Global Ski Patrol Leaders Gather at Big White, BC, for Milestone 25th FIPS World Congress Big White Ski Resort in British Columbia is hosting the world’s top ski patrol professionals this week as more than 155 delegates from 12 countries gather for the Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski (FIPS) 25th World Congress — the second time Big White has hosted the congress, and the first time in North America since 2014. Related: Big White […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 1, 2026 0 Comments
State Regulators Hold Mammoth Mountain, CA, Responsible for Fatal 2025 Avalanche Involving Ski Patroller State workplace safety regulators have officially leveled blame against Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for the death of a ski patroller last year, concluding that the resort failed to implement necessary safety protocols to protect its staff from known avalanche risks. According to a July 2025 citation from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), the resort was fined […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | March 5, 2026 1 Comment
Ski Patrol Union at Telluride, CO, Approves New Contract Allowing the Resort to Reopen on Saturday The Telluride ski patrol union approved a new contract that will allow the Colorado ski resort to reopen this weekend. Telluride Ski Resort patrollers went on strike on December 27, and resort owner Chuck Horning responded by closing the ski area. Negotiations between Telluride and the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association began in June 2025 but have slowed significantly in the […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | January 8, 2026 0 Comments
Opinion: Amidst Telluride Strike Over Value of Ski Patrol Experience, Mammoth Reminds Us What Patrollers Risk Last week, Cole Murphy, an experienced Mammoth Ski Patroller, tragically lost his life as a result of injuries sustained in an in-bounds avalanche at Mammoth Mountain. At the time of the accident, Murphy and other ski patrollers were working to mitigate the risks of in-bounds avalanches, acutely heightened by the more than 60 inches of snow that had fallen in […] Zach Armstrong | January 4, 2026 1 Comment
Tahoe’s Volunteer Backcountry Ski Patrol Targets Safety Before Emergencies Strike The ski resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe, California, have steadily increased in cost and popularity, prompting hardcore skiers to explore the area’s backcountry terrain, where skiing is at its most unpredictable. Precise navigation and the risk of disaster contribute to backcountry skiing’s reputation for danger, and many new backcountry skiers lack the training they need to stay safe. Related: Colorado Proposes […] Backcountry Quinn Brophy | January 3, 2026 0 Comments
Monarch Mountain, CO, Offers Free Lift Tickets to Telluride Passholders, Workers, and Dependents Amid Ski Patroller Strike-Induced Resort Closure As the ski patrol strike at Telluride Ski Resort continues with no clear end date, the impact is rippling through Colorado’s ski community. With Telluride closed since December 27 following stalled contract negotiations, both local workers and visiting skiers have been left scrambling during one of the busiest times of the season. In response, Monarch Mountain has stepped in with […] Industry News Brent Glogau | January 2, 2026 0 Comments
Mammoth Mountain, CA, to Operate Limited Terrain on New Year’s Eve as Resort Honors Late Ski Patroller Mammoth Mountain will operate with significantly reduced lift and terrain access on Wednesday, December 31, as the resort pauses to honor the life of ski patroller Cole Murphy, who died last week after being caught in an inbounds avalanche during mitigation work. In a statement released Tuesday, December 30, Mammoth Mountain said operations on New Year’s Eve will be limited […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | December 31, 2025 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
Telluride Ski Resort, CO, Will be Closed This Weekend Due to Ski Patrol Strike Telluride Ski Resort has announced it will be closed on December 27 due to a ski patrol strike. The Telluride Professional Ski Patrol authorized the strike last night with a 99% vote after rejecting the resort’s final contract offer. Related: Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Votes to Strike Starting December 27 “As a result of the Ski Patrol’s decision to strike, […] Industry News SnowBrains | December 24, 2025 0 Comments
Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Votes to Strike Starting December 27 Telluride Professional Ski Patrol members have authorized a strike starting December 27, driven by unresolved disputes over wages that threaten to erode staffing levels and compromise mountain operations, according to an Instagram post shared last night. Negotiators leave the door open for last-minute progress, yet resort officials hold firm on an offer the union has dismissed. Negotiations have dragged on […] Industry News SnowBrains | December 24, 2025 0 Comments
