It's All Downhill: Ski country gets a really nice gift

[View web version] [It's All Downhill] [Friday, December 30] [Follow Matt Pepin] [Euphoria on the slopes] At 7:50 a.m. on Friday, Mount Snow in Vermont [tweeted a photo] of a fairly sizable group of skiers and snowboarders already lined up to ride the chairlifts that would open at 8 a.m. At 9:52 a.m., Loon Mountain in New Hampshire announced that it had reached capacity in its parking lots, although lift tickets were still available and shuttle buses from area lodging locations were still running. At 10:02 a.m., Katie Fogel at Jiminy Peak in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts reported this: "Conditions are powder and packed powder today and the conditions are awesome! We opened one of our most popular trails today - Jericho." At 10:05 a.m., Greg Keeler at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire sent this message: "We're likely going to have one of the busiest days in recent Cannon history." And at 10:15 a.m., this came in from Rachel Wilkinson at Shawnee Peak in Maine: "We're 100 percent open at Shawnee Peak. 18-20 inches received. Epic day!" There was euphoria Friday all across New England's ski country following a storm that dropped as much as 2 feet of snow, paving the way for a true powder day that had skiers and snowboarders flocking to the slopes. "This morning's numbers are above the six-year average we use to gauge visits," said Jennifer Karnan of Gunstock Mountain in New Hampshire. "We were directing guests to our farthest parking lot by 9 a.m. today, which usually doesn't happen until 10. We're expecting record numbers for tomorrow." In Vermont, the storm allowed for a 15 percent increase in open skiing terrain in the Green Mountain State, according to Ski Vermont's Sarah Wojcik, and allowed several resorts to reach fully open status. The best part was more snow was falling. "The real story is that it is snowing harder now than it did yesterday, with [about] 3 inches already down this morning," said Sugarbush representative John Atkinson. And at Stowe: "It has really been snowing hard this morning," said Scott Braaten. "We had some snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour. As of 11 a.m., our storm total is 9-11 inches and climbing." But enough words. [See for yourself in the photos I've compiled], provided by New England ski area representatives at the Globe's request, for [a version of this report on BostonGlobe.com]. Here's a few: Shawnee Peak [ShawneePeak_600] Gunstock [gunstock_600] Sugarbush [sugarbush600] [Story Photo] A NEW APPROACH: Liftopia has come out with a refreshing twist on the concept of ranking all things skiing/snowboarding with its Best in Snow Awards. Instead of lists dominated by all the major players in the industry, which is a characteristic of the majority of major ski media listicles and rankings, Liftopia's spreads the wealth and a lot of smaller or more unique areas are recognized. Liftopia's awards used feedback from customers - more than 10,000 survey responses - as well as the data within its lift ticket platform to determine winners in an overall North America category as well as by region. The most surprising thing was the overall top North American ski area - Magic Mountain in Vermont. In fact, six of the Top 10 in North America are in New England. [The full package of awards is here]. Liftopia also [explains its methodology in detail here]. TAKE IT EASY: This week's [ski column from Moira McCarthy in the Boston Herald] is an appreciation of long green circle trails, and I couldn't agree more with her main point that even experts should include them on the to-do list. I always make it a point to hit Brookway at Loon, Outback to Roundabout at Berkshire East, and Tom's Treat at Ski Sundown. WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW? Ever wonder which company runs your favorite resort? [Unofficial Networks provided a list]. THAT'S DEDICATION: The Olympian in Washington [brings us an interesting tale of a skier named Danny Miller], who has skied at least once a month for 23 years. That's 277 months, beginning in 1993, of skiing primarily in Washington, with a few trips to Canada and Oregon. "I'm not the best skier, just the most stubborn," he told The Olympian. He also said he'll stop "when it's no longer fun." LEARN TO SKI/SNOWBOARD: Amid all the programs, deals, and events that ski areas pitch, Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month is probably one of the best. Several years ago, my boys and I took New Hampshire up on its offer to give snowboarding a try, and the total cost was gas and lunch. Well, it is that time of year again, and ski areas around New England are among those nationwide offering incredible deals throughout January to those who want to try skiing or snowboarding. In addition, there are a lot of bargains to be had for established enthusiasts who introduce a newbie by getting them to the mountain and into a learning program (while they hopefully head off to enjoy themselves without the hassle of trying to teach someone). [The Learn to Ski & Snowboard website has all the details]. THE MOUNTAIN REPORT: This week, the crew visits Smugglers' Notch in Vermont. [Watch their report for It's All Downhill here]. Happy New Year, everyone, and thanks for reading It's All Downhill. [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe]. [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters]. About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. 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