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The time has come to forage in the garage, locate your ski or snowboard gear, dust it off, wax it up, and hit the slopes!

It’s always a good omen for the season when our local ski resorts get going over the Thanksgiving holiday, and we did just that last week. My friends in the KING 5 Weather Center tell me that instead of being a drier and warmer winter, or what they call El Nino, now it appears that it will be a neutral winter. And they say that typically means good things for Washington state ski areas.

So what new and exciting things can you expect to experience at your favorite local ski hill this winter? There have been some changes in the off season.

John Gifford at the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association says the biggest change is a new chairlift over at 49 Degrees North Resort near Spokane.

The Summit at Snoqualmie broke ground and will finish the foundation for the new Silver Firs Lodge, which they hope to complete for the 2013-2014 season.

Stevens Pass had a very busy off-season, removing brush and trimming trees to facilitate an early opening and create new lines through the trees on both sides of the mountain.

Lift ticket prices never get any cheaper, of course. For a typical one day pass, here’s what it looks like this year:

Mount Baker: $54
Stevens Pass: $65
Summit at Snoqualmie: $60
Crystal Mountain: $69
Mount Bachelor: $76
Whistler Blackcomb BC: $98 (Canadian)
Sun Peaks BC: $76 (Canadian)

Yes, sometimes skiing or boarding can seem a little pricey, when you figure in lift tickets, fuel to get there, food, and time in the bar unwinding after a tough day on the slopes.

But getting out and enjoying the beauty of our alpine environment is truly priceless, and one of the main ways to make it through an otherwise wet, gray, and dreary Northwest winter. And just to get you psyched for this season, here’s the trailer for the new Warren Miller film.