November is a great month to get ready for ski season without spending a ton of dough — and you can help local students at the same time.

In contrast to most of the expeditions I do with my teenage son, Sam, we make absolutely no attempt to get the proverbial early start. Our goal — my goal anyway — is to hike under the pale white light of the full moon.

Powder hounds have had little to howl about this winter, but storms at midweek raised hopes that the second half of the ski season will be something to shout about.

The Medford Ski/Snowboard Education Foundation freestyle team started the year with high hopes. With the lack of snow on Mount Ashland this year, however, their hopes were turning sour.

Mica Cardillo learned to appreciate winter on Mount Ashland. Now he's giving a whole new generation of kids an introduction to snow sports.

Skiing and snowboarding have never been big high-school sports in Southern Oregon, but that doesn't mean there aren't kids who want to compete.

Ten-year-old Chad Caswell points his skis toward a short ledge and barrels down the slope, his unzipped jacket streaming behind like a parachute.

Mount Ashland had the dubious distinction this week of having the thinnest snow pack among Oregon ski areas.

The Rogue Valley's most popular cross-country ski trails are even better this winter.

The coffee maker is already gurgling when Rick Saul climbs out of bed a few minutes before 5 a.m.

With 19 Oregon sno-parks throughout the state and hills at every turn, your family can ride a tube down a snowy hill for almost nothing, but if you'd like a little more convenience and safety, a visit to a kid-friendly ski establishment might be worth the extra cash.

BEND — The polar bears will not be in a zoo. The vast swath of ice and snow will not be a designated ski trail. And the freezing temperatures will not be fleeting.

PORTLAND — Experts say the danger of avalanches is great in the Cascade Range from Central Oregon north to Mount Rainier.

Skiers got the best possible Christmas gift last week when the snow finally started falling.

If you want to ski Mount Bailey this time of year, there's only one way to go — by snow cat.

When you're looking for a serene place to snowshoe or do a little cross-country skiing without the snowboarders and frantic downhillers, Big Springs Sno-Park, east of Sweet Home, is just what you're looking for.