Cross-country skiing: US downhill resorts branch out

Driving north into the self-titled Ski Town USA in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the first ski area one passes isn't the famed downhill resort, but a new center for cross-country skiing.

The about 8-kilometer-long groomed beginner trails are operated by the same corporation that runs the Alpine resort, and there in a microcosm is the latest evolution of skiing.

Trying to hold onto skier dollars as visitors seek more options, ski resorts have branched into snowshoeing, sleigh rides, and increasingly, cross-country skiing.