Alas, we still don’t have George Jetson’s flying car. But the future looks bright for skiing. Here are some predictions from our three sources – John Fry, author of “The History of Modern Skiing;” Jim Carroll, futurist, trends and innovation expert; and Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association:

¢ We’ll see innovations in snow-riding equipment. (Think way beyond snow bikes.)

¢ More ski areas will offer year-round activities. (Alpine slides are only the beginning.)

¢ Equipment will be intelligent. (Some skis already contain a chip that communicates the release of energy on the ski.)

¢ Ski areas will have portable office areas to allow skiers to take work breaks. (Bluetooth already makes that possible for multitaskers.)

¢ Trail signs will feature large print to cater to older skiers (unless Lasik becomes universal).

¢ Training will be more fun, as skiers ride Vail’s back bowls with a gaming device that works in their home. (Think Nintendo Wii.)

¢ Look for private ski resorts – like country clubs with snow.

¢ Driving to the resort will be easy; sensors will guide our SUVs on a special high-speed road. (No, no trains. We won’t give up our cars.)

¢ Transport mechanisms will change drastically. The magic carpet could become a real magic carpet.

¢ As the population nearly doubles in the West in the next 40 years, small mom-and-pop resorts will thrive. (Echo Mountain Park, anyone?)

¢ Video will rule. Web camps and ride analyzers are just the beginning. How about a wired terrain park that picks up a rider’s signal and films him while he does his best moves? (Think YouTube with instant gratification.)

¢ Goggles will be smart. Using the helmet-mounted display the military uses, you’ll get trail maps projected on your goggles. (And you thought goggles that didn’t fog over were cool.)