After 47 Years and Multiple Breakdowns, Iconic Swiss Gondola Is Getting a $29 Million Replacement After a string of mechanical failures last winter, one of Switzerland’s most distinctive gondolas at Flims-Laax-Falera—linking the alpine peaks of Crap Masegn and the Vorab Glacier—has taken its final run. The aging six-person gondola, built in 1978 by Swiss ropeway manufacturer Habegger, broke down three times in less than 10 days last January, prompting frustration among skiers and renewed scrutiny of […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 18, 2025 0 Comments
Is Early Season Snow a Harbinger of Good or Bad News—A Statistical Analysis for Australia With the first snow of the season hitting Australian resorts such as Perisher and Thredbo, excitement for the 2025 season is starting to build. The idea that an early dusting portends a stellar winter has deep roots in ski lore, bolstered by the thrill of advanced openings and first turns on untouched snow. While early-season snowfall certainly generates enthusiasm, some […] Brains Julia Schneemann | May 18, 2025 0 Comments
The Global Ski Industry Leaders: Top 9 Countries by Skier Visits Each winter, millions of skiers and snowboarders flock to mountains across the globe in search of powder, adventure, and alpine charm—but some countries draw significantly larger crowds than others. The global ski industry is powered by less than a handful of nations that consistently dominate in terms of annual skier visits. Only three countries attract more than 50 million skier […] Brains Julia Schneemann | May 15, 2025 1 Comment
2025 Opening Dates for Ski Resorts in New Zealand New Zealand’s ski season typically begins in mid-June and extends into early October, though specific opening dates vary significantly by resort. Currently, Mt. Hutt is aiming to be the first resort in New Zealand to open for skiing and snowboarding, after receiving a nice 1.2-meter early May snowfall. Here are the opening dates for New Zealand’s ski resorts in chronological […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 13, 2025 0 Comments
Spring Avalanche Claims Life of Young Backcountry Skier Near Simplon Dorf, Switzerland A 29-year-old Swiss backcountry skier was killed Sunday morning, May 11, after being swept away by an avalanche while descending a high alpine couloir near the Lagginhorn in the Simplon region of the Valais/Walliser Alps, according to the cantonal police of Valais/Wallis. The fatal incident occurred at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Sunday morning as two backcountry skiers made their way […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 12, 2025 0 Comments
Ralph Lauren Launches $1,950 Skis Designed for “Display Purposes Only” It is official: we have reached the peak of designer hubris in winter sports. Ralph Lauren, the American fashion house better known for polo shirts and preppy branding than performance sports gear, has released a pair of “Ski ’92 Graphic Decorative Skis” for a modest $1,950. There’s just one catch: they’re not actually meant to be used. The skis—and their […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 12, 2025 0 Comments
Why I Don’t Like Mother’s Day If you clicked on this article, you may agree with me and are looking for support, or you are already enraged, ready to judge me, tar and feather me, and throw me before the internet trolls. You might label me a mother or child-hating, barren, spinster-lesbian. I am none of those. Just to put it out there. I love my […] Laughs Julia Schneemann | May 11, 2025 1 Comment
The Top 12 Ski Brands in 2024-25 by FIS Alpine World Cup Points The 2024–25 FIS Alpine World Cup season has wrapped up, and it’s time to dig into the numbers. Each year, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) tracks the equipment choices of the world’s top ski racers and compiles brand rankings based on the total World Cup points earned by sponsored athletes. These rankings give insight into which ski brands […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 9, 2025 0 Comments
FIS Releases Preliminary 2025-26 Alpine World Cup Race Calendar The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has released its preliminary 2025-26 Alpine World Cup race calendar. Key Takeaways: FIS has taken into account some of the criticism to optimize the travel and is hosting North American events in one block in late November/early December, minimizing travel across the Atlantic for athletes. The season opener at Sölden remains a staple […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 9, 2025 0 Comments
Czech Ski Racer Tereza Nová’s Long Road to Recovery After Her Life-Threatening Crash at World Cup in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Czech alpine skier Tereza Nová is continuing her long road to recovery after suffering a catastrophic crash on January 24 during race training on the Kandahar slope in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The 27-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the BG Unfallklinik in Murnau, Germany, where she spent nearly a month after being put in an induced coma. She was […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 8, 2025 0 Comments
