NASA: Wintry Dunes on Earth and Mars Today’s Image of the Day is the answer to the January 2023 puzzler. Flanked by mountain ranges on three sides and parched by the resulting rain shadow, the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang region of western China typically receives little or no snow in winter. But after a storm in January 2023, the southwestern portion of the basin looked more like […] SnowBrains | February 2, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: Sandskiing the Oregon Dunes | Photo Tour The Oregon Dunes are a large expanse of coastal sand dunes stretching approximately 40 miles north of the Coos river in North Bend, to the Siuslaw river in Florence, OR. They are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in north America and in some places have reached a height of up to 150 meters above sea level! Living only […] Trip Report Bevan Waite | August 12, 2013 3 Comments
Palisades Tahoe, CA, Report: Throwing an Old School D-Spin 720º in the Terrain Park at Age 48 Report from May 19, 2026 I drove to Palisades Tahoe, CA, from Mammoth Lakes, CA, on Sunday evening. I dropped my wife off at the Reno airport on the way, but the real goal was to get the D-Spin 720°. I didn’t like the one jump Mammoth had left and I knew the one at Palisades was money. I’ve been […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 20, 2026 1 Comment
Mammoth Mountain, CA, Report: 569-Miles Across Nevada, Hangman’s Hollow, Drop Out, & Wipe Out on a Stellar Day Report from April 28, 2026 I awoke at 5:30 am yesterday in Park City, UT, and was on the road to Mammoth, CA, by 6 am. My favorite drive in the world. Across the Salt Flats, down the basin to Ely, across the snowy 11,000′ White Pine Mountains, avoid the Mormon Cricket infestation (they can get so thick in wet […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 29, 2026 0 Comments
[VIDEO] Air Force Pilot Sets Guinness World Record Skiing at 69 MPH Across a Parking Lot Johnny Cruz Buckingham, AKA MrWorldRecords, reached a top speed of 69 mph while being towed behind a car across a parking lot on skis, claiming the Guinness World Record for fastest towed asphalt skiing last August. The run clocked 111.04 km/h, as certified by a witness using a radar gun on a pre-measured, flat track. Related: French Skier Breaks Sand […] SnowBrains | March 31, 2026 2 Comments
Ski Powder at Dawn, Catch Waves by Dusk — These 5 Spots Make It Real Few thrills compare to the chance to ski and surf in the same day — carving fresh snow in the morning and catching waves by afternoon. Ski and surf days are possible in more places around the world than you might think. Here are five of the best destinations where you can chase this perfect two-sport adventure. Related: The 7 […] Surf Riley McDonald | March 6, 2026 2 Comments
Calabogie Peaks Resort, ON, Report: Bluebird Skies and Perfect Snow Conditions report for February 13 and 14, 2026. Ontario is home to 53 ski resorts. That statistic surprises many, both within and outside its borders. When I first started riding on the Indy Pass, I was excited to see Calabogie Peaks on the list. The resort, which sits on the shores of Calabogie Lake at the base of Dickson Mountain, […] Conditions Report Jacqui Davis | February 20, 2026 0 Comments
Mammoth Mountain, CA, Ski Patroller Dies After Inbounds Avalanche Mammoth Mountain, California, confirmed Sunday afternoon that ski patroller Cole Murphy, 30, has died from injuries sustained in an inbounds avalanche on Friday, December 26. Murphy was one of two patrollers caught in the slide while conducting avalanche mitigation work on the mountain amid an ongoing storm cycle that brought several feet of new snow. The resort closed operations on […] Avalanche AvyBrains | December 28, 2025 0 Comments
Pangea Collective’s 2025 Freeride Film Tour Launches Across North America Pangea Collective has announced the return of its Freeride Film Tour, a ten-stop cinematic showcase spotlighting the year’s most compelling stories in skiing and snowboarding. After a successful debut last winter, the 2025 edition expands to more cities, more voices, and more moments that capture the essence of life in the mountains. From Revelstoke to Mammoth, the tour will feature […] Industry News Brett Ploss | October 13, 2025 0 Comments
French Skier Breaks Sand Skiing World Record at 75 MPH in Peru A 23-year-old French ski instructor has set a new world record on sand, reaching 121 kilometers per hour, or about 75 mph, on the massive Toro Mata dunes in southern Peru. Mahé Freydier made the run on September 25, 2025, during a single attempt that pushed the limits of what skis can handle outside the snow. The speed breaks the […] Jack Bynum | October 13, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Readers Pick Their Favorite Skiers and Snowboarders We asked you, the SnowBrains readers, to tell us about your favorite skiers and snowboarders. The responses, pooled via social media, were incredible, and we loved hearing about the athletes you admire and why. After combing through all the replies, we selected two skiers and two snowboarders to feature. Related: [BOOK REVIEW] ‘The Darkest White’ By Eric Blehm Skiers Candide […] Brains Luke Guilford | September 30, 2025 0 Comments
