Notice anything different when you looked west yesterday? Powder junkies got their first fix of ski season on Wednesday night [2], when mountain towns saw as much as two inches of the white stuff fall overnight. Not quite enough to hit the slopes, but definitely enough to get us excited [3]. Skiers and snowboarders are hoping this season will be like last year, which opened early and lasted into July (thank you La Niña). We can’t wait for the water cooler talk to turn to road trips, ski lifts, and weekends at the lodge.

Image by Jeremy Swanson.