In a world where time is of the essence and every moment of a vacation counts, Colorado is an easy, effortless and, most importantly, affordable winter destination option for skiers and snowboarders. With seamless air service, a true skier's airport and eight regional airports, getting to Colorado has never been easier; it's leaving that's difficult.

Colorado is located in the heart of the country and is approximately a three-hour flight from most major ski markets. Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest airport in the state and is the primary portal for most in-bound Colorado skiers and snowboarders. In 2006, DEN posted its third consecutive record year by hosting 47.3 million passengers.

DEN is the third major U.S. hub for United Airlines and supports frequent flights from nearly every major city in the country, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

Additionally, DEN also supports low-cost air carriers, including Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Frontier provides low-fare air service to 58 cities, 26 states and three countries. Southwest began flying out of DEN in January 2006 and offers non-stop service from Houston, Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City.

With the increase of low cost competition, fares into DEN have dropped approximately 18 percent, making it among the most affordable airports in the country. According to ski industry research, DEN currently offers the lowest airfares of any winter destination in 18 of the state's core destination markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Miami.

Upon arrival, guests land at an airport designed with traveling skiers and riders in mind. Thanks to its unique runway design and 160 pieces of heavy snow removal equipment, DEN is the most efficient cold weather airport in the country and often runs at 100 percent capacity even during the most inclement winter weather. Even the $10 million baggage system was designed with skiers in mind. The state-of-the-art system is complete with a separate ski and snowboard conveyor system that makes retrieving ski gear quick and easy.

If one of Colorado's eight regional mountain airports is the final destination, skiers shortly discover unparalleled access to the pristine slopes of Colorado. The state's regional airports offer more than 8.6 million passenger seats and more than half of Colorado's ski areas are located within 35 miles of an airport. Although they are small in size, Colorado's regional airports boast nearly 1,000 direct, non-stop one-stop flights from all major ski markets across the country, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco.