midwest skiers a variety of

      slopes that fascinate new skiers and challenge experienced ones.  Runs

      up to 2,000 feet offer a 300-foot vertical drop, while leading-edge

      snowmaking equipment covers it all with well-packed snow. All trails

      are lighted for night skiing.

  2.  Minnesota - Lutsen Mountains - Lutsen consists of four mountains with

      87 runs on 462 skiable acres, a 988-foot area vertical rise, and an

      825 foot lift-serviced vertical rise.  It boasts the Midwest's largest

      snowmaking system and also has mid-America's only mountain gondola!

  3.  Ohio - Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resort - These resorts offer skiers

      and snowboarders a unique two-for-one winter sports opportunity in

      Northeast  Ohio.  Boston Mills and Brandywine can manufacture snow to

      cover 75 acres of  ski slopes overnight.

  4.  Wisconsin - Sunburst Ski Area - Sunburst is a small, family-run ski

      area that offers 10 runs on 35 skiable acres. All the runs are fully

      lighted for night skiing. Snowboarders will enjoy a half-pipe and

      snowboard park complete with rope-tow, lights and sound system.

  -- Southeast  ...

  1.  Alabama - Cloudmont Ski Resort - Since 1970, advanced snow-making

      equipment has provided powder to Cloudmont's two 1,000-foot, beginner-

      intermediate slopes. Two "pony lifts" take skiers to the top of the

      slopes that have an elevation of 1,800 feet.

  2.  Tennessee - Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort - This southern ski area offers

      numerous trails for alpine skiers and snowboarders. Beginner to

      advanced skiers will find enough cruising space and challenges to keep

      them  entertained!

  3.  West Virginia - Snowshoe Mountain - Snowshoe Mountain is the largest

      inter resort area in the mid-Atlantic.  Explore three mountain faces

      with just one lift ticket.  Benefits include night skiing, a five-lane

      tubing hill, Kids World, and a 300-foot half pipe offering plenty of

      rails and kickers!

  -- Northeast  ...

  1.  Connecticut - Mohawk Mountain - There are 23 trails covering 107

      skiable acres, providing wide, sweeping and open trails. Fourteen

      lighted trails make this the largest night skiing area in Connecticut.

  2.  New Jersey - Mountain Creek - With 45 trails across four peaks,

      Mountain Creek is the ultimate winter experience. A vertical of more

      than 1,000 feet combined with new trails, terrain parks and a half

      pipe have quickly made Mountain Creek the premier winter resort in the

      region.  Night skiing means that the fun doesn't stop when the sun

      goes down!

  3.  Vermont - Smugglers' Notch Resort -Three interconnected mountains -

      Morse, Madonna and Sterling - offer terrain from friendly, groomed

      slopes for learning, to expert mogul runs, thrilling glades and the

      East's only triple  black diamond, The Black Hole!

About Mariel Hemingway

Mariel Hemingway made her silver screen debut at 13 years old in "Lipstick," and was nominated for an Oscar four years later for Woody Allen's "Manhattan."

She has starred in some 30 films. Currently, she is producing a film based on her grandfather's epic best-seller "A Moveable Feast," a set of memoirs of his experiences in Paris in the 1920s. In addition to her film career, she found a passion for holistic and balanced living.

She's written two books and conducts wellness retreats across the country sharing her insights about yoga, meditation, nutrition and home. Hemingway is a wife and mother of two teenage daughters.

About Travelers Advantage

Members of Travelers Advantage (www.travelersadvantage.com or 1-877-841-1335) can save money on air travel, cruises, car rentals and accommodations, as well as earn five percent cash back on eligible travel booked with preferred providers through the service.

Travelers Advantage is offered by Affinion Group, a leader in the membership, insurance and loyalty marketing businesses, providing products and services that touch the lives of millions of Americans.

About Affinion Group

As a global leader with nearly 35 years of experience, Affinion Group (www.affinion.com) enhances the value of its partners' customer relationships by developing and marketing valuable loyalty, membership, checking account, insurance and other compelling products and services.

Leveraging its expertise in product development and targeted marketing, Affinion helps generate significant incremental revenue for more than 5,300 affinity partners worldwide, including many of the largest and most respected companies in financial services, retail, travel, and Internet commerce.

Based in Norwalk, Conn., the company has approximately 3,300 employees throughout the United States and in 10 countries across Europe.

Affinion holds the prestigious ISO 27001 certification for the highest information security practices, is PCI compliant and Cybertrust certified.