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Two of the largest family-owned resorts remaining in the ski and snowboard industry will come into the Epic Pass portfolio next season.

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

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.

With temperatures moderating and the colors beginning to burst across mountain country, fall is a perfect time to get the family out for a hike. Depending on the age and stamina of the kids, suitable hikes abound for everything from an easy stroll to rock scrambles, many with mountain views for mom and dad and the hook of possible nature sightings for the kids.

Rock climbing is a specialized sport, with its own equipment and techniques. But European-based via ferratas have begun to spring up in the U.S. mountain country to make the sport more accessible to more people.

In the mountains of Utah, disc golf is growing as an inexpensive, easy-to-learn pastime that can be played by young and old. A round of nine or 18 holes gets you up and into the meadows and trees around the state’s ski and snowboard resorts.

The world’s longest gondola and an expansion of terrain in the order of 2,000 percent highlight a multi-year proposal for what has been the smallest ski and snowboard mountain in Utah.

The White Bear at Deer Valley. (Deer Valley) 

Whether you love powder or corduroy, groomers or trees, one of the best treats after a day on the snow is an après-ski cocktail. SnoCountry.com did some tough research and discovered some of our favorite signature resort cocktails.

Snowbird's revamped base lodge feeds the pow' soul. (Snowbird/Facebook)

A couple of high-speed chairlifts, upgrades to base lodges and the end of night skiing in Park City make the list of top improvements at ski and snowboard resorts in Utah.

Flying down the corduroy after flying in on a deal. (Snowbasin/Facebook) 

Looking to make a cost-effective choice in flying to your favorite resort? SnoCountry.com has some deals for you.

Banking into a berm at Snowbird. (Snowbird/Facebook)

Summertime means getting the mountain bike into the hills where it belongs – and Utah resorts stand ready with lifts running to get bikers to the top.

Snowbasin joins The Mountain Collective. (Snowbasin Facebook)

Sugarbush, Vermont and Snowbasin, Utah have joined The Mountain Collective for the 2017-18 season, bringing the pass alliance count to 16 resorts worldwide, with more than 51,306 acres of terrain, 2,517 trails and 458 lifts.

A limited number of Mountain Collective passes are on sale for $399.

Also new for the 2017-18 season, Alta and Snowbird in the Salt Lake City area, and Banff Sunshine and Lake Louise in the Banff National Park area will be considered as separate and distinct destinations, providing passholders with two days at each and unlimited 50 percent off days with no blackouts.

The dividing of the destinations along with the addition of Snowbasin and Sugarbush brings the total ski days available from full partners to 32 days at 16  destinations.

In addition, spring pass purchasers receive one bonus day at the destination of their choice and two additional days at Global Affiliate Resorts - Valle Nevado, Chile, Hakuba Valley, Japan and Chamonix Mont Blanc, France.

For a limited time, pricing for the kids pass (12 and under) is just $1 for the 2017-2018 season when purchased this spring with an Adult Pass, offering an incredible deal for families.

Sugarbush and Snowbasin join Alta, Aspen Snowmass, Banff Sunshine, Coronet Peak – The Remarkables, Jackson Hole, Lake Louise, Mammoth, Revelstoke, Snowbird, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Sun Valley, Taos, Telluride and Thredbo.

“We are delighted to join the Mountain Collective, and feel that it is a great fit for Sugarbush,” says Win Smith, President and majority owner of Sugarbush. “The Collective brings together the best independently-owned ski resorts across the country—and some abroad—and offers a terrific pass product, as well as benefits for each mountain’s passholders and staff. We are honored to be in the company of these well-respected mountains and are excited to offer these additional benefits to our Sugarbush community. I have personally skied at many of the Mountain Collective resorts and consider them among my favorites.”

“Snowbasin Resort is honored to join the Mountain Collective family,” says John Loomis, Snowbasin resort general manager. “The Mountain Collective offers skiers and riders the opportunity to enjoy the finest mountain resorts in the world. Snowbasin Resort, home to the speed events in the 2002 Winter Games, is proud to add to the opportunities for passholders.”

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.

Powderhound cuts a fresh line through trees at Whisper Ridge in northern Utah. (Whisper Ridge/Facebook)

The Wasatch Front above Salt Lake City has long been a backcountry paradise for skiers and snowboarders willing to take a hike beyond the trams, gondolas and lifts at a dozen of Utah’s winter resorts. Now, there’s something in between.

It’s time to buy a tube of sunscreen and floppy hat, tune up the mountain bike and dig out the Birkenstocks: Summer in the Utah mountains is just around the corner.

After celebrating its 75th birthday this season, Snowbasin Resort is planning its next era with on-mountain projects designed to make it easier for skiers and snowboarders to get where they want to go.

Despite some serious dumps in March, all good things must come to an end. In Utah, that means a pretty good season will mostly wind up by mid-April.

The storms have been rolling over the ridge and into the Wheeler Basin above Ogden, and the conditions at Snowbasin Resort are as good as they’ve been in years – just like they were imagined to be in the old days.

Most of us know someone who has never skied or snowboarded but would love the thrill of gliding down a hill on freshly groomed snow. But it’s hard to find the time, get the equipment and be confident that the ski school instruction at a particular resort will get your friend or family member properly introduced to the sport – and eager to return for more.

All across ski nation, winter mountain resorts are devising ways to grow the sport by keeping kids and beginners coming back to the slopes. Utah is no exception.