Physicians' Travel and Meeting Guide - November/December 2007 - (Page 4) For a list of upcoming CME Meetings turn to cme File: u.s. ski Destinations on page 23. Visit www.CMEplanner.com for updates. Snowboarders survey the terrain at Snowbasin. Ski Resorts— Where to Go Next ou reach a certain age. you move a little slower, there’s a sag here, a crinkle there. The next thing you know, your line speed is down, your lift capacity droops too low, your base area bulges with a-frames and aluminum siding that have lost their nubile charms. Just like baby boomers, ski areas in the united states are confronting a midlife crisis. many top resorts date from the era of the beatles and The Beverly Hillbillies. Forty years later many of By Risa Weinreb Wyatt Y Y their lifts and lodgings still remember the sixties and look outmoded in their decor (orange Formica lunch counters), digital-age dexterity (WiFi?) and up-slope tempo (slow, poky doubles). but many american ski idols are undergoing the architectural equivalent of a nip and a tuck. actually “extreme makeover”—at an extremely high price tag— describes it better. mountain resorts are spending millions to update chairlifts. a Why Now: A new day is dawning at Sun Valley. Once darling of 1940s movie stars such as Clark Gable and Gary Cooper, the Sun Valley, Idaho • November/December 2007 • PhysiciaNs’ Travel & meeTiNg guiDe snowbasin: a sun VallEy REsoRt high-speed quad costs about $3 million. resorts are modeling twenty-first-century base villages after mediaeval alpine towns. with (of course) high-speed internet access and flat-screen Tvs mounted behind the half-timbering. here’s a rundown of hot spots for cool winter thrills. resort now draws celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Dollar Mountain—the beginners area—offers improved snowmaking and two new high-speed detachable quads this year. Equally noteworthy is an attitude adjustment that welcomes the edgy along with the elegant. Skiing Sun Valley once meant heading to Bald Mountain—“Baldy”—known for free-flowing bowls and fall-line cruisers that notch 3,400 feet of vertical in just one run. For most visitors Dollar was an afterthought—a great place to plunk the kidlets for their lessons and then head for higher alpine heavens on Baldy such as Lookout Bowl or Exhibition. Thanks to the new lifts—plus the recent $10-million redo that glamorized Dollar Mountain’s base lodge (complete with marble bathrooms for children)—visitors can discover local secrets. Powder lingers in the trees for days after a storm since novices generally confine their turns to groomed trails. With great views of runs from the broad, flat base area, Dollar provides the ideal layout for hosting events such as last year’s Honda http://www.cmeplanner.com
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