Snow Daze: Chilling Out With the Winter Preview

Jesse Azarian | Rev. Diane Sullivan Skiers and snowboarders should read this sitting down: According to , Vermont can expect warmer-than-normal temperatures this winter, with less precipitation than usual. Scientific forecasts aren't much more encouraging. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is calling for average precip but also warmer temps. Bleh.

Of course, long-range forecasts are notoriously fickle. Despite the general warming trends, it's a good bet that at least a few healthy storms will turn our Green Mountains white — at least until it rains again. That uncertainty makes it all the more important to get out and enjoy the wintry weather when you can. So we here at give you our full blessing to play hooky from work or school on powder days. YOLO, amirite?

If you do hit the slopes, you might run into Noah Dines . He'll be the guy skiing . In September, the charismatic Stowe resident surpassed the world record for most vertical feet skied in a year — 2,506,500. And he's still going strong.

Very few people can keep up with Dines on the slopes. Fortunately, there are no shortage of après-ski options to which tired skiers and riders can retreat. The food team checked out a handful of fresh restaurants and brewpubs in local ski towns, as well as some old favorites serving up new tricks.

Speaking of new tricks, former University of Vermont hockey star Peter Lenes has become a social media sensation for his jaw-dropping skating and stick-handling videos. At his Essex Junction training facility, Elev802 — and soon, a second rink in South Burlington — players of all abilities can learn from Lenes and his crew of former college and pro players.

If there's a silver lining to rising temps, it might be that warmer winters take some of the sting out of heating bills. Lowering them permanently was partly the aim of a weatherization initiative for hundreds of Burlington apartments, but that goal has been stymied by a lack of workers .

In more heartwarming news: Should you or someone you know be in need of heating assistance this winter, reach out to Wood4Good . The family-run Jericho nonprofit delivers free firewood to 150 families each year.

With shorter days and longer nights, seasonal affective disorder is a real concern this time of year. Shake off cabin fever by getting out to experience some of Vermont's top winter events . From world-class ski races to steamy burlesque, there's plenty to warm the ... um, soul. That's true farther north, as well. Cartoonist Gabrielle Drolet offers an insider's guide to winter in Montréal