9 Best Places to Ski and Climb in North America If you’re the kind of person who racks up ski days all winter and scales granite when the snow melts, there’s no need to choose between the two. These nine North American destinations serve up the best of both vertical worlds: world-class skiing and rock climbing, often in the same weekend—or even the same day. Whether you’re a powder hound, […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | April 15, 2025 0 Comments
Explained: The Mountain Ranges of Colorado Colorado has arguably the most diverse mountains in the American West. Known to most people as just the Colorado Rockies, so many individual mountain ranges and subranges round out what makes the mountains of Colorado special. The complexity of all the mountain ranges is fascinating and a cool little tidbit to know the next time you are driving through the […] Brains Michael Pitts | April 13, 2025 1 Comment
What Are Your Chances of Dying While Skiing or Snowboarding? Everything we do in life involves a risk. Some risks are greater than others. Even simple daily activities, like getting out of bed, walking down a set of stairs, or driving, expose us to personal harm. Related: Risk Taking in Extreme Sports | Why Do We Do Things That Could Kill or Injure Us? There are many ways we could die […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 12, 2025 1 Comment
Quit Your Day Job: These 5 Gigs Will Pay You to Live the Ski Bum Dream Most people work full-time during the week and hit the slopes on the weekends or on weeknights. They might ski two times a week at most, but, according to statistics from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), most do not go more than 20 to 30 times a season. The combination of balancing life, work, and leisure activities gets too […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | April 11, 2025 0 Comments
Researchers Discover “Best-Preserved” Pair of 1,300-Year-Old Skis Ever Recovered on Norway Glacier A pair of prehistoric skis, more than 1,300 years old, has been reunited on a remote Norwegian mountainside after one ski was discovered this year just five meters (15 feet) from where the first was found in 2016. The discovery was made at Digervarden in September 2021, a site in Innlandet County, central Norway, by glacial archaeologists working with the […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | April 10, 2025 0 Comments
5 Multi-Resort Passes That Offer Access to Ride the Southern Hemisphere [UPDATED: 4/10/25 at 9:00 a.m. PST] As the winter ski season winds down in North America, many people will turn to more seasonal activities like biking, hiking, golf, or spending time at the lake. It makes sense as the weather turns warmer and ski resorts close. It can be a sad time of year for many as most ski resorts […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 10, 2025 0 Comments
North America’s 11 Most Influential Ski Resorts That Have Shaped the Industry Today Although North America was not the birthplace of skiing, many of its resorts have had significant influence on the sport. From the rugged peaks of the Rockies to the powder-filled bowls of British Columbia and the icy slopes of the East Coast, North America’s ski resorts have done far more than offer a place to carve turns—they’ve helped shape the entire […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 9, 2025 0 Comments
The 9 Ski Areas With the Most Lifts in North America When evaluating a ski area, it’s important to factor in the number of lifts that the resort has because that number influences the time that you will spend in line, the terrain that you can shred, and the number of other skiers that you will encounter on the mountain. Here is a list of the nine ski areas in North […] Brains Liam Abbott | April 3, 2025 1 Comment
Why Do Ski Resorts Close When Their Snowpack Is Still So Deep? At the beginning of the ski season, it is a race to see which resort will open first. Pent-up demand from not skiing during the summer and fall drives skiers to clamor for their first tracks of the season. Sometimes this is only on one lift and a measly 12-inch base, most of which might be man-made snow. Then, at […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 3, 2025 11 Comments
Almost A Century of Fun: A Brief History of Pond Skimming For many years, spring skiing has brought forth sunshine and smiles, bikinis and bathing suits, and most famously, the pond skim. People have been using skis or variations of skis dating thousands of years back for transportation, hunting, and recreation. The concept of water skiing and skimboarding came to fruition in the early 1920s. So when did these all get […] Brains John Cunningham | April 1, 2025 0 Comments
