Ski resorts throughout the West have spruced up for the 2008-2009 season. Here is a sampling of what's new.

UTAH

Alta: ''Ski With the Girls,'' a new noncompetitive program designed for early intermediate through accomplished skiers, meets at 10 a.m. Tuesdays at Baldy Brews on the snow level of Watson Shelter. The only cost is your lift ticket. www.alta.com

• Canyons Resort: A new gondola will link new lodgings with the Flight of the Canyons gondola. An Iron Mountain connector chairlift improves accessibility from the Dream peaks to the Tombstone lift and is the first step in expanding the back side of Iron Mountain. www.thecanyons.com

• Park City: The National Ability Center now offers year-round adaptive recreation programs in 20 sports, including bobsled. The new high-speed Crescent chairlift will increase accessibility of mountain terrain from the base area. Renovations are planned on the historical Mid-Mountain Lodge. The Treasure Mountain Inn, on upper Main Street, is Utah's first hotel to be 100 percent carbon neutral. www.parkcitymountain.com

• Deer Valley: Empire Canyon Lodge has received $8 million in improvements. Ticino, the only Italian restaurant in the Deer Valley area, offers a Chef's Table for interactive dining. www.deervalley.com

COLORADO

• Arapahoe Basin: A $1.2 million enhancement includes a new sun deck at the Black Mountain lodge, 300 additional parking spaces connected to the resort via a pedestrian tunnel and new snow-making capabilities. www.arapahoebasin.com

• Aspen/Snowmass: The Sheer Bliss, a new detachable quad chairlift, serves 700 acres of terrain in Snowmass' Big Burn area, allowing access to challenging black-diamond glades. Other aspects of a $35 million improvements program include two new restaurants and new luxury condos at Snowmass' base village. Il Mulino New York, an acclaimed Italian restaurant, will debut at the Residences at the Little Nell. www.aspensnowmass.com

Crested Butte: A new central ski valet and overnight ski, snowboard and boot valet service is free to Crested Butte Mountain Resort hotel guests and available to others for a nightly fee. On-mountain improvements include expanded terrain. Elevation Hotel & Spa has completed a $25 million renovation of all 260 rooms and an 11,000-square-foot spa. www.skicb.com

• Keystone: A new eight-passenger unit replaces the six-passenger River Run Gondola, with the bottom terminal of the new gondola now in River Run Village, making access easier. The new cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows. The gondola rises 2,307 feet in less than 12 minutes. www.keystone.snow.com

• Monarch Mountain: Tilt, a new kids terrain park, is located at the bottom of the Panorama Chair. www.skimonarch.com

• Silverton Mountain: Coming in December will be helicopter-drops into ski terrain. The drops, which can be purchased in single-run increments for $150, will provide access to remote areas that take up to three hours to reach on foot. www.silvertonmountain.com

• SolVista Basin: As part of a $28 million development program, Granby Ranch, home of SolVista Basin, includes a new base camp lodge and a new grill and bar. www.solvista.com

• Steamboat: Steamboat Ski & Sport Downtown, which opens this month, will provide convenient access to lift tickets, rentals, ski and snowboard school products and other services. More than $27 million has been spent the past three years in on-mountain improvements. www.steamboat.com

• Telluride: A $4.4 million enhancement includes steeper pitches and rock features along with spectacular views from Revelation Bowl. A new Revelation Lift provides access. Also planned are two new restaurants. www.tellurideskiresort.com

• Winter Park: The Village of Winter Park Resort is undergoing a $30 million expansion that includes 30,000 square feet of new rental, retail, restaurant and living space. Village Cabriolet, a free open-air gondola, will transport visitors from the parking lot near the Vintage Hotel to the Village. Skis, snowboard, wheelchairs and mountain bikes also can be transported. www.lovewinterpark.com

NEW MEXICO

• Taos Ski Valley: This popular resort will debut two new double black-diamond runs and a new beginners' hill over the next two years. The first of the new runs, North American, opens this winter. For novice skiers and snowboarders, a new 400-foot beginners' area called The Burrough will include a moving carpet. www.skitaos.org

MONTANA

• Whitefish: Don't recognize the name? Whitefish Mountain Resort was previously known as Big Mountain Resort. Celebrating its 60th season, the resort has added a quarter pipe and permanent skier/boarder cross course to its Fishbowl Terrain Park and invested $7.2 million in chairlift upgrades and two new high-speed quads. www.skiwhitefish.com

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