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New Zealand Conditions Report: ‘Turoa Pow’ and Spring Skiing

After being closed 3 out of 4 days (Fri, Sat, Mon) due to poor weather earlier in the week, Mt. Ruapehu got a much needed refill of the white stuff. Turoa got close to 30 CMs (just shy of a foot) during the closures, which gave us a really fun mini pow day on Sunday and two highly wind loaded spring days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday had the best snow conditions of the week as we had a nice soft, wintery layer to ski on. Big Bowl, Little Bowl […]
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Guy LaDouche |
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NOAA 2014/15 Winter Outlook for USA: Dec, Jan, Feb

NOAA's winter outlook for December, January, and February is showing above average precipitation in all the southern USA. Below average precipitation is predicted for the Pacific Northwest and Ohio River Basin.

NOAA’s outlook models are updated each month and this latest update was done on September 18th, 2014. Despite the lowered chances of an El Nino this winter, NOAA won’t let go of the El Nino pattern just yet. In NOAA’s latest El Nino update, they stated: The chance of El Niño is at 60-65% during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter. – NOAA on September 22nd, 2014 This chance of El Nino is causing NOAA to show above average precipitation in the south this coming December, January, and February in the USA. So, if this pattern is somewhat accurate, who is in the bullseye? […]
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Avatar photo SnowBrains |
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Alta is for Skiers | Judge Dismisses Snowboarders’ Lawsuit

Alta Ski Area is known for some of the deepest powder on the planet and its policy banning snowboarders from their lifts. Because of this, Alta “Ski” Area has been in the cross-hairs of Snowboarders for years who wish they could ride the lifts, and now thanks to U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson, Alta can breathe a sigh of relief. If you haven’t been following the debate for nearly the last year, a group called Wasatch Equality has claimed their 14th Amendment rights were being violated by Alta Ski Area for not allowing them […]
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Kyler Roush |
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The Authentic Patagonian Ski Experience: Mallin Alto

mallin alto ski

Last Monday, September 15th, 2014, I was invited to ski at Mallin Alto, a ski and snowboard hut/snowmobile operation southeast of Bariloche, Argentina. These guys have 4 snowmobiles, an alpine hut, a base hut, comfy valley lodges, and more culture than they know what to do with. After leaving 130,000-person Bariloche, a bumpy 40-minute dirt road and a deep river crossing brought us to El Abuelo (the grandfather). El Abuelo is an 84-year-old, brawny Argentine guacho who laughs with the confidence of a truly satisfied man. We […]
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Miles Clark |
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NOAA’s Official October Outlook for the USA:

NOAA's temperature forecast for October in the USA showing above average temperatures on the West Coast, Alaska, the Gulf Coast and the East Coast. Below average temperature are forecast in New Mexico and Colorado.

NOAA has just released their forecast for the month of October in the USA. NOAA’s forecasts continue to display a strong tendency towards El Nino patterns despite El Nino chances of occurring sliming down each month. In NOAA’s latest El Nino update, they’re giving El Nino a 65% chance of occurring during the North American winter. October is a big month for us in the USA. Early snowstorms get us excited, often allow for some backcountry skiing, and help the early bird ski resorts open their doors. October snowfalls can also lead to rotten winter snowpacks via faceting in the Rockies and elsewhere. […]
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Avatar photo SnowBrains |
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VIDEO: 20 Seconds of Dumping Snow Today in Patagonia

Catedral ski resort in Bariloche, Argentina was closed by this storm today. photo at 3:00pm today local time.

Enjoy watching 20 seconds of dumping snow from Bariloche, Argentina today, September 23rd, 2014. An intense snowstorm is hitting Bariloche, Argentina right now, September 23rd, the first day of Spring. Doesn’t look like spring out there today, though. This is one of the better storms we’ve had all season. We just had the best week of the year last week and this week is shaping up pretty well. Cold temperatures and continued snowfall should make this week a great one. […]
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Whistler, B.C. Summer Conditions Report: Wedgemount Glacier & Lake

Cheakamus lake

Whistler, BC is about 75 miles (125 KM) north of Vancouver, BC. The road up from Vancouver is named “Sea to Sky highway” and rightfully so, is probably one of the most beautiful mountain drives in the world. The first half of the trip up from Vancouver gives you beautiful panoramic views of Pacific ocean and various islands. The second half is in the mountains with various peaks and […]
Mamood Sabahi |
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The BEST Pass Deals of 2014/15 in North America:

powder alliance pass

Vail just bought Park City, UT and added it to the Epic Pass making the Epic Pass the best deal in skiing and riding. But, there are some other great deals out there you should know about. Depending on where you live, where you like to ski/ride, and how much you like to ski/ride, and how many frequent flier miles you have, there are some great pass options out there this winter. Just remember to make your moves on these passes soon as prices will go up shortly. […]
Avatar photo SnowBrains |
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Las Lenas, Argentina CLOSES Three Weeks Early