Fake Ski Instructor Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison A 49-year-old Latvian national, identified on his Facebook page as Richard Berger, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for posing as a certified ski instructor and defrauding Russian-speaking tourists at some of Austria’s most popular ski resorts, including Mayrhofen, Kitzbühel, and Ischgl. He may have also scammed Russian speaking customers in St. Moritz and Laax in Switzerland. Related: […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 7, 2025 0 Comments
The Ski Racers Who Earned the Most Prize Money for the 2024-25 FIS Alpine World Cup Season Alpine skiing has always been the FIS discipline where the most prize money is awarded. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) stipulates that the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of each race makes available at least CHF 144,000 (USD 174,552) for prize money (excluding VAT). This prize money is divided between the 30 best competitors. Up until the 2023-24 season, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 6, 2025 0 Comments
Unveiling the 6 Spectacular Summer-Only Ski Resorts Around the Globe As spring arrives in the Northern Hemisphere and resorts are pivoting to mountain biking, hiking, or other summer activities, a small number of ski resorts and areas around the globe defy seasonal norms and have just started or are gearing up for their skiing and boarding season. These hidden gems are so remotely located they are rendered inaccessible during the […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 3, 2025 1 Comment
Summer-Only Ski Resort in Japan Opens 2025 Season with Record Snow Depth While most ski resorts across the Northern Hemisphere are winding down operations, Gassan, Japan, has just started its season last month. Tsukiyama Ski Area at Mount Gassan opened for its 2025 ski season on Friday, April 11, offering one of the world’s rare opportunities to ski in summer. Located in the town of Nishikawa in central Yamagata Prefecture on Japan’s […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 3, 2025 0 Comments
Australia’s 2025 Ski Season Kicks Off with Early Snow and Neutral Climate Conditions As Australia’s 2025 ski season approaches, early signs point to a potentially promising winter for snow enthusiasts. The Snowy Mountains received their first dusting of snow today, offering a picturesque prelude to the season and bolstering optimism among resort operators and visitors alike. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) announced on April 9, 2025, that the El Niño phase had officially […] Julia Schneemann | May 1, 2025 0 Comments
15 Fantastic Spots for Summer Skiing in Europe Being it now almost May 1, many European resorts have already closed for the season but fret not—if you are keen to still get some turns in, there are plenty of resorts where you can still ski and board to your heart’s content. Here is a list of 15 of the best ski resorts that stay open all summer long […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | April 30, 2025 0 Comments
The Effects of High Altitude on Your Body’s Largest Organ: The Skin High altitudes in alpine regions are challenging environments for anyone and anything. Not just fauna and flora had to adapt over thousands of years, but humans—whose bodies were not designed for living at altitude—struggle with the specific attributes of alpine environments and have to take special precautions when venturing into alpine regions. High altitudes have lower air pressure, resulting in […] Brains Julia Schneemann | April 26, 2025 0 Comments
The 9 Best ‘Small’ Snowsports Brands Everyone knows big snowsport brands like K2, Burton, or Salomon. So let us introduce you to some small but incredible snowsports brands, the garage band of the bunch. We looked at the best small brands and compiled a ‘top nine’ list. To qualify for our “small” category, revenues had to be <$5 million, and the product launched less than 30 […] Gear Julia Schneemann | April 19, 2025 6 Comments
Russian Troubles, or Swiss Crevasse? The Peculiar Case of the Missing German-American Billionaire Seven years ago Karl-Erivan Haub, a German-American billionaire, was reported missing after failing to return from a backcountry skiing expedition in the Swiss Alps. The 58-year-old was the owner and CEO of German retail group Tengelmann, which runs supermarkets, discounters, and DIY centers across the globe. He was reportedly in Zermatt to train for the Patrouille des Glaciers ski race, […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | April 4, 2025 0 Comments
17-Year-Old Flora Tabanelli from Italy & 21-Year-Old Luca Harrington from New Zealand Dominate World Championship Big Air in St. Moritz, Switzerland On the second-last day of the 2025 Freestyle World Championship in St. Moritz, Switzerland, victory in the Big Air Freeski went to Italy’s Flora Tabanelli while the men’s championship title went to Luca Harrington from New Zealand. On Saturday, March 29, 17-year old Tabanelli won the competition with 176.75 points, surpassing seasoned Swiss freeskier Sarah Höfflin, who placed second with […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | March 31, 2025 0 Comments
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