SnoNews

That’s right, it’s only November and the Northeast is having one of the best starts to the season in recent memory. If you haven’t already headed for the hills, get your sick day excuses ready and make your way to your nearest mountain.

Sugarloaf, Maine, is no stranger to playing host to U.S. Alpine Championships, but in 2019 the resort will look forward to hosting the first-ever U.S. Alpine Speed Championships. From March 16-21, 2019, the best alpine skiers in the nation will ski down Narrow Gauge in downhill, super-G, and alpine combined events.

New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain Resort is now boasting the highest disc golf course in New Hampshire, a scenic 18-hole course that starts at the 2,733-foot summit of Loon Peak. 

The nation’s best alpine ski racers will descend upon New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort in 2019 and 2021 for U.S. Alpine Championship - the biggest race the resort has hosted since the White Circus visited in 1991 when Julie Parisien won the World Cup giant slalom.

If you’re missing that feeling of floating over mountain trails this time of year, New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley has just the fix: the Onewheel, a motorized wheeled board that just may be as close to the feeling of snowboarding as you can get in the summer.

Summer is in full swing and that means it's time to cool off and chill out at your favorite Granite State mountain resort. Lakes, rivers, ponds and waterslides make it easy to float through fun summer days.

Thanks to continued investment in snowmaking and grooming, along with the snows of Miracle March, Ski New Hampshire is reporting skier visit just off average by five percent for the 2017-18 season.

Lunch at Summit Chalet includes view of Minnesota's Lake Superior. (Lutsen Mountains)

Refueling at lunchtime is a long-standing tradition among skiers and riders. And doing so on the mountain – rather than in a crowded base lodge – suits those who don’t want to lose their edge while they pause to eat.

Santa delivered an early Christmas present of more than three feet of snow on slopes throughout New England over the past week. And as a stocking-stuffer, cold temperatures wrapped up with all that new snow, allowing for round-the-clock snowmaking.

Canmore Nordic Center hosts race on machine made snow. (Canmore Nordic)

As the days become colder and winter approaches the ski season beckons, but about 40 cross country (XC) ski areas are no longer waiting for the snow to fly to begin their ski season because they’ve invested in snowmaking, just like their alpine ski area cousins.

Heading down from High Country at Waterville Valley. (Waterville Valley)

New Hampshire's Waterville Valley Resort has the go-ahead from the USDA Forest Service to begin construction of the new High Country T-Bar Lift, proposed in May. While the ski season is just around the corner, the approval has spurred construction to begin immediately.

ResortBoard Adventure Tours will take you off the beaten path. (Waterville Valley)

The newest summer activity at the Adventure Center at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire is the ResortBoard Adventure Tour, the first experience of its kind in New England.

Guided family hikes take in Presidential Range views at Bretton Woods. (Bretton Woods)

New Hampshire’s mountainous playgrounds plan to celebrate with family-friendly events across the state Labor Day weekend.

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.

New Hampshire ski areas wrapping up a successful season. (Ski NH)

There’s still time to ski or ride at New Hampshire’s ski areas, but you should head out soon. The state’s downhill and Nordic ski areas will wrap up the season in April and are offering spring ski deals and hosting events during these final days.

Headed to Green Peak. (Waterville Valley)

Ever wonder what the story is behind the names of your favorite ski trails? In celebration of New Hampshire’s newest trails, more than 600 people submitted trail name ideas and the stories behind them for Waterville Valley’s Green Peak trail name contest. Winners were chosen based on the character of the trail and the story behind it.  

Waterville Valley Resort in white, with the new Green Peak trails to the left. (Waterville Valley)

After breaking ground on Waterville Valley’s Green Peak expansion in September, the new Green Peak Triple lift will debut Feb. 11 with an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting at 10 a.m.

A snowshoe through the woods at Great Glen Trails. (Great Glen Trails)

This winter across the country, resorts and inns are offering retreats that combine yoga with cross country skiing and snowshoeing. These activities go hand-in-hand as they encourage and build an intimate relationship between mind, body, and spirit.

The fluidity and rhythm of cross country skiing and/or snowshoeing are indeed yoga-like, and yoga is known for enhancing balance and strength using “micro-muscles” and that makes it a perfect match, which can also add a spiritual aspect.

Maplelag Resort in Callaway, Minnesota has the Ski & Be Yoga Retreat, which includes getting outdoors in nature for cross country skiing and snowshoeing, healthy meals, and massage, Feb 3-6, 2017. The program at Maplelag is run and organized by Melissa Joy Schoeller whose activities are for “an active day in the fresh outdoors with time and space to rest and renew mind, body, and spirit.”

The Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon, Michigan has the Stretch & Slide Yoga Ski Retreat, Jan. 21 where they start with yoga to establish self-awareness with body and breath, so that awareness carries over into the skiing. Many people who participate in Stretch and Slide are new to skiing, so beginning with yoga gets people feeling embodied and in touch with themselves right off the bat, which helps them learn Nordic skiing technique with more ease and enjoyment. Being more in tune with one's body and breath also helps foster an awareness of the present moment, which enables one to truly experience and savor the beauty of nature when skiing or snowshoeing outdoors.

Jan. 14, 2017, at Great Glen Trail Outdoor Center in Gorham, New Hampshire, the Women’s Winter Escape program activities emphasize ski clinics for classic and skate techniques, beginner through advanced, but there is also pre- and post-activity stretching, snowshoeing, yoga, snow tubing, lunch, and an après ski wine and cheese with discounted shopping in the Great Glen Outfitter Shop. This program is limited to 20 participants, ensuring a low student to instructor ratio for personalized attention and instruction during clinics. Participants can change groups during the day -  for example, to go snowshoeing led by a naturalist and later in the afternoon can rejuvenate with a yoga session. On the following day, Great Glen hosts an equipment demo, with products from ski and snowshoe suppliers available to take out and test on the trails. Participants in Saturday’s Women’s Winter Escape will receive a free trail pass for Sunday, giving  access to the demo with no extra charge.

The Adventure Center at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire in the southern White Mountains has the Women's Clinic Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, with XC ski instruction, equipment demo, waxing clinic, yoga, massage, and lunch included. The program is organized at the Adventure Center and if it is cold, the indoor yoga class will help as a warm up before the outdoor part of the program.

In the Rockies, the Ski, Sip & Spa Day is at Devils Thumb Ranch Resort in Tabernash, Colorado Saturday, Feb 12, 2017, including XC ski lessons, lunch, yoga, hot tub, sauna, and wine and cheese. Massage or facial services are available at special rates to program participants.

The Women's Ski Weekend at Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana on the Amtrak line is scheduled for Jan 21-22, 2017, and it includes one night accommodations, skate skiing instruction, two yoga sessions, a 30-minute massage, and a buffet dinner. Brenda Winkler will help you learn new or refine ski skills and develop your yoga practice that will complement your skiing. The event allows for more relaxation time so you will feel refreshed, recharged and ready to explore your new skills when you return home.

In the western U.S., Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, Washington in the Methow Valley has the Women's Adventure Camp Feb. 26-28, 2017, coordinated by Cascade Endurance with Nordic skiing, yoga, breakfast and lunch, ski sessions, wine/hors d'oeuvres reception, and relaxation.

Check with the ski resorts for program prices, details, and registration.

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.

Waterville Valley has begun cutting 10 new trails on Green Peak. (Martha Wilson)

The smell of cut pine and the sound of chippers and heavy machinery are in the air as Waterville Valley Resort has begun trail work on a 45-acre, 10-trail addition to its slopes in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest.