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Richard Branson’s Son Airlifted from Summit of Matterhorn

Wild man gazilionaire Richard Branson has a 29-year-old son. That son had terrible altitude sickness while ascending the 14,692′ Matterhorn in Switzerland on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014. He was weak, throwing up, dry heaving, and exhausted. His lead guide told him he had to descend multiple times on the ascent, but he wouldn’t listen. He continued up to the summit while “retching uncontrollably” as Richard […]

Avatar photo SnowBrains | September 5, 2014
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Freeskiing & Mental Fitness | A Guide to Better Performance:

freeskiing and mental fitness

How many times have you tomahawked down a line you know you could have stuck or went around a cliff you should have sent? If you’re anything like me, the answer is a lot. That is because skiing is 90% mental. You can spend all summer lifting weights and all winter working on your technique, but if your mental fitness isn’t on point, those tree trunk quads you spent all that time pumping aren’t going to realize their full potential. Getting mentally fit isn’t as easy as getting physically fit, after all […]

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Liza Sarychev | September 5, 2014
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NOAA VIDEO: “What Does a Weak El Nino Mean for Northern California?”

california flag map

Winter 2014/15 will mostly likely be a weak El Nino winter. NOAA has finally answered the question we’ve all be wondering in Northern California: “What does a weak El Nino mean for Northern California?” This video answers that question basically by saying that they have no idea what is going to happen. Great. The real take away is that El Nino doesn’t mean above average precipitation. Not what we skiers and riders wanna hear. That said, some weak El Nino years are damn good in California. Just look at 1978 in the graph above. […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | September 4, 2014
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Bariloche, Argentina Conditions Report: Mini-Powder-Days Galore

Catedral ski resort in Bariloche, Argentina has been getting small, daily storms for the past week. Just a few inches per day or so, but it’s been enough to give each day a mini refresh. The real key to having fun at a ski resort is being able to ski off-piste terrain hard. If you can charge and make speed check turns anywhere you like, you’re gonna have a blast. Today was that way. Yesterday was that way. The day before yesterday was like that. It’s been a fun week. Today, we saw the biggest snowfall […]

Post Tag for Conditions ReportConditions Report
Miles Clark | September 3, 2014
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VIDEO: Big Mountain Mandatory Air in Las Lenas, Argentina

cerro negro las lenas

Año tras año buscando nuevas lineas en esta montaña y intentando esquiar de la mejor manera que puedo. Cerro Negro hace 3600m y tiene mas de 50º de inclinacion en algunas partes. Es una bajada donde no vale caer porque para salir tienes que saltar un cliff bastante largo.” TRANSLATION: “Year after year we’re looking for new lines on this mountain and we try to ski it in the best way we can. Cerro Negro is 3,600m (11,811ft) tall […]

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Guest Author | September 3, 2014
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All Girl Ski Movie = “Pretty Faces” | Movie Trailer:

Pretty Faces is an all girl ski movie lead by Jackson Hole’s Lyndsey Dyer. It’s all girls, all the time. The go to some amazing places and ski some great lines. It appears that this movie will change the way we think about girls and skiing forever. We know, you’ve been holding your breath. Here it is. Unicorn Picnic presents the Pretty Faces trailer….turns out it does exist. For more information including tour information head to unicornpicnic.com FEATURING: Rachael Burks / Lynsey Dyer / Ingrid Backstrom / Elyse Saugstad / Angel Collinson / Nadia Samer / Lexi Dupont / Louise Lintilhac / Jacqui Edgerly / Suzanne Graham / Tatum Monod / Izzy […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | September 3, 2014
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The REAL Patagonia: Cat Skiing @ Baguales Mountain Reserve

