It's coming. Can you feel it?

Ski season is almost upon us. And with the weather-guessers forecasting plenty of El Nino-driven snow this season, this looks to be a great winter for it.

Oh, did those orders to the Midwest — or Texas, North Carolina or Southern California — leave you thinking the ski season would pass you by this year like a mogul-hopping hotshot zipping past a splay-legged newbie on the bunny hill?

You may be surprised to learn how close some slope-side action is.

Whether you're an old-school ski dog looking to learn some new tricks or the freshest recruit to the winter sports army eager to finally make that first downhill run this year, chances are good that great skiing and snowboarding opportunities are nearby no matter where you're stationed.

Cutting a line around some of the more obvious choices in the mountain-rich regions, while pointing out some hidden gems in places you may never have thought sported snow action, here are 10 of our favorites near some of the biggest military hubs.

1. Mount Bachelor

Bend, Oregon

For those stationed in the Pacific Northwest, ski opportunities abound. There's plenty of action right in the Puget Sound military hub, but drive a little farther south to northern Oregon's Mt. Bachelor, and you'll be glad you did.

With 3,700 acres, 88 runs, and 10 lifts — most of them high-speed quads — Bachelor is known for its light, dry snow, diverse terrain and family- and new skier-friendliness. Plus, with the highest skiing elevation in Washington and Oregon, it usually enjoys a longer season than others in the region.

For freestylers, the resort has four terrain parks, including a 22-foot, in-ground half-pipe. There's also 35 miles of cross-country skiing on 11 groomed trails.

New this season: For those willing to hike out until the new lifts are installed, advanced skiers can carve up more than 500 newly opened acres on the lower east side of the mountain.

Military discounts: Active-duty troops get a 50 percent discount on adult daily lift tickets, excluding holiday periods and Saturdays. Discount applies only to the individual military member.

Mark your calendar: March 1-7, U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championships.

Season: Starts around Thanksgiving and typically runs into May.

www.mtbachelor.com

2. Big Bear Mountain Resorts

California

Skiing in the morning, surfing in the afternoon, anyone?

If you're stationed in the San Diego area, it's more than possible with Big Bear Mountain Resorts less than three hours away.

And at Big Bear, you get two resorts for the price of one. Snow Summit caters to the more traditional alpine set, with mostly advance and intermediate slopes, while Bear Mountain offers a more youthful vibe with plenty of beginner options and a sprawling 200-feature terrain park along with Southern California's only superpipe.

With a free shuttle linking the two, you get 438 skiable acres, 26 lifts and 55 runs in all.

New this season: Avid skiers should consider the new Calif4nia Pass, which includes unlimited skiing at Big Bear and Snow Summit as well as two other SoCal ski meccas, Mammoth and June Mountain, all of which recently merged ownership. Season passes are $689 for adults, $199 for kids under 12.

Military discounts: Both resorts offer deep discounts on lift tickets during periodic "Uniform Days" throughout the season. Meanwhile, The Marine Corps-run Big Bear Recreation Facility — offering rental cabins and RV hook-ups — is open to all active-duty troops, reservists, veterans and Defense Department civilians. Check in with local ITT/MWR and base outdoor recreation offices for discounts on lift tickets and rental gear deals.

Mark your calendar: Jan. 17, Burton Mountain Festival; Feb. 27, War of the Rails.

Season: With an aggressive snowmaking operation on top of an average of 100 inches of snowfall annually, lifts are usually moving from November into April.

www.bigbearmountainresorts.com

3. Durango Mountain Resort

Colorado

For those in the pocket of military installations around Colorado Springs, there's always Vail, consistently rated one of the best ski destinations in the country. But with Vail's big, steep mountains, you also get big crowds and steep costs.

Instead, consider Durango, about five hours from Colorado Springs. There's a reason National Geographic recently rated it among the top 10 best "Emerging Ski Towns."

It's been dubbed one of the most affordable ski spots in the state. "As you stroll past the eateries and craft breweries of downtown, a National Historic District, you're likely to rub elbows with world-class athletes, but you'd never know it. Unlike some Colorado ski towns (you know who you are), there's no hype here," say the NatGeo reviewers.

