SnoNews

The 11th annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, going on now, has a new twist. Resorts across the U.S. are gearing up for a special celebration Friday, Jan. 11 – the first National Learn to Ski or Snowboard Day. 

Multiple storm systems and a steady plume of moisture will stream into the Pacific Northwest, bringing big totals into the weekend.

After an incredible November, more wintry conditions take us into December. We’ll kick it off with a cross-country storm system tracking low across the U.S.

Call it Epic-Lite or Ikon 2.0, but the southern Colorado-based Power Pass has taken off around the country, into Canada and across the seas.

While we’re waiting anxiously for the snow to fly, resorts across the Northeast are celebrating fall foliage season with fun, food, music and stunning views of the mountains. Here are SnoCountry.com’s top picks for Oktoberfests this year.

Using all-American materials, manufacturing and workers, Farm to Feet offers skiers, hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts merino wool socks that are made with as little impact on the environment as possible and a supply chain completely within the US.

North Carolina's Cataloochee gears up for a favorable start to February. (Cataloochee/Facebook)

The weather pattern turns much more favorable for winter conditions across the East, while a steady stream of moisture moves into the Rocky Mountains.

Steamboat, Colorado turned snowier during Christmas. (Larry Pierce)

A majority of Canada and U.S. resorts will experience cold weather through New Year’s Day, while a few feet of snow may fall in the West.

When you think of North Carolina, Tar Heels, beer and beaches are usually the first things that come to mind. Not skiing and snowboarding. But nestled high up in the Blue Ridge Mountain at 5,506 feet is the highest ski area in the eastern United States, and it’s celebrating its 50^th birthday this season.

The total economic impact of the North Carolina ski industry amounted to $197.2 million during the 2014-2015 winter season. The average expenditure per person during a ski/snowboard trip within the state of North Carolina was $182.84. More than half (58 percent) of visitors to North Carolina ski areas stayed overnight. 

North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain Resort unveils its Summit Express, a Doppelmayr six-seater, detachable, high-speed chairlift, Sat., Nov. 14. The public is invited to attend the rain or shine event beginning at 10 a.m.

The installation of a new Doppelmayr high-speed, detachable, six-passenger chairlift is currently underway at North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain Resort. It opens in time for the 2015-16 winter season, and enables guests to reach the 5,300-foot peak in five minutes. 

If you like road trips and have a “bucket list,” make sure the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway is high on that list. This spring I drove the parkway from beginning to end along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It’s not exactly the same March Madness found each spring on Tobacco Road. But some North Carolina ski and ride resorts on the other side of the state aren’t playing any games with the discounts offered in March.