If you really want to chill out on your summer vacation, skip the three S's--sand, surf, and sweltering temperatures--and head to one of these delightfully cool destinations instead. Some are the perfect getaways for winter sports nuts who weep when the last snowflake melts--like Jim Miller, who likes to sneak away from uTango, his Seattle-based customer rewards company, for ski trips with his buddies on Mount Hood, Oregon. Others are wintery wonderlands that are either uncomfortable or unreachable other times of the year--such as the interior of Iceland, which Alissa Krinsky, owner of the Chicago consulting firm Media Success, visited last August. ("It snowed, with highs in the 30s," she says.) On the following pages you'll find retreats that offer all the adventure you'd want, as well as a break from muggy weather. We've also listed the average July temperatures, though many of these spots get even cooler at elevation. In other words, don't forget to pack a warm jacket.


Central Highlands, Iceland