Here now, what’s all this? I left home for work this morning to discover that winter had finally arrived in Chicago. Spoiled as we’ve been by the warm temperatures of the last couple of months (or, if you’re like me, a bit freaked), it’s sort of a relief to feel things getting closer to normal around here, at least temperature-wise.

So in the spirit of enjoying the winter as opposed to whining about the cold, check out Time Out’s guide to skiing and snowboarding in Chicagoland. (Remember snow? It can be fun.) While lots of folks travel to Colorado and the like to ski and board, there are plenty of places to hit the slopes close by, including Four Lakes Alpine Snow Sports, Villa Olivia, Raging Buffalo, Wilmot Mountain, and Cascade Mountain.

And as a Michigan native, may I humbly suggest checking out some Michigan ski and snowboard areas if you’d like a weekend trip? The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association has information on pretty much everything to do with snow sports in Michigan.