Snow Patrol

SPOT TO SKI: MAD RIVER GLEN

Elevation 1,500 to 3,585 feet; snow-depth 3 to 4� feet; yearly snowfall 150 inches; skiers last year 20,000; season Dec. 15 to April 15

For those who like skiing swift and tricky and lodge fires warm and cozy, Mad River Glen in Vermont is worth a try. Long famous for some of the best skiing in the state, Mad River is better than ever this year due to the extension of the single chair lift to the top of Stark Mt. The lift serves nine advanced and intermediate trails and rises 2,000 vertical feet from the Base Box, a restaurant-ski shop at the base, to the summit at Stark's Nest more than a mile away. There is also a 600-foot rope tow on a practice slope west of the Base Box which provides an excellent practice area for beginners. Mad River is informal, not as dressy as other Eastern ski resorts. The Bud Phillips Ski School has eight instructors. Tips: Mad River can be reached from New York by car in six or seven hours, from Boston in five hours. It is also reachable by special snow trains from Boston and New York to Montpelier and Waterbury . Northeast Airlines have flights into Montpelier from both Boston and New York . Sleeping accommodations start at $1 per night for dormitory bunk space up to $12 for a private double room.

SKIING COAST TO COAST

TD—top slopes, depth in inches; BD—bottom slopes, depth in inches; CR—ski crowd last weekend; SN—inches of snowfall last weekend

?EAST

Mad River Glen, Vt.: Thaw made skiing poor, but powder fall over weekend created good surface. Better base needed to cover rough spots. TD 20-30, BD 7-20, CR 300, SN 4.

Stowe, Vt.: Heavy rains just about cleaned out skiing. Present conditions poor with ice, rocks and bare spots. Will take two feet of snow to get Stowe back in the running again. TD 18, BD 12, CR 2,500, SN 1-2.

Mt. Snow , Vt.: Only lower half of mountain open. Good skiing on Overbrook trail, poor to fair elsewhere. Stretch pants more popular than ever. TD 28, BD 18, CR 1,500, SN 6.

Mt. Cranmore, N.H. : Frozen base with packed granular surface. Only Skimobile running. TD 1-10, BD 1-10, CR 2,500, SN 1.