Image Credit: Big Sky Resort

The 2025-26 ski season is officially underway, and there are a lot of things to look forward to in the months ahead. While it’s starting slowly in some regions, it won’t be long until the snowpack builds up. From ski resort upgrades to new gear, skiers will be able to experience a lot of new things this winter. There are also lots of events for skiers to watch, such as the return of the Winter Olympics.

Here are ten things skiers can look forward to this ski season.

1. The Winter Olympics: After being in a less snowy environment the last time around, the Olympics will be taking place this year in Cortina and Milan. For fans of skiing and snowboarding, it will feature many interesting storylines: Will Mikaela Shiffrin continue to add to her medal totals? Can Lindsey Vonn achieve another medal at age 41? Can Jessie Diggins secure another medal in her final season? Will Chloe Kim continue her dominance in halfpipe? There will also be more events to watch, including the introduction of ski mountaineering.

2. Deer Valley’s Expansion: In what is being regarded as the largest terrain expansion in North American history, Deer Valley plans to grow its skiable acreage for the 2025-26 season. Nearly 80 new trails and 7 lifts will be a part of Deer Valley’s lineup this winter. This includes the Redemption, which is a piste that bears similarity to Stein’s Run. In terms of lifts, there will be a new gondola, a bubble chair, and five other high-speed chairlifts. Sorry, snowboarders, you’re still not allowed there.

3. Other Major North American Ski Resort Upgrades: Deer Valley wasn’t the only ski resort to make big upgrades. These improvements include the 377-acre No Name Basin expansion at Monarch Mountain, $38 million in upgrades at Killington, the new Richardson’s Ridge terrain pod at Lake Louise, the Stagecoach Express expansion at Castle Mountain, and Big Sky’s new gondola and viewing deck at its summit.

4. Global Ski Resort Investments: There are also many upgrades going on across the globe. These upgrades include new trails and two new high-speed chairlifts at Sölden, a new gondola and chairlifts at Les 3 Vallées, new lifts in the Dolomites, and a new bubble chairlift at Niseko.

5. The Return of Skiing at Small Ski Areas: This ski season will see the revival of three ski areas in the U.S. First up is Nutt Hill, a Wisconsin ski area that opened this week for the first time since 2014 with various upgrades. Snowland in Utah, which was closed to the public for decades, will reopen this winter, offering free skiing for the 2025-26 season. Lastly, Colorado Mountain College-Leadville is reviving Dutch Henry for its ski area operations program and plans to add a surface lift there (formerly at Steamboat) in 2026. 

6. New Independent Owners: While the early 2020s were defined by the continued corporatization of North American skiing, that trend is changing. Two more notable ski resorts transitioned to local ownership over the offseason, with Burke Mountain Resort and Ragged Mountain Resort sold to passionate locals. 

Meanwhile, work continues on converting Black Mountain into a co-op, with many cool offseason projects to boot. In addition, Eldora is set to be sold to the Town of Nederland. This means that a local government is set to run what is currently a corporate ski resort. 

7. Improved Vail Operations: Last ski season didn’t go well for Vail Resorts, with a multi-week ski patrol strike at Park City, and a couple of notable lift incidents led to frustration with skiers and riders. While a formal reason wasn’t given, Kirsten Lynch is out as CEO, and Rob Katz is back in. He’s made some notable changes, including 50% off lift tickets if you’re friends with an Epic Pass holder and discounts on lift tickets if you purchase a month ahead. 

Other signs, like improved communication on social media and a quick resolution of a contract dispute with Breckenridge’s ski patrol, indicate a better direction for Vail Resorts going forward. 

8. New Gear: This year has been full of innovative gear additions. Some of the highlights include the Obex Connect ski helmet, the Blizzard Canvas ski line, and the Rossignol Vizion 4B Pro. There’s also the Renoun Skis membership program, which offers one ski to members every two years, along with various discounts to ski brands. It’ll also be interesting to see whether some recently debuted ski products take off, like the Frigid Dynamics and ShredSHOX skis.

Ski Gear Review 2025: The Must-Have Upgrades No One Told You About

9. Other Major Events: For skiers who love watching greatness, there will be competitions leading up to and after the Olympics. For starters, there are FIS-sanctioned events. For Americans, some of the highlights so far have been Shiffrin going 4-for-4 in slalom, Ryan Cochran-Siegle earning his first podium finish on American soil, and Lindsey Vonn achieving her first victory in six years.

X Games is back in Aspen in January with some interesting changes. The Snow League is back for its second season with an elite roster of athletes. For extreme skiers, there’s the Freeride World Tour, Natural Selection, and Kings & Queens of Corbet’s.

10. Skiing on Snow: At the end of the day, the number one thing we look forward to after months of waiting through the warm weather and annoying mosquitoes is skiing on snow. That time is now, as more ski resorts across the world open up.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you have a great ski season.

Image/Video Credits: Deer Valley Resort, Big Sky Resort, Niseko Tokyu Grand HIRAFU Nutt Hill, Black Mountain, The Snow League

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Ian Wood became passionate about the ski industry while learning to ski at Mt. Sunapee. In high school, he became a ski patroller at Proctor Ski Area. He travelled out...