Vital Stats: Paoli Peaks

Phone (812) 723-4696

Information Ski Paoli Peaks, P.O. Box 67, Paoli, IN 47454-0067; www.skipeaks.com.

Ticket Price A one-day adult lift ticket is $35 Saturdays and holidays and $29 from Sunday to Friday. A Midnight Madness pass, good from midnight till 6 am, costs $25. Multi-day passes are available at discounted rates, and special rates are offered to students and children.

Skiable Terrain Sixty-five acres, 15 runs, a 300-foot vertical drop and a mile-long longest trail may sound small, but Paoli’s layout makes the skiing feel bigger.

Lifts One double, three triples and a quad chair

When To Go December through March. The week between Christmas and New Year’s can be crowded.

Getting There Paoli is about an hour from Louisville, Ky. Take I-64 west to Highway 150 west for 39 miles to Paoli. At the edge of town, turn left at the sign and follow the road up to the resort. From Indianapolis, about an hour and a half away, take I-465 to Highway 37 south for 85 miles to Paoli. Both St. Louis and Nashville are about four hours away.

Lodging Best bet for lodging, dining and après-ski activities is the huge 471-room French Lick Springs Resort and Spa (800-457-4042), 11 miles down the road. The elegantly restored, century-old resort was once a thriving outpost for the rich and famous (Clark Gable and Bing Crosby were visitors). The Braxtan House Inn B&B (800-627-2982) is only 2 miles away from the slopes.

Eats You can’t go wrong with the steaks and seafood at Jack’s Steakhouse at the French Lick Resort.

Drinks The French Lick Resort’s in-house Le Bistro and Kentucky Derby bars are skier hangouts on weekends. If you prefer a burger and beer near the slopes, check out the Riverside Kafe in town, a tiny and rowdy bar packed with locals and skiers.

Locals’ Tip The big deal at Paoli is the Power-X Games, a series of big-air, boarder- and skiercross competitions.