Two men were injured Monday after falling from the Mountaintop Express Lift (No. 4) at Vail Mountain, according to statements from the resort and reporting from the Vail Daily. A 59-year-old man from Sherman Oaks, California, and a 21-year-old man from Rancho Palos Verdes, California, fell from the high-speed quad and were transported to Vail Health Hospital, Vail Mountain spokesperson Michelle Dallal confirmed in an email shared by the Vail Daily. Their conditions were not immediately available.
While ski resorts across America are increasing employing Mountain Safety Officers to scold their guests and pull passes for going too fast, there is a ski resort in Italy that actually encourages folks to go full tuck and max out their velocity. At 250 meters long with a 73 meter vertical drop (28% pitch) The Goldknopf SPEEDTRAP at Alpe di Siusi in Italian Dolomites is a speedsters dream.
PDO is a pattern of ocean-atmosphere climate variability that, when positive, shows an increase in rain and snow in Alaska. When it is positive, AK is 3x more likely to see low pressure storms. In it's most basic form, this system is pretty simple: A semi-permanent low pressure center called the Aleutian Low gathers storms, the Polar Jet Stream consistently blows those storms into mainland Alaska.
A stormy, wind-whipped week is on tap for the Pacific Northwest, with a warm start that favors heavier, wetter snow at lower elevations before a powerful midweek cold front drops snow levels to the passes and kicks off the deepest mountain totals, followed by a warmer late-week pulse that turns snow dense again before cooler, showery snow closes out the period.
The latest trend was a series of atmospheric rivers hitting the Pacific Northwest, at the same time that a series of clipper systems were hitting the Great Lakes and Northern Plains. This has resulted in wet, but mild, weather in the Cascades and Northern Rockies, and cold, snowy weather across the Upper Midwest. At the same time, Utah, Colorado, and most of Wyoming have been dry and much warmer than normal.
Beginning this winter, AirFlare will support the Snow Angel Foundation's collision-prevention and safety-training initiatives by providing complimentary annual app subscriptions to Snow Angel staff, volunteers, partners, and employees at ski areas where Snow Angel delivers training. AirFlare will also elevate Snow Angel messaging across its network of ski area clients and participate in on-mountain safety events to help guests "Ride Another Day."
Just in case you haven't heard enough "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the lead-up to the holidays, Mariah Carey is set to carry that festive energy straight into the Olympic spotlight. With 53 days to go until the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics begin, organizers confirmed Monday, December 15, that the American pop star will perform at the opening ceremony on February 6, 2026, at Milan's iconic San Siro stadium.
An Italian entrepreneur has found himself in trouble with authorities after illegally landing a helicopter on an active ski slope and skiing away as if nothing had happened-an incident that has reignited scrutiny of his conduct and background. To make matters worse, the culprit committed the same offense just eight months ago in a different area of the Italian Dolomites.
Sometimes booking a ski trip means finding the largest possible area to explore and heading there, allowing for plenty of terrain choices, dining options, housing, and general adventure. If you're looking for the biggest resort possible, Les 3 Vallées in the French Alps is the place for you. Les 3 Vallées is the largest interconnected ski area in the world, connecting 25 summits with 161 ski lifts.
I started off the day by doing the steep, long sidestep through the Ballroom over to the Bad News Cliffs, where I'd broken my face in 2011. The sidestep was kinda brutal and well worth it for the little thrill of skiing a couple of steep turns into rocks and doing a little straightline out. From there a lapped the Collins side and Sugarloaf side of the Collins chair.
According to a 2017 Snowsports Industry Association study, Texas is home to roughly 800,000 skiers and riders, compared to Colorado's 500,000. That impressive number puts Texas third in the nation for total ski and snowboard participants, behind only California and New York. Texans alone make up about 6% of all U.S. ski and snowboarders. And the proof is on the slopes: Ski areas in Colorado and New Mexico report that a staggering 70% of their out-of-state visitors hail from the Lone Star State.
Whistler Blackcomb, BC, plans to replace its Showcase T-Bar lift with a fixed-grip quad chairlift, which will provide more consistent and improved access to the Blackcomb Glacier, which offers 215 acres of exceptional terrain. It's part of Vail Resorts' capital investment plan for the calendar year 2026, in which the company plans to invest approximately $215 to $220 million in core capital projects. Vail Resorts is also investing in strategic upgrades to elevate dining experiences for its guests at Whistler Blackcomb.
