Whether it's a cruise to the great outdoors of Alaska, a ski trip or a Caribbean getaway, the Tourin' Bearcat Travel Program through the Northwest Missouri State University Alumni Association, provides a planned vacation for everyone.

Breckenridge, Colo., is the newest location for the third ski trip under the Tourin' Bearcats program. Previous years took place at Keystone Resort and Winter Park Resort, with 60 trip goers.

Although the trip to Breckenridge isn't until Jan. 7, 2009, a $200 deposit must be submitted in less than a month, by Sept. 17.

This third ski trip costs $595 per skier and covers three days of skiing at Breckenridge and three nights lodging at Pine Ridge Condominiums. This calculation is based on six people per condo, and includes roundtrip transportation, a three-day lift ticket and an evening Bearcat social.

Steve Sutton, director of alumni relations at Northwest, said he had been on the last two ski trips and said that participants had a lot of fun.

"A lot of them are (alumni), but some are just ski lovers," Sutton said. "But this trip is open to the public, not just alumni. The first night everyone is pretty tired but then the next two nights, they start reminiscing about falling down on ski posts."

With rising gas prices, Sutton said it nice to be able to provide transportation to these trips at a much lower cost. This year, a motorcoach will pick travelers up in Maryville, St. Joseph and Kansas City, and then head to the Rocky Mountains.

"It takes that burden off of them to not have to drive out there — with gas prices the way they are — it's nice to be able to jump in the motorcoach and relax and go," Sutton said.

A press release for this trip encouraged those interested in attending this ski trip to reserve their space as soon as possible.

Additional trip details, including package options for non-skiers and the final payment date, will be released at a later date.

Sutton said this third ski trip should be a fun location.

Three years ago, the program started off with a large Alaskan tour, a trip to Scotland, a California wine country tour and a New England Cruise, Sutton said.

Future trips include an Alaskan Interior Land Tour and a Pacific Northwest Getaway Cruise.

For more information on Breckenridge visit www.breckenridge.snow.com, and more information on the Pine Ridge Condominiums visit www.pineridge.com.

Those interested in the Tourin' Bearcats ski trip can contact the Office of University Advancement at (660) 562-1248 or Cotter Travel at (800) 676-3233.