SnoNews

The days have lengthened, the sun is higher in the sky and the wildflowers are out, as Utah’s winter resorts put on their summer best and welcome the offseason.

Biking and hiking, zip lines and coasters, climbing walls and disc golf, concerts and festivals and the old-fav, a ride up the lift: ski and snowboard resorts in the West are changing gears as warm weather arrives.

Alta Ski Area has cleared a critical hurdle in its effort to enlarge parking and restaurants, and to upgrade lifts to improve flow around the mountain – including a tram to the top of Mount Baldy.

Gathering for final run down High Rustler. (Alta/Facebook)

The coming of spring is a bittersweet time for skiers and riders. But it’s also time to party hearty at a plethora of spring festivals and fun dots the calendar during the final weeks of the year.

Big Sky adds more "big" to Mountain Collective. (Big Sky/Facebook)

Another 5,800 of skiable terrain and 4,300 of vert can be added to the Mountain Collective portfolio as Montana’s Big Sky Resort has joined the multi-mountain ski and snowboard pass.

Skier slides down Loon in NH where all eyes are on a coastal storm. (Loon/Twitter)

Snow alert! A huge storm slams the West this week with locally up to five feet of snow. The East could be nice and snowy just in time for the weekend.

Choose a mini-bowl to ski at Sun Valley. (Sun Valley/Facebook)

Few experiences on a mountain rival pushing off down a massive alpine bowl, with nothing in your way and infinite lines to follow. And the Rocky Mountain resorts have many to choose from.

Tramway a seven-minute flight to summit. (Snowbird/Facebook)

This is a serious skiing and riding mountain. Powder and steeps are what The 'Bird's all about. Little Cottonwood Canyon catches as much snow as anyone, and the precipitous terrain will make even the most daring pause.

All New Mexico resorts have discounted lessons. (Ski New Mexico/Facebook)

Ski and snowboard resorts all want more people on the slopes, and one way is to introduce newcomers to the sport.

Snowbird's revamped base lodge feeds the pow' soul. (Snowbird/Facebook)

A couple of high-speed chairlifts, upgrades to base lodges and the end of night skiing in Park City make the list of top improvements at ski and snowboard resorts in Utah.