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If you're looking for the best deal on New Hampshire season passes, now is the time to buy. Many ski areas are offering additional incentives when you purchase before this season ends.

The heart of skiing and riding is alive and well at numerous smaller ski areas across the Northeast, where you’ll find shorter lift lines, lower lift ticket prices, and a chance to explore the character of the local’s favorite hill.

With the help of the Pats Peak snowmaking crew and HKD Snowmakers, Ski New Hampshire covered a corner of the New Hampshire State House lawn in a blanket of white last week and shared information about snowmaking efficiency and the ski industry’s impact on the state’s economy.

Whether you’re working during the day or just looking for a way to get out with the family, twilight skiing and riding offers a chance to hit the slopes, often with great deals and special offerings. Enjoy the newly groomed corduroy in the late afternoon, and don’t forget your clear lenses for your goggles to enjoy an evening under the stars.          

The arrival of ski swaps each fall reminds winter enthusiasts that snow is on the way and that the ski season is right around the corner. Now is the time to get the best deals on ski and snowboard equipment, and ski swaps are a great way to purchase gently used or even new gear for short money. Swaps are not just for buying gear; you can also turn in your used gear that still has life left in it and earn back some of your investment. 

Deals on spring turns at Sunday River. (Sunday River)

While there’s still a lot of days left for the 2017-2018 season, Northeastern resorts are rolling out their buy now/ski this spring deals, making this a great time to stretch your skiing and riding dollar for maximum time on the slopes.

Loaded onto the Peak Triple and ready to hit the slopes at Pats Peak. (Pats Peak) 

The ol’ Peak Double Chair at southern New Hampshire’s Pats Peak was a good one. But with a new triple chair lift, Pats Peak has doubled the capacity of the lift from 800 to 1,600 people per hour. A conveyor carpet system makes loading easier and faster, cutting down on the ride time to the summit.

Snowmaking on every trail makes for reliable conditions at Pats Peak. (Pats Peak)

New Hampshire’s Pats Peak may not be the biggest mountain in the state, but trail count alone doesn’t define the character and reach of this family-owned New England ski area, home to 70 adult race teams and a ski and ride school that lures more than 8,000 school kids and each year. 

Pats Peak cookies are an obligatory part of a trip to the mountain. (Pats Peak)

With all the powder and corduroy you’ll be hitting on your next ski trip, refueling with some fine confections are in order. SnoCountry.com has tirelessly researched across the country to find these not-to-miss mountain treats.

Smart Stowe kids know where to find the deals. (Stowe) 

If you haven’t already, now is the time to plan your Presidents week getaway to the mountains. Many families have the week off from school, and resorts are ready with many kid-friendly deals and activities to keep everyone smiling.

Stowe Mountain Resort boasts 5-6 inches of new snow in their most recent storm system. While the pattern doesn't favor "huge" storms in the East, there are still great conditions to be had. (Stowe Mountain Resort/Facebook)

In this week’s SnoCast, we dig into yet another active stretch for the western U.S. and continue to hope for a much colder change in pattern for the East.

Stunning views at Pebble Creek. (Pebble Creek/Facebook)

Savvy skiers and riders know there are great deals to be found out there to get you on the snow. Buying online ahead of time is often the easiest way to cut costs, but even if you wait until you arrive at the mountain to get your tickets, there are still affordable options at resorts across the country.

Pats Peak, New Hampshire’s premier family snowsports destination, announces the return of its Pay-One-Price (POP) program.  For just $49 per person, guests have access to skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, lesson tips, rentals, bonfires, and entertainment on Saturday nights from December 31, 2016 through End of Season 2017 from 3 to 10 p.m. Snowtubing hours are from 5 to 10 p.m.

Ropes are dropping on trails from California to Maine as snowstorms and snowmaking weather offer up one of the best starts to a winter in recent memory. As your options open up, mountain general managers from across the country shared with SnoCountry.com their not-to-miss routes for fun on the hill.

The apparel trend is bold bright colors with contrasting zips and pipings, along with the continuation of plaids and prints as seen in Obermeyer apparel at the Boston Expo. (Karen Lorentz)

Skiing and snowboarding are all about experiences and memories. To make yours excitingly awesome this winter, check out these tips and trends.

Be part of something really big

Killington is hosting the Audi FIS World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom and Slalom races Nov. 26-27 and anyone can attend the events for free. Spectator standing areas can accommodate 7,500 visitors daily at the base of the Superstar trail; jumbo screens will provide enhanced viewing of upper course. Free parking, shuttle service.

Learn more about all the events over the holiday, or if stuck at home, watch the second runs on NBC TV Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Snow discovery benefits

New Hampshire's Ragged Mountain is offering three free lessons with free lifts and Rossignol rental equipment included so as to make “learning to ski affordable,” says Ragged’s Ben Hall of the new learn-to ski or ride program for ages 7 and up.

Ragged’s new program joins innovative learn-to programs from Elan, Rossignol, and Burton at participating areas nationwide. The three- or four-day programs (lifts, lessons, and rental equipment) reward first-timers with free equipment or season passes upon completion.

Pat’s Peak Passport Plus program rewards with Elan skis and a free season pass for the first 100 customers ages 18 and up.

Loon’s intensive first-timer weekend program rewards with a free pair of Head skis, boots and bindings .

Tips on trends, products

“Skis that carve are trending,” says Kelly Davis, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) research director who notes a “backing away from 120-mm wide waists on groomers.” There’s a widening variety of snowboard shapes, and lighter skis and boots are trending along with a return to wool for base layers and socks, Davis said.

New, easier “lens-switch systems” and a heat feature to cure the fogging problem are among goggle trends. But the hottest trend is smart goggles with Davis predicting everyone will soon be wearing them.

Smart goggles incorporate a small display within the goggle that allows users to access all kinds of info, from who’s calling on their cell phone to their own ski data (speed, mileage, vert) to GPS apps and resort maps. Smart goggles like Oakley’s Airwave models use a powerful wearable computer with sensors and networking capabilities.

The Therma-Phone Protector was officially launched at the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo. It’s a soft, compact, flexible phone case with many layers designed to keep your phone operating in cold or hot temperatures — comes with heat packets to insert for extreme cold. James Hermanowski said cell phones are designed to operate in certain temperature ranges and fail when they exceed those limits — the protector solves that problem.

Once lessons are completed, skiers receive a free pair of Elan Skis and a Pats Peak Season Pass. (Pats Peak)

Got a friend you want to introduce to the slopes? Southern New Hampshire’s Pats Peak will again offer the Passport Program PLUS for newbie skiers. Purchase the program for $349, valid for four Skier Starter Special Packages of lift tickets, lessons and rental equipment.

The kid in all of us loves a treat after a day on the slopes, and SnoCountry.com has taken on the difficult task of discovering the best signature treats at resorts across the Northeast. Our dedicated research has come up with these goodies – what would you add to the list?

Odds are good that no matter what mountain you are skiing or riding, you’ll probably come across someone who got their start at Pats Peak. Centrally located near New Hampshire’s metropolitan areas, Pats Peak is where a large population of the state’s kids learn to ski and ride.

As we celebrate the long-awaited return of winter in New Hampshire, the flakes are falling on more than just the ski slopes. For the full mountain resort experience, savor a jaunt through the woods on a traditional horse drawn sleigh ride, get your adrenaline rush on a zipline, or control your own speed on a mountain coaster.

Fresh off the heels of the Cascade Basin expansion, which added six new trails and a new lift, New Hampshire's Pats Peak has invested another $1 million in capital improvements for the 2015-2016 season.