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Jackson Hole and other popular ski resorts in the West are up and running with varying Covid rules and limitations. For purists, that’s not such a bad thing.

For the first winter in five years, skiers and snowboarders are once again hitting the slopes at Saddleback Ski Area. The mountain officially reopened in mid-December, and businesses in the area are already seeing a boost in revenue.

Gigi Girard, an OB-GYN in Louisville, Ky., says she has been to Vail approximately 50 times over the last 20 years. So, over dinner during our overlapping visit this month to Colorado's largest ski resort, I figured she'd be a perfect person to ask about how much her Vail experience during this Covid-19 winter differed from the norm.

It may be easy to imagine you’re out West at a giant ski resort when you visit Snowshoe Mountain, but a closer look underneath the powdery surface reveals a rich local history and a pride for the traditions and people who once called these 11,000 acres in Pocahontas County home.

St. Corona is a model for ski resorts in the Alps that are transitioning to mountain biking, hiking and other tourist offerings that don’t depend on snow.

Now more than ever, people will require a real sense of seclusion while on their ski vacations. Gone for the time being are the après ski parties, the socializing in the lodge during a quick break for lunch and eight-passenger gondola rides. These have been temporarily replaced with such wellness guidelines as chair lift rides consisting of family members only, food trucks as opposed to eating in the lodge and private ski instruction instead of group lessons.

Skiing, despite the cold, the travel and the high cost, offers an attraction few sports can rival. In a word: "Freedom," said Henri Rivers, of West Babylon.

More than halfway through a snowy February, Colorado ski industry officials hope the momentum carries into the spring, a season beloved by regulars and visitors alike who know conditions to be most promising in the final weeks of chairlifts running.

In an uncommon skimo race in New Hampshire, two skiers climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest—twice.

Close to the Vermont-N.H. border, nonprofit Whaleback Mountain continues to do whatever it takes to keep the sport accessible to its youngest community members.

On the third weekend of January, somewhere in the backcountry glades of Braintree Mountain Forest, shots rang out. It wasn’t a hunter after coyotes but a life-long Vermonter protecting his property from a backcountry skier. Though the land was posted with ‘No Trespassing’ signs, skiers sometimes ignore them as they pick fresh lines down from a trail near the home. When this skier, also a life-long Vermonter, crossed over onto the private land, the landowner had enough and fired a few warning shots.

The backcountry, once considered a wild terrain suitable for only the most rugged and experienced adventurers, has gotten crowded.

They have endured the indignity of being addressed in their uniforms as “he” or “sir’’ and at times faced sexism, too, from injured skiers balking at a woman getting them down the mountain on a rescue toboggan.

After the majority of the 470 ski areas in the United States closed in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Ski Areas Association reported skier visitor numbers dropped 14% compared to the 2018-19 season. It was a blow to the resorts, the towns they call home and a multitude of businesses that serve the industry with everything from gear and accessories to hotels, shuttle companies and more.

When Taylor Hatten drives up to a house, the neighbors get concerned.

With thousands flocking to the slopes from states with high rates of infection, Vermont’s 1,300 registered ski patrollers – like everyone else – are having to figure out how to do their job safely.

Tucked in the shadow of the Tetons, the town of Jackson, Wy., and surrounding Teton County is home to less than 25,000 full-time residents, but annually hosts over 2.5 million visitors.

It’s far too early to say with certainty a gondola is the answer officials will pick to tackle the aggravating gridlock heading to ski areas in the Wasatch canyons on powder days, but it is an option that’s captured the attention of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

X Games is back, but it’s far from familiar.

Winter is here and that means ski trips are top of mind. But you may be questioning the merits of hitting the slopes this year. I certainly was before driving up to a handful of Colorado ski resorts for day trips and weeklong excursions. My biggest takeaway? The experience and potential risks vary from mountain to mountain.