Why You Should Save Ski Patrol’s Number in Your Phone When Visiting a Resort In a recent conversation with our readers, we asked, “Do you put the ski patrol number in your phone when at a resort, just in case?” The question sparked hundreds of comments and reactions, with many good points discussed. Related: SnowBrains Podcast Ep. 77 | Stephanie Cox – CEO of the National Ski Patrol Overwhelmingly, the majority of responses were […] Brains Brent Glogau | December 21, 2025 0 Comments
Telluride, CO, Ski Patrollers Signal Likely Strike as Contract Talks Stall Telluride’s ski patrol is preparing for the possibility of a strike as contract negotiations with Telluride Ski & Golf Resort reach an impasse, according to new reporting from KPCW. Graham Hoffman, president of the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association, told KPCW on December 13 that patrollers “still hold out a glimmer of hope,” but added it is “becoming more and […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | December 16, 2025 0 Comments
Aspen, CO, Ski Patrol Union Signs 3-Year Agreement with SkiCo. Aspen Skiing Company (ASC), the mountain arm of the Aspen One portfolio, and Aspen Professional Ski Patrol Association (APSPA), the union representing the company’s Ski Patrol, have reached a new three-year collective bargaining agreement, following months of thoughtful, collaborative negotiations. Founded in 1986, APSPA is one of the oldest ski patrol unions in the country. APSPA represents ski patrollers, bike […] Industry News Press Release | December 10, 2025 0 Comments
AirFlare Is the Safety Locator You Already Carry—and the Search Tool Ski Patrols Trust Getting lost, hurt or stranded in the mountains while skiing or hiking can be a person’s worst nightmare. Every year, many outdoor enthusiasts become disoriented or injured, potentially unable to find their way home. AirFlare is the peace of mind for these situations, by turning your smartphone into a rescue locator, making it ready to respond if something goes wrong […] Gear Gregg Frantz | December 8, 2025 0 Comments
Steamboat Ski Patrol Union, CO, to Hold First Chair Fundraiser on November 29 Steamboat is coming together to support the people who keep the mountain safe. The Steamboat Ski Patrol Union is hosting its First Chair Fundraiser on Saturday, November 29, at Old Town Pub (OTP), and the whole night is built around good music, great prizes, and raising money for the patrol community. Related: Scientists Uncover the Ideal Conditions Causing Big Champagne […] Industry News Brent Glogau | November 26, 2025 0 Comments
Jackson Hole Ski Patrol Files Petition to Unionize After months of worker-led organizing, 93% of eligible members of Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Ski Patrol (JHSP) have filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. If certified, the patrol will organize as the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol Union under Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7781, United Mountain Workers (UMW). Related: Why Ski Patrollers at Park […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 21, 2025 0 Comments
Ski Patrollers Secure Additional Wage Increase at Eldora, CO Nearly a year after the tumultuous Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) strike and new contract ratification, Colorado’s own Eldora Ski Patrol has secured a victory in wage negotiations with POWDR Corp. After 13 months of back-and-forth talks, both sides reached a new contract on October 30—just in time for the 2025-26 season. Ski patrollers across the country are […] Industry News Miles Nagel | November 6, 2025 0 Comments
Sierra Nevada Resiliency Team Enters Second Season Supporting Ski Patroller Mental Health Across California and Nevada Ski patrollers are well-known for their expertise in responding to emergencies on the mountain. What can get overlooked for many ski patrollers, as with other types of first responders, is the mental toll that responding to emotionally charged situations day after day can have on an individual over the course of a season or career. Though patrollers can have stress […] Industry News Zach Armstrong | October 3, 2025 0 Comments
Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah, Ski Patrollers Have Ratified Their First-Ever Union Contract The Solitude Ski Patrol Union (SSPU) ratified its union contract after the whole process began in February of 2024. The collective bargaining agreement brings wage increases, benefits, and improved working conditions to the members of the SSPU. The contract includes a base wage increase of 10%, with a starting wage of $24 per hour. Additionally, a $100 monthly stipend is […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 21, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ski Patrol Successfully Triggers Size 2 Slab Avalanche at Ōhau Snow Fields, New Zealand The New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZAA) is New Zealand’s official backcountry avalanche forecasting network. NZAA provides public avalanche advisories for 13 regions across the country. These forecasts, explicitly written for recreational users of the backcountry, make up one component of traveling safely in ‘avalanche terrain’, along with carrying the appropriate rescue equipment and getting the proper training. On July 15, […] Avalanche Gregg Frantz | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Industry News
Backcountry
Avalanche
Brains
Gear
