Resorts in the West believe skiers and snowboarders should be able to enjoy the inherent excitement, exhilaration and thrills on the slopes – and feel safe while doing them.For nearly two decades, the National Ski Areas Association has designated January as the time to focus on how to activity on the slopes and trails safer for everyone. And, in the past several seasons, the issue has been in the spotlight with high-profile accidents and lawsuits. 

It’s January and while there’s a pause in big powder dumps across the West, it’s a good time to take stock of what skiers and snowboarders have after the holidays.

Deer Valley, Utah will host the FIS Freestyle World Cup Jan. 7-10, 2015 under the lights kicking off with men’s and women’s aerials on White Owl run Thursday.

Let's start at the top. The biggest news story of 2014 rolled out of Utah's Wasatch Mountains. No other news story across the nation matched it for continuing drama. It began rumbling in the spring, resonated in the courts all summer, and didn't culminate until shortly before the snow flew. Here's how SnoCountry.com's West Editor Andy Dennison describes it:

After all the hoopla around Christmas and New Year’s, it’s time to get down to the business of learning how to ski or snowboard.

Just when we thought things would finally quiet down in Park City, Utah, Deer Valley reasserts its plan to run a gondola right into town. Never a dull moment.

I'm going to be bold and call it a powder day at Solitude Saturday. It wasn’t epic in the way Utah prides itself but we take what we can get right now. 

I heard they were opening the backside. We’re talking Alta Ski Area — steeps, lots of rocks, known for serious powder. 

CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., owner of the largest number of ski resorts in the country, is currently assessing how best to liquefy its assets as the end of the real estate investment trust (REIT) term draws near. CNL is a non-traded REIT that invests in a diverse collection of lifestyle and other income‐producing assets, including ski and mountain lifestyle properties, attractions, senior housing and marinas.

An eight-passenger gondola will be the centerpiece of Vail Resorts’ strategy for connecting Canyons Resort with Park City Mountain Resort. The Colorado-based resort group revealed its plans for bringing the two neighboring mountains together – and solidifies Vail’s intention to create the largest ski and snowboarding area in the United States since acquiring Park City Mountain this offseason.

I did ski today. Day three. I got out at the crack of noon for Deer Valley's opening day. It was an honest mistake. Because it hadn't snowed in more than a week, and we’ve had record highs for this time of year, I didn't see the point in getting there for opening bell. 

Climate change – and its threat to snow-dependent ski and snowboard resorts -- has become a priority for many resort owners, and a large number in the West are taking steps to reduce emissions and energy use.

Not a lot can top a cold brew after a killer day on the hill. Last year, we celebrated Park City Mountain Resort’s 50th anniversary with a Golden Ale and Alta’s 75th with the Anniversary American Amber. 

Deer Valley Resort, for the second consecutive year, has been awarded United States' Best Ski Resort by the World Ski Awards. Following a year-long voting process from leading ski tourism professionals worldwide, as well hundreds of thousands of ski consumers from 127 countries. Deer Valley Resort won the distinction among a short list of USA finalists during the 2014 World Ski Awards the weekend of Nov. 21-23, 2014, in Kitzbühel, Austria.

Looking to share a passion for the mountains with your kids? The country’s next generation of rippers can probably be found in one of many season-long kids’ programs. Whether they’ve got Olympic dreams or just want to become a confident all-mountain skier, these programs provide a solid base for wherever the mountains take them.

With an off-season in Utah dominated by news of ownership changes and mergers, it’s a relief for skiers and snowboarders to finally strap ‘em on and get back to what’s important: racking up the runs.

Vail Resorts, Inc. has appointed Bill Rock, the current chief operating officer of Northstar California Resort, as the new chief operating officer of Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort, effective November 1, 2014.

After three uncertain years in bankruptcy court, Wolf Mountain has been purchased by an investment group that promises a solid future for the family-focused mountain outside Eden, Utah in the Ogden Valley.