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Story by Tim Jones

For those of you who have never tried it, skiing under the lights is a delightful experience, especially in February and March when the evening temperatures begin to moderate a little. No, that gives the wrong perspective on night skiing. Even in the deepest cold of January, night skiing is worth the slight effort of throwing on an extra layer of insulation.

Night skiing is a great way to get more skiing time in and more from each dollar you spend on skiing. Night ticket prices are lower than day rates, and there are rarely any lift lines to slow you down -- not that lift lines are all that common anyway in these days of high-speed lifts.

Now it's true that after a day of work in midweek or a hard day of skiing on the weekend, you don't want to ski late into the evening and have to drive a long way home. You don't have to drive far to find lights to ski under. In fact, most areas that offer night skiing are close to a large population base. The only "destination resort" I can think of that offers night skiing is Bretton Woods in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire.

A night skiing pass typically runs $20 or less and gives you five or six hours on the slopes. With prices like that, it's a wonder that more people don't take advantage of the opportunity. If you need to rent equipment, the night rates are usually correspondingly lower, too.

Apparently, however, a lot of people who have never tried it seem to think that skiing under the lights is somehow more difficult. But the snow quality and the skiing are often better at night. The bright white of floodlamps shows bumps and the texture of the snow better than the flat light of late afternoon and actually makes skiing a little easier.

While it's true that the world shrinks a little under the floodlights, that's not at all an unpleasant experience. In fact, it's a kind of magic. Flying down the hill on skis in a pool of light surrounded by darkness is a perfect way to unwind from a stress-filled day. Even the ride up the chairlift at night is magical, the lights of houses and towns twinkle in the distance. It's an experience that's well worth the (low) price of admission.

If you're looking for night skiing opportunities, check out the winter sports information at www.boston.com, which lists hours of operation for most ski areas.