Crisscrossing snowcapped mountains: our fourth annual Ski Challenge promises family-fun adventure. (B.E. challenge).

Imagine the pristine calm of a snowcapped mountain and a crisp, blue sky stretching for miles. Imagine standing at the top, a pair of solid skis strapped to your boots, a firm grasp on a pair of fine ski poles, and a snug snowsuit wrapped tightly around you.

A ski trail below leads you to a comfortable lodge, a cup of hot chocolate, and a cozy fireplace. All you have to do is push off and glide down the side of the mountain as gracefully as possible while enjoying every moment of the adventure.

For the fourth straight year, we have offered hundreds of young professionals like you the experience. So join us at the 2002 Black Enterprise/AXA Advisors Ski Challenge, hosted for the second time at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa in Vail, Colorado, February 13-18.

"This year, the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa has renovated its spa, doubling the number of treatment rooms," says Ingrid Ebanks, Ski Challenge program coordinator for Black Enterprise Unlimited, the ancillary arm of Earl G. Graves Ltd., publisher of this magazine. "It offers 14 rooms [with staff] that will provide a la carte signature treatments in addition to two complimentary treatments if you are registered for the Spa Package." The Spa Package includes a 25-minute or a 50-minute treatment, with a variety of massages, skin treatments, and pampering services.

Also new to the skiing-event is a shopping excursion. Shuttle buses will drive guests to and from shopping centers and outlet malls in the area. A tradition of the Ski Challenge includes access to Vail Cascade Resort & Spa's state-of-the-art fitness center and movie screenings in the resort's theater. Other options of the event are the Ski Package for adults and the Kid's Program for children between the ages of 3 and 16. New for this year is a game room, where kids too young to attend the kids' evening program can enjoy after-hours activities. For adults, evening activities include a hospitality function each day. For example, on Thursday and Saturday you can network and mingle; Friday is comedy night; and Sunday ends the Ski Challenge with a dinner and concert. And, of course, the Ski Package wouldn't be complete without skiing lessons available Friday to Sunday.

"And before I forget," adds Ebanks, "other items we're adding to the package are a wellness seminar and a three-on-three basketball tournament. And for people enrolled in the Spa Package, they will have the option to do a snowshoe tour. (This involves crisscrossing the countryside on foot wearing a special pair of snowshoes, the ultimate in cross-country snow hiking)."

This event remains a family affair, so bring the children. Baby-sitting services are available. As always, Ebanks has a goal to register 600 guests. Last year, more than 700 people attended. You might have been one of them. For more information about the Ski Challenge, call 800-209-7229, or register online at www.blackenterprise.com.

--The Editors