SnoNews

With 200 inches of snow already this season, Wyoming’s Grand Targhee Resort is a powder paradise and a hidden gem among all the major Western resorts.

We watch Olympians on TV every four years, but you don’t have to wait that long to rub elbows with skiing stardom. Several mountain resorts around the country offer opportunities to ski with their most prominent athlete ambassadors, and learn the slopes from a pro perspective.

Industry statistics say that one quarter of parents who head to the hills in the winter do so with snowboards – and they want their children to learn to ride so they can enjoy the slopes in similar fashion.

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. 

With the growth of skiing into the 20th century, small ski hills used to dot the land, providing great accessibility and affordability for beginners looking to access downhill winter sports. Today, these “town” ski areas are a rarity with only a smattering left nationwide.

At many U.S. resorts, you can have the mountain to yourself before the first chair.

Everyone knows what a rush it is to have a full day of skiing and riding, but often you still have the rhythm in your bones even after the lifts close. Enter the apres-ski music scene at mountain resorts.

SnoCountry scanned the West and came up with a sampling of apres-ski spots where the rockin’ goes on long past the final run of the day.

Wyoming, home to the Grand Teton Mountains and America's smallest population. Both these attributes bode well for skiers and snowboarders flocking to the state because after all who doesn’t love short lift lines, untouched powder and down-home service?

There’s no shortage of luxurious hotels in the West that will indulge your every need. SnoCountry took a look around and came up with a quintet of the hotels that coddle and pander with the best.

With the proliferation of Smartphones and digital cameras, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to capture the beauty of the West – especially in the mountains.

While it looks like Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Area will win the #RaceToOpen this season, but numerous resorts are also preparing early openings for the 2018-19 season.

Glad to have you back, SnoCast readers! We can't wait to give you an early edge on when to catch the best snow of the season as we bring you forecasts each week through the season. 

Just before the 2008 recession, Grand Targhee unveiled plans for major changes to the western Wyoming resort, but they didn’t get much farther than that. Now, 10 years later, they are back.

A staple on the activity slate at many ski and snowboard resorts in the Rocky Mountains is the fast-chargin’, whip-turnin’ mountain coaster.

The owners of town hill Snow King in Jackson, Wyoming, want to greatly expand what the mountain has to offer skiers, snowboarders and town residents.

Snow King sits at edge of town. (Snow King/Facebook)

A three-year makeover at Snow King works to transform the struggling Jackson Hole town hill into a full-blown winter playground for locals and visitors alike.

It's a festive Christmas at Grand Targhee. (Grand Targhee)

If celebrating a white Christmas is on your wish list this year, planning to spend the day with loved ones on the slopes is just what Santa ordered. Finish the day with a festive meal where everyone can relax and enjoy each other’s company and you’ve got a family tradition in the making. Follow up an uncrowded day skiing and riding with a feast at one of these mountain resorts.

Looking for a landing spot. (Ruby Mountain Heli-Experience)

Whenever favorite stashes get carved up, or the maddening crowds threaten your first tracks, it may be time to shell out the bucks for a helicopter ride deep into Powder Country in the West.

The whiskey is lined up in Park City. (High West/Facebook)

Catching a cocktail after a long day on the slopes has been a winter tradition since the beginning and, recently, the distillers are making the good stuff right at the resorts.

Hangin' on at Snowbird coaster. (Snowbird/Facebook)

As summer hits its full stride across the West, mountain resorts put their hot-weather activities front and center – including a plethora of mountain coasters that rush down trails and slopes.