Just by its name -- Alta Ski Area – you can tell that you’re skiing “old school.” The famed powder mountain is one of the oldest in the country, opening in 1939, and much is the same today -- including an average of 500-plus inches. The Wasatch Range is first to grab Pacific storm snowfall after the Sierra Nevada. The trip across the desert sucks the moisture out, so famous Utah fluffy powder typically arrives atop Little Cottonwood canyon below 10% water content.

Robert Redford's Sundance Mountain Resort maybe just an hour south of its well-known neighbors in Utah's Wasatch Range -- on a clear day you can see the top of Snowbird -- but it feels like you have traveled decades away. Tucked up a steep, tight canyon east of Provo, the resort opened it in 1969 -- and it doesn't seem like much has changed since then.

So, all you want is deep pow', first tracks and freshies all day. You're not interested in checking the grooming report for morning corduroy. Only snowboards or fat-boy skis on board. And hiking is the best way up. If this is you, then Silverton Mountain and Powder Mountain await your arrival.

Anyone who hears the words "Colorado" and "powder" in the same sentence best expects "Wolf Creek" to follow closely behind.

In most seasons, the Pacific Northwest can claim the most snow in the country -- and the heaviest powder. So, skiers and riders who head up to the Cascades know they have to work a bit harder to carve up the freshies.

Throughout SnoCountry, certain mountains always seem to get more of the white stuff than others – meaning a better chance at a powder day.

SnoCountry took a look around the country and came up with a half-dozen mountains that perennially attract the most snowfall.

OK, so we on the West Coast have been pleading and praying for powder this season, especially on the heels of a couple of subpar winters where puttin' on the fatboys and breathing through a snorkel seemed but distant memories.

As lift lines get longer and trails more crowded, many a skier and rider looks longingly past the ropes into the untouched terrain beyond.