Loveland Ski Area -- the only resort in the West to include snowcat rides in the day ticket -- plans to fire up pay-per-ride snowcat tours next season to bring skiers and 'boarders deeper into the backcountry.

If long, rolly-poly blues appeal, then Purgatory Mountain Resort will never disappoint. Spreading across a high ridge on southern edge of the San Juan Mountains, "Purg" averages 250 inches a year on 1,600 acres, and a tad more than 2,000 ft. vert. with nine chairs. Favorable aspects tend north or east -- offering unending views of some of the highest peaks in the Rockies.

Ski Twitter recently blew up when videos of nightmarishly long lift lines at Vail Ski Resort made the rounds. People bemoaned the traffic, the $200-plus lift tickets and Front Range folks in general. 

You need something to do while the traffic thins out on I-70. Or just didn't get in enough turns on a busy weekend. Or had to work during the daytime hours and are itching to get on a slope.

At Arapahoe Basin, the quickest way to the steeps has always been to hop the Pallavicini chair. The tradition will continue ... but with modern seating next season.

Getting to the steeps in the East Ridge area of Sunlight Mountain has meant a long traverse in and a long traverse out, but a plan under review includes a chairlift to eliminate all that cross-hill travel.

So, all you want is deep pow', first tracks and freshies all day. You're not interested in checking the grooming report for morning corduroy. Only snowboards or fat-boy skis on board. And hiking is the best way up. If this is you, then Silverton Mountain and Powder Mountain await your arrival.

What do families want out of a resort? Parking near slopes, ski-in ski-out lodging, efficient signup for lessons, plenty of wide, moderate trails for the whole family, and lots of entertainment.

More than a half-dozen world-class ski resorts are less than 100 miles west of Denver. The trouble is that they're also some of the most popular — and there's really only one road to get to them: the dreaded Interstate 70.

The country’s first human-powered ski area opens next month near Kremmling.

We are all guilty of obsessing about "powder days" in the Colorado Rockies. But, truth be told, between big-pow' storms, there are more "mogul days" than anything else.

Monarch Mountain has been a locals' mountain since the first rope tow in 1939 -- grabbing consistently light powder snow from its 11,900-foot perch atop the Continental Divide. Not the largest (800 acres and five lifts) or longest (1,000 vertical), but Monarch has a down-home, fixed-grip character unlike its bigger Colorado neighbors to the north and west.

Winter brings renewed wonder when locals and visitors alike take to the trails at Glenwood Springs’ own Sunlight Mountain ski resort.

Nearly 200 miles south of Denver, near the New Mexico border in a picturesque valley on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo range, a long-shuttered ski area is showing hopeful signs of life.

Anyone who hears the words "Colorado" and "powder" in the same sentence best expects "Wolf Creek" to follow closely behind.

Taking a helicopter to find untouched powder isn't only for skiers and riders in Alaska or Canada: Plenty of runs can be had in the Lower 48, too.

Want a guilt-free way to indulge yourself with food while exercising? Cross country (XC) skiing and snowshoeing are some of the best forms of aerobic exercise, but if you go on a "Gourmet Ski Tour" on your XC skis or snowshoes, you may very well eat your way to fitness at a number of trailside food stops. What a grand time so go ahead, eat, ski, and be merry - appetizers, wine, champagne, fondue, entrees, desserts, and more.

On Dec. 20, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced on its social media channels that Imperial Express, the highest chairlift in North America reaching 12,840 feet, was officially open for the season. It came with the caveat that opening such high-Alpine terrain is “no small task.” 

When the bus rolls up at 6 a.m. in the crisp mountain air, Christian Tichy often is among those who climb aboard to head to work, snowboard in hand.

This season, Solitude Mountain decided that all who drive up to the Utah resort will pay for parking -- prompting an industry-wide look at overcrowded lots, traffic jams and public transport options on the way to the hill.