HOMEWOOD, Calif. — When Homewood Mountain Resort opens later this year, it will make the 52nd winter season for the West Shore resort.

And there will be plenty of new things in store for 2013-14.

Homewood recently was awarded the Golden Eagle Award for environmental stewardship by the National Ski Areas Association. According to the resort, the award is NSAA’s highest environmental honor and recognizes exemplary environmental performance in the ski resort industry.

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Homewood was recognized as the top resort in the “Small Ski Area” category — resorts with fewer than 200,000 skier visits annually — for its commitment to innovative watershed management and water-quality monitoring work.

As for skiing and riding, Homewood plans to expand its Smart Slopes sculpted beginner terrain for 2013-14, a concept that “incorporates man-made snow berms, gullies and other terrain features … designed to ease the learning curve for first-time and novice skiers and riders,” resort officials said

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Creating those terrain features will be easier with the resort’s addition this year of a PistenBully 400 Park Pro Series groomer to its fleet of snow cats, allowing for better groomed terrain on the slopes and in the resort’s terrain parks.

This winter, Homewood also will unveil the new Foundation Park, described as an urban-style terrain park located next to the mid-mountain Big Blue View Bar.

The resort’s restaurant — West Shore Café & Inn — has a new chef, Mike Davis, who comes most recently from Martis Camp, and whose resume includes The Dining Room in The Salish Lodge and Spa in the Pacific Northwest and The Waterfront Hotel in Oakland.

Another new feature planned for 2013-14 is the Backcountry Experience, a $1,200 lodging package from the West Shore Café and Inn that includes a day of snowcat access with Pacific Crest Snowcats to 3,000 acres of reserved terrain.

This year, Homewood also struck a deal with Diamond Peak Ski Resort, allowing season pass holders to enjoy four days of skiing/riding at the Incline Village resort. The deal also allows Diamond Peak pass holders access at Homewood; both resorts are heralded as having the best views of Lake Tahoe among any of the region’s ski resorts.

An opening date for Homewood has yet to be announced. Learn more about the resort and other features planned for 2013-14 at http://www.skihomewood.com.