SKIING : For Once, a Chance to Go Down Hill Free

Would-be skiers will have a chance to try the sport today for free.

The occasion is the fourth annual “National Learn to Ski Day,” on which more than 250 ski areas, including 14 in California, are offering first-time, never-before-tried-it skiers a no-cost package that includes:

--A beginner group lesson.

--Rental skis, bindings, boots and poles.

--Tickets for beginner lifts.

Some restrictions apply, as they say in the airline business, and some resorts required telephone reservations.

Four Southland areas are participating in the program--Bear Mountain, Snow Valley and Snow Summit, in the Big Bear Lake area, and Mountain High, near Wrightwood. Snow Summit and Mountain High have already filled their quotas, but Bear Mountain will accept the first 150 and Snow Valley the first 100 today.

Also participating are Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Iron Mountain, Heavenly Valley, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Boreal, Soda Springs and Lassen Park.

Last year, according to the United Ski Industries Assn., more than 35,000 beginners took advantage of this offer.

The ratings game: Ski and Snow Country magazines have each come up with ski-resort rankings this winter. Ski polled readers and the media, and included all of North America, whereas Snow Country had Abby Rand analyze reader responses to come up with separate lists for the United States and Canada.

Some highlights:

--Ski’s overall top 10 were, in order, Vail, Colo.; Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C., Canada; Deer Valley, Utah; Snowmass, Colo.; Aspen Mountain, Colo.; Sun Valley, Ida.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Snowbird, Utah; Killington, Vt., and Mammoth Mountain.

--Mammoth Mountain was Ski’s No. 1-rated weekend destination in the West, with Vail No. 2 and Squaw Valley No. 3.

--Snow Summit was Ski’s top day-trip area in the West; Bear Mountain was No. 4, Mountain High No. 5 and Squaw Valley No. 6 (presumably as a day trip from the Bay Area).

--Snow Country’s overall top 10 U.S. resorts were, in order: Vail; Squaw Valley; Mt. Bachelor, Ore.; Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Mammoth Mountain; a tie between Snowmass and Jackson Hole; Park City, Utah; Winter Park, Colo.; a tie among Beaver Creek, Colo.; Breckenridge, Colo.; Snowbird and Alta, Utah.

And for Nordic types, Cross Country Skier magazine provided regional ratings from a panel of experts and listed these areas as having the best cross-country ski trails in the West: Mt. Bachelor; Silver Star Mountain, B.C., Canada, and Russian Jack Springs and Kincaid Park, Alaska.

Skiing Notes

Despite a serious lack of snow, the men on the World Cup circuit are racing at Kitzbuhel, Austria, this weekend in the Hahnenkamm downhill and slalom, with combined scoring included. In a last-ditch effort to save Saturday’s 50th anniversary downhill, it was decided to hold a shortened version of the race in two separate runs on Saturday. The men then go to Adelboden, Switzerland, for a giant slalom Tuesday. . . . The women are supposed to go to Maribor, Yugoslavia, for a giant slalom and slalom. . . . ESPN will show taped highlights of the men’s downhill last weekend at Schladming, Austria, today at 5 p.m., after “Subaru Ski World With Bob Beattie” at 4:30.

The U.S. Pro Tour will be at Mt. Bachelor, near Bend, Ore., this weekend, then will come to Snow Summit for races Jan. 26-28. . . . James Ballard of Big Bear Lake has organized a Southern California Pro Ski Tour that will hold its first races today and Saturday at Snow Summit. Later dates are Feb. 2-3 and Feb. 16-17, both at Snow Valley, and March 16-17 at Snow Summit. . . . Four longtime skiers have been named to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame--William (Sarge) Brown of Avon, Colo.; James (Red) Carruthers of Garnerville, N.Y.; Cal Conniff of Longmeadow, Mass., and Harold Hirsch of Portland, Ore. They will be inducted next Oct. 5-6 in ceremonies at Ishpeming, Mich.

A new corporate race series, the Ski Classic, is scheduled to get under way this weekend with regional competition at Heavenly Valley and Mt. Bachelor. The first Southland races will be held Jan. 26-27 at Bear Mountain. Details: 1 (800) 448-8160. . . . The Jeep/Eagle Challenge Ski Series offers racing for recreational skiers Saturday at Boreal and Sunday at Sierra Summit. . . . A 30-kilometer cross-country citizen race, sponsored by the Far West Ski Assn., will be held at Kirkwood Sunday, starting at 10 a.m.