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Mother Nature has begun to smile upon on the West, particularly the northern and central Rockies where significant amounts fell on resorts from Alberta to southern Colorado.

After hiking in the mountains, the chance to soak sore muscles in a warm or hot springs pool beckons us all -- especially as the weather cools.

Though the weather has been slow to cooperate, summer is indeed coming to the Colorado Rockies – and with it, tons of recreational diversions for all to enjoy.

Few things fire up a day of skiing and riding more than fresh-baked goods and a hot cup of joe – and the high country full of spots to pick up a doughnut, croissant, scone or more.

Heading up the mountain on skis has gained popularity around the nation. Most resort have designated trails, access times and a set of rules (check website) – but it's free to travel uphill.

Colorado’s Telluride Ski Resort has been blessed with massive amounts of snow this season, and the spring skiing and riding season is setting up to be the best in recent memory. Over the past week alone Telluride has received more than five feet of snow and boasts a base depth of more than nine feet!

Sensationalized forecasts from news anchors who appear to hate winter and have zero ideas how to dress for it are keeping an increasingly inert population inside.

In this week’s SnoCast, every corner of the country will get snow. In this continued active weather pattern, see what days will be best to hit the slopes in your area.

Since the beginning of January, storms have been rolling off the Pacific and feeding the mountains of the West. Selected areas have been getting pounded, like the five feet that fell on Utah's Wasatch Range in five days.

Rock climbing is a specialized sport, with its own equipment and techniques. But European-based via ferratas have begun to spring up in the U.S. mountain country to make the sport more accessible to more people.

Willy Booker, head of Burke Mountain Academy which hones some of America’s finest ski racers, bemoans that kids are less active and athletic today and don’t get outdoors enough. 

One way to remedy that is to have fun at a mountain resort this summer.

Colorado ski and snowboard resorts took a short break after winter, but they quickly turned their attention to the burgeoning summer season – full of hikes and bikes and thrills of all kinds.

Epic Pass expands your horizons. (Epic Pass/Facebook)

The initial price of $899 is the same, but there’s plenty to choose from as the major multi-resort players put their best face forward in the season pass wars.

 Powder is ticking upward at Colorado's Telluride. (Twitter/Telluride)

The storm pattern will align pretty well with the Rocky Mountain range this week meaning plentiful snow. The East will stay active while warming up.

Steeps can be had with Epic Pass. (Telluride/Facebook)

Telluride has become the latest ski and snowboard resort to enter the season pass fray with the recent announcement that the southwest Colorado mountain will be part of the Epic Pass program.

With both indoor and outdoor hot tubs, everyone can relax and unwind after a hard day on the slopes. (Airbnb) 

A perusal of Airbnb shows the concept of direct online rentals has caught on in ski towns nationwide. Airbnb rentals are popular for the savings and convenience they can afford and in some places supplement limited mountain or town accommodations.

Join in the fun at Sugarbush's Women’s Discovery Camps. (Sugarbush) 

The dynamic of skiing or riding for a few days with other like-minded women can be very different from skiing with the family or a mixed group of friends. Unlike skiing with the guys, we cheer each other on rather than talk trash. A women's clinic is a great opportunity to gain confidence and see what's possible in a supportive environment.

Ready to go after landing in Aspen. (Aspen-Pitkin County Airport/Facebook)

This season, it will be easier than ever to hop on a plane and head for where the powder is freshest in Colorado.

Fourteeners loom over Keystone golfers (Keystone/Facebook) 

The golf season at Colorado winter resorts may be truncated but, while they are open, the courses reflect the mountains amidst they sit.

Payette River goes big near Tamarack. (Tamarack Resort/Facebook)

The winter may be over, but a solid reminder of what a good year it was in the West continues to play out in the rivers that are flowing bank-full out of the mountains this spring.