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Eastern ski racing fans have had their wish granted as Killington Resort has announced the return of the FIS World Cup to Vermont over Thanksgiving weekend for the next two years.

Attitash charges into spring. (Attitash/Facebook)

April has begun on a wonderful note for Northeast resorts with a foot of snow falling April 1, making conditions so great that several have decided to extend their season.

Sunny riding ahead for Stowe. (Stowe/Facebook)

On the heels of the news that Vail Resorts will be buying Stowe, buyers of the Epic Pass can now count Vermont as one of their destinations next winter. Vermont and the Northeast will be watching how this new pass offering will play out amidst the many other options for skiers and riders looking to maximize their time on the snow.

Sunday River enjoyed a bluebird day in the wake of Stella. (Sunday River/Facebook) 

Northeast skiers and riders got their snorkels out in force this week, with Winter Storm Stella dropping as much as four feet of snow on the slopes. Winter is back and there’s going to be plenty of snow still to be found as we head in to the second half of March.

Here’s the rundown of snow totals from Stella as of 4 p.m. Wednesday for resorts that received two feet or more of new snow. Be sure to check SnoCountry’s latest snow totals to find the goods.

Hunter Mountain, New York: 43”

McCauley Mountain, New York: 36”

Belleayre, New York: 32”

Big Boulder, Pennsylvania: 30”

Elk Mountain, Pennsylvania: 30”

Jack Frost, Pennsylvania: 30”

Middlebury Snow Bowl, Vermont: 28”

Sugarbush, Vermont: 27”

Mad River Glen, Vermont: 26"

Killington, Vermont: 26”

Pico Mountain, Vermont: 26”

Camelback, Pennsylvania: 24"

Woods Valley, New York: 24”

Ski now with your next year's season pass at Loon Mountain. (Loon/Facebook)

With Winter Storm Stella bringing March snow across the Northeast, skiers and riders aren’t ready to put away those boards just yet. Many resorts are now offering 2017-18 season passes at their lowest prices, and each of these resorts are also throwing in free lift access for the rest of the season.

Glenwood Hot Springs Resort includes the largest mineral hot springs pool in the world. (Glenwood Hot Springs)

Looking for a little personality to your ski lodgings, but still don't want to break the bank? Chain hotels are great for a standard room, but these accommodations will put you up in style with a personal touch. Innkeepers will have local intel, and you'll have a few bucks left to explore restaurants and shops in town, too.

First tracks smiles at Sugarbush. (Sugarbush)

Sugarbush’s two base areas, Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen, offer two Vermont experiences, with locals hitting Mount Ellen for an unfussy and authentic ski day, and families and vacationers using Lincoln Peak for the amenities.

First chair on Black belongs to the kids. (Magic/Facebook) 

Well over $100,000 in repairs and maintenance went into bringing the Black Lift at Vermont’s Magic Mountain back to life. The Black Lift began loading skiers and riders for the first time in three years last weekend, after being certified to operate as a double lift by the State of Vermont Passenger Tramway Board.

Vail's purchase of Stowe will mean more pass options for Eastern skiers. (Stowe)

Northeast skiers and riders can look forward to adding an Epic Pass to their season pass options next year, as Vail Resorts has announced the purchase of Stowe Mountain Resort for $50 million.

A family heads down Village Way (Winter Park Resort/Chris Wellhausen)

Sometimes, you just want to get onto a trail and just go … and go … and go. Fortunately, U.S. ski and snowboard resorts have just the ticket for those who need a leisurely slide down the hill.

Obviously, Europe has us beat hands down, but the U.S. has got length, too. So SnoCountry.com went looking for the longest ski runs in the country -- those under a single name -- and came up with this sampling.

Vail boasts the longest run in Colorado, its famous Riva Ridge trail. Nothing gets you from top to bottom at the Colorado resort more readily than Riva Ridge. It’s mostly blue and black, starting near the summit and winding 4-1/2 miles to the Vail Village base area.

