The Pacific Ocean warming phenomenon known as El Niño came roaring into the West this winter with great promise of above-average snowfall for all. For some resorts, that was true -- but not for all.

Ari Gutman, a physician from Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, has been named the Ski Ambassador of the Year for the Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month)/Bring a Friend initiative. Dr. Gutman took his two sons, Jonathan (14) and Matthew (13) to Spring Mountain, Pennsylvania for lessons and entered the Bring a Friend Challenge.

In the final day of action at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships in front of a big crowd of ski racing fans at Sun Valley, Idaho, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO – U.S. Ski Team) wrapped up the season with her second national title in giant slalom Sunday.

The new owners of Soldier Mountain have had a nice first year at the central Idaho day-trip mountain – and now local charities will join in the good fortune.

Sales for next year’s season passes are beginning earlier and earlier, with competition slicing prices to the bone. But one Idaho resort has decided that enough is enough.

Snow storms both big and small have been rolling into the mountains of Idaho since Thanksgiving, giving skiers and snowboarders what they want for the holidays and beyond – and erasing memories of a couple of lean years on the slopes.

On any given day at winter resorts in the West, dozens of people on skis, snowshoes or foot can be seen heading out of the base area to get in a run within resort boundaries without riding the lift.

Ski and snowboard resorts all over Idaho have lifted the ropes on the 2015-2016 season as timely snow and low temps have produced solid bases at most of the state’s 17 mountains.

Last year’s tough winter in Idaho hasn’t deterred projects at a number of resorts that aim to upgrade everything from mountain terrain to on-mountain lodges to overnight accommodations.

More than a hundred wildfires in the mountains of the moisture-starved Pacific Coast have yet to cause any damage to ski and snowboard resorts, although a small fire near Snow Summit and Bear Mountain forced temporary evacuations and closures around the Southern California slopes.

When the chairlifts no longer turn and bare ground shows up on the trails, it’s time for winter resorts to shift into summertime mode – specifically, golf.

The old adage has held true this winter,: The more things change, the more they stay the same. So it is with the snow forecasts for this week across SnoCountry, as a persistent jet stream and high pressure ridge keeps any precipitation to the far north.

Upgrades to snowmaking and grooming will be top priorities this summer at Tamarack Resort, as a new resort management firm takes over operations at the central Idaho ski and snowboard mountain.

A couple of weeks of serious storms brought 100 inches to Wolf Creek and a welcome three feet to the Tahoe area. But they are done with, and it appears that spring skiing will be the order of the day for the near future.

Many resorts along the West Coast are sweetening ticket and lodging deals to entice skiers and snowboarders into the mountains. The deals are prompted by a winter season that hasn’t come close to even delivering an average snowfall. 

After all the hoopla around Christmas and New Year’s, it’s time to get down to the business of learning how to ski or snowboard.

This past weekend’s storm dropped double-digit snow dumps on northern California mountains and then stayed north with a pre-Christmas gift for the Wasatch in Utah and Colorado resorts along I-70.

This summer in Idaho saw crews working on trails, lodges and terrain parks at mountain resorts, and the fruits of those labors are now ready for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy. Eight resorts announced improvements and upgrades that were completed during the offseason, and one, Tamarack Resort, is back to a full-week schedule under new ownership.

In an ongoing effort to attract youngsters to the slopes – and keep them coming back – resorts in the West and Northwest will once again offer ski and snowboarding passes that are virtually free.

Hardly a flake of snow has yet to fall in the state of Idaho, but skiers and snowboarders already can get set up for the new season.