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