It’s that time of year again. Get out your skis and winter hats and head north. Or if you want snow on the slopes, try heading west. Global warming and Vermont real estate prices go together like Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. Whether you’re Bode Miller and can ski the world’s toughest slopes half in the bag or strapping on skis for the first time, Kayak.com has found a ski vacation just for you.

It’s hard to believe this winter wonderland for the rich and famous started as a mining town but Aspen is the ski resort for the serious skier, shopaholic and celebrity stalker. One lift ticket gives access to all four Aspen area resorts — Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass. We recommend Aspen Mountain with no fewer than 23 double diamonds for the expert skier and the aptly named Buttermilk for the novice. Whether skiing, shopping, drinking or eating, flashbulbs mean celebs in this town and be on the lookout for the usual snow bunnies: Jerry Seinfeld, Usher, Heidi Klum and Jack Nicholson. Let’s pause for a mental picture of Jack in a snow suit.

• Aspen flights
• Aspen hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about Aspen

The debate between Colorado and Utah for best ski destination can ruin a friendship but we’ll spread the love to both states. Utah’s Wasatch Mountain Range is covered all winter in deep, feathery powder, and you can re-trace the tracks of Olympians at Park City. But don’t limit yourself to high-profile resorts like Sundance and Park City. Snowbird and Alta have cheaper lift tickets, get better snow, and have more diverse runs. Hit Snowbird’s Mineral Basin in the morning but be careful on the jumps. The ski patrol is friendly, but it’s a long way back to base from there. For novices, Alta’s Sunnyside lift is free everyday after 3pm. Utah’s après ski would make Joseph Smith roll over in his grave. For sore muscles, the natural hot springs are clothing optional. Wonder if Heidi Klum skies here?

• Salt Lake City flights
• Alta hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about Alta

Every skier dreams of a ski vacation to the Alps and you’d be hard pressed to find a more pristine and quaint resort town than Verbier, Switzerland. With some of the most challenging ski terrain and scenic vistas in the Alps, a southwesterly orientation that maximizes sun exposure and the 850-year history of the surrounding ‘Val de Bagnes’ region, Verbier epitomizes the kind of adventure unique to the European ’superski’ networks. Spend all day skiing or take one of their guided sealskin tours. Before you send us hate mail about dead seals, “skins” are now made from mohair or nylon. Still not interested, try ice climbing or tobogganing.

• Geneva flights
• Verbier hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about the Alps

Impress your friends by trying an out-of-the-box ski vacation such as Bulgaria’s largest and oldest ski resort, Borovets, which attracts skiers from all over the world. Made up of three regions, Sitnqkovo – Martinovi Baraki, Markudjik, and Qstrebec, the skiing varies in difficulty. Multilingual signs ensure that you stay away from the cliffs. Plus, over 200 multilingual instructors teach at their highly reputed ski school. The air here is fresh and pollution is minimal, so enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Don’t forget to try their night skiing under the stars before heading to the discos, shops, restaurants, and bars.

• Sofia flights
• Borovets hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about Borovets

Get the Fare Buzz for these ski vacations from your home airport.

Waxing our … skis,
Steve and Paul, Kayak.com co-founders

Kayak Tip: We joined a bunch of entrepreneurs on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch this week. Donny is a cool guy and we were honored to be included. Here’s a link in case you’re interested in advice for starting your own business or just curious to see what we look like. Think Brad Pitt and George Clooney …

Are you an adrenaline junkie? Do you drink tap water from the
airplane bathroom by the gallon? Pack toiletries in your carry-on
weighing more than 3 oz? Or order the fish special at a roadside
motel restaurant along Route 66? If you answered yes to these
questions you are in need of an adventure vacation. Here are a few
ideas to get your heart pumping:

San Jose

Get a view of the breathtaking Costa Rican rainforest while you’re
suspended from a zip wire above the trees. Dozens of tour companies
offer combo zip and hike packages in Monteverde Cloud Forest,
Mahogany Park, or Drake Bay. Suspension bridges, platforms,
walkways stretching between trees and wildlife sightings round out
your zip wire, jungle-swinging experience. Most tours offer free
pick-up from hotels, unless you prefer to swing there Tarzan-style.
Auckland

If you only think Lord of the Rings when you hear the words New
Zealand, then you haven’t been to Mount Cook. This challenging trek
is only for experienced mountaineers who like to scare themselves
senseless. You can soak up the view of the Tasman Glacier once
you’ve made it to the top. Interested in a rugged, sustained
journey but without the death-defying dangling? Than the Ball Pass
Trek is the hike for you.

