Lack of snowfall is a natural scourge of a ski trip, much like deep-forest limbo poles and the grand opening of a salt mine in the mountain. Avoid these frigid pitfalls with today's Groupon: for $42, you get one full-day lift ticket at Burke Mountain Resort in East Burke, Vermont (up to a $68 value). Ski and snowboard equipment is not included with this deal.

A towering peak rising 2,011 feet into the Vermont sky, Burke Mountain Resort's snowy fortress sprawls over more than 260 acres of skiable terrain. A full-day lift ticket nets its owner access to all six lifts—including two high-speed quads, one fixed-grip quad, and three surface lifts—making every acre of the resort reachable from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The trail map beckons snow-goers with alpine skiing, snowboarding, or pogo sticking on all 50 named trails, divided between the easier Lower Mountain, comprised mostly of beginner trails, and the Summit's long, winding trails delineated by trees. Here, more advanced skiers stick to the piste or dart through 100 acres of maintained glades while negotiating a labyrinthine network of pine trees and drifts of powder snow. Three terrain parks bestride the lower portion of the mountain and pose opportunities for jumps, grinds, and other aerial trickery. On days when natural precipitation proves unable to sufficiently blanket the mountain, Burke Mountain Resort has the capability to cover 80% of the mountain with man-made snow, but the other 20% has to go to school.

Burke Mountain commits itself to short lift lines with its 5-Minute Lift Line Guarantee, promising visitors as much skiing time as possible. Since the promotion of the Mid Burke Express lift from mall escalator in 2011, every acre of winter terrain is now reachable by a high-speed quad.

Burke Mountain Resort's rates vary based on customer age and residency.