• Buttermilk, Colo. The tamest of Aspen's ski areas, this gentle mountain provides the perfect place for uncertain beginners to progress to confidence. Beginner terrain is concentrated beneath the Buttermilk West chairlift. Trails such as Tom's Thumb, Red's Rover, Larkspur and Westwood Ho let beginners practice without worrying about getting in the way of experienced skiers and riders. For more information: www.aspensnowmass.com/buttermilk.

• Northstar-at-Tahoe, Calif. Nested in the Lake Tahoe region, Northstar has perfectly-pitched and long beginner trails beneath the gondola rising from the middle of the village. Here, mellow trails are combined with convenience to the town making the beginner experience pleasurable. For a long beginner adventure, follow the Skid Trail to Lumberjack, to The Gulch and follow the Village Run back to the base. For more information: www.skinorthstar.com.

• Solitude, Utah. Many of the expert locals learned to ski at Solitude. Moonbeam II and Sunrise lifts take beginners to a warren of trails that serve as the perfect platform to developing stronger skiers. Start on Little Dollie, Pokey-Pine and Same Street, then progress to Northstar and nearby blue runs. For more information: www.skisolitude.com.

• Bretton Woods, N.H. This resort combines the elegance of the Mount Washington Hotel with some of the longest beginner terrain in the USA. The Bethlehem express chairlift takes skiers to trails that turn gracefully through the trees back to the base. Astride these arteries, other long and easy intermediate trails will help any beginner gain confidence. For more information: www.brettonwoods.com.

• Sunday River, Bethel, Maine. More than 25 percent of Sunday River's trails are dedicated to beginners. Smack in the heart of the trail system, at the base of Barker Mountain, skiers will find a dozen beginner trails, where they can explore before gradually advancing to intermediate skills. But that's not all. Sunday River also has beginner trails that drop from the peak of Barker Mountain and Jordon Bowl allowing spectacular vistas. For more information: www.sundayriver.com.

Best black-diamond trails

Greg DiTrinco, executive editor of SKI Magazine, suggests the best places for that extreme-skiing adventure.

• Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Wyo. At Jackson, reality has a way of rudely crashing your self- image's party. It's a mountain that can test your skills in short shots (Alta Chutes) or knock you loopy over the long haul (4,139 feet vertical from Rendezvous Bowl to the bottom of the Hobacks). It's a mountain that demands your A-Game. It's a clich?, but no Jackson trip is complete without at least peering down into Corbet's. Warning: It'll scare the ski pants off you. For more information: www.jacksonhole.com.

• Squaw Valley, Olympic Valley, Calif. The birthplace of American extreme skiing and home to the 1960 Olympic Games, Squaw Valley could be the story line of a Fear Factor segment. No lift in North America may offer better or more consistent expert skiing than KT-22. Headwall, Granite Chief and The Palisades are all legendary measuring sticks of both nerves and knees. The beautiful-people quotient gives rise to the name Squallywood, but those aren't the folks you'll meet working KT-22. For more information: www.squaw.com.

• Whistler/Blackcomb, Whistler, British Columbia. Size does matter in ski resorts. And Whistler trumps the table: It's both the biggest resort in North America (8,100 acres) and serves up the longest vertical drop (5,280 feet). With bountiful bowls, narrow chutes, three-season glaciers and enough steeps to make an expert skier skip lunch, Whistler will quickly test your mettle. The mountain/twin mountain is actually so big that it includes three micro-climates and enough terrain to satisfy any taste at any time. For more information: www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

• Taos, N.M. Taos is a skiers' mountain. (Truly a skier's mountain, no snowboarding allowed.) There's little glitz. Little glam. Just 3,244 feet of vertical drop. Strut your stuff on front-and-center Al's Run. People will be watching. For more information: www.skitaos.org.

• Crested Butte, Colo. This is a resort in transition: New owners pledge to upgrade facilities and are on the way to doing so. What needs no upgrading, however, is some of the finest expert skiing in Colorado, including the double-black diamond Extreme Limits area. Much of the best terrain is so steep that it needs a fair amount of snow to be fully functional, so pick your vacation slot wisely. The resort has hosted the U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships for 13 years. Enough said. For more information: www.crestedbutteresort.com.

Best off-trail skiing

Gop a helicopter, hike a hill or head out of bounds to explore off-trail skiing. Freeskiing legend Shane McConkey — winner of medals in the X Games and Gravity games and top awards from ESPN and Freeze and Powder magazines — suggests these.

• Squaw Valley, Olympic Valley, Calif. This is the best resort off-trail skiing in America. It has fun terrain and coastal pack snow. Unlike the lighter, drier champagne snow, coastal pack snow sticks to steep terrain and makes the pack more stable, which mean you don't have to worry as much about avalanches. For more information: www.squaw.com.

• Whistler/Blackcomb, Whistler, British Columbia. Whistler is enormous and has something for everyone — off trail and not. Plus, because it's located in Canada, everything is cheaper. For more information: www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

• Alta/Snowbird, Alta, Utah; Snowbird, Utah. Unlike some resorts, neighboring Alta and Snowbird don't have rules about off-trail skiing. If you can see it — and you're daring enough — you can ski it. However, if you're going out of bounds, you have to be worried about avalanches, especially if you're heli-skiing. For more information: www.alta.com, www.snowbird.com.

• Jackson Hole, Teton Village, Wyo. Jackson Hole has a different feel from the California and Canada resorts — it's got a cowboy thing going on. They have a lot of vertical and the Tetons are beautiful. For more information: www.jacksonhole.com.

• Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Mammoth is a huge resort with easy facilities to take you to the mountain. Plus it's beautiful. You're skiing in the southern Sierras, and you can see volcanoes. For more information: www.mammothmountain.com.

Best snowboarding

Snowboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in America, and resorts have had no choice but to sit up and take notice. Snowboarder Magazine editor Pat Bridges suggested the resorts that have valued boarders all along — and the ones that are breaking in with full force.

• Whistler/Blackcomb, Whistler, British Columbia. This is the resort that all others aspire to be. When it comes to snowboarding, they have it all i parks, pipes, tree riding, open bowl freeriding and an apr?s scene that is unrivaled in ski country. From sushi at the Tepan Village to ice cold Kokanees at Max Fish, Whistler is a place that snowboarders want to give it all up and call home. For more information: www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

• Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. Mammoth is almost surreal in its commitment to snowboarding. From opening day in October to closing day in June, if it isn't sunny in Mammoth then it is dumping snow. Three pipes, a half-dozen parks and an abundance of natural terrain ensures that if it can be ridden by a snowboard, it can be ridden at Mammoth. For more information: www.mammoth-mtn.com.

• Breckenridge, Colo. With a long tradition of supporting snowboarding, Breckenridge continues to innovate. The resort hosts world-class events all year, and its village has a down-to-earth apr?s ski scene with a local feel. For more information: breckenridge.snow.com.

• Park City, Utah. Park City didn't start heavily embracing snowboarding until recently. But Utah has the lightest snow on earth, and the park is incredible. And snowboarders won't be bored — exhaust the possibilities at Park City, and you've got another five resorts within a short drive to choose from. For more information: www.pcski.com/winter.