Last week’s rain meant one thing for skiers and boarders – SNOW in Tahoe!

It may have been an early season tease, but winter is approaching quickly, and this weekend’s Ski & Snowboard festival and next week’s Warren Miller film screening makes it all the more real.

One of the best perks of attending Snowbomb’s event at Fort Mason is that all admission includes free lift tickets. Get a first look at 2013 gear and snag incredible deals (as much as 70% discount) on ski and snowboard equipment from retailers like K2, Rossignol, and Salomon.

Resort representatives from Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Whistler, Snowbird, and of course all of your preferred Tahoe resorts will be on hand to chat about snow conditions (many open their slopes this week!), resort upgrades, winter events, and lift ticket packages. Cute boys will abound.

When you spot that cute boy or sporty cute girl and you need an extra nudge, take part in either day of alcohol imbibing. The Saturday wine tasting will have 50 local wineries pouring their grapes from 1 – 6 p.m., and the Sunday microbrew sampling will showcase over 30 breweries from 12 – 5 p.m.

Tickets start at $20 but you may want to splurge for VIP for $40. This gets you unlimited beer and wine tasting, a free two-night stay at the Grand Sierra resort and casino, and a one-year subscription to Ski Magazine. Tickets can be purchased here. Festival hours Sat 11/3, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sun 11/4, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Fort Mason Pavilion.

Get even more psyched for snow next week with the SF screenings of Warren Miller's 63rd annual feature film Flow State. Expect a trip around the world with world-class skiers and boarders who make death-defying vertical drops seem like a cake walk. You'll be awed by the beauty of the surroundings and the grace of the athletes while their crazy feats will cause your adrenaline to pump. Often, you can hob nob with pros like Jonny Moseley after the film. Weds 11/7, 6 p.m. & 9 p.m. at Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St; Fri 11/16, 8 p.m. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. Additional showtimes here.