Wide Skis and Your Knees: Bigger Isn’t Always Better Even though most ski manufacturers haven’t released their winter 22/23 ski lineups, it’s never a bad time to learn more about ski design and performance. It seems like nearly every skier is opting to ride skis that are wide underfoot, and indeed, the market reflects this trend. From 2012 to 2017, there has been a 25% increase in wide ski […] Lynn Barlow | February 20, 2024 11 Comments
Peak Skis Using Innovation to Bring Skiing Into the Future Last season I began noticing folks ripping around on a brand of skis I’d never heard of before–Peak Skis. I asked around and learned that the skis are designed by legend Bode Miller (the best United States male alpine skier), and that the skis had a “KeyHole” design that folks seemed to love. So when I was asked if I […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | January 29, 2024 1 Comment
Blue Light Blinking: Bridger Bowl’s Unique Snow Report System Bridger Bowl Ski Area, MT, has one of the most unique means of sharing snowfall with the nearby town of Bozeman, MT: a blue light on top of a downtown hotel. The light is turned on whenever Bridger Bowl receives more than two inches of fresh snow and stays on for 24 hours after it snows. The famous Blue Light […] Lynn Barlow | October 14, 2023 2 Comments
Taos, NM: A Confluence of Culture Brought to you by Taos Ski Valley When you picture a ski town, you might imagine quaint European chalets tucked under a cozy layer of snow. Or, you might think of swanky condos and the sprawling mega-mansions of the super-rich. Chances are, you did not picture structures made out of adobe (a mud and straw mixture) that have stood for […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | April 10, 2023 1 Comment
Top 6 Reasons to Switch to Intuition Liners This Season Why Buy A Custom Liner? All ski boots come with a stock liner, some of which are low-quality foam. Everyone’s feet are unique, and stock liners don’t provide a custom fit. A good fitting high-quality custom liner, like Intuition Liners, will help you ski better by eliminating gaps between your foot and the boot. This helps transfer power to the […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | September 26, 2022 0 Comments
Rafting With the National Ability Center Brought to you by the National Ability Center The National Ability Center was founded in 1985 in Park City, Utah, to provide ski lessons to veterans. Almost 40 years later, the NAC runs programming based in both Park City and Moab, Utah, and serves over 7,000 people. The NAC now has an equestrian program, downhill skiing, snowboarding, several competitive Paralympic […] Raft Lynn Barlow | May 11, 2022 1 Comment
SnowBrains 2021 Holiday Gift Guide We’ve compiled a list of our picks for holiday gifts for the skiers and snowboarders on your shopping list. Top Pick: Insta360 One X2 Shot on Insta360 One X2 The Insta360 One X2 is an amazing pocket-sized action camera sure to thrill any skier or snowboarder on your holiday shopping list. The One X2 is jam-packed with incredible features to […] Gear Lynn Barlow | December 10, 2021 1 Comment
La Niña Explained: July, the ENSO, Winter 21/22 and You What do July, the ENSO, and Winter 21/22 all have in common? La Niña, of course! NOAA has just released their prediction for a La Niña winter 20/21. As of July, there is a 55% chance of a La Niña winter, which is great news for the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies and not-so-great news for the intermountain region […] Weather Lynn Barlow | July 13, 2021 0 Comments
Sun Valley Resort, Idaho Opens New Terrain With Sunrise Expansion Brought to you by Sun Valley Resort While most resorts have put expansion projects on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort recently debuted a major terrain expansion and lift upgrade for the 2020/21 season. Called the Sunrise expansion, this upgrade adds 380 skiable acres of advanced, ungroomed terrain to Bald Mountain, the centerpiece of the resort’s […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | February 16, 2021 0 Comments
How SCARPA Makes the Best Backcountry Boots Brought to you by SCARPA As more and more people opt out of liftlines, crowded lodges, and overpriced beer in favor of the thrill of earning (untracked) turns in the backcountry, one question remains: which backcountry boot is the best? I spoke with SCARPA CEO Kim Miller to uncover the reasons why their backcountry boots are arguably the best in […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | February 9, 2021 0 Comments
