TORONTO – Dec. 31, 2010 – With the 2010-11 winter season upon us, skiers and snowboarders are trekking the globe in search of high alpine vistas and epic powder runs. And they’re looking for a comfortable place to stay while chasing their snow-covered field of dreams.

The impending shortage and inevitable price gouging of hotel rooms in ski towns have created a revenue-generating opportunity for residents who can rent out a room in their home – or even an entire home – for quick cash. A new internet marketplace has evolved with iStopOver.com, designed to allow home, apartment, RV, condo, and even igloo owners to rent space to travelers seeking an authentic local experience and alternatives to expensive and impersonal hotels.

For ski area residents, the time couldn’t be better to “get listed” since iStopOver created a site specific for ski travel at www.istopover.com/ski/. Ski town residents can snap up some extra Benjamins by hosting skiers and snowboarders from around the world.

Because of iStopOver’s social features and interaction, skiers can securely seek out rooms based on a home-away-from home philosophy, and amenities that the hosts offer, such as warm coffee and bagels in the morning, ski equipment rentals, snacks in the pantry, and rides to and from the ski lifts. Hosts make all the arrangements with their guests before they arrive and iStopOver acts as the connecting marketplace and financial clearinghouse. Hosts are also the best suited for ski trail advice based on your adrenaline and skill level.

With iStopOver, guests simply search their city of choice, identify/select the accommodation they want, and then interact with the host to make the booking.

Social media authentication via Facebook helps establish a sense of trust between hosts and guests before the transaction is completed. The website lets hosts review their guests, and guests rate their hosts – in addition to the property reviews themselves. That endorsement system, combined with the pictures and profiles people write about themselves, adds a sense of security for people who have opened up their homes, as well as the travelers who are spending the night away from home.

“With accommodations that are priced well below average hotel rooms, renting a room on iStopOver offers real value,” said Anthony Lipschitz, co-founder of iStopOver.com. “In many cases, it gives travelers the opportunity to live like a local.”