Back in January, it looked like we were going to experience another "winter that wasn't," with the only snow to play on made by snowguns on the slopes of ski resorts.

The Sweetheart Storm of 2007 and the "flurries" that followed changed all of that, and has turned virtually all of New England and New York into a pure white outdoor playground.

Most of you know that we now have a lot of snow, but I don't think everyone realizes just how much. Just look at the snow depth map at erh.noaa.gov/er/nerfc/graphics/snowmaps/sd1_today.jpg. Almost all of northern New England has more than 20 inches of settled snow. Some places have more than 50 inches.

That much snow isn't going to go away any time soon. So you might as well get out and enjoy it.

What you can do with the snow depends largely on where you live, where you are traveling and what you are prepared for.

Near the coast, this storm left lesser amounts of snow - but that snow was heavier, denser and naturally packed itself down. Perfect for sledding, for example. Also perfect for snowshoeing with the lightweight, tiny snowshoes that are so popular today.

Where I was - in Lake Placid, N.Y., for the storm, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec for the aftermath - the snow was deep, deep, deep and very light and fluffy. That created entirely different conditions.

Unfortunately, the storm took me completely by surprise in the middle of a trip I had intended to devote entirely to Alpine skiing. I was expecting mostly man-made snow, not a blizzard of historic proportions.

On the day the storm started, we were skiing at Whiteface with 10 inches of powder over a base of man-made, groomed snow. By the time we awoke the next morning, that powder was over three feet deep and drifting on gale-force winds. All road traffic in the area had virtually stopped.

If I'd had my choice, I'd have gone cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on the groomed trails at the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg (orda.org). According to the reports I've had, conditions were absolutely stunning, the best in years.

Unfortunately, we were unable to get there.

My sweetheart Marilyn and I were able to experience something pretty unusual though. We got dressed up for a winter expedition and went out in the tearing wind, blowing snow and biting cold to stroll the almost-deserted streets of Lake Placid - something of an adventure in itself.

A couple of days later, in the Eastern Townships, the snow was still falling and the wind was still blowing and it was still cold, making for perfect conditions at Parc Aventure Sutton (866-538-6464, arbresutton.com/engl/start.htm.)

This is a re-opened cross-country resort, now part of an operation that offers year-round zip-line adventures to groups. They had 35 kilometers of tracks laid in the new snow and a packed snowshoe trail ready to play on.

In the bottomless snow, I wanted to try their legendary "Trail 11," which climbs up the back side of the Mont Sutton ski area and then descends 5 kilometers through the woods. Unfortunately, I didn't have a companion crazy enough to join me, and trekking alone in those conditions is too dangerous.

Fortunately, all that snow is still there. For the next few weeks, I'm going to spend as much time as I can out playing in the snow. I'd suggest you do the same.

Life isn't a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!

Toys for deep snow

When the snow is really deep and soft it takes specialized gear to get off the packed trails and really explore the depths of winter.

Most sleds, for example, work best on packed snow. If you want to try powder sledding, you need a Mad River Rocket (madriverrocket.com), which is a steerable sled designed specifically for powder. Once you get the hang of it, you can even take this toy into the deep, untracked powder on wooded hillsides. Just wear a helmet in case a tree decides to jump out in front of you. (next page »)