Initial Search for Missing Southern California Hiker Ends Without Success Monica Reza was last seen on June 22, hiking near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest, which is just outside of Los Angeles, California. Over the past week, several search efforts have been conducted in the area to locate Reza, but all have been unsuccessful. Montrose Search and Rescue and several other search teams including Altadena Mountain Rescue, Antelope […] Hiking Luke Guilford | July 3, 2025 0 Comments
Deer Valley, Utah, Provides Updates on its Massive New Infrastructure That’s Set to More than Double its Snowmaking Capabilities Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, is undergoing a massive transformation. This includes upgrades to existing facilities, expansion of the skiable terrain, and the new Deer Valley East Village to name just a few of the projects that encompass the “Expanded Excellence” plan. One of the biggest undertakings of the transformation is the major upgrade to the snowmaking infrastructure. […] Industry News Luke Guilford | July 1, 2025 0 Comments
Sun Peaks Resort, BC, is First Canadian Ski Area to Employ Snow Farming and Storage Technique Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada, is the nation’s first ski area to utilize a snow farming and storage system. Developed by Snow Secure, the system works by collecting snow in massive piles and then covering them with Snow Secure’s insulated mat technology. The goal is to preserve the snow through the summer and into the fall when ski area […] Industry News Luke Guilford | June 2, 2025 0 Comments
Legendary Sherpa Breaks His Own Previous World Record by Summiting Mount Everest for 31st Time With many expeditions receiving the “green light” to summit, Mount Everest is popping up on headlines all over the internet. In the latest Everest news, the Nepali Sherpa known as “Everest Man,” Kami Rita, summited Everest for his 31st time. At the age of 55, Rita extended his own previous world record by guiding a group of Indian army officials to […] Climbing Luke Guilford | May 29, 2025 0 Comments
The Rich History of Extreme Skiing in Crested Butte, CO Colorado’s Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) was the early centerpiece for extreme skiing. Before extreme in-bounds terrain became mainstream across the resort ski industry, a day on the slopes meant clipping into skinny 200+ cm skis and proceeding to rip groomers. Now, many skiers head straight for the bowls, cliffs, chutes, or whatever extreme terrain the resort offers to get […] Industry News Luke Guilford | May 26, 2025 0 Comments
Loveland Ski Area, CO, to Replace Lift 7 for 2025-26 Season On April 25, 2025, Loveland Ski Area announced it will be replacing its 42-year-old fixed-grip double chair with a modern Leitner-Poma fixed-grip quad. Although Lift 7 is designed to seat four skiers or riders, Loveland will keep the capacity at three people per chair to maximize comfort and space for those learning how to ski or snowboard. Lift 7 is […] Industry News Luke Guilford | April 30, 2025 0 Comments
9 Must Read Books for Your Dive into the World of Skiing and Snowboarding Yes, YouTube is a great resource for beginners looking to explore the beautiful world of skiing, but there is also merit to books that can be an excellent resource for all things skiing. My first discovery of mountain sports was reading a book back in the 4th grade. Growing up in Kansas, I didn’t have exposure to skiing or snowboarding, […] Luke Guilford | April 12, 2025 0 Comments
Buffalo Mountain, CO, Backcountry Report: Silver Couloir Report from Sunday, April 7, 2025 Buffalo Mountain sits in the heart of Summit County, Colorado, and is one of the first peaks travelers see as they emerge from the Eisenhower Tunnel traveling west. The prominent mountain has become a staple for local backcountry skiers for several incredible ski descents, including the famous Silver Couloir. As one of the most accessible […] Backcountry Luke Guilford | April 8, 2025 0 Comments
Echo Mountain, CO, Report: Weekday Night Skiing Report from Thursday, March 27, 2025 Echo Mountain Ski Area is located in Idaho Springs, Colorado, and is just 36 miles from Downtown Denver. Echo Mountain originally opened in 1960 as Squaw Pass Ski Area and was a popular skiing destination until 1973, when the Eisenhower Tunnel was built allowing easy access to the plentiful ski areas deeper in Colorado’s […] Conditions Report Luke Guilford | April 2, 2025 0 Comments
7 Abandoned Ski Areas That We Wish Would Come Back Ski areas were popping up everywhere in the 1970s and 80s as the popularity of skiing boomed, but just as quickly as they were being built, those same ski areas started to vanish. Some were eventually forgotten while others continue to plague the dreams of those who once skied the mountain or always wanted to. The readers of SnowBrains have […] Luke Guilford | March 31, 2025 0 Comments