Where The 3 Rivers Meet It could have been an old truck’s exhaust backfiring, we didn’t know. What it really sounded like was a gunshot, but we wouldn’t admit that. We only saw one other vehicle in the area on the way in. It was already dark when we decided to spend the night at the rusty, abandoned windmill and cattle tank. We were […] Martin Kuprianowicz | September 10, 2025 0 Comments
Another Park City, UT, Billionaire Eyes Major Acquisition as Resort Disputes Unfold As Utah’s richest man, Matthew Prince, continues to make headlines for his bid to purchase Park City Mountain from Vail Resorts, another Park City billionaire is moving toward a high-profile acquisition of his own. Douglas Bergeron, the former Verifone CEO and developer behind the $65 million Deer Valley estate that broke Utah’s sales records in 2024, is preparing a bid […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | September 4, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Least Visited National Parks in the U.S. National parks are a vital part of American tourism, attracting millions of visitors—both domestic and international—each year. Visitation has steadily increased in recent years, with a notable surge in 2020 as people turned to the outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, not all parks share the same level of fame or foot traffic. Some, like Zion, attract millions of visitors […] Brains Zach Suffish | August 28, 2025 7 Comments
Explained: The Mountain Ranges of Colorado Colorado has arguably the most diverse mountains in the American West. Known to most people as just the Colorado Rockies, so many individual mountain ranges and subranges round out what makes the mountains of Colorado special. The complexity of all the mountain ranges is fascinating and a cool little tidbit to know the next time you are driving through the […] Brains Michael Pitts | April 13, 2025 1 Comment
14,000-Foot Mt. Lindsey, CO, Reopens For Recreational Hikers After 4 Years Of Closures Mt. Lindsey, a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado near Great Sand Dunes National Park in the Sangre de Cristo Range named after the explorer and prospector Malcolm Lindsey, has been closed since 2021. This closure was brought into effect because of liability issues after a 7 million dollar settlement was required to be paid to a cyclist by the Air Force […] Industry News Anders Henrikson | March 26, 2025 0 Comments
Your Guide to Ski Areas in Michigan’s Mitten This comes from someone who has skied all 23 of the 2024-25 operating Mitten resorts… In February 2024, I completed my seven-year quest to ski all 23 operating ski areas in the Mitten (lower half of Michigan). This includes at least multiple rope tows, as some areas do not have chairlifts. Now that these resorts will be opening in the coming […] Brains Brett Ploss | December 13, 2024 0 Comments
July 2024 Was Hottest Month Ever Recorded at Death Valley National Park, CA DEATH VALLEY, California—Death Valley National Park, California, experienced its hottest month on record this July, with an average 24-hour temperature of 108.5°F (42.5°C). This beat the park’s previous record of 108.1°F (42.3°C) set in 2018. The average high temperature during the record-breaking month was a sweltering 121.9°F (49.9°C), with the park experiencing nine days 125°F (51.7°C) or greater and only […] Press Release | August 5, 2024 0 Comments
9 States With the Least Crowded Hiking Trails The United States is abundant with beautiful hiking trails across the country. You’ll find every type of environment, including lush mountains, serene deserts, picturesque seaside locations, and more. However, popular trails often draw large crowds, and the abundance of visitors can lead to frustrating feelings. In this blog, we will explore the states with the least crowded hiking trails, in […] Brains Quintin Mills | June 13, 2024 1 Comment
[VIDEO] “Lafe Effect,” A Michigan Ski Film Jackson, Wyo. (Dec. 21, 2023) — Teton Gravity Research (TGR), the global leader in action and adventure lifestyle media, announced today the release of Mike King’s new project, Lake Effect, A Michigan Ski Film. The film, which debuts on TGR’s YouTube channel and TGRtv, follows pro skier King as he explores the untapped and underrated—but no less epic—ski opportunities that abound […] Backcountry SnowBrains | December 21, 2023 0 Comments
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