Top Stories

Both the Epic Pass and Ikon Pass streamline skiing and riding costs during the winter. Now that summer's here, they switch gears to make warm-weather times in the mountains more affordable, too.

Olympians Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht were among the star-studded group of eight noted skiing and snowboarding pioneers, athletes and sport builders inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame at an April 6, 2019, ceremony in Park City.

As the years pass by, mountain visits can blur or even fade from memory. To make a trip stand out, try one of these memorable activities for après time, a day off, or a unique experience.

Friday January 11, 2019 was the snow sports industry’s first National Learn to Ski or Snowboard Day at resorts throughout the U.S. Many resorts offered special deals for newcomers to take beginner lessons from professional instructors as a way to celebrate the sports. 

Some of the prime powder steeps on Park City Mountain will be closed until further notice because a private landowner and Vail Resorts have not reached a new lease agreement.

More mobility around the base of Alta, an on-mountain learning center at Park City Mountain, and lodge renovations at Snowbasin highlight the first-to-open resorts in Utah.

Here’s a sample road trip for those who have purchased an Epic Pass, have a week or two on the loose, and are ready to ski and ride across the West without having to shell out for a day ticket.

The IOC has announced that seven new winter sports will be incorporated into the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. Four of these sports are International Ski Federation (FIS) events that will be on show at the 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships taking place in Utah in February 2019.

Mammoth's ski and ride season lasted 270 days last year. (Mammoth) 

Skiers and riders love to talk about the weather, and where to find the perfect storm of great snow and value tops the SnoCountry.com news for 2017.

Payette River goes big near Tamarack. (Tamarack Resort/Facebook)

The winter may be over, but a solid reminder of what a good year it was in the West continues to play out in the rivers that are flowing bank-full out of the mountains this spring.

Park City is a popular Utah destination with a huge range of vacation properties.

You’ve fallen in love with the skiing and riding lifestyle, so is now the time to invest in a mountain home to call your own?

Prices have continued to climb since the 2008 recession’s precipitous drop, but since most mountain vacation properties have not reached 2006-07 peak prices, good values can still be had.

Eastern Inventory Driving Price
Buyers wanting to get into a vacation home for the ski season should get prequalified if going for a second home mortgage, advises Michelle Penner, managing broker of Peabody and Smith’s Bretton Woods office in New Hampshire.

Bretton Woods’ inventory is limited and prices have been climbing, although not yet back to peak levels. There are good values with condominiums and homes ranging from $225,000 to $950,000, Penner told SnoCountry.com.

There’s a limited supply of condos in Killington, Vermont, but a two-plus year supply of homes, Ted Crawford of Prestige Real Estate said. Home prices range from $165,000 to $2.99 million. 

Crawford said condo prices are starting to increase but there are still very good values. Prices for two-bedroom condos range from $70,000 to $200,000 depending on location, amenities, and the homeowners association. Three- and four-bedroom units range from $100,000 to $715,000.

At neighboring Pico, slopeside condos range from under $50,000 for a one-bedroom/one-bath unit to $109,000 for a two-bedroom unit. (A Killington season pass includes skiing at Pico.)

Western Properties, Pricy and Affordable
At famous western destinations like Aspen, Jackson Hole, Vail and Park City, prices have gone up faster and properties costing millions are common at the resorts while nearby towns offer more affordable options.

Park City is a popular destination with people from Salt Lake City and nationwide, investing in vacation properties because it’s convenient — half hour from the airport — and within an hour’s drive of 11 resorts and minutes to three, Realtor Quinn Eichner of Summit Sothebys International Realty told us.

Prices have seen a “good recovery” and depend on the property size, age, amenities and neighborhood, with some at or near 2007’s peak prices, Eichner said.

Slopeside at the Canyons, prices start in the $700s for a condo hotel unit while estate-sized residences go for $5-$18 million. Smaller (600 sq.ft.), older units can be found in the $200s and hotel rooms in the low $100s as well as fractional ownership units starting at $110,000.

More affordable pricing can be found in Midway, a Swiss-themed mountain town 20 minutes away where condos range from $199,000 (two bedroom/two bath) to $300,000 for large units.

Other more affordable towns include Sandy with a median home price of $249,998 and Huntsville at $169,950.

Getting in on ‘Ground Floor’
Pre-sales are common for new projects, and when a property turns out to be very popular, owners can do well with re-sales as well as rentals.

Brett Newton, real estate sales manager for New Hampshire’s Kearsarge Brook at Cranmore, reports the new base-area condo village breaks ground Sept. 27 with a first phase of 18 upscale units ($395,000 to $599,000). There’s a good selection available for fall 2017 occupancy.

Refundable deposits of $1,200 for Century Club reservations are being taken for those interested in condos in the soon-to-be renovated Hampshire and Dix Houses at the historic New Hampshire Balsams Resort. Single hotel room and suite 100-day fractional ownerships will sell for $100,000 to $280,000 and include a 10-year season ski pass and golf.

Angel Fire Art + Farmers’ Market is a weekly showcase of diverse local/regional artists, live music, food artisans & fresh produce. (Angel Fire)

There are vibrant communities surrounding our favorite mountain towns, and one way to celebrate that community is to shop locally at a farmer’s market. Whether you’re a regular or a visitor exploring a new place, a farmer’s market is a great way to experience the flavors and culture of small-town life. 

Rider in Big Bear Grizzly 100 gets encouragement from a fan (Big Bear Gran Fondo/Facebook/Pink Shorts Photography)

For those with big lungs, tree-trunk quads and a desire to spend hours on a mountain bike -- or folks who enjoy watching them -- the mountains all across the country are an endurance racer’s heaven.

Ski swaps offer a convenient and inexpensive way to fill in your current ski and snowboarding equipment or accessories. It's also a great place to try to sell some items you no longer need or want. 

Talk about time sneaking up on you. If you’re close enough to consider a season pass to Utah resorts, it feels like just a few months ago we were debating whether the Mountain Collective should be the only pass you purchase. 

Treasure Mountain, Park City Ski Area, Park City Mountain Resort, PCMR. Now there’s a new name on the 50+ year-old ski area’s business card -- Park City Mountain. The rebranding (the first since the mid-1990s) will go full-bore public later this month. 

Recreation during the summer in the mountains above Salt Lake City is still within an hour’s drive of the city – and the resorts continue to add more things to do.

Unanimous approval from the Park City Planning Commission has been given to Vail Resorts to implement an ambitious capital plan for the 2015-2016 to establish the connection between Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort.

Park City, Utah is going to look like a gigantic construction zone if everybody gets their way this summer. 

For all the things that have changed in the Park City ski scene, some stay the same – like the popular and competitive Town Race Series.