Adventure, Innovation, and Grit: The Rise of Nivis Gear The grit of skiing in tough conditions shaped me. Growing up in New England, I learned to navigate poor conditions, icy terrain, bitter cold, and fierce winds. It’s a wet cold entirely different from the dry chill out west. You know what I mean if you’ve skied the frozen hills of West Virginia or braved the winds at Stowe. Skiing […] Gear Alex K | February 4, 2025 0 Comments
Winter is Coming! Don’t Let Cold Hands Slow You Down As the temperature drops and the snowflakes start to dance in the air, we know that winter is just around the corner. It’s the season filled with excitement for skiing, snowboarding, winter hiking, and all kinds of chilly escapades. But nothing can put a damper on your winter fun quite like cold, numb hands. Fear not, because we’ve got the […] Featured Article Alex K | October 23, 2023 0 Comments
Eco-Friendly Adventure Awaits: SCOTT Re-Source’s Commitment to Sustainability and Performance Picture yourself skiing down a mountain, carving through fresh powder, and feeling the rush of adrenaline. Now imagine doing it all in outerwear made from recycled or renewable materials. If you’re looking for outerwear that’s not only stylish and high-performance but also eco-friendly, look no further than SCOTT Re-Source. With almost 60% of their outerwear collection classified as a Re-Source […] Featured Article Alex K | April 10, 2023 0 Comments
Sun Valley Resort, ID, Report: Easter Sunday Funday Report from Sunday, April 9th, 2023 Happy Easter Sunday from Sun Valley, ID. Today, skiers and snowboarders alike enjoyed perfect spring conditions and a festive atmosphere. The weather was sunny and warm, making it a great day to get a good tan while shredding down the mountain. The resort was filled with fun 80s clothing and costumes, adding to the […] Conditions Report Alex K | April 9, 2023 0 Comments
Sun Valley Resort, ID, Report: Amazing Start to the Warm Springs Closing Weekend Report from Friday, April 8th, 2023 Today was an incredible day to hit the slopes at Sun Valley Resort, and we’re excited to share all the details with you. First of all, the skiing on Baldy Mountain was outstanding. With clear skies and mild temperatures, the snow was soft and forgiving after 2-3 fresh inches of snow from last night, […] Conditions Report Alex K | April 8, 2023 0 Comments
Living In A Dreamland Called Mammoth Mountain: A Mid Year Review Brought to you by Mammoth Mountain More than once, I’ve woken up in the middle of a hot summer’s night from a dream of blower powder, endless tree laps, and the coldest beers in California. Last night I woke up and realized this time it wasn’t a dream. I’m living in a real-life dreamland. My real-life dream hasn’t been taking […] Featured Article Alex K | March 1, 2023 0 Comments
[GEAR REVIEW] Can a Bike Rack Company Change the Way We Carry Skis and Snowboards? *SnowBrains carries some affiliate marketing links, which means we earn commission on sales of some products when users click through a link from the site. Our editorial content is NOT influenced by affiliate partnerships. It was the middle of summer when I received an email asking if I was open to testing and writing an honest review of some new […] Gear Alex K | December 19, 2022 3 Comments
Plant-Based Boots From Scarpa Are Saving The World $1 At a Time Passionate about skiing, passionate about performance, passionate about boot-making, passionate about sustainability. Northern Italy’s family-owned and operated SCARPA has been a leader in the boot-making world since the late 1930s, bringing alpinism within reach to those who search for it and providing them with the best performance equipment available. Responsible for not just a revolution in technical boots for skiers across […] Featured Article Alex K | April 21, 2022 0 Comments
More Than Just a Marketing Tactic: Scott Sports Re-Source Program and its Environmentally Friendly Product Line Brought to you by Scott Sports We’ve all heard the same storyline over and over again: “Our company is green, we love the environment, we treat our employees great…” Yet for the most part, we find out this is just a greenwashed marketing scheme with no real action behind it. Thankfully in the world of sports where the success of […] Industry News Alex K | January 4, 2022 0 Comments
Why You Should Choose Mammoth Lakes, CA Over Just About Anywhere Brought to you by Mammoth Lakes Tourism As destinations from all over the world begin their multi-phase plans to reopen society and bring life “back to normal,” there may be no better time to release yourself back into the wild, to find new adventures and explore endless opportunities. For the last year, we have been navigating unfamiliar territory in our […] Featured Article Alex K | March 18, 2021 0 Comments
