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.

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.

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.

More than a half-dozen world-class ski resorts are less than 100 miles west of Denver. The trouble is that they're also some of the most popular — and there's really only one road to get to them: the dreaded Interstate 70.

Boston investment firm Arctaris Impact Fund completed a reported $6.5 million acquisition of Saddleback Mountain ski area from the Berry family on Friday afternoon.

Local hill Sleeping Giant will shut off its two ski lifts at the end of this season, as the non-profit that runs the ski and snowboard mountain can't make ends meet for winter operations.

Nearly 200 miles south of Denver, near the New Mexico border in a picturesque valley on the eastern slope of the Sangre de Cristo range, a long-shuttered ski area is showing hopeful signs of life.

A “never-ever” before skier, 17-year-old Cherish Jenkins, went gliding down the ski and snowboard learning area at the National Winter Activity Center, natural as could be.

Loon Mountain Resort today announced the installation of an eight-place, high-speed bubble chairlift—the first anywhere in the eastern United States and only the second in North America, for the 2020/21 ski season. The Doppelmayr lift will showcase the manufacturer’s new D-Line technology, making it the most technologically advanced lift ever installed in the East and one that will provide unrivaled speed and comfort for skiers.

Turning skiers and riders away from a resort on a powder day is not what resorts want to do but, in the case of Crystal Mountain, there was not a choice.

Snow bikes have been offered at ski resorts out West for 20 years but have just reached Maine. The winter bikes are for rent at Sugarloaf and Sunday River.

The U.S. ski resort industry started with a bunch of mustachioed dudes focused on uphill transportation. 

To visit America's newest ski resort, follow the Jersey Turnpike, exit at MetLife Stadium and Meadowlands Racetrack, and head next door to American Dream.

Which, of course, is a mall.

Going to a ski resort is the highlight of many snow-lovers' winters (or summers, depending on where they live!). From the fresh powder to the exciting thrills on the slopes, there's a lot to love about adventuring in tons of snow. Of course, plenty of alpine destinations also offer up excellent shopping, tourism opportunities, and dining.

On Dec. 20, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced on its social media channels that Imperial Express, the highest chairlift in North America reaching 12,840 feet, was officially open for the season. It came with the caveat that opening such high-Alpine terrain is “no small task.” 

When the bus rolls up at 6 a.m. in the crisp mountain air, Christian Tichy often is among those who climb aboard to head to work, snowboard in hand.

Kimber Francoeur and co-worker Amee McLaughlin love the outdoors. It's a good thing they do, since they spend most of the winter climbing up and down Jiminy Peak, making sure the snow guns are working and the slopes are ready for the skiers and snowboarders.

“You’re on the ski mountain. It is all perfectly groomed. There’s really no one around, it’s super quiet,” Ted Mahon, ski extraordinaire and talented mountaineer, described reaching the top of a mountain just as the sun was rising in the morning. “You just had this amazing workout, you climbed a mountain in the process and you’re getting ready to ski down. You’re just getting into the warmth of the sun and it’s an incredible start to the day. It’s almost dream-like and that’s why I keep going back.”

Back in 1965, when Snowbird was still a dream coming together in Ted Johnson’s mind, an architect — designing the ski resort secretly taking shape in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains — pondered how to get thousands of skiers up Little Cottonwood Canyon, whose steep and narrow walls were lined with avalanche paths.

Recent rain and warm temperatures have been a setback for cross-country ski areas which had been enjoying a strong start to the season. But one local Nordic center is turning to last winter for some help.