Is There Such a Thing as ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ Skis? If you’ve ever stood at the base of the mountain, skis in hand, wondering whether one goes on the left and the other on the right, you’re not alone. For most skiers and most skis, the answer is simple: it doesn’t matter. Traditional alpine skis are symmetrical, meaning they’re designed to perform the same no matter which foot they’re on. […] Brains Brent Thomas | July 5, 2025 0 Comments
How Do You Define a “Local”? Many people visit different mountains throughout their lives, and it is always helpful to meet up with a ‘local’ when hitting a resort you may have never been to before. They can advise on what trails to hit, where to find the best bumps, which lifts to use, where to eat, and where to go for the best Après-ski. There […] Brains Gregg Frantz | July 4, 2025 0 Comments
Scientists Uncover the Ideal Conditions Causing Big Champagne Powder® Days at Steamboat, CO: ‘Speedy Snowflakes’ Scientists at Storm Peak Laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, analyzed 45 years of snowstorm data to pinpoint what drives Steamboat Resort’s biggest powder days. They conclude that extreme snowfall—those top 5% events—requires a specific atmospheric recipe of cold temperatures, northwest storm tracks, and strong winds. “These are the days everyone remembers,” Gannet Hallar, Ph.D., director of Storm Peak Lab and […] Brains Brent Thomas | July 2, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Friendliest U.S. Airports for Skiers and Snowboarders For skiers and snowboarders traveling for a destination ski trip, the journey to the mountain is a necessary yet potentially dreadful part of the expedition. Navigating through airports with bulky gear can be a hassle, making it crucial to have a seamless travel experience. The friendliest airports for skiers and snowboarders understand this and go above and beyond to ensure […] Brains Brent Thomas | July 2, 2025 0 Comments
A Closer Look Behind the Innovative Backfill Technology That Powered the Teton Pass, WY, Road Repair After a Devastating Landslide When a massive landslide took out a section of Wyoming Highway 22 on June 8, 2024, it didn’t just damage pavement—it cut off a lifeline. Known as the Teton Pass “Big Fill Slide,” the collapse destroyed a key stretch of road that connects eastern Idaho’s Teton Valley with Jackson Hole, Wyoming—a world-class destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The sudden failure, triggered by extreme weather […] Brains Brent Thomas | July 1, 2025 0 Comments
Did You Know There Used to Be an Unconventional Ski Area in the Suburbs of Atlanta, GA? For a few years in the late 1970s, Atlanta, Georgia, offered an unexpected twist for thrill-seekers: the Vinings Ridge Ski Area. Far from the powdery peaks of traditional ski resorts, Vinings Ridge operated on a synthetic surface due to the warm climate, making it a unique, year-round attraction. Related: The 5 Most Unique Ski and Snowboard Towns on The Planet […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 30, 2025 10 Comments
The 5 Most Unique Ski and Snowboard Towns on The Planet When discussing the best places to ski and snowboard, several factors must be considered. It’s not always the ones with the most access, the most famous, or the highest elevation. The best ski towns offer many things that skiers and snowboarders universally love. It’s always helpful when they’re semi-affordable because we all know how insanely expensive ski towns can be. The […] Brains Quintin Mills | June 28, 2025 1 Comment
“TikTok Made Me Ski There”—Can Viral Content Influence Where We Ride? TikTok may have started as a hub for lip-syncing and dance trends, but it’s now one of the most influential platforms shaping how people choose where to travel. A new study analyzing data from January 2023 to March 2025 shows just how far that influence has spread and how much it’s changing the way travelers, especially younger ones, explore the […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 25, 2025 0 Comments
Top 11 States for Outdoor Lovers If you live for fresh air, scenic trails, and weekends that start with a backpack or a pair of skis, the U.S. has no shortage of states where the outdoors is more than just a backdrop but a way of life. From alpine peaks to desert canyons, rolling forests to rugged coastlines, some states stand out for their access to […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 25, 2025 0 Comments
Top 5 Best Ski Counties in the United States There are countless great skiing and snowboarding locations across the United States. Some counties, however, pull far above their weight when it comes to quality and quantity of snow, elevation, access to great inbounds and backcountry terrain, vibrant après scene, accessibility from major airports, and of course number of ski resorts. From coast to coast, we’ve compiled a list using […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | June 23, 2025 0 Comments
