What’s happening at ski resorts

Here are highlights of the additions and upgrades at North American ski resorts and ski towns:

COLORADO

Aspen/Snowmass: A new high-speed quad lift, the Tieback Express, has been installed at Buttermilk, replacing both the Eagle Hill and Upper Tieback lifts. This cuts ride time from 18 to 7 minutes.

Breckenridge: In this resort’s 50th year, it will stage a new Spring Fever Festival in April.

Beaver Creek: A new high-speed quad lift opens this month, providing access to the Rose Bowl. Ride time will be cut almost by half to 5 1/2 minutes. Three new Nordic tours are being offered at the resort’s Nordic Center.

Copper Mountain: A new high-speed Doppelmayr quad lift is replacing the old lift in West Village (formerly Union Creek).

Gunnison-Crested Butte: A new zip line complex awaits visitors this winter. The Crested Butte Zip Line has five zip lines and three suspended bridges.

Purgatory-Durango: A new zip line, the Purgatory Plunge, soars from the Purgatory Village tower at speeds of 35 mph.

Steamboat: Five new programs have been added to the Ski and Snowboard School.

Vail Mountain: A new on-mountain, table-service restaurant, The 10th, was scheduled to open Thursday,named after the 10th Mountain Division. Two new areas will be added this season to the Kids Adventures Zones.

Vail (the town): Two new restaurants await visitors — Elway’s, named for NFL Hall of Famer John Elway, and Matsuhisa, a new unit of the chain operated by Japanese celebrity chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

Winter Park: Thirteen new terrain park rails/jibs and a new dig-in super pipe have been added. Ruby Hill, a free snowboard rail yard in Denver, opens in January.

UTAH

Canyons: Opened last month are two new zip lines. One flies 2,100 feet across the canyon between Lookout Peak and Red Pine Lodge. The other offers an 800-foot tree-top ride through the Red Pine area. Canyons also will open a certified kosher restaurant named Bistro and some new terrain, including gladed tree runs.

Deer Valley: Four new SunKid conveyor lifts have been added to the bunny slopes.

Park City Mountain: A new beginner learning zone with two conveyor lifts is opening this season. A replaced lift will double the capacity to the top of The 3 Kings Terrain Park. A new all-year zipline, Flying Eagle, is being added to the Alpine Coaster.

Park City (the town): For the first time ever, bus service will be offered between Park City and Salt Lake City. Silver, a new restaurant on Main Street, offers progressive American cuisine.

Salt Lake City: Opening downtown in March will be a major new shopping center, City Creek Center, with more than 80 stores and restaurants. The Natural History Museum of Utah has opened at its new home on a hillside with eight permanent exhibit spaces. Another new museum, the Leonardo Museum of Art, is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and combines science, technology and art.

Sundance: The resort is relocating and expanding its terrain park to allow it to remain open for night skiing.

CALIFORNIA

Alpine Meadows/Squaw Valley: The two ski resorts are combining operations this season, allowing visitors to ski both resorts with one pass. Squaw Valley also is mounting state-of-the-art information boards that will display real-time lift status on boards similar to those in airports.

Mammoth Mountain: A new Doppelmayr high-speed quad lift, the High-Five Express, will cut ride time in half.

Northstar: Improvements include a new detachable quad chairlift and a 700-seat on-mountain restaurant. The resort is building a 22-foot half pipe, offering new snowcat tours and has added 170 acres of side-country terrain.

Heavenly: New this winter is Bear Cave Lodge, which houses the resort’s ski school for kids.

ELSEWHERE

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia: Under its new Max 4 Program, the Snow School will never have more then four people in any daily adult group lesson. The resort also is overhauling all five of its terrain parks.

Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont: New this season is the Burton Riglet mini-park, introducing young children to snowboarding. A new zip line, the Arbortrek, slides visitors on more than 4,000 feet of line.

Beech Mountain Resort, North Carolina: That’s the new name of Ski Beech, which has also increased snowmaking capacity and added terrain — two advanced runs and new beginner terrain.

North Carolina: Purchase a North Carolina Ski Areas Association Gold Card for $795 and you can ski at any of the state’s six ski resorts during any session this winter.