10 Reasons to Ski This Weekend...or Any Weekend of January's Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month

Vail, I'm coming to ski you--hopefully as good as I did last April!

There’s powder in the forecast, which means you’ve had a case of the powder flu growing all week. The winter chill that spread across most of the country just after the new year has finally thawed out (hello 40 degrees ABOVE zero in the Midwest after a few days of 40 BELOW zero wind chill temperatures). And while we’re all a little bummed that Lindsey Vonn announced her withdrawal from next month's Sochi Olympics, skiers aren’t going to let that ruin their winter fun. If anything, we’ll just ski harder and take a run or two for Vonn.

If there’s a weekend your skis shouldn’t collect dust in the closet, this one is it. The holidays are over. The resorts are clear of those Christmas and New Year’s crowds. And skiing is mindless exercise, especially on a pow day—we’re starving by day’s end and feel a good quad burn simply by playing in the snow. Need more reasons, concrete ones, to ski in January? Here are 10:

A Skier's Dream Weekend: 5 Reasons to Hit the Slopes

Park City turns 50 on Dec. 21. Happy Bday! Credit

The Christmas tree is decorated. Check. The holiday shopping is finished. Not quite. The gifts are all wrapped and sitting under the tree. Almost. Santa slides down the chimney Tuesday night, but I still have a lot to do before then. Where's my Christmas miracle, hehehe?

But pass up a weekend to ski? No way! And what a weekend it is for hitting the slopes. Here are five reasons we're itching to get out there before the holiday rush.

Park City
Big Sky isn't the only ski resort celebrating an anniversary this year. Park City Mountain Resort celebrates its golden 5-0 on Saturday, December 21, 50 years to the day that its lifts started spinning in 1963. The day will include an Opening Ceremony, birthday cupcakes, commemorative giveaways, a free concert by Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and a special 50th anniversary fireworks display. But even if you can't make it on Saturday, the celebrating will be happening throughout the season with more parties, giveaways and special events. For more details about Saturday's festivities, check out the event schedule.

Big Sky
What's not happening at Big Sky in December? The Montana resort has had something every weekend this month. First it was heavily discounted lift tickets. Then it was its 40th birthday party. And now Tony Horton, the trainer who became a household name thanks to creating the P90X workout, will be at the resort all weekend. The Master Fitness Trainer is an avid skier, and he'll be at Big Sky Resort's Wellness Studio for the second annual Tony Horton Weekend. The weekend is packed full with three days of workouts from Dec. 20-22, each lasting two hours, and a chance to meet Tony. Read more about it on Big Sky's event calendar.

Lake Louise
Searching for pow? You'll find it at Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada. It's been snowing at the resort for most of the week meaning there's more than a meter of snow base on most of the groomed runs. Hit up the back bowls and you'll find some deep pockets of windblown snow. And just in case you need a break from skiing, Lake Louise will be hosting its first FIS World Cup Boarder Cross race on Dec. 21.

Keystone
For the last few winters, Keystone has erected a snow fort at the top of Dercum Mountain that provides climbing areas and tunnels for big and little kids to explore. Back for its fifth year, the Kidtopia Snowfort will open Dec. 21. Its unveiling kicks off the season's Kidtopia activities, which include fireworks, a cookie hour and the Ripperoo Village Parade.

Copper
Copper Mountain is starting Christmas a few days early by kicking off its 12 Days of Copper on Dec. 20. From December 20 to 31, you'll find plenty of holiday spirit around the resort from Santa Claus stopping in the village to deals and specials that'll make ladies dance and lords leap. Plus the snow continues to pile up, creating some of the best December conditions the mountain has seen in a few years.

Besides all of these events happening at resorts in North America, a week's worth of cold weather and a storm cycle have left plenty of fresh powder begging to be skied--and on terrain that is opening for the first time this season. Whistler-Blackcomb announced new terrain openings earlier this week. You know the ski season is off to a good start when Vail opens its back bowls before Christmas. But the conditions must be really good this season because it announced on Thursday that Blue Sky Basin would be opening for the weekend ahead.

Well, I'm sold. My skis are still in the car from last weekend. When do we leave?

Where are you taking tracks in the days ahead? What resorts have your favorite December powder stashes?

Photo grabbed from Rudi Riet, randomduck, via Flickr.

Still More Snow: Get Skiing This Weekend

Ah yes, that was Vail on Sunday after 13" fell.

I'm supposed to be done thinking skiing for a while. That's what I told myself Sunday as we packed our gear into the car after a week up in the Colorado mountains.

Sunday was Vail's final day of the season. I earned my Last Call pin. I dodged the crowd at the summit (or tried: the Chair 4 at 4 party, or whatever it's unofficially called, only got bigger as the day wore on). I lucked into a stash of freebies at the Mountain Plaza base (yes, I'll play plinko and collect raffle tickets until I win). I got on the mountain earlier to ski the fresh pow that likes to drop before closing day (same thing happened in 2011 and 2012). I skied most of the runs I'd want to hit before closing out the year.

But the ski season's not over yet. Sure, I knew I could still ski other Colorado spots like Arapahoe Basin and Winter Park, except usually by mid-April you're looking at slushy conditions, terrain closings, and more tanning than skiing. I already have one crazy looking goggle tan, and I already skied on dry slopes last April when it didn't decide to snow at Vail until April 15.