Baguales terrain. Baguales terrain dwarfs their 300 Piston Bully cat. One hour south of the bustle of Bariloche, Argentina is a special place called Baguales Mountain Preserve. Baguales is a large cat skiing operation with three huts, expansive terrain, wildlife, and nothing around for miles. The amount and variety of terrain here is impressive. This is Patagonia. The Patagonia you read about in books and hear about in stories. Baguales refugio and impressive terrain Baguales refugio and impressive terrain When I arrived last Thursday, we were anticipating spring skiing, so we ate some breakfast and drank tea while things softened up a bit. We loaded the first cat around 10:30am and never looked back. Baguales terrain and cat. Baguales terrain and cat. Once in that cat, it was non-stop. We skied 3 laps in the first playful zone before changing aspects and changing zones. By the end of the day, we'd skied 6 different zones on 6 different aspects. My guide, Ramiro My guide, Ramiro Baguales is big. Big enough to allow for following the sun as it moves from aspect to aspect throughout the day. Big enough to give its clients options on where to go and what to ski. Wether they have powder or corn, they've got the terrain variability to make the day's conditions work. Mari and the big terrain of Baguales. The zone in the middle was our first ski zone of the day. Mari and the big terrain of Baguales. The zone in the middle was our first ski zone of the day. The big peak in the back is Cerro Villegas. What really turned me on was their two rustic refugios (huts) placed deep in the backcountry. One at the base of some playful freeride terrain and one at the base of the big, bad Cerro Villegas. Baguales refugio and impressive terrain Baguales refugio and impressive terrain Cerro Villegas is a freeskier's paradise. Steeps, cliffs, roll overs, chutes, and wide open faces. A week living in the refugio at the base of Villegas would be a dream come true for any freerider. Baguales Baguales and their 300 Piston Bully Cat. Baguales offers daily cat skiing and they rent out the refugios for backcountry skiers. There is something for all ability levels and anyone will appreciate the beauty and serenity of Patagonia it its reality. Baguales refugio with mountain refelction Baguales refugio with mountain refelction PHOTO TOUR: Another angle of the big peak you can see right out the windows of the main refugio Another angle of the big peak you can see right out the windows of the main refugio Baguales Refugio and Mari. Baguales Refugio and Mari. Corn harvest at Baguales Corn harvest at Baguales Tronador Tronador from Baguales. Loading the cat at the bottom of a solid run. Loading the cat at the bottom of a solid run. You can see the cat track in the middle of this photo. This was the zone we started the day on. The big, bad terrain we plan to come back here for. Baguales' expansive terrain Baguales' expansive terrain Perfect corn at Baguales last Thursday. Perfect corn at Baguales last Thursday. Dani getting some air in the back bowls. Dani getting some air in the back bowls. Mini hike after a very long run. Mini hike after a very long run. Baguales terrain. Baguales terrain.

About an hour south of Bariloche, Argentina is a special place called Baguales Mountain Preserve. It’s a XXXX-acre cat skiing operation with three huts, expansive terrain, wildlife, and nothing around for miles. The amount of terrain is impressive. The variety of terrain is hypnotizing. There is nothing near Baguales but wilderness in any direction. It’s Patagonia. The Patagonia you read about in books and hear about in tales. When I arrived, […]

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Miles Clark | September 3, 2014
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Bottom of the Barrel: The Andy Hays 2013/14 Squaw Valley Edit

Some good ol’ fashion self promotion. Is it a little early for edits? Absolutely, but I’ve been in a mid summer funk and well I’m ready for snow.
Yeah, it might be a little gangsta for snowbrains, but you know me, that’s how I roll and shit. See how I did that? How I made fun of bros making edits and then I make one of my own? Is that hypocrisy or is that me being able to make fun of myself? It’s a tight rope spud…a tight rope. […]

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Andy Hays | September 3, 2014
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17-Inch Storm EXTENDS Las Lenas, Argentina’s Season:

Las Lenas was going to close on September 8th due to a major lack of snow. They officially announced it, it was all over their website, and then it snowed. It snowed enough to change their minds and extend the season until September 15th, which is great. Usually, Las Lenas is open until October 15th, so this is still an extremely early closing. It’s been a rough year at Las Lenas. Yesterday and the day before Lenas got a storm that dropped 10 […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | September 2, 2014
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Historic Swell Rocks Southern California | Photo Tour:

The beach cities of southern California are not without crowds during warmer months, however the locals still maintain a small town mentality especially when there is a swell. Immediately walking into the iconic Sugar shack Breakfast joint where many employees are top level surfers you overhear surfers trading shifts, joking about finally getting powerful waves locally. One can only imagine when word of possible super storm […]

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Guest Author | September 1, 2014
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Las Lenas, Argentina Conditions Report: Torrecillas in Champagne Powder

The 25th of august a storm hit Valle de Las Leñas leaving almost nothing of snow on the slopes. The next morning we started early, the weather conditions looked perfect for hiking and we decided to go for Cerro Torrecillas. Tristan Sanchez, Lorenzo Medioli and me formed the team. We approached on skins up to Cerro Negro bottom, continued the trail hiking on boot deep snow up to the summit […]

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Guest Author | September 1, 2014
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Johnny Collinson’s Season Edit: Bolivia, India, B.C., Alaska

Johnny Collinson is a buddy of ours. Yes, he looks like a girl – and never more than in the beginning of this video. Yes, he wears feathers in his hair. But there’s no denying the kid can ski. You might notice that this video mostly shows Johnny in gnarly mountain terrain such as: Denali National Park, Bolivia, and India. Johnny is a mountaineer. No, like a real one. Johnny had climbed all Earth’s “Seven Summits” before the age of 17. Not bad This edit show’s Johnny’s wide range of mountain skills. The kid isn’t afraid of high elevations nor marginal conditions; he’ll still charge. You can really […]

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Miles Clark | September 1, 2014
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The Definition of Smooth: Nimbus Independent’s “Coordinates”

