Following a season of masks, spaced-out lift lines, and other restrictions, several of the area’s ski resorts are heading into the final weekend of the year.

Kristine Harris walked from her home to Snow King recently for a last dash up the Summit Lift. She and her husband, Adam, wanted to pay tribute to the lift one last time.

The summer of 2020 was the warmest ever recorded in Burlington, but backcountry ski equipment was flying off the virtual shelves by August — months before ski shopping season usually begins. 

If you've skied this season, you're probably well aware of the virus' effect on the sport — social distancing made lift lines longer, reservation systems were a headache, and even with plenty of well-meaning policies in place, ski areas were busy. Really busy.

This winter, Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t win as often as she usually does, but the ski racer says she is exactly where she needs to be given the pandemic and the death of her father.

Finally, some good post-vaccination news for skiers and snowboarders after two rough pandemic winters that greatly disrupted ski vacations, travel and the snow sports industry. Unlike just about everything else we enjoy in travel and recreation, the cost to go skiing has actually dropped in recent years, mainly do the prevalence of multi-resort unlimited ski passes. But as of today it is going down even more, at dozens of the most popular and desirable ski destinations in the world.

Jessie Diggins is the fastest woman in the world. At least on cross-country skis.

“Wow!” That’s the three-letter word that my family repeatedly said over and over again during our two-night stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods. Built in 1902, this hotel boasts not only history, but also luxury. And with a massive two-year expansion just completed, you truly will never want to leave.

In March 2020, Monarch Mountain near Salida was on the cusp of something big. It had just announced its ski season would extend deep into April and record visitation numbers were well within reach. Then, on March 14, Governor Jared Polis ordered all ski areas to close in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, effectively ending the season on the eve of spring break.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved the next phase for the former Lorton landfill off of I-95 to become a 1,700-foot ski slope in northern Virginia.

"People really wanted to ski," Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin said. "They didn't want this to be one of the things the pandemic took away from them."

More skiers are embracing uphill travel, also called Alpine touring, at Maine ski resorts – and more ski areas are catering to those who opt to hike up instead of taking the chairlifts.

United Airlines’ latest ski destinations will be accessible by bus.

A massive storm led to a record-breaking 60-hour shutdown at Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon recently, followed by a day of private skiing exclusively for those already in the area.

Jackson Hole and other popular ski resorts in the West are up and running with varying Covid rules and limitations. For purists, that’s not such a bad thing.

For the first winter in five years, skiers and snowboarders are once again hitting the slopes at Saddleback Ski Area. The mountain officially reopened in mid-December, and businesses in the area are already seeing a boost in revenue.

Gigi Girard, an OB-GYN in Louisville, Ky., says she has been to Vail approximately 50 times over the last 20 years. So, over dinner during our overlapping visit this month to Colorado's largest ski resort, I figured she'd be a perfect person to ask about how much her Vail experience during this Covid-19 winter differed from the norm.

It may be easy to imagine you’re out West at a giant ski resort when you visit Snowshoe Mountain, but a closer look underneath the powdery surface reveals a rich local history and a pride for the traditions and people who once called these 11,000 acres in Pocahontas County home.

St. Corona is a model for ski resorts in the Alps that are transitioning to mountain biking, hiking and other tourist offerings that don’t depend on snow.

Now more than ever, people will require a real sense of seclusion while on their ski vacations. Gone for the time being are the après ski parties, the socializing in the lodge during a quick break for lunch and eight-passenger gondola rides. These have been temporarily replaced with such wellness guidelines as chair lift rides consisting of family members only, food trucks as opposed to eating in the lodge and private ski instruction instead of group lessons.