It's party time on the shores of Lake Tahoe at Heavenly Valley on New Year's Eve. (TahoeSouth/Facebook)
The annual celebration of the new year at a ski and snowboard resort signals that the season is in full swing – and looking forward to tons of snow in the coming months.
Mountain resorts traditionally feature torchlight parades, fireworks, festive food and hearty drink on the evening of Dec. 31. Many add twists to the holiday activities – for kids, VIPs and just regular folk.
Here’s a preview of some of what will be happening in the across the country as 2016 turns into 2017 up in the hills:
South Lake Tahoe shuts down Main Street for Heavenly Valley visitors to party with music, food and drink before famed Gondola Ball Drop (ala Times Square) to signal in new year.
Crystal Mountain lays out buffet and prix fixe dinners, separate parties for teens and adults, and torchlight ski and ride down the Cheers trail for 16 years or older.
Grand Targhee gets going early with glowstick parade for 5-14 year olds with basic turning and stopping skills. Adults parade at 5:45 p.m. with roadside flares (wear an old parka), and then fireworks.
Breckenridge starts out with a glowworm parade on the slopes for the kids, then an adult version later. Many hike up Boreas Pass for best view of nighttime fireworks.
Sunday River features evening ride up Chondola for fancy meal at mid-mountain Peak Lodge. Back at base, the music is nonstop until midnight.
Stowe goes all day on Dec. 31 with face-painting, handbell concert, champagne tasting and free s’more before torchlight parade and fireworks cap off the year.
Sugarbush honors a human’s best friend with annual Dog Parade in the afternoon at base of Lincoln Peak, followed by the usual evening festivities.
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Thanks to a mix of natural and man-made snow, Sunday opens Nov. 23. (Sunday River)
A mild fall kept many Northeast skiers and riders fearing we might face another winter like last year, but the temps have dropped, snow has arrived and opening days are happening across the region.
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Killington grooms out Superstar in preparation for the first World Cup in the East in 25 years. (Killington)
Vermont's Killington Resort received the official approval from the FIS (Internal Ski Federation) for the Thanksgiving weekend Audi FIS Ski World Cup women's giant slalom and slalom events. Meanwhile, resorts across the country struggle to open for the 2016-17 season due to warm temperatures and lack of natural snowfall.
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Snowmaking at Killington begins at the top. (Killington/Facebook)
Opening day is on the minds of skiers and snowboarders already, and brace of resorts have turned on snow guns – and turned eyes to the skies -- in hopes of being the first to open in 2016-2017.
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Find waterfalls and maybe some wildlife on your way to Shirley Lake at Squaw Valley. (Squaw Valley)
The dog days of summer are upon us, and that means it’s time to find some relief from the heat in the cool, clear water of a mountain swimming hole. There’s something about that first jump in to a natural stream or lake that makes you feel like a kid again.
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Summer 2016 brings new trails and a third lift to the Ramshead mountain area at Killington, scheduled to open by late July. (Chandler Burgess/Killington Resort)
At nearly 100 ski and snowboard resorts across America, the ski lifts provide access for a burgeoning number of mountain bikers who seek the same thrills as downhill skiers and riders: turbo-charged straightaways, high-speed turns and plenty of air.
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Spring may be taking hold where you live, but numerous resorts will continue to spin the lift this weekend … and well into May.
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Sugarloaf and Sunday River have brought out the big guns once more. Just when we thought winter had made its last stand, cold temperatures have returned and snowmakers are taking advantage.
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Enjoy every last drop of this season by checking out our list of some of the best late spring eastern trails in the east.
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Maine’s Sunday River was one of the first to open in the country last October, and they’re not throwing in the towel any time soon. With snowmaking temperatures forecast overnight for Friday, Saturday, and perhaps Sunday, they’ll be firing up the guns on Barker and White Cap this weekend.
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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?
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This could be the big one. No, really, it could be the mother of all Thanksgiving snowstorms. So hold the turkey. Hold the cranberry sauce. Hold the stuffing, and leave early - especially if you’re driving I-70 or I-80 - get a room and don’t forget the fat skis!
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The Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend marks the traditional start to the ski and snowboard season, and thanks to bountiful snowfall, some resorts are rejoicing, while others would be happy with some cold table scraps.
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With up to two feet of new snow this past week, resorts across the west continue to open and expand terrain heading into the weekend.
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Loveland Ski Area opens for the season Thursday, winning the race to be the first Colorado Resort to welcome skiers and snowboarders for the 2015-16 season.
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Snowmaking is the name of the game in the East when it comes to getting us out on the slopes early. Killington and Sunday River have already taken the lead as the first resorts in the country to open. We’re now looking forward to snowmaking temperatures as we scrape off the summer wax and eagerly anticipate making early season runs at our favorite resorts.
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Killington, Vermont, Sunday River, Maine and Mont Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, took advantage of unseasonably cold weather in the Northeast that brought snow squalls across the region and a window of snowmaking temperatures to jump start the 15-16 ski and ride season.
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The forecast is calling for temperatures in the 20s, so Sunday River's Mountain Operations Team is pulling out the big guns with plans to bury the resort's T2 Trail and kick off the 2015-16 ski and snowboard season on Monday, October, 19. With one exception, this will be the earliest the resort has opened in almost 20 years
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Sunday River’s annual Fall Festival Oct. 9-11 welcomes the cooler weather and ushers in another winter season with their annual North American Wife Carrying Championship, the New England Cornhole Championship, an arts fair, live music, a kids’ pumpkin pie eating contest, plenty of beer and bloody mary and wine tents.
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After a day of hiking the high peaks or kayaking a mountain river, a well-earned beverage is in order. Across the Northeast this summer you can find local ales worthy of a pilgrimage all of their own. Can you say road trip?
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