Summer is still in full swing, but early indication shows that there is already high demand for winter mountain vacations. And, planning ahead certainly pays off.

Snow Ridge Ski Resort in upstate New York and Antelope Butte in Northern Wyoming has joined the Indy Pass for the 2020-21 season. With these additions New York now has four and Wyoming three Indy resorts giving skiers in those regions a great selection to choose from - for a total of 59 resorts across the country.

Move over, Ikon and Epic. The first European season ski pass, the Snowpass Card, will bring together more than 100 ski resorts from eight European countries (including Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland) giving the Snowpass Card access to the biggest group of ski resorts in the world.

Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort, this week’s SnoCountry-Pepsi Resort of the Week, splashes into the spring skiing and riding season with outstanding conditions and a number of exciting events.

If you make the drive to Vermont every weekend, or several weekends during the winter, you may have thought that just staying in Vermont might have a lot of advantages. The state is now helping to make that decision a lot easier with their Stay to Stay Weekends, including three weekends specifically for skiers and riders.

Six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller returns to New Hampshire’s Cannon Mountain for BodeFest March 17.

It’s never too late to learn a new sport, and embrace all that Maine has to offer in winter. New for 2019, Sunday River will host Learn to Ski or Snowboard Weekends March 1-3 and March 15-17 for ages 13 and up.

“Going with the club is great because we ride on a luxury bus with Wifi. You can sleep, use a bathroom, snack or just relax the whole ride.  On the way home, we watch a movie, eat cookies and stop for dinner.  You get to ski a lot of different mountains, and we see people we know sometimes during the day of skiing,” 15-year old Ryan Dvorak, who typically skis with a parent on weekends through trips with the Norwich Ski Club (NSC), told SnoCountry.com.

Friday January 11, 2019 was the snow sports industry’s first National Learn to Ski or Snowboard Day at resorts throughout the U.S. Many resorts offered special deals for newcomers to take beginner lessons from professional instructors as a way to celebrate the sports. 

With almost 300 inches of snow so far this season, Utah’s Snowbird Resort is well on its way to exceeding its annual average of 500 inches and primed for skiing and riding well into May.

Whether you’re working during the day or just looking for a way to get out with the family, twilight skiing and riding offers a chance to hit the slopes, often with great deals and special offerings. Enjoy the newly groomed corduroy in the late afternoon, and don’t forget your clear lenses for your goggles to enjoy an evening under the stars.          

If you've been furloughed by the federal government and looking for a place to ski or ride on a suddenly tightened budget, try Angel Fire or Mt. Hood Meadows.

Mother Nature has brought fresh snow to the mountains for Vermont, which means it's time to start planning your winter getaway. Check out  this sampling of deals that Vermont resorts have put together and book a trip that will make your family and your wallet smile. 

Hunter Mountain is the closest major ski resort to New York City, and thanks to a $9 million expansion for the 2018-2019 season, skiers and riders have another great reason to take exit 20 on the New York State Thruway.

January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Throughout the Midwest ski areas are offering discounted lesson programs. Michigan offers one of the best programs for cost and simplicity, and it’s available at ski areas throughout the Wolverine State.

Pensylvania's Jack Frost/Big Boulder takes center stage this week at the first SnoCountry/Pepsi Resort of the Week. Founded in 1942 with the building of the Split Rock Club on the shores of Lake Harmony, Big Boulder was the first commercial ski resort in Pennsylvania.

Kids instinctually love to play in the snow, and you can share with them the thrill and camaraderie of a day on the slopes, the anticipation of new fallen snow that blankets the world white, the exhilaration of turns on skis. All across the country, you can find programs that offer a chance for kids to try out skiing and riding, most with just a small fee to get started.

Buying a ski-snowboard ticket right at the ticket window has become the exception rather than the rule in the digital age, as individual resorts and a trio of online ticket services have become the virtual “walk-up ticket window” for most mountains.

Whether you want to find a quieter time on the slopes or like to sleep in on the weekends, there’s no reason you can’t still enjoy the mountains on a Sunday - and do it on the cheap - with these New York resort Sunday deals.

As baby boomers were building families in the 1970s and 1980s, ski resorts were putting steel and concrete in the ground, expanding both lifts and terrain. The skiers and riders of today are benefiting from those infrastructure improvements. Lifts are faster, ticket-checking is RFID-enabled to speed up lines, and snowmaking and grooming have never been better or more energy-efficient.              

Now the focus is on affordability and on-hill experiences.