| In a desert state and a city where the temperature | | | | a healthy racing scene with competitions of various |
| reaches 38C on an average of 89 days during the | | | | lengths held throughout the winter for cross country |
| year it may come as a surprise that you can ski on | | | | skiers. |
| real snow, on real mountains, just a few hours from | | | | The largest ski area in Arizona is Sunrise Park Resort, |
| the city of Phoenix, Arizona. | | | | located in McNary in the Arizona White Mountains. |
| Snowfall in Phoenix itself is extremely rare; the city | | | | Owned and operated by the White Mountains Apache |
| only averages 5 days per year where the | | | | Tribe, the areas comprises of eight lifts, and over 13 |
| temperature drops below freezing and since records | | | | miles of cross country skiing trials. |
| began, snow has only fallen seven times - the last of | | | | And finally, if you want to ski in the most southerly ski |
| which was January 2001 (the first snow fall in 22 | | | | resort in the Untied States, head for Mount Lemmon |
| years). | | | | Ski Valley. Though Tucson is more likely to conjure up |
| However, much to the enjoyment of Phoenix's skiers | | | | thoughts of sand rather than snow (several |
| and snowboarders, there are several ski resorts within | | | | well-known beach resorts are located here) - just an |
| a few hours drive which are perfect for a day or | | | | hour's drive away from the sea there is skiing and |
| weekend trip and should satisfy snow lovers' cravings | | | | snowboarding to be found. The area is small, with a |
| for the white stuff. | | | | vertical drop of just 290m, 3 lifts and a ski-able area of |
| Arizona Snowbowl is located in the San Francisco | | | | 200 acres, but despite its southerly location, the resort |
| Peaks in the Coconino National Forest, just a two hour | | | | still manages to open from December to April and the |
| drive from Phoenix. The ski area offers over 2,300 | | | | scenic views that overlook the area make Mt. |
| feet of vertical drop and 32 scenic trails that cover | | | | Lemmon a popular ski destination. |
| 777 acres and the Arizonan desert climate means the | | | | Accommodation is available in (or near) all of these |
| resort also enjoys plenty of sunny skiing days. | | | | winter towns in the form of cabins, lodges and motels. |
| Those who prefer their skiing more sedate can visit | | | | Be warned though - people come here to ski rather |
| the Flagstaff Nordic Center, located just seven miles | | | | than party so if you're looking for a wild time, a better |
| north of Snowbowl. This area offers winter sports | | | | option would be to stay at a hotel in Phoenix and just |
| fans an extensive network of Nordic ski trails, as well | | | | commute to the ski areas during the day. |
| as snowshoeing and sledding. Flagstaff also supports | | | | |