The outdoor industry is preparing for a mostly normal winter, but the ski season arrives at a precarious moment in the pandemic.

State of play: Most ski areas are lifting mask mandates, reservation requirements and capacity restrictions that defined the season a year ago, and operators are hoping to see skiers and boarders return to the slopes and restaurants in droves.

• The looser rules come as COVID-19 cases in Colorado are reaching comparable heights to last year, when public health restrictions were put in place to limit the virus' spread.

What to know: The rules that remain in place differ by resort — a hodgepodge that may create confusion and make compliance uneven.

• Many ski areas, including Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Snowmass, Copper and Vail, are mandating vaccines for employees but not for skiers and riders.
• Vail and Aspen are requiring proof of vaccination for indoor dining and cafeteria-style restaurants on the mountain, but most others are not following suit.
• Face coverings are required only in indoor settings, and Aspen is one of the only ski areas to require masks in gondolas.

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Colorado's ski areas are opening new terrain and restaurants to build the mountain experience for an expected increase in skiers and boarders.

• At Beaver Creek, McCoy Park will open as a ski area with two new lifts and 17 additional trails on 250 acres mostly tailored to beginners.

What else you need to know

In the wake of George Floyd's murder, Colorado ski industry leaders have started taking steps to diversify the sport — but they have a long way to go.

Why it matters: For decades, people of color and lower-income earners have been largely excluded from the elite pastime because of a variety of barriers, from the cost to play and live in the mountains to the transportation required to get there.

• Less than 2% of recorded resort visits during the 2018–19 ski season came from Black skiers and snowboarders, according to the National Ski Areas Association.

What's happening: Some of Colorado's biggest players in the industry have responded to the widespread racial justice movement and committed to making the sport more inclusive.

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At its core, the story of skiing reflects the narrative of America — at least through the eyes of veteran ski journalist and former Arapahoe Basin ski patroller Heather Hansman.

Driving the news: This week, Hansman published "Powder Days," a nonfiction book about the past, present and future of the sport and the people who devote their lives to sliding down the slopes.

• Roughly half the book takes place in Colorado as Hansman dives deep into the risk of ski bumming at a time when climate change, economic inequality and the rapid commercialization of resorts are putting the sport's future increasingly in doubt.

What she's saying: "What surprised me" in the reporting process "is this way that skiing can be a lens to look at so many different parts of society and parts of how we make choices,​​" she said Thursday evening at Tattered Cover on Colfax during her first book signing.

• "How do we grow? How do we make things equitable? What's the future going to look like with climate change? Skiing can be such a compression of those factors," she said.

The bottom line: The growth of the ski industry symbolizes a microcosm of what's happening across the country as we all wrestle with what it means to "live the dream," Hansman highlights.

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If sliding down a slick, steep mountain at hyperspeed is not your activity of choice, there is still plenty of other fun to be had in the high country.

🐕 Head to Breckenridge for some of the best dogsledding in the state. Good Times Adventures runs a 6-mile tour with guides who teach you how to run the sled and handle the Siberian huskies.

😎 Shred on a snowmobile from White Mountain Snowmobile Tours in Leadville, which offers a variety of adventures for all ages and skill levels.

❄️ Scoop a tube and hit the hill at Frisco Adventure Park.

Don't miss our other ideas

French for "after ski," what is dubbed "après" marks the slopeside tradition of sips, snacks and socializing as the sun goes down.

• After hours of quad-burning laps on the hill, loosen your boots, relax and rehash the gnar, the champagne powder stashes and epic lines with friends old and new. Or get out the sillies with some tabletop dancing.

Whatever your fancy, here's a cross-Colorado collection of our favorite post-pow party places to have a grand ole time.

See our picks

How much new snow qualifies as a powder day on Colorado's slopes? It's a long-running debate — and one reinvigorated this year by Copper Mountain.

By the numbers: Copper installed a new snow stake for its live webcam that includes a "Send-O-Meter" that marks a "pow day" at 4 inches.

Quick take: 4 inches of fresh snow is super fun to ride — and the minimum these days to endure the traffic nightmare on Interstate 70.

• But is it really a pow day? Isn't that more like 6+ inches?
• The resort didn't reply to questions.

💭 John's thought bubble: Think of Copper's snow stake as a Tinder profile — it's an exaggeration at best.

Tell us: What's a pow day in your book? Hit reply and let us know.