Are you one of those people who heads out to your local ski area until the rocks are beginning to show through the slush? You just can't get enough powder and skiing during those few months in the winter. You are in luck. The National Geographic Adventure magazine of December 2005/January 2006 gives those die hard skiers some ski area options for year round slopes. If you have the money and the time, you can hop from ski area to area and visit a few different continents to get your snow fix. If you don't have a lot of money, you can pick a ski area that will take the sting off of the summer drought of skiing.

From December to February, head to the Italian Alps and Sestriere, Italy where the prices are very reasonable and the skiing is great. You may recognize this as one of the spots where events were held for the 2006 Olympics in Torino. This ski area has six resorts that are all connected with around 250 miles of trails.

Once March to May hits, many of the ski area spots in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning to close. The Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort is a smaller, less crowded area than its bigger and busier neighbors to either side: Kirkwood and Squaw Valley. The slopes are very steep and challenging and you will find the slush bowl in May a fun way to spend the day watching people.

Over the summer months, when the snow is long gone in your favorite ski area, you can head up to Canada or down to Chile and find skiing happiness. The Blackstone, British Columbia area boasts the Whistler ski area, which is one of the most famous in the world. Not only will skiers find great powder, and miles and miles of trails, snowboarders, bikers and bungee jumpers can find something to appeal to them here as well.

In Portillo, Chile, you will find a rustic ski town without a lot of the perks of some of the fancier ski resort towns. But if you want skiing bliss at its best and simplest this may just be what you are looking for. They do have one 7,000 foot run and miles of other trails.

Finally, back in the U.S. for the first skiing of the new season, you can head to Wolf Creek Colorado. They have the highest annual snowfall in Colorado and 500 acres of trails and 6 lifts.

So, take a trip (or a few) and feed your need to ski year round.