Beating the winter blues: great Alaska getaway ideas to fire you up when the weather gets cold.

• Author: Woodring, Jeannie

Every winter when another six months of ice and snow looms before you, you ask, "What am I going to do this winter?"

Look at how dozens of northern entrepreneurs and hundreds of state and international travelers answer that question:

* Slip on a pair of skis and hit the alpine slopes and sparkling backcountry trails for an afternoon;

* Spend a weekend at a luxurious resort that offers hot tubs, fine dining and wildlife watching;

* Step behind a dog team and scoot off into the wilderness for a three-week mushing adventure.

If these frosty escapades are starting to fire up your imagination, read on.

SKIING SAFARIS

Tons of crystalline powder plunked down on Alaska each winter serve one glorious purpose: skiing.

If you're a skier of the intrepid, alpine-inclined variety, check out the changes at Alyeska Resort this year. You can shoot to the 2,300-foot top of Mount Alyeska on a new tramway -- Alaska's first. The six-minute ride offers breathtaking views of Turnagain Arm and Glacier Valley on the way up, showing you why Alyeska Resort received a recent vote as having "North America's most scenic views." At the top of the mountain, you'll find a new Glacier Terminal, featuring cafeteria-style dining.

Also new at Alyeska this year is Chair 7, which adds 20 acres of beginning terrain, and a shuttle service, which connects the resort's Daylodge to the new tramway facilities.

If your ski tastes take you out on cross-country trails, there's no end to your winter options.

Turning left off Fishhook Road on the Glenn Highway outside of Palmer takes you into two Hatcher Pass getaways. The first, the Motherlode Lodge, lies halfway up the road. It offers 10 hotel rooms with private baths and an upper floor where you can park your sleeping bag overnight for $10.

Aside from the superb skiing that lies outside the Motherlode's doors, you can also catch helicopter skiing, horseback riding, dog mushing and snow machining here. After hitting the trails, relax inside with billiards, a game of pool or candlelight dining. Call 746-1464 for rates and reservations.

Hatcher Pass Lodge, at the top of the pass, gives you up to nine miles of groomed trails. Accommodations include seven guest cabins and three additional guest rooms inside the lodge. For reservations and information, call 745-5897.

Further up the Glenn Highway lies the Sheep Mountain Lodge. Originally a roadhouse, the lodge provides cabin and bunkhouse reservations, mouth-watering meals, a hot tub and...