Skiing

Skiing

Park City, Utah, isn't just a ski town-it's a full-blown mountain playground that delivers year-round adventure, world-class dining, and a healthy dose of Hollywood glam every January. But whether you're carving Deer Valley's legendary slopes, catching a Sundance screening, fly-fishing in alpine streams, or just here for the mountain air and Main Street's buzzy aprés scene, where you stay matters.

The U.S. team released its 232-athlete roster for the Milan Cortina Olympics on Monday and it includes Lindsey Vonn and bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, who are among the seven Americans making their fifth trip to the games. Other five-timers are hockey player Hilary Knight, figure skater Evan Bates and snowboarders Faye Thelen and Nick Baumgartner. Meyers Taylor leads a group of 33 returning medalists.

The men whose style stand out on the slopes know that difference lies in the details - the cut, the fabrics, the finish. These men won't settle for bulky jackets or purely functional one-pieces; instead they look to luxury men's skiwear that works hard. Designs that are technical enough to handle the cold and the powder, yet polished enough to pass muster in any ski lodge or après-ski bar.

Downhill racing at the last three Winter Games Sochi in 2014, Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022 were held at completely new sites. Women's skiing at the Games will be on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d'Ampezzo, which has hosted the World Cup circuit's signature races for decades. The Cortina course features a rhythmic track where racers can reach speeds hovering around 80 mph.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. "Hopefully go for that Olympic gold."

Long track speedskating sometimes referred to simply as long track or just speedskating was a part of the original Winter Olympics back in 1924, when only men participated, and is quite different from short track. In most long track events, two skaters compete against each other on a 400-meter oval, racing counterclockwise in an attempt to record the fastest time. There are two lanes, and the athletes alternate which portion of the course they are in during each lap.

Ski trips are some of travel's most gear-heavy getaways-which is exactly why so many travelers get packing wrong. Between bulky jackets, old equipment, and items that never leave the hotel room, overpacking happens often. To help cut through the clutter (and avoid mid-trip emergencies), we asked ski resort pros from the U.S., Canada, Italy, and beyond to share what actually belongs in your suitcase-and what you're better off leaving at home.

Nobody knows for certain when luge the French word for sled started, since nobody surely took note of the first time someone slid feet-first down a slope. Some say the 15th century, with evidence that there were races in Norway around that time. USA Luge believes that the sport could date all the way back to around 800 B.C., citing research that Vikings used sleds that had two runners, kind of like those kids have gotten for decades.

Skiing and snowboarding have grown increasingly expensive over the past few decades. According to Unofficial Networks, a single day at Vail cost just $9 in 1972; last season, peak-day tickets reached $329-a staggering 3,600 percent increase. Much of that jump, the outlet notes, stems from industry consolidation, rising operating costs, dynamic pricing, and skiing's shift toward luxury. Still, new data from Casino.org shows there are a few resorts where hitting the slopes can still feel like a deal.

Growing up in Colorado, I had always heard of Winter Park but never visited until my adult life,

Dublin-born and Vancouver-raised, the 23-year-old switched allegiance to Ireland last year in a bid to compete at Milano Cortina 2026

"Up until this season, there were two ways to save on lift access at our mountain resorts-you could either purchase an Epic Pass or Epic Day Pass pre-season for a huge value, or save a smaller amount on lift tickets by purchasing online at least seven days in advance-our goal is to fill that gap," Rob Katz, the CEO of Vail Resorts, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.

Anticipation is a fickle feeling, a jittery mix of adrenaline and hope. Early winter used to make me excited, no matter where I lived in the West. I'd track storms coming in from the Pacific, waiting for Colorado's high alpine ski resorts to battle to be the first to open or watching the snowline creep lower in the Pacific Northwest.

Skiing These snowy mountaintops are the perfect getaway for any skiers. The Pocono Mountains welcomed the first-ever commercial ski area in Pennsylvania in 1946 and have since been known for their perfect snowmaking abilities, stunningly groomed trails, and slopes of every level ever since. The Poconos offers 6 ski resorts, all of which have ski gear available for rent. For more information on skiing in the Poconos, check out their website, poconomountains.com.

Every ski trip starts with a deceptively simple question: What do you really need to bring, and what's smarter to rent? After years of traveling to ski mountains with friends, I've learned that the right ski and snowboarding gear strategy can really transform a trip. And with resorts updating rental fleets, shops offering seasonal packages, and online reservations making ski lodge pickups effortless, choosing wisely is about more than saving moneyit's about maximizing time on the slopes, true comfort, and safety in every regard.

Home to the White Mountains, New Hampshire has a vibrant ski culture that few places can match. "The best things about skiing in New Hampshire are the authentic skiing vibes and its variety of great resorts within a stone's throw of each other, allowing adventurous people to explore multiple resorts while on one trip-an experience very similar to what you would find in Lake Tahoe,"

Originally scheduled to open its lifts on Nov. 26, Palisades Tahoe announced in a Sunday afternoon blog post that the resort will have to open on a later date due to "limited natural snowfall and short, inconsistent windows for snowmaking." Last week's early-season storm brought only light snowfall, the resort said, and the weather conditions needed to maintain a reliable snow base - even an artificial one - are simply not present.

"We had some unseasonably warm temperatures heading into the last week," said Cole Zimmerman with Vail Resorts, Tahoe Region.

Every winter, I carve out time for a ski trip-a reset I look forward to as much for the snowy terrain as I do for the ritual of gearing up. I'm selective about what I bring into the mountains, and I'll only invest in pieces that perform, last, and feel good in motion, both on and off the slopes. Vuori has earned my trust over the years for consistently getting the activewear balance right: technical capability without the unnecessary bulk, and design that stays sharp