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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.

BEWI President Bernie Weichsel, Okemo's Tim and Diane Mueller, and Brian Halligan congratulate award winner Betsy McKeever. (Martha Wilson)

The 2016 BEWI Award was presented to two top sales executives from New England mountain resorts, Betsy McKeever, Group Sales Manager at Vermont’s Okemo Mountain, and Andrew Noyes, newly appointed VP of Operations and formerly Director of Sales & Revenue at New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain. 

Killington is capitalizing on every snowmaking opportunity. (Killington/Facebook)

UPDATED 10-26-16: With long-term sights set on the longest season in the East, and short-term sights on the AudI FIS World Cup, Killington kicked off the 2016-17 season in the Northeast for season pass holders on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Following a storm Sunday morning that brought snow to higher elevation peaks across the Northeast, Killington added to the five-plus inches of natural snow with snowmaking both on North Ridge ski trails Rime and Reason for public use, and Superstar trail, where the Audi FIS World Cup will take place November 26-27.

The first turns of the season were dedicated exclusively to Season Pass and Express Card holders, and the resort opened to the general public on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 9:00 a.m.

“With the World Cup coming up next month, we have been anxiously waiting for cold temperatures here at Killington, and now that we have a favorable window of snowmaking weather, our mountain operations team is running full steam ahead to make sure we’re once again the first ski area in the East to open for the season while also beginning production on the Superstar World Cup race course,” says Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain. “After last season we are not taking anything for granted and will continue to make snow at every possible opportunity, at every elevation with the necessary temperature and humidity conditions.”

The BrewCentralNY.com Beer Garden has tastings from regional breweries for only $5 for five samples. (Mitch Wojnarowicz/Brew Central)

After more than five decades of bringing together skiers and riders with mountain resorts and snowsports retailers, the Northeast Ski & Craft Beer Showcase returns Nov. 4-6 to Albany at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

Okemo's Sunburst Six makes riding the lift a pleasure. (Okemo)

Vermont's Okemo is all about making it easy and comfortable to be out having fun in the snow. The Sunburst Six and Quantum Four signature-orange bubble lifts make getting to the top of the mountain a pleasure. And to load the lift, glide through special gates equipped with RFID readers that can be stowed safely inside jackets or pants pockets.

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.

Waiter at The Farm in Park City serves up plates from fresh, local produce (The Farm/Facebook)

The idea that local restaurants can hook up with nearby farms, ranches and food producers to create truly sustainable, “local” cuisine has caught fire not only in towns around the country, but also at ski and snowboard resorts.

Nowadays, it’s a common sight to see a chef checking out the veggies or baked bread at a local farmers market -- or on the organic produce aisle at the neighborhood grocery store – to stock up for the day’s menu.

More and more, they come from the fine dining rooms at mountain resorts. Here’s SnoCountry’s sampling of where to eat fresh at ski and snowboard resorts this season:

Canyons. Located right on the Ski Beach at the base of the Park City, Utah, resort, The Farm Restaurant lives up to its name by sourcing ingredients from local farms, cattle ranches and vineyards. A regularly revolving menu coincides with seasonally available foods. Taste treat: Utah corn soup.

Mount Snow. Harriman’s sits just up from the main base of the southern Vermont area. It combines classicly trained chefs with fresh food grown, raised and produced at 20 farms in the Green Mountain state. Taste treat: Aged cheddar from Jasper Hill Farms.

Stowe. In the heart of the base area, Solstice serves artisan-inspired plates inside Stowe Mountain Lodge, relying upon a partnership with farmers, cheesemakers and producers from the northern Vermont region for the freshest ingredients. Taste treat: Angus braised short ribs with Cabot Creamery grits.

Steamboat. Unbuckle your boots and stride into the Truffle Pig for apres-ski snacks, dinners and to-die-for desserts. Ingredients from pastures and gardens of northern Colorado valley inspire truly local menu. Taste treat: Truffle pig fries.

The new ski-in/ski-out, bike-in/bike-out Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center is now open.

After several months of uncertainly, Burke Mountain Resort has officially opened the Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center, the first hotel to ever open on its slopes.

The Black Chair will get needed updates this summer and fall for a return to use at Magic this winter. (Jeff Bankman/Magic Mountain/Facebook)

SKI MAGIC LLC announced Tuesday it had concluded a signed purchase and sale agreement with current title holder Magic Mountain Management, LLC to purchase all the property and assets of the 709-acre Magic Mountain Ski Area in Londonderry, Vermont for an undisclosed amount. 

Although the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival is only three days and nights, once you get to Telluride, you won't want to go home. (Telluride Brews & Blues Festival)

What’s on tap for this summer of fun? Along with sampling some of the finest craft beers around, a trip to a beer festival this summer also means live music, tempting food, and another perfect reason to get outside and enjoy the mountains. 

Come get a good look at all of Vermont (and a little bit of Canada) from the top of Jay Peak via the 60-passenger Aerial Tram. (Jay Peak)

Jay Peak recently completed a three-day inspection of its aerial tram. The resort, in cooperation with the state, flew in an aerial tramway specialist and worked with state inspectors to examine the tram and its operating systems. The tram carries up to 60 people from the Tramside base to the 3,968-foot summit.

Southern Vermont’s Magic Mountain, owned by Magic Mountain Management LLC, announced Thursday it has entered again into formal negotiations with SKI MAGIC LLC for the purchase of the ski area.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Thursday that the State of Vermont and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have filed similar civil actions alleging investor fraud dating back to 2008 at EB-5 development projects at Jay Peak and Q Burke in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.