If you'd like to add to your snow-sliding repertoire, consider telemark skiing.

It combines the slide-and-glide technique of cross-country skiing with the turning ability of downhill skiing when you close the rear bindings to hold your heels in place.

And one of the best ways to learn how to telemark is to attend Telepalooza 2010 on Jan. 30-31 at Seven Springs.

The event, organized by the Appalachian Telemark Association, features telemark ski clinics taught by professional ski instructors. There will be clinics in the morning and afternoon, demo equipment for adults and children, a giant dual slalom on Saturday and the "longest uphill/downhill fun race in the mid-Atlantic region" on Sunday.

The cost is $79 for one day or $99 for both days, which includes food and drink. Children 15 and younger are free. Lift tickets aren't included, but discount lift tickets are available.

Get off the sidelines -- or sofa -- and onto the snow.

That's the advice from the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association.

And the best time to follow it is in January during "Learn a Snow Sport Month" in Pennsylvania.

"Not knowing how to ski or board is no longer an excuse for sitting at home," said Linda Irvin, association director. "It's easier and more affordable than ever. For the entire month, the [association's] 22 member resorts will offer a $5 discount on already low midweek "Learn A Snow Sport" packages. These special tickets include a first ski lesson, rental equipment, either skis or a snowboard and a lift ticket for use on any of the beginner areas."

The association and its members also are sponsoring an all-inclusive, season-long Learn-to-Ski or Learn-to-Snowboard program for children and adults.

For $30, a beginner receives rental equipment, a group lesson and a lift ticket for use anytime during the season, which typically runs from mid-December through mid-March. A purchaser is permitted to buy up to five vouchers per household. That gives a family of five a coordinated start on the snow or provides an individual with an opportunity to graduate from beginner to novice to low intermediate in one season.

The vouchers are good anytime, including weekends and holidays.

Deadline to buy them is Dec. 11.

To reserve a package go to www.skipa.com, e-mail psaa@gmpexpress.net, call 1-570-443-0963, fax 1-570-443-0388, or write to the PSAA at Box 27, White Haven, PA 18661.

The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association also has a Fourth- and Fifth Grade Snowpass Program to introduce young students to skiing and snowboarding. Fourth and fifth graders are at "the perfect age to accelerate downhill skills," said association president Gregg Confer said. Their "excitement and enthusiasm on the mountain is dramatic. It's the point in life where they can really feel a solid commitment to a sport that will last a lifetime."

The on-mountain experience allows students to see the lessons of their science studies in action, such as water resources at work, animal predator/prey relationships, geology structure, and the physics of lift mechanics.

The program includes free rental equipment, a group lesson and a lift ticket for the beginner slope. Students must be accompanied by a paying adult. They also will receive three complementary day lift tickets accepted at 20 ski areas in the state. Fourth- and fifth-graders who live out of state also can participate.

To obtain an application, go to www.skipa.com, e-mail snowpass@gmpexpress.net, visit your local full-service ski/snowboard shop, or call 1-570-443-0963. Return the form with a photocopy of the child's report card for verification purposes, a 2-by-11/2-inch school photo and a non-refundable $15 processing fee.

Make the check out to PSAA and mail it to the association at Box 27, White Haven, PA 18661. The snowpass should arrive within one to two weeks.

For a list of all association members, convenient links to their Websites and a printable $5 discount coupon, go to www.skipa.com.

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