The winter season is just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make plans to visit Vermont to ski, ride, snowshoe or just simply to enjoy the outdoors.

If you’re a skier or snowboarder – or maybe you’re thinking of learning either sport this winter – Vermont is the place to be. In fact, the Vermont Ski Areas Association has joined a nationwide collaborative effort to help new skiers and riders learn easily and affordably by designating January 2010 as National Learn A Snow Sport Month with expanded learning programs available at most ski areas. January 4-10 is the free learn to ski and ride week, which includes free lessons, rental equipment and limited-lift tickets to first-time skiers and riders. Beginning in mid-December, sign up for your choice of more than a dozen Vermont locations at www.skivermont.com.

Vermont has 20 alpine ski resorts and 30 cross-country touring centers throughout the state. With 6,052 acres of alpine terrain, 1,269 trails, 179 lifts, and 885 miles of Nordic trails, Vermont skiing and riding accommodates every level, from the advanced downhiller to the training toddler, from moguls and snowboarding to quiet cross-country jaunts on skis or snowshoes.

The average annual mountain snowfall is about 225 inches, and the majority of Vermont’s terrain is covered by state of the art snowmaking.

Vermont offers terrain to suit every ability level from gentle teaching slopes, miles of novice and intermediate trails, wide open boulevards for cruising and gladed terrain, steep mogul fields and technically demanding terrain for experts.

Vermont is home to the first U.S. Olympic gold medal winner in Nordic skiing, Bill Koch, as well as Olympic medal winners Ross Powers, Hannah Teter, Billy Kidd, Andrea Meade and many others.  The Green Mountain State is a haven for skiers and riders of all tastes and experience levels.

For more information, visit www.skivermont.com.