Industry News
SnowBrains founder and CEO Miles Clark has been named recipient of the Bill Berry Award for Hard News for 2026, presented by the Far West Ski Association (FWSA) — one of the oldest and most prestigious honors in snowsports journalism.
What Is the FWSA Bill Berry Award 2026?
The award honors the legacy of Bill Berry, a trailblazing ski journalist who began covering winter sports in 1916 and reported more ski tournaments than any other writer in the country. Berry reported for outlets including The Reno Journal, The Sacramento Bee, The Sacramento Union, and The New York Daily News, and covered skiing at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, CA, and the FIS World Championships from 1950 through 1964.
In 1969, Berry received the Blegen Award, the highest honor given by USSA. He was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame in 1976 and remained active in the sport until his death in January 1999.
The FWSA has presented the award annually since 1967, with past recipients including Warren Miller in 1974, Tom Stienstra of the San Francisco Chronicle in 2011, and Tony Crocker in 2025. Clark joins that list as the 2026 winner.
Miles Clark and the Story of SnowBrains
Clark founded SnowBrains in 2013 on a straightforward principle: skiers and riders telling stories for skiers and riders. What began as an independent snowsports media outlet has grown into one of the most widely read platforms in the industry, publishing breaking resort news, avalanche reporting, snowpack and weather analysis, and long-form features year-round. SnowBrains is trusted and quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The San Francisco Chronicle, as well as by many thousands of other sources across the web.
“I conduct quite a bit of snowsports historic research for various articles, and when I type in a topic on my browser, invariably SnowBrains will come up as a source!”
— Jane Wyckoff, Media Awards Committee, Far West Ski Association
A professional freeskier and experienced mountain guide, Clark has built SnowBrains into a go-to research resource for snowsports journalists as well as a daily destination for enthusiasts across North America and beyond, and the world’s largest independent snowsports media company. He still writes articles, hosts the SnowBrains Podcast, skis 225 days per year, and manages all aspects of the media company.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive the Bill Berry Award. I was such a dirtbag ski bum that I didn’t have a car for 18 years of my adult life—I just wanted to ski every day and tell stories. To think that passion has grown into something Bill Berry himself would recognize is surreal. None of this would be possible without my incredible team at SnowBrains — Steven Agar, Martin Kuprianowicz, Julia Schneemann, Liam Abbott, and so many others who’ve helped turn a ski bum’s dream into a trusted voice in the snowsports community.”
— Miles Clark
The FWSA recognized Clark and SnowBrains for that sustained editorial output and the platform’s role as a leading, independent voice in snowsports news.
Who Else Won a 2026 FWSA Media Award?
Clark is not the only honoree. The FWSA also announced two additional recipients of the 2026 Media Award. The Bill Berry Award for Featured Article goes to Devon O’Neil, a freelance journalist based in Breckenridge, Colorado, and author of The Way Out: A True Story of Survival in the Heart of the Rockies, published in November 2025. The book examines survival, loss, and the emotional aftermath of backcountry accidents, asking why people continue to seek out wild and dangerous terrain, and how communities and survivors reckon with the consequences. More information is available at devononeil.com/book.
The Warren Miller Modern Media Award goes to Michael Russell, expedition leader, athlete, and producer of Big Mountain Soul: Ski Africa, directed by Brendan Russo and Cameron Sale. The film follows Black Americans on a ski mountaineering expedition to Africa and explores themes of diaspora, cultural inheritance, and belonging. A trailer is available online.
Where Will the Bill Berry Award 2026 Be Presented?
The FWSA will present all Bill Berry Media Awards for 2026 at the Saturday Awards Luncheon during SkiCon 2026, the association’s 93rd Annual Convention. The event runs June 11-14, 2026, at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley and is hosted by the San Diego Council of Ski Clubs. Award winners are expected to appear at the Friday evening 40th Annual Auction and Snowsports Trade Show, which is free and open to the public.
For more information about SkiCon 2026, visit fwsa.org.
Nice one Miles. a legit story teller. In a legit industry. A pleasure to share the mountains with you.
Way to go Miles! Ill never forget meeting you on the old red dog lift at Squaw. I had a newby from Colorado and he was in awe how high the lift was. ” you should ride this down” you said and gave us a snowbrains sticker.
Then you absolutely ripped a line down that face.
Been a reader ever since and love your epic ski journeys!
Congratulations and hope to ski you again.