OCTOBER 29, 2026
Priority Lift Lines: Winter Park Tries a New Approach
Winter Park is rewarding early-season passholders with priority lift access, adding a new angle to the debate over bypassing regular lift lines.
DCSki Columnist
M. Scott Smith
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
1,022Stories
1997Writing for DCSki since
About Scott
Scott is Editor and founder of DCSki. He writes the articles, takes the photographs, designs the pages, programs the site, pays the bills, and occasionally catches a wink of sleep. In addition to DCSki, Scott works full time as a researcher and computer scientist.
Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, travel, skiing, kayaking, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer, and also plays keyboards and drums. Scott grew up in Colorado and currently resides in Maryland. (That's right - he went from Colorado to Maryland - what was he thinking?!) Scott maintains a personal weblog at www.mscottsmith.org.
OCTOBER 28, 2026
From Controversy to Commonplace: How Ski Helmets Became the Norm
DCSki looks back at how helmets went from a source of heated debate to standard equipment for more than nine in ten skiers and snowboarders.
OCTOBER 27, 2026
Three Big Changes That Reshaped Mid-Atlantic Skiing
DCSki examines how megapasses, improved snowmaking, faster lifts, and year-round investments have changed Mid-Atlantic skiing since the turn of the century.
OCTOBER 26, 2026
A History of High-Speed Chairlifts in the Mid-Atlantic
From Whitetail’s pioneering high-speed quad to today’s six-passenger lifts, explore the history of detachable chairlifts at Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.
OCTOBER 24, 2026
You Had to Do What? Skiing’s Little Annoyances That Technology Left Behind
DCSki looks back at the snow phones, paper tickets, film cameras, fixed-grip lifts, and other ski-day inconveniences that technology has largely left behind.
OCTOBER 23, 2026
Mountain Matchup: Liberty vs. Whitetail
DCSki compares Liberty and Whitetail, weighing longer runs and faster laps against varied terrain, short steeps, and a different mountain personality.
OCTOBER 22, 2026
Colorado Drought Raises Questions About Snowmaking’s Water Demands
Colorado’s severe drought is raising questions about snowmaking’s water demands, an issue that also affects Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.
OCTOBER 21, 2026
Doppelmayr Expands U.S. Ski Lift Manufacturing with New Utah Headquarters
Doppelmayr’s new Utah headquarters doubles its U.S. manufacturing capacity and adds domestic production of lift towers and other components.
OCTOBER 20, 2026
New Study Examines the Future of Mid-Atlantic Snowmaking
A new study finds that Mid-Atlantic ski areas could face fewer reliable snowmaking windows as winter conditions change.
OCTOBER 19, 2026
Snow Farming: Could Preserving Winter Snow Work in the Mid-Atlantic?
Snow farming allows ski resorts to preserve snow through the summer for use the following season. A successful experiment at Colorado’s Snowmass raises an interesting question: Could the technology work at Mid-Atlantic ski areas?
OCTOBER 18, 2026
The Curious Case of Laurel Mountain’s Hybrid Ski Lift
Laurel Mountain’s 1955 hybrid lift combined T-bars and single-passenger chairs to carry skiers, including injured guests, back to its summit.
OCTOBER 18, 2026
Killington Fires Up 165 Snowguns as Eastern Ski Season Draws Closer
Killington has begun large-scale snowmaking ahead of the Stifel Killington Cup, but an opening date remains weather-dependent.