4 Days on The Snake River with Tributary Whitewater At over 8,000 feet at its deepest point, Hells Canyon along the Oregon and Idaho border is the deepest gorge in North America. The Snake River cuts through the epic canyon that was formed by violent tectonic plate collisions, underwater volcanoes, and immense lava flows. Within the canyon contains some of North America’s oldest anthropology discoveries, hundreds of human artifacts […] Raft Luke Guilford | March 10, 2025 0 Comments
Beaver Mountain, UT, Celebrates its 85th Birthday with $20 Lift Tickets Beaver Mountain Ski Area is tucked away in Utah’s northeast corner and is the United State’s oldest continuously-owned family ski resort. Beaver Mountain was opened in 1939 by Harold Seeholzer who had a vision to share his passion for skiing with others. On Tuesday, March 11, Beaver Mountain will be celebrating its 85th birthday by offering $20 lift tickets. Related: […] Industry News Luke Guilford | March 10, 2025 0 Comments
What Separates a Double Black Diamond from a Black Diamond? In North America, the common metric for displaying terrain difficulty is by using a combination of colors and shapes. From easiest to most difficult the system goes green circle, blue square, black diamond, and double black diamond. Although there is a “common” method for trail rating, it’s important to note that there is no underlying organization that determines what each […] Brains Luke Guilford | March 5, 2025 3 Comments
Loveland Ski Area, CO, Report: Best Day of the Season After a 50″ Week-Long Storm Report from Friday, February 21, 2025 Loveland Ski Area sits atop the Continental Divide in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. It also happens to be located in the heart of a week-long storm that has dropped 50″ of snow since last Saturday. The recent snowfall has absolutely boosted the ski area’s base, and I was lucky to get a […] Conditions Report Luke Guilford | February 23, 2025 0 Comments
Why is That Tree Covered in Bras and Beads at the Ski Area? Every ski resort seems to have that one tree covered in bras, beads, boots, panties, and whatever people choose to toss on it. Many refer to it as the “panty tree.” There have been conflicting reports that debate when, where, and why panty trees came to be, so today, we must try to piece together the puzzle. Our earliest theory […] Brains Luke Guilford | February 18, 2025 6 Comments
Mt. Hood Meadows, OR, Report: Deep Heather Canyon Laps Report from Tuesday, February 4 Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area is located on Oregon’s tallest peak. With a peak of 11,250 feet, Mt. Hood dominates the landscape and boasts some of the best skiing in the Pacific Northwest. The ski area’s history started in the 1967/68 season when it opened to the public with two lifts and over 1,000 vertical […] Conditions Report Luke Guilford | February 10, 2025 0 Comments
Homewood Mountain Resort, CA, to Remain Public and Pursue Opening for the 2025-26 Season Homewood Mountain Resort (HMR) in Northern California is one of several ski areas surrounding Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, HMR announced its closure for the 2024-25 season on October 11, 2024. Related: Homewood Mountain Resort, CA, Closure for the 2024-25 Season Due to Financial Issues HMR has always been privately owned but has provided public access that fueled the surrounding community since […] Industry News Luke Guilford | January 31, 2025 0 Comments
Jones Pass, CO, Backcountry Report: Deep Turns and Icy Beards Report from Sunday, January 19, 2025 A beautiful sunrise was breaking the horizon as the four of us huddled in the car to capture the last bit of warmth before we set off for the day’s tour. The plan was a quick tour, about two miles and 1,200 vertical feet. We set off from the Jones Pass trailhead near Berthoud […] Backcountry Luke Guilford | January 21, 2025 0 Comments
Loveland Ski Area, CO, Report: Fresh Tracks All Day Report from Saturday, January 18 Loveland Ski Area is one of Colorado’s historic ski areas. It all started in 1936 when a portable rope tow was installed. The following season, in 1937, operations at the ski area began under the name Loveland Ski Tow Company. The ski area consisted of four rope tows until the 1956-57 season when the first […] Conditions Report Luke Guilford | January 20, 2025 0 Comments
Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Full Report From Radio Tower Peak, WY, Avalanche Fatality On Saturday, January 4, an avalanche caught, buried two, and killed one backcountry skier on Radio Tower Peak, Wyoming. A group of four skiers were traversing across a gully when the slope broke with a 400 foot wide crown. One skier was quickly located and just beneath the surface of the snow, while the other buried skier was buried 13 […] Avalanche Luke Guilford | January 18, 2025 1 Comment
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