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Powderhounds who revel in the host of off-piste black-diamonds at British Columbia's Panorama Mountain Resort will be carving up new terrain next season.

Some 130 acres that were outside the ropes in the Taynton Bowl area will become part of Panorama's extensive hike-to and snowcat-served terrain for the 2020-2021 season. Raising the Western Canada's resort's total vert to more than 4,200 feet, the new area -- which was previously heli-ski only -- will be patrolled and hook up to the Taynton Trail return route to the base.

A 13-passenger snowcat will stand ready to bring experts and advanced skiers and riders to the new terrain for $15 a ride -- or cheaper with multiple trips. The new steeps will pitch down a sparsely treed circque that has been hike-to terrain. They will push the viewers' left boundary farther into so-called "monster terrain" next to equally as precipitous trails with names like The Monster, Get Out!, Spectre, Ridgeback and Wild Thing that were added to the trail map for 2019-2020 season.

With the expansion, the resort that is three hours' drive from Calgary will have a bit more than 3,000 acres of patrolled terrain.

This second-phase expansion at Panorama is part of a plan by resort's independent ownership to add a total of 500 acres to the skiing and riding on the mountain, which has quickly mature from a locals' hill to major player in British Columbia's Powder Highway of big mountains.

If long, rolly-poly blues appeal, then Purgatory Mountain Resort will never disappoint. Spreading across a high ridge on southern edge of the San Juan Mountains, "Purg" averages 250 inches a year on 1,600 acres, and a tad more than 2,000 ft. vert. with nine chairs. Favorable aspects tend north or east -- offering unending views of some of the highest peaks in the Rockies.

Ski Twitter recently blew up when videos of nightmarishly long lift lines at Vail Ski Resort made the rounds. People bemoaned the traffic, the $200-plus lift tickets and Front Range folks in general. 

Sugarloaf ski resort has announced a 10-year plan that includes developing nearly 450 acres on the West Mountain area of the resort, with not only upgrades for skiing but real estate development, technology improvements and other changes to support year-round business on the mountain.

A longtime mainstay among Midwest ski areas, Marquette Mountain, in Michigan's UP, has been sold to Wisconsin industrialist Eric Jorgensen, whose company, JX Enterprises, serves the truck transportation industry around the Great Lakes.

Older skiers are flocking to the ski slopes on weekdays, but do they deserve special privileges or discounts? Whether appropriate or not, for years ski areas (and many other businesses) have reinforced this sense of entitlement for those aged 65 and older, for example with senior citizen discount offers. Mountain resorts seem to be catering to this age group more and more.

Not all ski areas are created equally. There are the mammoth mountains such as Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, which boasts an astounding 5,280 vertical feet and Snowmass in the Colorado Rockies’ Elk Mountain Range which features 4,406 feet of downhill excitement. On the other end of the spectrum are smaller mountains such as Four Lakes Ski and Snowboard Area in Lisle, Illinois with 100 vertical feet and Cloudmont Ski Area, Mentone, Alabama with 150 vertical feet.

Plenty of sunshine to go around both east and west this week, but the west will see the most snow days. This week's SnoCast outlines the best conditions and best bets to hit the slopes through the weekend.

Mad River Mountain is a scenic Ohio ski area that offers a nice variety of trails and plenty of uphill capacity spread out over 300 acres. Winding down narrow wooded trails looking out across the valley below, you could almost imagine that you were in Vermont complete with fencerows, dairy herds, rustic red barns, and silos. With nearby lodging in Marysville, it makes a nice quick weekend getaway for thousands of snowsports enthusiasts from Dayton, Lima, and Columbus, Ohio, as well as from Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana.

You need something to do while the traffic thins out on I-70. Or just didn't get in enough turns on a busy weekend. Or had to work during the daytime hours and are itching to get on a slope.

It’s mid-February in the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl and one of the only families in town is patiently waiting for their turn to board the gondola. If you didn’t see the cameras and lights, you might not notice that two members of the family are Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, casually blending into the line of skiers, which is composed of both hired extras and actual vacationers.

At Arapahoe Basin, the quickest way to the steeps has always been to hop the Pallavicini chair. The tradition will continue ... but with modern seating next season.

Often on the cross country (XC) ski trails the clothes that many of the uninitiated wear are malfunctioning…that is, they are dressed for downhill skiing such as insulated ski jackets and pants, alpine ski gloves or mittens, and ski goggles. XC skiing is a form of recreation that involves moving and thus lighter clothing is appropriate and recreational XC ski garb is versatile, functional, and fashionable, which is different than either outfit for downhill skiing or the suction suits worn by the XC ski racers seen at the Olympics.

They preach the gospel of NASTAR.

Since before Sundance Mountain Resort was established in 1969, back when the ski area was known as Timp Haven Ski Resort, Jerry Hill has been maintaining the slopes of Mount Timpanogos.

Getting to the steeps in the East Ridge area of Sunlight Mountain has meant a long traverse in and a long traverse out, but a plan under review includes a chairlift to eliminate all that cross-hill travel.

With Valentine’s Day Friday and (hopefully) an extended holiday weekend for you, there’s a lot to love about the forecast!

While lurking past closing hours in the mountain resort parking lot has always been the domain of the dirtbag, more ski areas are bringing the practice of overnight stays out of the shadows—and some are downright embracing the car-bound camp movement. This focus on ski resort winter camping, which accommodates visitors of lesser means—as well as nomadic adventurers—is a refreshing step back from the luxury demographic. that the ski industry habitually targets.

A family day on the slopes can get expensive.

Over the next few weeks six Midwest ski areas are hosting women’s ski and snowboard clinics. It's a great chance to brush up before heading west on your spring trip.