New Study from Swiss Researchers Takes Detailed Look at How Avalanche Risks are Projected to Evolve Across 21st Century A groundbreaking new study by Swiss researchers offers the most detailed look yet at how climate change could reshape avalanche risk across the Alps but also globally. Published in Natural Hazards, the paper, authored by scientists from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and ETH Zurich, uses high-resolution models to examine avalanche danger in painstaking local detail—down […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 28, 2025 0 Comments
What Would be the Best Superpowers for Skiers and Snowboarders to Have? These are our Top 7 Picks We’ve all thought about it. The idea that if we just had a superpower, how much our lives could be enhanced. As skiers and snowboarders, harnessing a superpower could make an immense difference in doing something we already love. Imagine carving down a mountain with superhuman precision, effortlessly floating over powder, or never feeling the burn in your legs no […] Brains Brent Thomas | March 25, 2025 1 Comment
9 Runs to Ski or Board Before You Die — According to SnowBrains Readers There are so many great mountains to check out around the world that it can be sometimes difficult to figure out which ones to go to. The United States has a wide variety of mountains to choose from, Canada has some big-time mountains, and let’s not forget about the Alps in Europe, either. Where do you begin? An even harder question […] Brains Gregg Frantz | March 22, 2025 0 Comments
The 9 Best Resorts for Snowboarders in the U.S. There is no shortage of lists for the best overall ski resorts. These lists tend to be general and are based on a number of common factors. This list is different as it will cover the best resorts specifically for snowboarders. But what makes a resort great for snowboarders? First and foremost, plentiful amounts of powder. Of course, that is […] Brains Brent Thomas | March 22, 2025 1 Comment
What FOMO Actually Does to Your Brain I’m now two weeks into recovering from an ankle injury and I’ve caught myself doing something counterproductive: scrolling through Instagram incessantly. While I’m currently mastering the delicate art of navigating stairs on crutches, my feed is full of friends skiing powder lines, standing on sunlit summits, and linking perfect turns. Not only am I missing out—I’m hyper-aware of what I’m […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | March 20, 2025 0 Comments
A Look at the Spring Phenomenon of Wiggle Runs As the snow begins to soften, resorts all over experience the same incredible phenomenon: the “wiggle runs” start to appear. Also commonly referred to as “snake runs” due to their obvious appearance, they are hard to miss and a lot of fun to ski or snowboard down. Related: Mammoth Mountain, CA, Report: Hangmans Chute, Wipe Out, The Chair 3 Wiggle Wiggles […] Industry News John Cunningham | March 20, 2025 0 Comments
What Even is a DIN Setting? For anyone who has rented or gotten skis mounted, odds are that you filled out a form asking some questions about your physical information. If you asked the teenager working the ski shop what it’s for, they would say, “It’s for the DIN.” then, stare blankly while you fill out the rest of the form. But what is a DIN […] Brains Miles Nagel | March 17, 2025 0 Comments
9 Ways Ski Resorting in the Alps is Different Than in North America This article is an edited version of an original piece that appeared on agingskibum.com and was written by Jamie Schectman. I have been incredibly lucky (and grateful) to have spent most of the past three ski seasons in the Alps. Maybe I’m still in the Honeymoon Phase, but not a day goes by when I don’t find myself inspired, taken […] Brains Guest Author | March 14, 2025 1 Comment
The 9 Most Challenging Ski Resorts in North America Some people love the steep and deep. The challenge of big vertical, black diamonds, moguls, cliffs, and glades. For advanced skiers looking for something formidable, this list of the most challenging resorts is for you. #9 Palisades Tahoe, CA Palisades Tahoe is known for its legendary terrain. Deep powder, steep chutes, and big bowls give advanced skiers plenty of challenge. […] Brains Brent Thomas | March 14, 2025 3 Comments
The 9 Sketchiest Ski Resort Access Roads in North America, According to SnowBrains Readers The drive to the mountain is an integral part of the ski day adventure, setting the tone for the excitement and anticipation that awaits on the slopes. However, reaching some of the best ski resorts often means navigating treacherous roads that can test even the most experienced drivers. From steep inclines and hairpin turns to icy surfaces and unexpected snowstorms, […] Brains Brent Thomas | March 8, 2025 4 Comments
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