B.C. is facing its Worst Wildfire Season in Nearly 60 Years This summer in British Colombia has served as a reminder that even after normal or even good winters fire danger always exists. Many are calling this summer the worst Wildfire Season for B.C. since 1958. Fire fighters from the U.S., New Zealand, and Mexico have all headed north to help the effort. B.C. Is currently under a provincial […] Fire Jake Rubnitz | August 7, 2017 0 Comments
Heat Wave Breaks Record Highs Along the West Coast The west coast has seen record breaking heat this past week, and it looks like that will continue at least through today. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued excessive heat warnings and heat advisories for parts of Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. This past Thursday we saw several record highs in all three states. Medford, Oregon got the hottest […] Weather Jake Rubnitz | August 4, 2017 0 Comments
Who Has The MOST Snow in the Southern Hemisphere Right Now: Things Have been rad in the Southern Hemisphere lately. Steady snowfall has made for some great skiing each week, and there is more to come. South America and New Zealand have been the big winners so far. Mt. Hutt currently has a 96″-106″ snowpack and Vallen Nevado is maxing out at 98″. It looks like South America is gonna be […] Conditions Report Jake Rubnitz | August 1, 2017 0 Comments
Austrian Terrain Park Closed Because of Climate Change Glacial retreat has claimed another victim, as European summer skiing hot spot Super Park Dachstein will not build any park features until next winter begins. This comes after Whistler’s Camp of Champions closing earlier this summer. The official statement claimed a decrease in glacial ice as one of the reasons for the closing. Additionally, the number of freeskiers and snowboarders most weekdays […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | July 31, 2017 0 Comments
Video: Sherpas Rescue Climbers Near Everest Summit Back in May, Jabar Bhatti became the fourth Pakistani Climber to summit Everest with the help of Sange Sherpa. On the way down the two climbers would face a near death situation. The pair reached a difficult point on the descent, but the situation did not look too serious. Groups ascending near them left them supplemental oxygen tanks, but offered no […] Climbing Jake Rubnitz | July 31, 2017 0 Comments
“Finding The Line” Where Risk and Reason Collide With Points North Heli, AK “Finding The Line” is an upcoming film directed by Bjarne Salen that explores the struggle between the progression of skiing and the excessive risk that can come with it. It stars sisters and pro freeskiers Natalie and Anna Segel from Melbourne, Austalia. The film follows the sisters as they set out to conquer their fears and unlock their full potential […] Jake Rubnitz | July 26, 2017 0 Comments
When is the Warmest Day of the Year Where You Live? The National Climatic Data Center just released a map that shows when the hottest day of the year occurs throughout the country. The map was created using long term averages and shows some really interesting information. For example, most of the hottest days occur after the summer solstice; meaning longer days does not necessarily mean hotter days. This occurs because […] Weather Jake Rubnitz | July 26, 2017 0 Comments
Have $105 Million? Buy a Colorado 14er! Colorado’s southernmost 14er, Culebra Peak, has just hit the market for a hefty price. The peak is the highest privately owned peak in the world and is now up for sale as part of the Cielo Vista Ranch. The ranch is an incredible property that includes 83,368 acres and deeded ownership to eighteen 13,000′ peaks and one 14er spread over […] Climbing Jake Rubnitz | July 25, 2017 1 Comment
Southern Hemisphere Snow Report: Who Has The Most Snow in Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand? Ski Season in the Southern Hemisphere is in full swing after a week where everyone has gotten snow. South America still leads the way and got a nice storm earlier this week. New Zealand has also caught up, and they’re getting some really good skiing in right now. And Australia just got dumped on with up to 30cm of new […] Conditions Report Jake Rubnitz | July 19, 2017 0 Comments
Popular BC Ski Area Sold To Chinese Investment Group After going on the market back in September 2016, a deal is being finalized to sell Grouse Mountain B.C. The current owners, the Mclaughlin Family, were asking a price of $200 million CAD for the 1,200+ acre area of land. Although the details have not been released, it is believed that they will be selling the resort to the Minsheng Investment […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | July 18, 2017 0 Comments
