I learned to love x-country skiing in college - I went to school in Rochester NY so we usually had plenty of snow and cold weather to have fun in. Rochester was pretty darn flat though. Now that I live out in the PNW I still like to ski, but I don't know much, well anything really about the backcountry / avalanches etc. so I feel pretty limited as to where I can ski out here. First and foremost, its got to be safe and its hard to find areas with no avalanch hazards that still get snow.