Singles : Going It Alone : Clubs and resorts can give a lift to single skiers who find meeting people an uphill struggle

For a sport with such a friendly reputation, skiing can be downright antisocial when it comes to singles. The happy groups whooshing down the slopes, their faces glowing with good health and good vibes; the hot toddies by a warming fire after a long day in the bracing cold, the intimate cafes and cozy chalets just made for cuddling--this is perfect couples stuff and fine for a batch of friends on a group vacation. But show up solo, and you could be facing a solitary day in the snow, a lonely table at dinner and an even lonelier trudge back to your single room--for which you can usually expect to pay a surcharge, since lodging rates almost always are based on double occupancy.

“Like cruises and Caribbean resorts, ski vacations are often tough on singles, both socially and financially,” says Jens Jurgen, publisher of Travel Companions, a 13-year-old newsletter for solo travelers. “ At many resorts, a solo skier will pay as much for a room as a couple.”

But things are looking up on the slopes. Recognizing a potential competitive edge, a growing number of resorts are offering singles a break on prices, particularly early and late in the season.

In California, for example, Northstar-at-Tahoe has slashed the daily rate for a single condo room and lift ticket by 36%--from $171 to $109--for those who come before Dec. 22 or after March 19, as well as selected Sunday through Thursday nights throughout the season. Colorado’s Copper Mountain, has a singles package of $98 per night, 46% off the regular $180 rate, including lift ticket and access to the resort’s huge racquet-and-athletic club, before Dec. 15 and after April 10. And Jackson Hole, Wyo., offers singles discounts of up to 40% on double-occupancy rates at 20 lodgings throughout the season (excluding holiday periods).

Club Med, a traditional haven for singles in the Caribbean, has a ski resort at Copper Mountain, Colo., where solo guests share double rooms in a slope-side lodge with a fireside lounge and two restaurants that offer opportunities for easy mingling. Seven-day packages range from $970 to $1,500; nightly rates are $150-$195 (add a 30% surcharge for private rooms.) Prices include lodgings, lift tickets, all meals, two-hour morning and afternoon group ski lessons, aerobics classes and the usual Club Med evening talent shows and dancing.

Another way solos can get a break on prices--and find companionship--is to join one of the 3,000 ski clubs in North America that organize group trips to resorts around the country. Clubs often rent a house or condo for the entire season at a resort within driving distance, which members can use at bargain rates. (To receive a list of Southern California clubs, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Los Angeles Council of Ski Clubs, 3686 Division St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90065.)

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Some travel agencies specialize in group ski tours. Moguls Ski & Sun Tours in Boulder, Colo., puts together dozens of trips around the United States and Canada each season, many of which welcome solo joiners as a way of filling up chalet and condo rooms for the best possible group rate. The agency can also get clients a substantial break on air fares. Although Moguls specializes in tours for college students, co-owner Stephen Hall said plenty of trips have members ranging from 20 to 60 years old. For those who favor cross-country skiing, several outfitters offer group trips, during which singles are paired at lodgings whenever possible to avoid any surcharge. Berkeley-based Backroads runs five- and six-day ski trips to California’s Royal Gorge, Tahoe Donner and Squaw Valley, Washington’s Methow Valley, Banff and Yoho in the Canadian Rockies, Stowe, Vt., and the Eastern Townships in Quebec. The company guarantees that customers who book at least 60 days in advance and ask to share quarters will pay no single supplement if a roommate cannot be arranged.

The Sierra Club, which specializes in bargain-priced eco-adventures, accommodates solos on its five- to seven-day cross-country ski trips in California, Colorado, Minnesota and Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

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Of course, money isn’t everything when you’re traveling solo. Camaraderie can also be a major consideration in choosing a skiing destination. Group trips have a built-in social component, but what if you’re going it alone?

“All ski resorts are not created equal when it comes to singles,” said Ron Rudolph, senior editor of Snow Country magazine in Trumbull, Conn. “The best places provide plenty of opportunities for singles to meet and greet--plenty of common areas like bars and lounges, activities other than skiing, and a village or town with a lively life of its own.”

Each year, Snow Country publishes a readership survey of favorite resorts in a wide range of categories, including “Singles’ Favorites.” The results of the most recent poll, published in the September issue, found five resorts tops with its single readers: Beaver Creek, Colo.; Deer Valley, Utah; Whiteface/Lake Placid, N.Y.; Sun Valley, Ida., and Steamboat, Colo.