The guys from Nimbus are into one thing and one thing only: smoothness. The gnarliest lines on Earth? You can have ’em. If it ain’t smooth, they ain’t into it. Theirs is a refreshing look into how a mountain can be ridden. These guys like deep powder, pillows, big airs and smooth transitions. Imagine if you could travel the world in search of these four things. Not a bad life. Chris Benchetler, Eric Pollard, and Pep Fujas just did exactly that and “Coordinates” is what they have to show for it. The movie was shot entirely on GoPo cameras, which is also impressive. […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | August 31, 2014
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Jackson Hole Building Controversial New Chair: The Teton Lift

Jackson Hole will begin working on building a new lift this summer that will be ready for the 2014/16 ski season. The lift will be named the Teton lift and it will take skiers 1,600-vertical-feet and drop them off very near the entrance to Granite Canyon at the Northern boundary of the ski resort. Granite Canyon is within the Grand Teton National Park and it holds some killer terrain. Almost too […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | August 29, 2014
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Las Lenas, Argentina to CLOSE September 8th…

Las Lenas will close this year on September 8th, 6 weeks earlier than their normal closing date of mid-October. Last year, 2013, Las Lenas closed 4 weeks early on September 14th. Las Lenas hasn’t truly had a good season since 2008. This is sad because Las Lenas has some of the best terrain in the Southern Hemisphere. Lenas got some big snow in June before opening and that was about it. Since those June snowfalls there have been a couple decent storms but nothing big and hearty. Below is every report we have from Las Lenas in […]

Avatar photo SnowBrains | August 29, 2014
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Nick McNutt Makes It To The Bigtime | TGR’s Newest Athlete

Nick McNutt from Whistler, B.C. has made the TGR team, which is nice. Talk about a dream come true. Nick submitted his best edit to TGR’s Co-Lab comp and came up short – ie he didn’t win. But, TGR noticed his steeze and gave him a call -ie he won. Nick was invited to shoot with TGR this past winter and it sounds like he crushed it. Big congrats to you, Nick. Enjoy it! “In 2013 Nick McNutt entered TGR’s Co-Lab competition. Skiing out of his hometown of Whistler, British Columbia his smooth buttery style, switch landings, and easygoing persona caught the eyes of the TGR team. Although, he would eventually fall short of winning the $100,000 […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | August 29, 2014
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Las Lenas, Argentina Conditions Report: Good Up High, Bad Down Low | The End Is Near…

Looks like the season might be coming to an end soon. Rumors have spread that the 8th of September has been set as the closing date. Last week was warm and we enjoyed spring skiing conditions. The storm that was supposed to hit Las Leñas last weekend with about a half a meter of snow was a disappointment. It started to snow a little bit on Saturday around noon and continued on and off until Sunday. But it didn’t really accumulate in the valley, but up high and in Valle Hermoso it snowed quit a lot. On Sunday pretty much everything was closed due to high winds […]

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Eike Poeppelmeier | August 27, 2014
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Best Conditions EVER Surfed in Competition: Tahiti on Monday…

The best surfers in the world showed up to surf the heaviest barrel in the world this week. The Tahiti Pro at Teahupoo did not disappoint. The swell came in HUGE for finals day on Monday and truly freaked everyone out. These were the biggest, more perfect waves ever surfed in ASP competition history. It was mesmerizing to watch… I sat in my kitchen in Argentina and screamed my head off for 3 hours on Monday night watching this comp live. […]

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Miles Clark | August 27, 2014
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VIDEO: How To Get Strong for Ski Season | “The Monster Factory”

Located in a warehouse just south of Jackson, WY, Mountain Athlete is an unconventional gym to say the least. There are no fancy machines and most of the exercises don’t require much beyond some free weights, a pull-up bar, and maybe a sandbag. Founded by Rob Shaul, Mountain Athlete provides specialized training for a variety of outdoor pursuits such as mountain guiding, climbing, kayaking, and skiing. Dubbed “The Monster Factory,” it has produced top-level athletes such as Griffin Post, Crystal Wright, and Kit DesLauriers just to […]

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Liza Sarychev | August 27, 2014
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Deep Snow – Mt. Lassen, California | June 1st, 1995…

“Check out our group of smelly hippy three pinners: 1995 Mt Lassen.” – Dan (one of the guys in the photos) This photo was taken on June 1st, 1995 at Mt. Lassen, California. Mt. Lassen is a stratovolcano in Northern California that is known for its copious winter snowfall. 1995 was simply insane at Mt. Lassen. “Can’t believe that little plow scrapped away that drift just so we could ski in June.” – Dan (one of the guys in the photos) 1995 was an interesting year on Earth. ’95 was a La Nina year (legendary for big snowfall winters) and was the 6th warmest year on record on Earth (and the #1 warmest ever at the time). Mt. Lassen, CA by the Numbers: 10,463′ […]

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Avatar photo SnowBrains | August 27, 2014
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