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"When it's raining in Juneau it makes everything seem dull and boring and depressing," Wilson said. "Snow calms me down. When I'm snowboarding I feel relaxed and good about myself."

This year Lacey is planning snowboarding trips to Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.

Mark Schultz grew up in Juneau and enjoys snowboarding at Eaglecrest. He likes the terrain, lack of crowds, and riding with friends, but traveling is important for his state of mind.

"A good balance for me is living in Juneau but being able to travel," Schultz said. "It makes me appreciate coming back and being here, as opposed to being frustrated and locked in with cabin fever."

Schultz, who owns a recycling business, travels with Juneau's Boarderline snowboard team - Ryan Collard, Ashley Call, Jake Liska, Dave Firmin, Chris Currier, and Mark Landvik. The team migrates down the West Coast in pickup trucks, campers and motor homes, camping at the mountain. They enter contests, ride the parks, and explore the backcountry.

"If there's good snow in Washington we hang out there, if there's good snow in Tahoe we go there," Schultz said. "The snow has gotten really sporadic these last few years, so it's hard to plan a trip. We're ... kinda seeing where the snow is looking good and basically heading there."

"I go wherever the snow is and wherever the talent is," he said. "Where I go is related to the people I'm filming."

Baxter uses the trip to promote his snowboarding videos to West Coast ski shops and distributors.

This year Ryan Collard is driving to Colorado to ride the terrain parks before meeting his friends in Washington.

"In mid-December we go to Mount Baker for the Banked Slalom (Race) and explore the areas around there with snowmachines," Collard said. "We also go filming on the back side of Baker."

Mount Baker Ski Area is about three hours north of Seattle, near Bellingham. The area has restaurants, rental and sports shops - but no telephones or on-site accommodations. Lodging is 17 miles away in the town of Glacier, but access is easy with a car or shuttle service. Lift tickets are $28 and the area opens in November most years.

Further south, Lake Tahoe resorts offer a cosmopolitan and backcountry experience. Squaw Valley and Heavenly have more lifts and swankier facilities, but longer lift lines and no out-of-bounds skiing. Kirkwood and Alpine Meadows are smaller, less crowded, and allow backcountry access. Lift prices in Tahoe range from $42 to $56. Most areas are open in November.

Some snow riders head inland where the snow is dry and the mountains are open as early as October.

"I'm going to Alta," said Juneau skier Jim Gute, referring to Alta Ski Area in Utah. "The snow is really good, probably the best in the country. It's so dry and smooth. Even when it gets tracked up it stays really smooth, like talcum powder. ... They get snow starting in September and usually open up by Halloween, but you can still hike and ski in October," he said.

Gute is taking a sabbatical from his civil engineering job to ski in Utah and at Jackson Hole, Wyo., this winter.

Juneau skiers Bob Marshall and Deborah Craig prefer Alta's rustic, low-key environment.

Alta Ski Area, near Salt Lake City, has on-mountain facilities, including wooden lodges, restaurants, a ski and rental shop, but is closed to snowboarders. Nearby Snowbird Resort, which welcomes snowboarders, offers higher-end lodging with room service, spas, massage, valet parking, and shopping. Daily lift prices start at $40 for adults and the season opened in mid-November this year.

Another popular destination for Juneau skiers and snowboarders is Red Mountain Resort in British Columbia.

"I go there for the 3,000-foot vertical," said Juneau accountant-ski-bum Kevin Sledge. "There's good tree skiing and good backcountry, and a decent amount of intermediate terrain, but mostly advanced. Part of it is the short lift lines, where you basically just ski right back onto the chair. It's sort of like Eaglecrest on a bigger scale."

Red Mountain is Eaglecrest's sister mountain and offers discounts for Eaglecrest season's pass holders. The area is about 2 1/2 hours north of Spokane, Wash., and offers some on-mountain facilities, including lodging, a cafeteria, pub, ski and rental shop. Nearby Rossland provides plenty of food and lodging accommodations. Lift tickets are $45 Canadian (about $27 American) and the area is open in mid-November.

Not everyone can leave Alaska for extended snow play. Many stay close and find the powder nearby.

Alyeska Ski Resort, near Anchorage, is a few hours by jet, a little farther by car. Some Juneauites take their ski equipment along on business trips for a half-day diversion. Others make it a winter ritual to try out the snow there.

"Alyeska gets snow before Eaglecrest and it stays longer," said Derek Liska, who snowboards at Alyeska. "It has faster chair lifts and it snows more. There's not as many trees, it's pretty open, it's just different terrain, something different to ride."

Accommodations at Alyeska include a large on-mountain resort, with hotel, restaurants, ski and rental shops. Visitors also stay in Anchorage or with friends in nearby Girdwood. Lift tickets start at $40 and the area is usually open November through May.

Haines probably is the closest out-of-town ski destination for Juneau snow riders. It's a ferry ride away and local guiding operations offer skiers and snowboarders tours into the mountains by snowmachine or helicopter.

"By Thanksgiving we better be riding out the door on a snowmobile," said Bruce Bauer, co-owner of Out of Bounds Adventures in Haines. "When the snow season starts, it pretty much stays all winter and it doesn't rain on top of it."

Haines Summit gets a lot of snow, said Paul Stiller, owner of Big Country Snowmobile Tours. "There's plenty of hiking at the (Haines summit) pass; people are hiking up now, right off the road for nice fresh tracks."

On a typical tour Stiller takes clients up the mountain on a snowmachine, drops them off, and they ski down.

"I drive down and pick them up and taxi them back up and we keep going until people get tired," he said.

"Haines offers the total all-around winter gig, with a snowmobile race track, sledding, cross-country skiing, downhill, and backcountry," said Bauer. "There's just unlimited 'mountainage' for the big mountain rider or skier."

Traveling Outside takes money and time. Many Juneau skiers and snowboarders can't leave their jobs or families for extended vacations. Their choice is to stay home and wait for Eaglecrest to open, read ski magazines, or go out and do snow dances around a bonfire.

Teri Tibbett is a freelance writer and snowboarder living in Juneau. Contact her at: teri@snowboardersjournal.com.