SnoNews

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

As many ski areas make the final preps before a huge holiday week, weather conditions are shaping up great for both the East and the West.

Looking to have a sweet powder stash or all that fresh corduroy to yourself? Vermont’s Pico Mountain, home to big mountain terrain with small mountain charm, is now offering a private mountain rental option on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the 2018-19 season.

Willy Booker, head of Burke Mountain Academy which hones some of America’s finest ski racers, bemoans that kids are less active and athletic today and don’t get outdoors enough. 

One way to remedy that is to have fun at a mountain resort this summer.

The Marmot Slingshot down jacket will keep you warm on the coldest day as will an Arc’teryx Sentinel shell with a down midlayer under it. (Karen Lorentz)

The fashions are colorful, the gear rocks, and both are more high-tech than ever — reasons they’ll make you more comfortable and happier on the slopes.

The Caprese burger. (California Burger Co./Facebook)

Calling all foodies: The burgers in ski and snowboard country are now worthy of your attention.

With both indoor and outdoor hot tubs, everyone can relax and unwind after a hard day on the slopes. (Airbnb) 

A perusal of Airbnb shows the concept of direct online rentals has caught on in ski towns nationwide. Airbnb rentals are popular for the savings and convenience they can afford and in some places supplement limited mountain or town accommodations.

Kaylin Richardson charges toward the fjords in "Line of Descent." (Warren Miller Entertainment/Jay Dash)

Coming off the high of the recent Xfinity Killington Cup in Vermont, the stoke for skiing and ski racing is high in the Northeast and across the country. While we all aren’t destined for the World Cup, finding the joy of skiing and riding is attainable to anyone who puts boards on their feet.

November cold allows Sugarloaf to open early. (Sugarloaf/Facebook)

In a flurry of openings, Northeast skiers and riders had their pick of 11 resorts to choose from this past weekend, thanks to a cold snap that set the snow guns blazing from Pennsylvania to Maine.

Ski Vermont has all the info you need for a green mountain getaway. (Martha Wilson)

Some 50,000 New Englanders are expected to pass through the Boston.com Ski & Snowboard Expo hall this weekend at the Seaport World Trade Center- and for good reason - making winter ski and snowboard plans, finding deals on family vacation packages, lift tickets, travel and ski/snowboard gear – much at Expo-only specials.

Weather forecasts for Sunday River Resort look favorable for opening by Saturday. (Sunday River/Facebook)

We’ve been waiting for our snowmaking window here in the East, and it’s finally here. Skiers and riders can make plans now for first turns of the season at Sunday River, Wildcat, Mount Snow and Killington.

Winners of Clif Enduro East on podium at Killington. (Karen Lorentz)

The building of mountain bike parks from Whistler Blackcomb to Killington to Sunday River and beyond attests to the sport’s growing popularity. 

This 10,000 Sq.Ft. home located in the Snow Top neighborhood in Deer Valley is listed at $5.8 million. (Summit Sotheby's International Realty)

For those thinking of purchasing a vacation home in ski country, summer is a good time to start looking.

A green mountain backdrop for Jay Peak's Jeezum Crow Festival. (Jay Peak)

The kids are out of school and it's time to grab your lawn chairs and blankets for some music in the mountains at Vermont ski resorts. Musical offerings range from free outdoor concerts and weekend music festivals to mid-week jams at local bars and restaurants.

The Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge is a rite of spring for bumpers and tailgaters. (Killington)

Fans of Bear Mountain at Vermont’s Killington have a revitalized base lodge and housing, as well as a new South Ridge Lift and trail improvements to look forward to. The two-year development plan is estimated to cost $60-70 million, with a resulting retail value of $110 million once construction is complete.

64 oz. Gnar Burger at Squaw (Rocker@Squaw/Facebook)
Few foods capture the spirit of skiing and snowboarding as much as the venerable hamburgers, and resorts town eateries tout all manner of this longtime mountain favorite.

A family heads down Village Way (Winter Park Resort/Chris Wellhausen)

Sometimes, you just want to get onto a trail and just go … and go … and go. Fortunately, U.S. ski and snowboard resorts have just the ticket for those who need a leisurely slide down the hill.

Obviously, Europe has us beat hands down, but the U.S. has got length, too. So SnoCountry.com went looking for the longest ski runs in the country -- those under a single name -- and came up with this sampling.

Vail boasts the longest run in Colorado, its famous Riva Ridge trail. Nothing gets you from top to bottom at the Colorado resort more readily than Riva Ridge. It’s mostly blue and black, starting near the summit and winding 4-1/2 miles to the Vail Village base area.

At Snowmass, if you’re at the top of Elk Camp and want a long cruiser at the end of the day, skiers and riders can link several blue runs off Elk Camp summit into a 5.3-mile cruiser to the bottom of Two Creeks chairlift. The run covers East Branch run, which is one of the longest single-named trails on the Colorado mountain.

If you’re at the top of Winter Park and don’t have the legs for anymore blacks or blues, as someone how to get on long and languid Village Way run that starts at the top of Parsenn Bowl. Mostly blue at the top, Village Way winds down more than five miles down onto the main front side of the Colorado resort.

Vermont’s largest resort Killington also claims the East’s longest single run, a 10-mile cruise called Juggernaut. The trail starts at the top of Killington Peak and courses right along the ropes at ski area boundary. Rating begins as a blue but transitions to a green slide to the base of the Sunrise Village triple chair. A recent trip by SnoCountry resulted in a 45-minute trip from top to bottom.

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.

Tele turns at the top of "Goat" at Stowe. (Stowe)

The true “steeps,” they make us pause. Across ski-snowboard country, we peer tentatively over the edge and into precipitous pitches, long and short, that cause the heart rate to rise and adrenaline to course through our veins.

Avalanche dogs at Arapahoe Basin show how to load a lift. (NSAA/Facebook)

Nothing can upset a day on the slopes like an accident, so the National Ski Areas Association focuses the month of January on reminding skiers and riders about safety on the snow.