Don't you love this time of year? Autumn & anticipation... Fall foliage, brilliant red maples in New England or golden aspens out west, ushers in the promise of winter as the next season on tap. Already the Almanac is promising an exceptionally cold and snowy winter for skiers and riders. The snow flurries have begun in Idaho and Montana - confirming I made the right pick booking a January ski trip to Big Sky & Moonlight Basin- the biggest skiing in America! How about you? Have you planned a ski trip out west? Have you invested in a ski pass? Bought new ski gear? Tick tock... 
Sunday River has a fun fall festival with chairlift rides, Maine food tasting, a craft fair and their zany must-see Wife Carrying Competition! Peak foliage in the Maine mountains is capped off with couples competing in a down and dirty obstacle course for the wife's weight in beer and some serious cash.
Sugarloafhosts homecoming weekend with fun, food and foliage and an Uphill Mountain Climb as well. Mt Abram and Attitash host Oktoberfest - pre season parties with beer and the best deals on passes and gear.
These are all great reasons to head to the mountains, chill with your ski peeps - some of whom you haven't seen since March or April. Time to get stoked for the fast approaching ski season. You can ride chairlifts, drink beer at the base lodge and even wager on which New England ski resort will open for skiing first? Will it be Killington again, or Sunday River? Halloween skiing? Out west, will the first chair go to Loveland, Arapahoe...or who knows? Give me your best prediction for ski season 2013-14! - Heather Burke, Family Ski Trips & Luxury Ski Trips
