Resort Guide 2012: 35 sure-fire, blower powder start drooling, big winter adventures.

Squaw and Alpine join forces. And skiers rejoice.

Still more steep and deep in the mysterious Zone 5.

Several years ago, my buddy Dave made the mistake of luring me down a sidecountry run at Crested Butte that far exceeded my limited abilities as an off-piste skier.

New Hampshire's Mittersill rises from the dead.

The problem with Panty Trees.

Photographers Grant Gunderson, the flash master, and Lee Cohen, a painter with light, use different methods to deliver winter shots that quicken the pulse.

Canyoneering in Zion National Park.

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time.

From deep pow to rocks and dirt, we're ravishing the multisport life in the desert.

Living the Spring multi-sport life on that side of the Mississippi.

The best big mountain gear for the 2012 season.

Mountain's picks of best women's gear for the 2012 season.

The trend here? Refined rocker technology has made these oversized skis effortless to surf and pivot.

The rocker revolution means today's Big Mountain skis don't sink in powder and turn easier than ever before.

At 80mm-plus underfoot, these were fat skis only a few years ago. Today, they can handle everything from hardpack to boot-deep blower.

The art and science of guaging risk.

Heli-assisted backcountry skiing in the B.C. interior.

Sit back, breathe deep, and reflect upon a few things that matter.

On the trail of the wild kingdom's most extreme critter in Montana's Glacier National Park.

On a rocky peninsula that juts into the middle of Rae Lake, there's a patch of ground just big enough for a couple of tents.

New York & Montana

Hold on, Colorado rum? We were skeptical too, shouldn't rum come from an island?

Westcomb quietly crafts top-shelf alpine apparel in Vancouver, British Columbia. That's right, they make it in Canada.

A smattering of ski town beverages for your drinking pleasure.

Marc Peruzzi, Mountain's Editorial Director, shares his point of view about POV video cameras.

Howelsen Place Steamboat Springs, CO

Inn at Crested Butte Crested Butte, CO

Sun Mountain Lodge Winthrop, WA

Four Seasons Teton Village, WY

Resort at Squaw Creek Squaw Valley, CA

Comanche, painter, teacher — supporter of Native arts.

The founding editor of Whitefish Review, a literary journal of mountain culture.

Executive Director, Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.

Founder of Save our Snow.

Mountaineer turned Vermont grass farmer.

A dream home in the mountains goes horribly awry.

Neighborhoods make a comeback.

Secret stashes in plain view.

Ski mountaineer Pete Swenson on how to dress when skinning into the backcountry.

The Mountain Swami and a select group of his gear minions just got back from testing fat tire bikes in the mountains of Tucson.

Storms transform resorts from Lake Tahoe to New England.

The biggest news in next year's winter gear.