s th<br >Where varietx<br > /<br >e spice of life<br > HE AFFINITY between country inns<br > and cross country skiing is extraor-<br > dinary. Both attract people who<br > enjoy the outdoors and "doing it<br >on your own." Cross country skiers aren t<br >pressured to dress stylishly or use expen-<br >sive equipment. Nor do they feel it is<br >necessary to ski particularly well to have<br >fun. For most， aside from the health ben-<br >efits， it s primarily a way to cheat the<br >winter doldrums.<br > This laid-back approach matches the<br >philosophy of those who choose the inn<br >business. Because of the atmosphere inn-<br >keepers create， more people are finding<br >that staying at an inn is thoroughly re-<br >laxing. It s a pleasure to step out of today s<br >madcap pace and acquaint ourselves with<br >our common heritage. Most innkeepers<br >have an acute sense of what made living<br >good in the past. They recreate it through<br >the loving restoration of old homes， inns<br >or hotels and the retrieval of furnishings<br >from an era when individual craftsman-<br >ship was prized.<br > To that， they add the best of the mod-<br >ern: fine food， wine or spirits， and good<br >company. It isn t unusual for guests to<br >return year after year at the same time to<br >meet friends made at an inn. This holds<br >true regardless of the size of the estab-<br >lishment.<br > The strength of<br >diversity of choices<br >There are modest<br >this book lies in the<br >for potential travelers.<br >inns and plush ones，<br >places where ski clothes are the accepted<br >garb and others where one can or should<br >dress for dinner. Every inn has access to<br >good skiing， usually beginning at the door<br >and always within close range.<br > A couple of tips are in order. First，<br >midweek rates are a terrific bargain be-<br >cause， especially in winter， more people<br >can travel on weekends. Second， inn-<br >keepers and their staffs are unending<br >sources of information for anyone ex-<br >ploring an area or trying out a sport for<br >the first time.<br > Here s to happy hunting!<br ><br >