Whistler

Do you laugh in the face of a black diamond run? If so, perhaps
jumping 10,000 feet from a helicopter into deep, untracked powder is
the extreme ski trip for you. Heliskiing is the off-trail, downhill
skiing that is reached by a helicopter, rather than an enjoyable
(and slow moving) ski lift. As if the jump is not dangerous enough,
heliskiers are stoked by dense trees and other challenges on the
ground. Whistler Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada offers
hundreds of ski runs, with a tremendous variety of slopes to
accommodate all levels of skiers and boarders from intermediate to
expert.

Nassau
There’s adventure and then there’s just plain stupid and that’s what
we think of shark diving but we’d be remiss to leave it off the
list. Go to the place where they filmed the movie Open Water for
your own crash course on how the food chain works under water.
Stuart Cove in Nassau, Bahamas offers a number of shark dives that
present an up close and personal look at these maneaters…I mean
magnificent and misunderstood creatures.

Get the Fare Buzz for these adventure vacations from your home airport.

Livin’ on the edge,
Steve and Paul, Kayak.com co-founders

Did you know? You have one more day to win a trip for two to the
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on December 24. To enter, simply tell us which
college you think hosts the best game day and why. Send the contest
to friends and receive an additional entry for each email entered.

You won’t need a weapon to hunt this type of game - Gators, Buckeyes, Wolverines, Tigers oh my! So, put away your gun and take out your credit card (and foam finger) because we’re hunting cheap fares to the season’s biggest and best Bowl games. As usual, the BCS is causing controversy (which gives washed-up football players something to debate on TV). Rather than joining the debate take in the party in person by attending one or all of these bowl games.

In fact, we love college bowl season so much that we’re sending one lucky Kayaker and a friend to one of the bowl games listed below. More.

The Tostitos National Championship (January 8, 6:30 p.m. MST) features the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes and the one-loss Florida Gators who leapfrogged over Michigan in the 11th hour of voting. While we can argue about the true #2 team until the BCS gives us something different to argue about next year, there is no disputing that Phoenix, Arizona offers ideal tailgating weather. Don’t miss: Phoenix is the golf capital of the world so don’t leave without playing at least one round.

• Flights to Phoenix
• Phoenix hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about Phoenix

There are a number of names being tossed around for this year’s Rose Bowl (January 1, 2 p.m. PST): Consolation Bowl, Choke Bowl, Snubbed Bowl, etc. Regardless of the name, we’re looking forward to the game which pits USC’s Trojans against the Michigan Wolverines. This granddaddy of all bowls is a trip every college football fan should make during their lifetime and host city Pasadena offers plenty of entertainment for the non-fan as well. Don’t miss: The 118th Rose parade on Monday, January 1 at 8:00 a.m. PST.

• Flights to LA
• LA hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about LA

While the Sugar Bowl (January 3, 7 p.m. CST) is not deciding the national champion and doesn’t have its own parade (officially), no one city hosts a better party than New Orleans. The game won’t be bad either. The Fighting Irish will meet local favorites LSU Tigers. Finally, two teams that are happy to be in their assigned bowl (more or less) meet in a city overjoyed to be back in business and back to hosting a bowl game (last year’s Sugar Bowl was held in Atlanta). Don’t miss: The post-game celebration on Bourbon Street is more fun than Mardi Gras.

• Flights to New Orleans
• New Orleans hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about New Orleans

Although not a BCS bowl, the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (December 24, 3 p.m. HST) featuring the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Hawaii Warriors, combines our two loves of beaches and football. Before you write off this bowl, it should be a high scoring game since there is little defense to speak of from either side and Warrior’s quarterback Colt Brennan is only one touchdown pass from tying the national record of 54 set in 1990. Don’t miss: Dah, it’s Hawaii!

• Flights to Hawaii
• Hawaii hotels
• Talk to other Kayakers about Hawaii

Get the Fare Buzz for these bowl games from your home airport.

In it for the cheerleaders,
Steve (Go Longhorns) and Paul (Build Beavers Build), Kayak.com co-founders