Durango's Purgatory ski area boasts 88 trails on more than 1,300 acres of terrain, with 10 lifts, five terrain parks and a vertical drop of 2,029 feet.

Mark your calendar: Jan 28-31, Snowdown Winter Festival.

New this year: The resort is adding 11 new energy-efficient snowmaking tower guns and a state-of-the-art, high-output fan gun. The new Burton Riglet Park, geared toward riders ages 3 to 6, will anchor the development of a multifaceted ski and ride terrain-based learning facility in the base area.

Military discounts: Current military ID card holders get 25 percent off lodging and ski packages and 15 percent off lift tickets and rentals.

Season: Averaging 260 inches of snow annually along with 300 days of sunshine, Durango's lifts are slated to open the day after Thanksgiving and keep running through March.

www.durangomountainresort.com

4. Mad River Mountain

Ohio

Skiing in Ohio? Don't laugh.

OK, you can laugh a little.

After all, the 300 feet of vertical drop that comes with Mad River's 1,460-foot "mountain" would barely constitute a mogul bump at most ski resorts.

But this resort, about an hour's drive from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and three hours from Fort Knox, Kentucky, manages to pack a lot of fun onto such a small hill with 144 skiable acres featuring 20 trails, four freestyle terrain parks and a snow tubing venue, all accessible via 12 lifts.

"There are actually five active resorts in Ohio," says Mad River spokesman Mike Mihnovets. "But ours is the biggest and probably a little more eccentric than the rest."

Indeed, weekend skiing is open until 3 a.m. — yes, that's three hours past midnight. And the cold-weather resort's resident nightlife hot spot — dubbed "The Loft" — features live music and an 18-tap bar. Nashville Crush is among the lineup this year.

"The Loft is probably the most unique nightlife scene in the Midwest," says Mihnovets. "A lot of people come to the resort just to party and see the bands."

New this year: Improvements to the Loft and lodge area as well as RFID — or radio frequency identification — tech embedded into season passes allowing quick access to chair lifts.

Mark your calendar: Dec. 27, Louie Vito Rail Jam XI, fireworks; Jan. 31, Bud Light Winter Fest.

Military discounts: All active-duty troops, reservists, retirees and veterans get all-day lift tickets, gear rental and one hour of instruction for $15. All that would normally cost $95 on the weekend. Military can also get three-hour tubing passes for $15 (usually $25) on Fridays.

Season: Early December through mid-March.

www.skimadriver.com

5. Texas Ski Ranch

New Braunfels, Texas

If skiing in Ohio made you laugh, then the idea of skiing in Central Texas probably sounds ridiculous.

And of course, it is. Sort of.

Just north of Joint Base San Antonio and about two hours from Fort Hood, New Braunfels' Texas Ski Ranch gets its name for the awesome boat and cable-pulled water skiing, wake boarding and wake surfing offered there.

There's also the "Snow Park." Just to be clear, there's no actual snow. But there's snowboarding. On special AstroTurf-covered terrain that is very snow-like when it comes to holding the edge of a board.

Geared toward beginners who want to get a jump on their skills before a big trip to the mountains, TSR is an official Burton Learn to Ride Center, while more advanced boarders can hone their chops at the terrain park.

A two-hour pass, with all the gear you'll need, starts at $38.

Military discount: Active-duty and retired service members and their immediate families get half off on cable passes every Wednesday.

www.texasskiranch.com

6. Stowe Mountain Resort

Vermont

Less than five hours from Fort Drum, New York — and most of New England's military installations — Stowe Mountain Resort is worth the drive.

Straddling northern Vermont's Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, Stowe's 13 lifts — including one high-speed gondola — feed skiers and snowboarders to 116 trails across nearly 500 skiable acres, along with a variety of terrain parks catering to all skill levels. Cross-country skiers will enjoy Stowe's 50 miles of groomed and back-country trails.

