Some Decembers bring deep snow, some stay on the dry side, but no matter what’s falling out of the sky, this month is a festive time to hang with friends at local bc events and brush up on avy education for the coming season. Here’s a list of fun and informative affairs around the U.S.

In the 2018 Photo Annual, we’ve asked seven photographers to dish on the inspiration behind a favorite photo of their choosing. These featured photographers capture the landscapes, community and emotion that that evoke the untracked experience, from dawn’s light to skintracks cutting across a blank white canvas.

Last February, veteran Stacy Bare returned to Iraq for a different type of tour. Nearly 10 years after his deployment as a U.S. Army Captain, the director of Sierra Club Outdoors aimed to ski the country’s second-tallest peak, Mt. Halgurd (11,834 ft.) in Iraqi Kurdistan’s northern Arbil Province. And, along the way, he hoped it would offer something deeper.

On the West Coast, snow it starting to fly, and early season skintracks have been set. In the East, despite unseasonably warm weather, skiers are preparing for what they hope to be a rapidly approaching winter.

“I look for gear that is light enough to not compromise how it handles the terrain and conditions, which is the sole purpose for skiing.”