Stephanie Bass would rather cross country ski, hit the local health club or relax in front of the fire with a mystery while the rest of her family are out on the slopes. My gang, I admit, is happy when I quit early because they will ski faster and harder without me. My sister Amy Fieldman likes to get off the slopes a few hours ahead of the rest of her family just to relax. Park City's Charlie Lansche thinks skiers now are skiing a lot harder in fewer hours than they realize because high-tech, fast lifts get them up and down the mountain much more quickly than in the past. Instead of taking 23 minutes to ride the gondola up the mountain, high-speed chair lifts now take less than half that long.
Lines are shorter, too.
That doesn't interest the nonskiers in the crowd, of course. More important, urges Deirdre Hamilton, pick a ski area that has plenty for nonskiers. All Rights Reserved.