Las Lenas ski resort in Argentina is closed for the season. Today was their last day. This closure is 3 weeks earlier than they planned on close. Las Lenas usually stays open until mid-October. That said, Las Lenas hasn’t had enough snow to stay open until mid-October is years. Lenas nearly closed on September 8th this year. They had a very rough season with no snow and lots of heat before a big storm rolled in in early September and extended the season by 2 weeks. Thanks Mother Nature. September 4th, 2014 was the best day of the […]
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Avatar photo SnowBrains |
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IronMan Lake Tahoe CANCELED Today Due to “Very Unhealthy Air” from King Fire

IRONMAN TAHOE CANCELED

The King Fire has filled the Lake Tahoe basin with smoke. As a result, with thousands competitors suited up and ready to roll, the Tahoe IronMan was canceled this morning at 6:30am due to “very unhealthy air”. “The IRONMAN Lake Tahoe and IRONMAN 70.3 Lake Tahoe events have been cancelled. Further statement will be forthcoming.” – IronMan Lake Tahoe “The cancellation was the […]
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VIDEO: Heli Skiing From a Chairlift @ Las Lenas, Argentina…

powder day las lenas, argentina

This is a video of skiing on the big epic pow day of September 4th, 2014. It shows some of the lines where I have been trying to improve my skiing by chilling with the Catalans, mostly adri Millan. But also Txema trull, Alejo Sanchez, and Mike Hamilton were there on this amazing day. It shows a bunch of runs on cerro fosiles, accessed by a chairlift. And this video should help give you some insight into why I love it here in Argentina so much, because things like this are fun. Thanks to all the friends […]
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Guest Author |
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King Fire Started by Felon | Fire Triples inSize & Moves 16-Miles Closer to Tahoe in 1 Day…

king fire, ca from space

The King Fire, just west of Lake Tahoe is a beast. It’s triple in size Wednesday night and Thursday from 27,930 acres to 71,000 acres across El Dorado National Forest and moved 16 miles towards Squaw Valley. The fire is only 10 miles from Squaw Valley right now. This morning the fire is 73,184 acres. Over 12,000 homes are threatened by the blaze and 9,000 more structures are threatened. 2,819 people have been evacuated. 3,842 personnel are fighting this fire. 8 Miles of Highway 50 were closed […]
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Waterskiing Behind a Hobie Cat on Lake Tahoe: Photos and Video

The first thing you’ll notice when you get on a catamaran is “dang, this thing is fast.” The next logical progression is to tow a skier! Waterskiing behind a Hobie Cat has been a long-standing objective of mine ever since I learned how to sail 20 years ago. I’ve tried to accomplish this several times in the past with no success, but each time highlighted what works and what doesn’t. Yesterday, with the help of some good friends, […]
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Matt Bansak |
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Lake Tahoe, CA Full of Devilish Smoke from Massive “King Fire” | Photo Tour:

The Devil himself in Squaw Valley, CA yesterday. photo: robb gaffney

The King Fire in Northern California is a monster. The fire is currently 28,000 acres in size, there are over 3,300 personnel fighting it, thousands of people have been recieved mandatory evactuations, and over 3,500 structures are being threatened. No structures have burned in the King Fire at this point. Huge plumes of smoke can be seen in Squaw Valley and they are starting to creep their way into Tahoe. This fire is seriously pissed off. For King Fire updates, please visit: […]
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Avatar photo SnowBrains |
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Bariloche, Argentina Conditions Report: “Spring Has Sprung”

bariloche park skiing

It’s crazy to think spring is already here in Argentina. The trees are flowering, birds are chirping everywhere, and green leaves are unfurling. We had a big snowstorm last week that delivered 8 days of great powder skiing. The backcountry has been incredible. Temperatures have been getting warmer each day this week with today being toasty. We’ve had just enough freeze-thaw cycles now to develop some good corn. Today, you could rip hard on any part of the mountain. There was no one at the hill and the Mothership, Nubes chair, once again proved its meddle. Cranking laps on Nubes all day is enough to make anyone exhausted. Nubes did […]
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Miles Clark |
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