BRETTON WOODS, N.H. -- Free skiing and snowboarding, an opportunity to sample other snowsports in a spectacular setting and then, ahh, a heated stone massage to complete the day and prepare for the next.

Welcome to the magnificent Mount Washington resort, named for the 6,288-foot peak behind it that is part of the expansive Presidential Range of the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire.

Near its base, and equally grand, is the Mount Washington Hotel, a masterpiece of Spanish architecture and a national historic landmark. The 200-room, four-story hotel, built in 1902, is completing a $50 million renovation.

The upgrade includes the Presidential Wing, the first construction at the hotel in more than a century. The new wing contains a 20,000-square-foot conference center and outdoor pool complex and, as of Jan. 22, a 25,000-square-foot spa, where you'll find those heated stone messages.

A $2 million restoration of the hotel's elegant dining room, Great Hall, and 900-foot-long wrap-around veranda was completed last year. A $7 million renovation of its two golf courses is to be completed this year.

A first-class resort should provide first-class skiing and snowboarding, and Bretton Woods delivers.

At 434 acres, it is the largest ski/snowboard area in New Hampshire. It has 101 slopes and trails and four terrain parks served by 10 lifts, including four high-speed quads.

The readers of Ski magazine last fall rated Bretton Woods the No. 1 resort in New Hampshire. They also rated it first in the Granite State for lodging, family programs, on-mountain food and service. It was the third consecutive year the resort received those top ratings.

For the sixth consecutive year, the readers placed it among the Top 10 Resorts in North America for grooming. And, for the third consecutive year, they put it in the Top 10 for lodging, family programs, lifts and scenery. They rated it "Best in the East" for weather and in the Top 5 for snow.

"If there's snow falling, chances are we've got it or we can make it with snowmaking on 92 percent of our slopes and trails," said spokeswoman Irene Donnell.

True, and true.

During a visit last March, I sampled the snowmaking and grooming. Both were impressive. The snow was well-made -- no ice -- and the grooming was seamless so cruisers could make sweeping turns without catching their edges on overlapped seams of hardpacked snow.

On Thursday morning, I awoke to find 8 inches of powder snow. It was one of those magic mornings because:

• The resort had groomed major slopes and trails before the snow started to fall.

• The weather forecast on Wednesday evening called for a "light snowfall," a prediction that prompted a number of slow-starting guests to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

When a high-speed quad opened at 9 a.m., I had the first chair to myself.

Now, 8 inches of powder snow pales in comparison to the 2- and 3-foot dumps that delight guests at resorts in the Rocky Mountain states and heli-skiers in British Columbia where I've skied in knee- and waist-deep snow.

But 8 inches of powder in New Hampshire in the spring was an unexpected treat.

I decided to ski the pristine powder on a pitch-perfect trail under the chairlift. On my second run, I alternated my turns so my tracks created a series of elongated 8s. I skied from tree line to tree line, had the run to myself for almost an hour and there was no lift line.

I had just finished the last of the 8s when a chorus of boos and catcalls broke out from one of the chairs overhead. Four of the guys I had skied with earlier in the week were on their way up for their first run and scolded me for skiing "their" snow.

We spent the rest of the day playing in the powder. Although most of the terrain had been tracked up, there was, as there often is, untracked snow along the tree lines. We skied until our legs threatened to secede.

We caught the door-to-door shuttle bus back to the hotel, toasted the day with complimentary cookies, coffee, tea and cider in the conservatory just off the lobby and later recounted the best runs of the day in the hotel's elegant dining room with orchestra accompaniment. We capped off the evening with a visit to the Cave, the speakeasy lounge with the claustrophobic doorway on the lower level of the hotel that dates back to Prohibition.

The free skiing and snowboarding this season is a definite attention-getter for winter sports enthusiasts who want to enjoy the snow and save up to $74 a day. That's the one-day, non-package price of an adult weekend lift ticket at the mountain. Multi-day lift tickets and those included in packages cost less.

The free lift tickets are offered to guests staying at the hotel.

The resort has just opened the Bretton Woods Canopy Tour, a network of coated, dual wire cables that enable guests to zip through the trees and over ravines and streams in Rosebrook Canyon.

The tour includes aerial platforms, suspension bridges, hiking trails and guides. Participants wear safety harnesses.

They descend more than 1,000 feet as they slide their way to the base area at the bottom of the slopes.

The Bretton Woods Nordic Center, on the grounds of the hotel and adjacent to the White Mountain National Forest, is one of the largest cross-country ski areas in the East. It also offers snowshoe trails.

For information, go to www.mountwashingtonresort.com or call toll-free 1-877-873-0626.