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With big snow happening on both sides of the US and Canada, conditions look fantastic heading into Christmas week.

You don’t have to jump on a plane to Vail, Aspen, Jackson Hole or Park City to ski this winter: New York is within driving distance of several destinations that promise almost as much allure.

We’re not here to split hairs about chair placements and tap choices. The selection of a mascot is the single most important choice a ski area can make. Some say a good pick can make or break a resort. To that end, we’ve created a list of the very best ski area mascots and ranked them. If you didn’t make the cut, sorry—this list is extremely selective. Ivy League who?

The final weekend of January delivers fresh, snowy conditions for both the west and the east. Some areas will measure in the feet. Read on for more details of this weekend’s weather outlook.

Heavy, accumulating snow will reach all the way south to San Diego’s mountains and dump up to two feet of snow in Arizona and the Four Corners.

Mount Snow, Hunter Mountain, Wildcat Mountain, and Big Boulder today announced their scheduled opening dates for the 2019/2020 winter season. After a great start to snowmaking, including a very productive window this past weekend, Mount Snow, Wildcat, Hunter Mountain, and Big Boulder are all looking forward to welcoming old friends and new Epic Pass holders, when lifts start to spin.

Northeast skiers and riders don't have to hop a plane to reach some of the best terrain in the country, and they don't have to limit themselves to just one mountain. Multi-Mountain 2019-20 season passes are now on sale, and early birds get the best prices.

During the busy winter season, one of the best ways to reduce the stress and heighten the enjoyment of a ski vacation is to stay right on the slopes – at a ski-in ski-out lodge.

This winter, Hunter, Windham Mountain and Belleayre tout major improvements boosting the ski experience in the Catskills. Altogether, the biggest areas in the region invested $25 million in new lifts, convenient ticketing systems and improved snowmaking.

Kid’s terrain parks offer a gentle and unintimidating environment for beginners to feel comfortable and to build a solid freestyle foundation. Kids can see if freestyle skiing and riding is for them, and it’s a great place for anyone, not just the little ones, to build confidence.

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.

“Wow, that’s inspiring but I don’t think my knees will last that long!” exclaimed a thirty-something dude on the chairlift.

I had shared that I had just photographed members of the 70+ Ski Club racing, including some in their eighties and nineties.

Thanksgiving weekend will be especially tasty in the western United States and Canada with multiple helpings of snow storms.

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.

While we’re waiting anxiously for the snow to fly, resorts across the Northeast are celebrating fall foliage season with fun, food, music and stunning views of the mountains. Here are SnoCountry.com’s top picks for Oktoberfests this year.

More skiing and riding terrain coming to Hunter. (Hunter/Facebook)

A $9 million expansion is a go at Hunter Mountain for the 2018-2019 season, adding five new trails and a high-speed six-person detachable chairlift.

Excitement for this snowy March continues at Okemo. (Okemo/Facebook)

How about this start to March? We’ve already had two nor’easters to kick off the month and another may be around the corner.

Speeding down the track in a tube at Keystone. (Keystone/Facebook)

Ski and snowboard resorts across the country continue to up the ante for activities beyond hitting the slopes – and tubing is a growing staple at many of them.

Tubing centers typically sprout up near the base area and utilizing beginner lifts like conveyors – though there’s a few up on the hill. 
Most have height and age minimums, charge per session (two hours typical), offer group rates, and sometimes require viewing ticket. Often there’s a warming hut with food and drink nearby; lighted, after-dark tubing common.

Keystone puts tubing hill at top of gondola with top-of-the-continent views. Park has six lanes, conveyor lift, and is open after dark during evening ski-snowboard hours.

Tubing at Soda Springs Mountain Resort ramps up to 20 lanes and a 400-ft surface lift. The curious but not brave can buy a pedestrian ticket to watch.

Highlight at Mount Hood SkiBowl’s tubing park is Cosmic Tubing with lane lighting, laser shows and music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 5 p.m. on lift-served kiddie and hike-up extreme hills.

At Summit at Snoqualmie, tubers’ best option is to buy two-hour tickets in advance online and show up early. Eight-lane tubing hill is 550 feet long with 40-foot drop, located across from Summit Central.

Upstate New York’s Hunter Mountain boasts biggest park – 20 chutes 1,000 feet long served by conveyor. Overlapping two-hour sessions up capacity on weekends.

Another with after-dark tubing is Killington, which runs Fridays and Saturdays (plus holidays) until 7 p.m.

Night owls will love Boston Mills-Brandywine in northeast Ohio. The Polar Blast goes till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

For Wisconsin’s largest, head to Sunburst Ski Area in Wisconsin, with its 40 lanes and two conveyors.

Oktoberfest at Snowbird Signals the start of perfect weather and beautiful scerney in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (Snowbird/Facebook)

You might not be able to make it to Munich this fall, but annual celebrations of German culture can be found at resorts across the United States. Grab your lederhosen and dirndl and get ready to enjoy music, beer, bratwurst and pretzels with stunning fall mountain foliage as your backdrop.

The “Snow Making Capital of the World,” Hunter Mountain in the Catskils of New York, has announced its sale to Peak Resorts, owners of a dozen resorts in the Northeast and Midwest. Hunter's impact has been enormous on the nation's skiing development.