There are a lot of difficult and iconic ski runs in the world, from Jackson Hole's Corbet's Couloir to the impossibly steep Streif at Kitzbühel. But when combining steep slopes with massive moguls, nothing in Europe can compare to The Swiss Wall at Les Portes du Soleil. Starting from Avoriaz in France and ending in Les Crosets in Switzerland, the Swiss Wall is often considered one of, if not the, most difficult on-piste slopes in Europe.
In 1995, Betsy Pratt, longtime owner of Mad River Glen, Vermont, made the bold decision to sell the ski area to the skiers, by way of a co-op. At the time, the co-op could only raise enough money to buy the ski area itself, and the Pratt Family retained control of some 1,100 acres next to the ski area that was included in the initial land acquisition in 1948.
"The vibes were good... nothing can beat this! I did well for taking my time. I may not yet realize how far I've come so far... probably because there's a long way to go before I can ski like I want to, without knee pain. But hey! This is a more than positive first step And most of all... Thank you to all the people who have helped me and accompanied me so far. Without you, nothing would be possible "
If anyone missed the memo: last winter in Hokkaido was the place to be. Japan's northern island got absolutely hammered with snow, so naturally ROME's resident crew of powder fiends made the pilgrimage and filmed their exploits for the rest of us mere mortals to enjoy. Bundled into the van, noses pressed to frosty windows as they scoped unridden lines, the ROME crew managed to pull this whole video together completely under the radar.
Industry NewsA South Carolina woman has admitted to taking part in a years-long operation that used stolen credit card information to buy ski passes later resold at steep "discounts," according to reporting by The Salt Lake Tribune. Jamilla Greene, 34, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, acknowledging her role in a scheme that investigators say ran from late 2020 through May 2024. The operation involved Ikon and Epic passes and lift products for Utah resorts, the Tribune reported.
With a single Facebook post, a small mountain in upstate New York received national attention and captured the hearts of the entire ski industry. Hickory Hill has endured hardships brought on by climate change and financial stress that are all too common to small ski areas. After announcing the inability to afford their insurance for the 2023/24 season, skiers, both local and scattered throughout the country, responded in droves allowing the mountain to open for the first time in 10 years.
Industry NewsA school ski trip from the Edvard-Beneš-Gymnázium in Břeclav, Czechia, ended in tragedy on Tuesday, December 9, when a 64-year-old teacher died after crashing into a tree at the Nassfeld ski resort in Austria. According to police in Carinthia, the accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on the Trögabfahrt slope, where a group of Czech students was skiing down the valley. For reasons that remain unclear, the teacher veered off the piste and fell roughly 10 meters (33 feet) before striking a tree.
Suicide Hill, located in the town of Ispheming, high in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a ski area in January. The tournament will take place January 16-18 at the U.P. Nordic Ski Complex, and athletes under the age of 20 can compete to qualify for the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships held in Trondheim, Norway.
David Lauren, the company's Chief Branding and Innovation Officer, said in the press release that dressing Team USA "has had the immense privilege" for nearly two decades, calling the opportunity "an honor that never fades." He added that the 2026 designs "reflect the passion, optimism, and relentless pursuit of excellence that embody the American spirit," while also acknowledging Milan as "one of the great fashion capitals."
BrainsExciting news for skiers and snowboarders: your favorite lifts and trails at resorts are back on Google Maps. This feature was available until November 2024, and its return is a welcome update for the ski season. Users can once again access a scaled, accurate view of resort terrain worldwide. For riders who simply show up, strap in, and go, this may not seem like major news.
The Intuition Tour Liners are designed to have a high range of motion for backcountry touring and telemarking. When you are in your boots all day, the Intuition Tour liners will provide the comfort and warmth crucial in the backcountry. These dual-density (DD) lightweight, soft flexing liners save energy on the way up and provide unparalleled responsiveness on the way down.
As part of the collaboration, YouTube will deploy well-known creators, including Kylie Kelce, Anwar Jibawi, Allison Kuch, and Issac Rochell, to produce behind-the-scenes content featuring athletes from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team, according to a news release sent to SnowBrains by a spokesperson for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The creators will document training, competition routines, and life on the World Cup circuit in the lead-up to the Games.
