A la montagne versus dans la montagne?

Question

I have a question based on a test I took. It stated that one would say..."pour aller skier a la montagne"  ("to go and ski in the mountains"). 
Why is it, a la montagne and not dans la montagnes?

Accepted Answer

Hi Helen, 
You would use 'à la' for different types of vacation destinations describing the different kinds of geographical areas like the countryside, the seaside, the mountains:
à la montagne, 
à la mer,
à la campagne 
Hope this helps!

Answer

Bonjour Helen,
As you study French, one finds that there are deeper meanings of verbs which require a preposition either before or after the verb.  Aller is a case in point.
Aller takes «à», «jusqu'à», or «y aller de» to name a few.  For example:
Je vais à la montagne, je vais jusqu'à Rue de Rivioli, Elle y est allée de sa chanson.
There are also other verbs that take a preposition either before or after the verb.  Most of these types of locutions will be obvious by the context of what is being said or written.  
J'espère que ma réponse vous aiderait.
Bonne chance et bonne continuation dans vos études en français, la langue de Molière et qui a été utilisé par le monde français depuis l’époque d’Hugues Capet