$10 Million Dollar Deal Preserves Meadows North Of Truckee In a victory for environmentalists, the Carpenter valley, a 1317 acre plot of land that sits one ridge over from the Tahoe Donner ski resort will be set aside for preservation. The Northern Sierra Partnership, a group based out of Palo Alto and funded mainly by Silicon Valley donors, stepped in as the land was about to hit the market. […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | July 14, 2017 0 Comments
K2 First Descent? Mountaineer Will Attempt To Ski The Infamous Peak Climbing K2 is considered one of the most difficult feats in the world. To date, under 400 people have ever summited the treacherous peak. It is the world’s second tallest mountain, reaching 28,251 feet above sea level and is located on the Chinese-Pakistani border. Now, Andrzej Bargiel plans to become the first person to ski it. To put the craziness of […] Climbing Jake Rubnitz | July 13, 2017 5 Comments
Farad Fire Temporarily Closes I-80 Between Truckee and Reno The Farad fire, which started on Monday and quickly grew to 670 acres, shut down I-80 between Reno and Truckee for most of Monday and Tuesday. Currently, the highway has reopened but is restricted to 1 lane from the Nevada state line to 3 miles west. There are currently no evacuations, but Cal Fire says that 7 structures are threatened in […] Fire Jake Rubnitz | July 11, 2017 0 Comments
Vail Resorts Owned Perisher Ski Resort, Australia Loses Lease Big news out of Australia that could slow the growth of Australia’s ski industry. The New South Wales Government and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have decided to not continue the status quo and not grant a head lease for the Perisher Range to any company. The decision was not expected until October and is generally considered a […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | July 10, 2017 4 Comments
Southern Hemisphere Snowpack Depths & Snowfall Totals | Chile for the Win! Winter is getting into full swing throughout the Southern Hemisphere. So far, Chile has the big winner with Ski Portillo receiving 90″ cumulative and maintaining a 42″ base. Valle Nevado also claims to have an 87″ base, which is the deepest in the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand has also started to have a decent season after a good storm last weekend. They […] Conditions Report Jake Rubnitz | July 6, 2017 0 Comments
Marker Stops Selling Kingpin Binding After G3 Sues Just like most other kingpins, the law is shutting down the Marker Kingpin Binding. It is the first tech binding to have a lateral heel release and provides unmatched heel retention for a tech binding. It has quickly become one of the most popular touring bindings on the market. On December 15, 2015, G3 filed a civil lawsuit claiming that Marker had infringed […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | June 30, 2017 0 Comments
Saddleback Mountain SOLD Saddleback Mountain, Maine is under new ownership as an Australian real estate developer, Majella Group has bought the resort. No sale price or other details of the agreement have come out yet. There was hope that the Saddleback Mountain Foundation would buy the resort, but ultimately they could not match the Majella Group’s bid. The Saddleback Mountain Foundation is a group of local […] Industry News Jake Rubnitz | June 29, 2017 0 Comments
Brian Head Fire Update: Size grows 10,000+ Acres to 54,000-Acres! | 10% Contained Since we last reportedjust two days ago, the Brian Head Fire has grown from 42,000 acres to 54,202 acres now. It is currently the largest wildfire burning in the country. It is still only 10% contained. All evacuations remain, and the number of firefighters on site has increased from 1,140 to 1,605. Despite the fire’s growth, the expected containment date is still July […] Fire Jake Rubnitz | June 28, 2017 0 Comments
Man Survives 15 Hours Trapped In Crevasse in Alaskan Glacier There was a close call on Denali this past Monday, as a man slipped and fell into a crevasse on the Kahlitna Glacier. Martin Takac of Slovakia fell into the crevasse while descending North America’s highest peak. He was one of two climbers rescued on Monday, as a second man was evacuated for falling ill. In total, Takac’s rescue took […] Jake Rubnitz | June 27, 2017 0 Comments
Brian Head, UT Fire Grows to 43,000-Acres, Largest Fire in USA | Ski Resort Makes Statement The Human-caused wildfire burning near Brian Head, Utah has grown from just over 1000 acres on June 19th to over 43,000 acres today. 11 nearby communities have been evacuated and several roads have been closed. Utah Fire currently has 1,140 Fire Fighters on the scene and says the fire is 10% contained. They expect to fully contain the fire by July […] Weather Jake Rubnitz | June 26, 2017 1 Comment