By Brian E. Clark Special To Channel 3000

Every winter, I fly west for a week of serious skiing at one of the top resorts in either Utah, Colorado, Wyoming or California. Once I get there, I?ll carve turns on runs that drop from lofty summits around 11,000 feet down to base areas thousands of feet below.

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Once, I even spent a few days on a heli-skiing trip in eastern British Columbia with Canadian Mountain Holidays, floating through deep powder down steep slopes in the Bugaboo and Monashee ranges. Now that was heaven?

Obviously, Wisconsin doesn't have any mountains that can match those out West.

But that doesn't bother me a bit.

Skiing is skiing, even if the descent from the top of the hill to the bottom is 700 feet or less. And with the rise in popularity of snowboard parks ? now extremely popular with twin-tip skiers ? you don?t need a big mountain to have a great time.

Funny thing, though, some folks I?ve encountered who live in the Badger State have sworn off skiing in the Midwest because, they say, the hills are so lacking. Which means ? unless you can make numerous trips west ? that you aren?t going to get on the slopes very often.

In my humbled opinion, the Madison area is blessed with an abundance of ski hills with a three-hour drive. And then, if you want, you can head even further north to Michigan?s Upper Peninsula, where one resort ? Mount Bohemia ? has a vertical of nearly 1,000 feet and the best extreme skiing and boarding in the region.

One of my favorite hills in the Madison area is Tyrol Basin, in part because it?s less than 30 minutes from my home and also because it?s located in a picturesque little valley with good slopes a lodge that used to be a dairy barn.

Now how Wisconsin is that?

Tyrol also offers $12 Tuesdays and other bargains. It?s also a friendly place and it?s where my two youngest children learned to ski in a fun pre-school program. Another place for great bargains is Cascade, near Portage, where kids 12-and-under always ski free. Other areas on the local list are Devil?s Head, near Baraboo; Granite Peak, in Wausau's Rib Mountain State Park; Alpine Valley near East Troy and Wilmot on the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

Here?s the rundown on these resorts:

Tyrol Basin, 3487 Bohn Road, Mount Horeb, www.tyrolbasin.com, is about 20 miles west of Madison. It has a vertical drop of 300 feet, 16 runs and numerous terrain features on 40 acres.

Tyrol was the first Midwest resort to build a half-pipe and continues to be a favorite among snowboarders and freestyle skiers. It has a homey atmosphere and was ranked one of the top three terrain parks in the region by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine for the past two years. This season, the resort bought seven new snow-making guns and a snow-grooming machine. A new learn-to-ski-and-snowboard program started this January. Participants who complete the three-lesson package will receive a free season pass for the rest of the season. The deal costs $129 and includes lift tickets, lessons, rentals and a helmet.

Other specials include $12 rentals and beginner lessons on Tuesdays; $12 lift tickets for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; and $12 ducats for 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Devil's Head, S6330 Bluff Road, Merrimac, www.devilsheadresort.com, boasts an impressive 500-foot vertical drop, 10 chairlifts, two magic carpets and 32 runs. It also has a large base resort featuring 252 ski-in/ski-out hotel rooms, suites and condos, as well as numerous restaurants and bars on site. It's popular with locals and the Chicago crowd.

It's located in the Baraboo Bluffs and is known for its long, intermediate runs. It also has several terrain parks for the snowboarding and freeskiing set. Devil's Head offers a variety of packages, but its best deal is $16 Thursday night tickets for all ages.

Cascade Mountain, W10441 Cascade Mountain Rd., Portage, www.cascademountain.com, has eight chairlifts, two surface lifts, 36 trails with 100 percent snow-making, a vertical drop of 460 feet and a snow-tubing hill.

Cascade is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It spent $2?million on improvements this season, adding 14 snow guns to its automated system. The resort also bought a new Prinoth Bison X groomer and remodeled its original chalet.

Cascade claims the largest novice area in the Midwest. The resort renovated the beginner slopes to improve loading for newbies onto its two magic carpet conveyor lifts. In addition, the unloading area around the new chairlift, Glacial Express, was regraded.

Granite Peak, 3605 N. Mountain Rd., Wausau, www.skigranitepeak.com, has a vertical drop of 700 feet - the most in Wisconsin. It has 74 runs, three mogul runs, 65 acres of tree skiing, seven lifts (including a high-speed six-pack) and five terrain parks that are groomed every night. Many consider it the best ski and snowboard resort in the state.

For the past two years, it won top honors for its terrain parks from Transworld Snowboarding Magazine. It also owns the most powerful snow-making system in the Midwest. New this season is additional novice terrain serviced with a high-speed, 600-foot conveyor lift. There's also a new fleet of rental equipment, plus a new slopeside outdoor kitchen with additional seating on the Sundance Patio. And to make it easier to get from the parking lot, the resort has begun a trolley service.

Ski Wilmot Mountain, 11931 Fox River Rd., Wilmot, www.wilmotmountain.com, has a vertical drop of 230 feet, four terrain parks, 25 runs on 135 acres and extensive snow-making. New for this season is a snow tubing facility that features 16 lanes - including a kiddie hill -- and a conveyor lift for easy rides back up the slope. In addition, the snow tubing area will have its own building that will feature ticket sales, rental items, food, drinks and restrooms. The resort offers a variety of packages, including discounts for students, seniors, military personnel and emergency workers.

Alpine Valley, Highway D and Townline Road, is five miles outside of East Troy. It has three detachable, four-person (quad) chairlifts that can quickly zip skiers and snowboarders to the top of its nearly 400-foot hill. Snow sliders can choose from 18 runs, the longest of which is 2,500 feet. One of those quads is new this year, which has eased lift-line congestion when the slopes are busy. The resort also has several terrain parks, and with four conveyer lifts, novices should find Alpine Valley a good place to learn.