At Snowmass, if you’re at the top of Elk Camp and want a long cruiser at the end of the day, skiers and riders can link several blue runs off Elk Camp summit into a 5.3-mile cruiser to the bottom of Two Creeks chairlift. The run covers East Branch run, which is one of the longest single-named trails on the Colorado mountain.

If you’re at the top of Winter Park and don’t have the legs for anymore blacks or blues, as someone how to get on long and languid Village Way run that starts at the top of Parsenn Bowl. Mostly blue at the top, Village Way winds down more than five miles down onto the main front side of the Colorado resort.

Vermont’s largest resort Killington also claims the East’s longest single run, a 10-mile cruise called Juggernaut. The trail starts at the top of Killington Peak and courses right along the ropes at ski area boundary. Rating begins as a blue but transitions to a green slide to the base of the Sunrise Village triple chair. A recent trip by SnoCountry resulted in a 45-minute trip from top to bottom.

Carinthia is home to annual large-scale terrain park events like Red Bull All-Snow, The C.O.M.P., Carinthia Freeski Open and The Grommet Jam Series. (Mount Snow)

The largest area of freestyle terrain east of the Rockies, Mount Snow’s Carinthia Parks, is home to nine different terrain parks with nearly 150 features spread throughout. Carinthia is a breeding ground for some of the best athletes in snowsports thanks in large part to “progression by design.” This initiative is aimed at getting more people, young and old, into the park by having extra-small features all the way up to extra-large.

So many great choices from the top of Madonna Mountain at Smugglers' Notch. (Smugglers' Notch) 

With a slew of awards for family programming in its pocket, Smugglers' Notch Resort is known as a mecca for groms and their parents who are eager to find fun on the snow. But if you only recognize Smuggs as the place to learn to ski, you’re missing out on some of Vermont’s most challenging and interesting terrain.

Pisten Bully representative Josh Nelson hands over keys to Cranmore's Ben Wilcox, Tyler Fairbank, Brian Fairbank, Rick Oaks, Glen Harmon and John Mersereau. (Cranmore/Facebook)

At a belated ceremony at New Hampshire’s Cranmore Mountain Resort, PistenBully New England Regional Sales Representative, Josh Nelson, handed over the keys to the first 600E+ in the East.

Suicide Six's new Chair #1 makes for an easy ride at this historic resort. (Suicide Six/Facebook)

As the 2016-2017 ski season kicks-off at Suicide Six Ski Area, the newly installed Chair #1 opened last week. The upgrade doubles the capacity of the previous chair, and provides a more comfortable and rapid ascent to the summit for all levels of skiers, racers and snowboarders.

Rendering of the new Carinthia Lodge. (LineSync Architecture)

Mount Snow’s $52 million in EB-5 funding has been released from escrow, allowing them to continue construction of the West Lake Project, with work on the new base lodge at Carinthia Parks scheduled to begin in 2017.

Uphiller nears summit of Sunlight (photo Sunlight Mountain Resort)

Be it to stay fit, save money or get some quiet time in the out-of-doors, ”uphill skiing” has become a staple at many U.S. resorts – requiring mountain managers to adopt rules for the activity.

Furry friends enjoy the snow and fresh air on a snowshoe trail at Stowe. (Stowe Mountain Lodge)

For many of us, our dogs are part of our family, and many resorts across the country welcome our four-legged friends with enthusiasm. Rather than leaving the pup behind, enjoy the company of wagging tails on the trails.

Magic’s system of off-piste glades have become proving grounds for many of New England's finest free skiers. (Magic Mountain/Facebook)

Vermont’s Magic Mountain officially has new owners, SKI MAGIC LLC, marking a critical turning point in the future sustainability and prosperity of Magic, founded in 1960.

Find terrain for everyone in the family at Jackson Hole. (JHMR)

With winter about to start in earnest, now is the time to check the SnoCountry snow reports and book a mountain retreat. With so many great options out there, here’s a few of SnoCountry.com’s favorite holiday getaways:

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.