LISA MONFORTON

Game on, powder hounds. With healthy snowfalls in October, several ski and snowboard resorts in Alberta and B.C. have already cranked up their lifts for salivating skiers and riders.

If the early weather prognosticators are to be believed, we’ll be pushing a lot of powder with our skis and boards this winter — which beats shovelling it out of the driveway. We can thank La Nina for what could be a frostier winter, accompanied by gobs of snow.

For skiers such as Peter Sheerer, a regular at Banff’s Sunshine Village for 13 years, each coming season brings a sense of excitement and anticipation.

“You feel the crispness in the air, and you start thinking ski season is coming up on us so fast. To me, what skiing does is make the winter enjoyable — something to look forward to rather than to dread. That’s the beauty of it ... for many of us, skiing is getting out there rather than hibernating,” says Sheerer, a professor at the University of Calgary.

We’ve checked in with Alberta’s and B.C.’s major ski areas to find out what’s new and their plans for this year. There’s a lot to report: more skiable terrain, outdoor movies and concerts, mountaintop yoga, new après-ski craft brews and bites, full moon snowshoe tours, and a slew of special onmountain events.

All opening dates are tentative and snow-dependent. All prices are regular day lift ticket rates, not including GST.