Replying to Lookin for a good digital camera...

So the searchbar didn't really help...

I'm lookin for a sleek and slim sort of digital camera for college next year. I'm not sure at all where to start in this category, more of a ski-only kind of guy. I'm not looking to be a pro photographer (sp?) so keep that in mind with price and quality. I would like to spend around $200 but I figure I will probably end up around $300 or so. What kind of pixel quality should I be looking at? Any brands particularly better than others? Let me know if you know of any good deals as well, I'm gonna go shoppin a bit tonight to take my first couple looks at cameras. Any help would be appreciated.