The poll results reflect the magazine’s mature, affluent readership, but Rudolph’s personal list of favorites for singles includes Breckenridge, Colo., for its lively bar and shopping scene; Heavenly, which straddles California and Nevada, for the lively casino life on the Nevada side; Aspen, Colo., with lots of night life and street action, and old-time Western ski towns such as Telluride, Colo., and Crested Butte, Colo., which Rudolph says are just naturally friendly places to be.

Stephen Hall, of Moguls tours, also likes Breckenridge and Aspen, but his top pick for singles is Vail, Colo., where, he says, “the whole emphasis is on going out and socializing.”

Whichever resort singles choose, experts agree that the best way to ease in socially is to take a ski class.

“Classes offer a non-stressful social environment where you’ll typically be in the company of eight to 10 other skiers of your ability level and can easily find companions for meals and explorations around town,” said Rudolph. “A weeklong program is ideal, since as the week goes on, class members often get really close, meeting up for cocktails after skiing . . . having dinners together. By the end of the week, people often are exchanging addresses and telephone numbers and promising to do it again next year.” Most ski resorts offer some sort of instructional program. In its issue of December 1993, Travel & Leisure magazine described 23 of the best ski schools. Prices in the Travel & Leisure report have changed a bit since last year, but the recommendations provide a good insight into different resorts’ ambience and teaching approaches. Copies of the issue can be found at most libraries or by contacting Travel & Leisure’s back issues department at (800) 888-8728 (copies are $5 each.) Information about ski schools is also is reported regularly in specialty magazines, such as Snow Country, Ski and Skiing, available at newsstands.

GUIDEBOOK

Singles-Friendly Skiing

Here is a sampling of ski resorts and tour operators that cater to single skiers:

Resorts: Northstar-at-Tahoe, P.O. Box 2499, Truckee, Calif. 96160; telephone (800) 466-6784.

Copper Mountain, P.O. Box 3007, Copper Mountain, Colo. 80443; tel. (800) 458-8386.

Jackson Hole, Central Reservations, P.O. Box 2618, Jackson Hole, Wyo. 83001; tel. (800) 443-6931.

Club Med Copper Mountain, Club Med, 40 W. 57th St., New York 10019; tel. (800) CLUB-MED (258-2633).

Tour operators: Moguls Ski & Sun Tours, 5589 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 208, Boulder, Colo.; tel.(800) 666-4857. Moguls is arranging a Jan. 16-23 trip to Steamboat Springs, Colo., for Jewish singles ages 25-45. The cost of $999 includes air fare from Los Angeles, lodgings (singles are paired in hotel rooms), buffet breakfast daily, four dinners and lift tickets for five days. For details, call Peter Brownstein in Denver; tel. (303) 696-6323.

Ski Tour Operators Assn., P.O. Box 3158, Englewood, Colo. 80155; tel. (800) 4-SKI-TOP (475-4867). The trade group offers referrals to 23 top U.S. ski tour operators that agree to a code of ethics and have been in business at least five years.

Backroads, 1516 5th St., Berkeley, Calif. 94710; tel. (800) 462-2848. Five- and six-day cross-country ski trips in California, Washington, Western Canada, Vermont and Quebec, with some downhill opportunities. Price: $1,250 to $1,300, excluding air fare.

American Wilderness Experience, P.O. Box 1486, Boulder, Colo. 80306; tel. (800) 444-0099. Eight-day cross-country ski trips in California and Minnesota. Price: $745 to $1,255, excluding air fare.

Sierra Club, Outing Department, 730 Polk St., San Francisco 94109; tel. (415) 923-5522. Cross-country ski trips in California, Colorado, Minnesota and Alaska. Price: $420 to $1,410, excluding air fare. $3 catalogue.

For more information: Those looking for a traveling companion to cut costs and share the experience may be able to find a ski mate (of the same or opposite sex) through Travel Companions, the newsletter for singles. A $120 annual membership fee includes a subscription to the bimonthly publication as well as an opportunity to participate in the newsletter’s Travel Companion Exchange, a listing of hundreds of people seeking partners for all kinds of trips, including ski excursions.

Send $4 for a sample issue. Contact publisher Jens Jurgen, TCE, P.O. Box 833, Amityville, N.Y. 11701; tel. (516) 454-0880.