The Best Hike-To Terrain For Big Laps & Deep Powder at Alpine Meadows, CA. Brought to you by Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, CA If you’re into skiing and riding, you’ve likely heard about the legendary terrain of Squaw Valley / Alpine Meadows ski resort located in Lake Tahoe, California. Known for showcasing the best talent in North America on steep, deep, and big lines generally located directly under the chairlifts for the entire resort […] Featured Article Alex K | March 2, 2021 3 Comments
Avalanche Safety Check with SCOTT Sports Brought to you by SCOTT Sports Beacon, check. Probe, check. Shovel, check. Touring partners, check and check. Safe snowpack with no red flags… check? It has been unfortunate that the start of the 2020-2021 winter season has been riddled with avalanche activity and the news of multiple deaths in every major winter state. Is this just because we have more […] Avalanche Alex K | February 23, 2021 0 Comments
Don’t Forget The Toilet Paper: The Most Common Items In My Backcountry Pack Brought to you by SCARPA Backcountry Week The first question I ask myself while prepping to head into the backcountry is always, “what do I need to bring?” I start running through the mental checklist of my gear choosing quickly what I’d like to take. There are my essentials, the gear I never leave the house without which includes everything […] Gear Alex K | February 9, 2021 1 Comment
VIDEO: “Made Back East” A Natively New England Ski Film Trailer [arve url="https://vimeo.com/483769588"] Alex K | December 8, 2020 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
The Future of the American Ski Shop: How Local Shop ‘FOTM’ Survives and Thrives During a Pandemic Privately owned ski shops must already compete with mega online retailers, corporately owned stores, and big-box retailers, so the idea of trying to survive a worldwide pandemic may seem daunting if not downright impossible. And as world leaders beg us to keep our social distance and avoid gatherings of almost any size, our local ski shops are begging us to […] Industry News Alex K | November 13, 2020 0 Comments
Five Functional Exercises to Keep You Injury Free And On The Mountain Longer For me, one of the worst reasons to miss a good day or skiing or riding is because of an injury I could have prevented. I don’t mean from taking a hard fall but from not having the strength, mobility and stamina to prevent an injury from overuse or bad position. How many times have you or someone you know […] Brains Alex K | March 21, 2020 3 Comments
Kick Your Skills Into Gear With Unmatched Terrain at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Known as the ‘Champagne Powder Capital of Canada’ most mountain fanatics don’t need to think twice about taking a visit to the legendary Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Mention the 3,400 acres of skiable terrain over the Dogtooth Range accompanied by the most chute skiing available in North America and a vertical drop of 4,300 feet, planning a trip to KHMR […] Featured Article Alex K | February 19, 2020 0 Comments
The True Value Of A Backcountry Guide: Why and How To Hire One In this world of strong-minded athletes willing to learn by trial and error and DIY attitudes, we’ve forgotten about an easier way of learning and progressing in the backcountry. The guide. Out there every day assessing snowpack, evaluating terrain and implementing the best safety techniques are incredible mountain guides who have chosen to make it their livelihood spending time outdoors […] Brains Alex K | February 8, 2020 0 Comments
CONTEST: Win A 3-Day Heli Trip with Black Ops Valdez For Designing Their Custom Beer Label Poster Alaska’s premier heli-ski operation Black Ops Valdez just made their first beer and now they need you to design the poster. This Black Hops IPA brewed by local Valdez Brewing is surely going to become the staple apres beer after long days of heli-skiing with the Black Ops crew. Are you dreaming of joining them for endless lines of powder […] Featured Article Alex K | February 4, 2020 2 Comments
Classes And Coursework You Can Take This Summer To Become A Better Backcountry Athlete If you can’t afford the time and costs of traveling to the southern hemisphere to get in your ride fix over the summer months you still have options to help progress your backcountry knowledge and skills. When you’re out in the backcountry it’s likely you only spend about 5 percent of your day actually riding lines and these summertime months […] Featured Article Alex K | June 28, 2019 0 Comments
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