The Role of Nutrition in Combatting Skiing Fatigue This post was submitted by guest author Haley Mueller Hundreds of thousands of adults flock to ski resorts in the winter, and with the high number of adults comes a high number and variety of injuries. Injury rates in recreational skiing are relatively low, ranging from 2.4 to 2.6 per 1,000 activity days. Many factors lead to injuries, but one of […] Brains Guest Author | June 22, 2025 2 Comments
Brain Post: Why the Longest Day of the Year Isn’t the Hottest Day Between June 20 and June 22, the Northern Hemisphere leans closest to the Sun, giving us the year’s longest daylight and the steepest solar angle. Intuitively, that should be the time the temperature spikes, yet in most of North America, the deepest summer heat does not arrive until mid or late July and August. The delay, known as seasonal lag, […] Weather Clay Malott | June 22, 2025 0 Comments
The Top 9 Highest Paved Roads in the United States Millions of miles of paved roads snake throughout the United States. With winter closing in, a world of snow-related closures will begin to fall on high-altitude roads and mountain passes. In honor of this, we decided to answer the question, what are the highest paved roads in the United States? Drive em’ while you still can! Related: The 15 Highest Ski […] Brains Lucas Gauthier | June 22, 2025 12 Comments
17 Not So Obvious Bucket List Experiences for Skiers and Snowboarders in the U.S. Most skiers and riders have a mental list of the usual bucket list items, such as visiting specific resorts or finally going heli-skiing. However, the mountains are full of lesser-known gems that only locals may know about, which can be just as memorable. From riding special lifts, conquering challenging runs, or basking in unique moments, the not-so-obvious experiences often turn […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 20, 2025 0 Comments
Brain Post: 8 Facts About Summer Solstice Today, June 20, is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This means that the beginning of winter is only six months away, on December 21, and daylight today is five hours and 28 minutes longer than it will be then. Ski season is even closer, as it […] Brains SnowBrains | June 20, 2025 2 Comments
What Are the Core Differences Between East Coast and West Coast Resorts? East Coast skiing or West Coast skiing? It’s a common question asked by many skiers, from beginners to experts. Having grown up skiing on the East Coast and been fortunate enough to have taken multiple trips out west, I have firsthand knowledge and experience in each of these categories. Skiing is such a fantastic sport with hundreds of mountains in […] Brains Sam Fishman | June 19, 2025 0 Comments
The Reason You Can’t Build a Snowman in Antarctica Antarctica is the snowiest and most ice-covered place on Earth—yet paradoxically, it’s also the world’s largest desert. Less than half a percent of the continent is ice-free, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet contains a staggering 30 million cubic kilometers (7.2 million cubic miles) of ice. This single ice sheet holds about 70% of the planet’s freshwater and 90% of its […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | June 18, 2025 0 Comments
“I’m a Skier So I Hate Warm Weather”—Can You Suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Summer? We are well into June and the summer solstice is right around the corner, signaling the start of the warm season. It is usually around this time of year that I feel the doldrums of summer set in—and summer has only just begun. I likely feel this way because ski season has long ended, there are no good sports to […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 18, 2025 0 Comments
An Endless Winter: What It Would Take to Ski All Year in the Northeast? Every spring, skiers in the Northeast face the same reality: closing announcements start rolling in by April or May. Meanwhile, social media lights up with photos from out West, where lifts are still spinning into May or even June. Could year-round skiing ever become a reality in the Northeast? The short answer is: technically, yes—but it would take extreme conditions […] Brains Gregg Frantz | June 17, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Biggest Threats to the Future of Skiing and Snowboarding Skiing and snowboarding have long been beloved winter traditions, drawing people to the mountains for both adrenaline and escape. But behind the lifts and powder days, the industry faces serious challenges. Based on community discussions and expert concerns, the future of snow sports depends on how the industry responds to a range of emerging threats, including climate change and cultural […] Industry News Brent Thomas | June 17, 2025 0 Comments
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