The Ultimate Guide to Skier Slang As we head into what is likely to be another epic winter, thanks to La Niña, we’ve compiled a list of common skier slang. Wondering about the difference between blower and boilerplate? Curious why that guy with the twin tips in the lift line keeps yelling about steeze? Read on. Blower: adjective Refers to ultra-light powdery snow. See also: cold smoke […] Lynn Barlow | October 23, 2020 1 Comment
Evan Gill: First African American to Summit Colorado’s 14ers Evan Gill hopes to be the first African American to summit all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers. A 14er is a mountain over 14,000 feet high. In 1995, an African American man named Michael Washington summited all 53 of the known 14ers in Colorado at the time. However, as mountain measuring techniques have improved, the number of verified 14ers in Colorado […] Climbing Lynn Barlow | October 12, 2020 3 Comments
A Comprehensive Guide to Mountain Snacks The coronavirus has changed many aspects of our lives. As the seasons change, many resorts are announcing their plans for promoting social distancing on the mountain. Nearly all of these reopening plans include guidelines meant to reduce or limit the amount of time guests spend indoors, meaning that chowing down on an overpriced burger from the resort’s cafeteria might not […] Lynn Barlow | September 25, 2020 0 Comments
The Top 5 Ski Areas in Montana by Category NOAA just announced a 75% chance of a La Niña winter which means a snowier than average winter for Montana. With a ton of resorts and ski areas to choose from, it can be hard to decide where to visit. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the best resorts in Montana by category, including most acreage, gnarliest terrain, best après, best […] Industry News Lynn Barlow | September 17, 2020 0 Comments
Sharks Discovered Living in a Volcano Scientists captured video evidence of sharks living in a volcano. The scientists dropped a camera into the main crater of the volcano Kavachi, located in the Solomon Islands. Kavachi was not actively erupting when the team captured the footage, but to be safe, they only left the camera in the underwater crater for an hour. The water inside the crater […] Brains Lynn Barlow | September 5, 2020 36 Comments
SWE: The Difference Between Blower Pow and Mashed Potatoes If you’ve skied blower powder or struggled through thigh-burning turns in fresh mashed potatoes, you’ve experienced SWE. SWE stands for snow water equivalent. The SWE of a particular snowfall can make for an epic powder day, a struggle through heavy snow, or even create dangerous avalanche conditions. Basically, SWE can be thought of as the amount of water covering the […] Lynn Barlow | September 5, 2020 1 Comment
Cold Smoke, Sierra Cement, and the Ice Coast: What’s in a Name? Most folks have probably heard some interesting nicknames and slang for different snow conditions and climates. Words like cold smoke, Sierra cement, and the ice coast get bandied about regularly. But what’s in a name? And why do different areas experience such different snow conditions? Related: The Different Types Of Snow Conditions That We Experience On The Mountain: Avalanche scientists and […] Conditions Report Lynn Barlow | August 13, 2020 0 Comments
7 Awesome Montana Ski Areas You’ve Never Heard Of When you hear the words, “Mom and Pop ski area,” you might picture a quaint small town resort with perhaps 200 feet of vertical and maybe as many skiable acres. Not so in Montana. Here are 7 awesome Montana ski areas you’ve never heard of, each with over 1,000 feet of vertical and plenty of annual snowfall. Lost Trail Powder […] Lynn Barlow | August 7, 2020 6 Comments
The 9 Lowest Ski Areas in North America It’s a fact that people love to ski and snowboard. While getting face shots on a remote Alaskan spine might be a thrilling goal, folks everywhere have fun on snow. Lots of high altitude resorts with huge amounts of skiable acreage get recognition, but what about the little guys? Here are the 9 lowest ski areas in North America: 9. […] Brains Lynn Barlow | July 31, 2020 11 Comments
Top 5 Ski Bum Approved Socially Distant Summer Staycation Ideas It’s never too early to start seriously looking forward to next winter. In spite of all of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, most resorts, including Vail, are planning to fully open for winter 2020/21. Even though it isn’t quite August yet, it’s always a good time to start getting stoked for next winter. Here are our top 5 ski […] Friday Fun Lynn Barlow | July 24, 2020 0 Comments
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