Stowe is more than just a ski resort, though, also offering everything from dog sledding and snowmobiling tours to ice climbing and ice fishing.

New this season: Stowe is just wrapping up a $10 million boost to its snowmaking operations.

Military discounts: Stowe offers free single-day lift tickets to active-duty troops, reservists and their immediate families on several Sundays through the season as well as discounted lift tickets all other days.

Season: With more than 300 inches of annual snowfall, Stowe's season typically runs from late November to mid April.

www.stowe.com

7. Timberline

West Virginia

West Virginia's Timberline resort is about a three-hour drive from Washington, D.C.-area military installations.

It doesn't take long to figure out where Timberline gets its name. Best known for its glade skiing — runs carved through wooded mountainsides — the resort offers 39 slopes, including one two-mile-long trail known as Salamander, and two terrain parks.

Military discount: 10 percent off lift tickets.

New this season: Timberline is opening two new glade areas.

Season: Averaging about 200 inches of snowfall every winter, the ski season typically runs from early December to mid-April.

www.timberlineresort.com

8. Wolf Ridge Ski Resort

North Carolina

Nestled in the rolling hills of the Pisgah National Forest, Wolf Ridge is less than five hours' drive from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.

With three lifts servicing 15 trails, including three black diamonds, plus one terrain park, Wolf Ridge Resort offers 73 acres of skiable terrain with a vertical drop of 700 feet.

"We've got great variable terrain. A lot of people, especially more advanced skiers, love one of our slopes we call The Bowl, because it's so steep," says resort manager Mitch Hampton. "But we've got some wonderful beginner runs as well."

The resort also offers snow tubing just down the road from the main ski area.

Military discount: Active-duty members get $15 off lift tickets and $45 off season passes.

Season: Mid-December to mid-March.

www.skiwolfridgenc.com

9. Edelweiss Lodge and Resort

Germany

While the guidebooks may point you to Switzerland's Zermatt and France's Chamonix for the best skiing in Europe, you can get much of the same world-class downhill action for far less in Germany.

And at the U.S. military-operated Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in the Bavarian village of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the deals get even better.

Edelweiss Lodge is strategically positioned in the heart of the Alps in the shadow of the glacier-topped Zugspitze, Germany's tallest peak. From its summit, you can see more than 400 peaks spanning four countries.

Within a day's drive of most U.S. military installations in Germany and northern Italy, the full-service resort is also a favorite destination for troops taking mid-tour leave downrange.

Edelweiss operates a full-service snow-sports school where troops and their families can take advantage of a ski zone that spans 32 miles of groomed trails across a network of 31 lifts.

"We have the only certified Professional Ski Instructors of America ski school outside of the U.S.," says resort spokesman Brad Hays, with Edelweiss offering English-speaking instructors to teach kids, teens and adults of any level on any terrain from beginner to advanced.

New this season: Construction begins on what will become a world-record ski lift to the top of the Zugspitze.

Military discount: Like all Armed Forces Recreation Centers, lodging at Edelweiss operates on a sliding scale based on rank. The resort also offers discounted lift tickets for other ski parks in the area — there are more than 20 within a two-hour drive — as well as deals on gear rental, local sightseeing and events.

Mark your calendar: Feb. 26-March 8, FIS-Ski Alpine Ski Competition. Top athletes compete on the race course in Garmisch dubbed the Kandahar. "You can watch the race course directly from the Edelweiss hot tub," Hays notes.

Season: Late November into May.

www.edelweisslodgeandresort.com

10. Niseko United

Japan

Known as Asia's premium powder experience, Japan's Mount Niseko on the northernmost island-prefecture of Hokkaido offers all the raw splendor of Fuji but with annual snowfalls that rival the best resorts in the world.

Niseko hosts four resorts "united" with a single all-access ticket for all 29 lifts that span the mountain's many trails, terrain parks and back-country routes.

Military discounts: Check with military MWR/ITT offices in Japan and South Korea for deals and package trips.

Season: Late November to early May.

www.niseko.ne.jp/en/index.html

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