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Story by Tim Jones

I don't mean to brag, but it looks as though I've hit on something great here. My boys still talk frequently about each of the birthdays we've celebrated in this way. They don't seem to recall much of the material goods they received for those birthdays, but they sure remember the skiing.

Normally I let the boys choose their destination, but this year I surprised them with a trip to Attitash/Bear Peak just outside North Conway. Attitash/Bear Peak is something of a sleeper -- you have to drive past a lot of good skiing to get there. It's worth it.

Attitash/Bear Peak is owned by Les Otten of the American Ski Co., the man who has worked such magic with Sunday River in Maine and Sugarbush in Vermont and is now poised to work that same magic with Mount Snow/Haystack, Killington, and Sugarloaf U.S.A.

In such august company, Attitash/Bear Peak has been somewhat overshadowed. But while the other areas have been garnering headlines, it has been adding new snowmaking, excellent grooming, and new lifts.

Attitash/Bear Peak has enough s-t-e-e-p!!! terrain to keep even my two hotshot boys excited. On Attitash peak, there's Ptarmigan and Tightrope, Idiot's Option and the appropriately named Tim's Trauma, a quartet of flashy single- and double-diamond expert trails. Plus there's a bunch of very nice intermediate cruising trails that are impeccably groomed and enough green circles to keep beginners happily cruising away from the hotshots.

My boys thought the triple chair that services the Attitash trails was "too slow," but after screaming down a full 1,750 feet of steeps, I appreciated the rest on the way up. If they ever replace that chair with a high-speed quad, Attitash will qualify as a major-league workout hill.

Bear Peak is really two interconnecting areas. A new high-speed super-quad puts you on two very nice expert trails and a long, winding intermediate that's more challenging than many diamonds at other areas. You can ski your legs to jelly in a hurry off this lift. I can't wait to see what they can find for additional trails in this beautiful setting.

Another quad accesses a bumped-up screamer called Kachina, a nice diamond called Myth Maker, and a couple of intermediate cruising runs. The beauty of this setup is that you can always seem to find a quiet corner away from the crowds to ski to your heart's content.

Attitash/Bear Peak are all interconnected and skiable on the same ticket, so you can move around easily. A "smart ticket" system lets you build points and earn free skiing at any of the American Ski Co. resorts.

Because our ski budget had been severely depleted by earlier adventures, we opted for a ski-and-stay package at the Susse Chalet Motel, down the road a couple of miles from Attitash, rather than at a more expensive slopeside accommodation package. We got a big, clean comfortable room, a hot tub, and a choice of nearby restaurants. That took care of the "Eat, sleep" part of the equation. Attitash/Bear peak took care of the "ski" in a most satisfactory manner.

For more information, see the Attitash/Bear Peak Web site at www.attitash.com or call 603-374-2368.