What’s the Angle? Know Before You Go As winter returns and the excitement for skiing and riding powder begins to ramp back up, it’s important to remember that avalanche conditions are doing the same as well. Avalanche conditions occur due to several factors, including recent weather, snowfall, temperature fluctuation, wind speed/direction, slope pitch, slope aspect (or orientation), underlying terrain, and cumulative snowpack conditions. When the right, or should we […] Avalanche Jon Roubik | December 14, 2021 0 Comments
New York-Style Pizza and High-Caliber Concerts in the “Switzerland of California” Some call the area surrounding June Lake the “Switzerland of California.” It’s home to four alpine lakes, towering peaks, a quaint, European-style mountain village, locally-owned and operated cafes and restaurants, a microbrewery, a cannabis shop, a spa facility, world-class backcountry skiing, and two Ikon Pass ski areas: June Mountain, which is right in town, and Mammoth Mountain, which is about […] Martin Kuprianowicz | December 13, 2021 5 Comments
Top 5 Après Ski Eats in Salt Lake City, UT Tired, happy, and hungry. Sound like you after an epic powder day? This article is devoted towards the latter of those three sentiments so that you can satisfy that appetite earned after a day spent skiing in the Wasatch—home to nine world-class ski areas and the “Greatest Snow on Earth.” I’ve lived in Salt Lake City for five years and […] Martin Kuprianowicz | December 1, 2021 0 Comments
The Legendary RV Culture of Crystal Mountain, WA’s B-Lot Brought to you by Crystal Mountain, WA When you think of Crystal Mountain, WA, you probably think of the steep terrain, deep powder days, and athletes like Ingrid Backstrom, Tyler Ceccanti, Blair Habenicht, and Morgan Hebert that call this place home. What you might not think of is its community that fills the slopes and the motorhomes in Crystal’s B-Lot every weekend. Ingrid […] Chris Wallner | November 17, 2021 13 Comments
Top 10 Chairlifts on the West Coast The West Coast ski scene is the land of extremes, with Mt. Baker holding the record as snowiest and Whistler Blackcomb the largest in North America. Access to the best of that snow and the rowdy terrain it blankets is provided by the workhorse of the mountain – the chairlift. There are many worthy contenders for the top spots, but […] Robin Azer | November 15, 2021 17 Comments
Avalanche Safety – Digging a Snow Pit | The 5 Ws of Snowpack Test Decision Making “Take a deck of cards – half are black, half are red; how much would you wager that the top card is red? That’s about risk. Here’s a deck of cards – at least one is black, at least one is red; how much would you wager that the top card is red? That’s about ambiguity.” – Robert M. Sapolsky, […] Avalanche Guest Author | November 12, 2021 3 Comments
Brain Post: What is Lake Effect Snowfall? Two ingredients are necessary for snow: moisture and lift. Vertical lift cools the air, condensing the moisture and forming precipitation. Moisture provides that necessary moisture for snow or rain. A special phenomenon known as lake effect provides abundant amounts of both necessary ingredients, leading to huge snow events. Lake effect revolves around the critical concept of specific thermal capacity, essentially how […] Brains Clay Malott | November 3, 2021 0 Comments
Brain Post: What is the Snow Liquid Ratio? Skiing is a wonderful activity that wouldn’t be possible without snow. To put it simply, snow is very complex. It can do all sorts of things once it has hit the ground: turn into different shapes, gain and lose stability, and more. Something that comes up a lot when talking about snow before and while it’s falling is the snow liquid ratio (SLR). Snow […] Brains Clay Malott | November 3, 2021 0 Comments
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