Noah Elliott, U.S. Paralympic Snowboarder, Wins First ESPY for “Best Athlete With a Disability” Noah Elliott, a U.S. Paralympic snowboarder, won the ESPY for “Best Athlete With a Disability” on Wednesday in Los Angeles, California. The award show, hosted by ESPN, honors the best athletes and moments in sports and is Elliott’s first ESPY win. It was also his first time being nominated. Elliott, who had his left leg amputated after a battle with […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 18, 2025 0 Comments
Leelanau Conservancy Seeks to Revitalize Michigan’s Abandoned Sugar Loaf Ski Area for Public Access Sugar Loaf, one of Northern Michigan’s most iconic landscapes, is poised for a remarkable rebirth. The Leelanau Conservancy aims to raise $1.6 million by the end of the year to transform the long-dormant site into a world-class public scenic area, permanently protected and open to all. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore a place that holds deep meaning for so many,” […] Industry News Press Release | July 18, 2025 0 Comments
Extreme Sportsman Felix Baumgartner Dies in Paragliding Accident in Italy’s Porto Sant’Elpidio Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, 56, died in a paragliding accident on Thursday in the Italian village of Porto Sant’Elpidio on the Adriatic coast. According to Sky Austria, Baumgartner reportedly lost control of a motor paraglider due to a sudden onset of illness and crashed into a hotel pool. Baumgartner’s paraglider crashed into a wooden structure next to a swimming […] Gregg Frantz | July 18, 2025 0 Comments
Civics For Skiers: How Local Governments Help Skiers Talk To Developers This article is the first article in Civics for Skiers, a series which examines how the ski industry interacts with various parts of our government and how skiers may make their voices heard. Development has always been a part of the ski industry. From the early days when big resorts used skiing as a way to sell real estate, to […] Industry News Zach Armstrong | July 17, 2025 0 Comments
Dixie National Forest, UT, Reviews Brian Head Ski Area Plan to Triple in Size This past season, Brian Head Resort located in southern Utah experienced its longest season in 60 years, with a record-setting 178 skiable days. In 2023, Brian Head released its Master Development Plan, which included 850 new acres of skiable terrain and 1,800 acres for a 2,000-acre ski-in, ski-out community, potentially making it the seventh-largest ski resort in the state. This year, Brian […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 17, 2025 0 Comments
Tsunami Warning in Alaska Downgraded After a 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Region Residents living in coastal communities in southern Alaska were ordered to move to higher ground due to a tsunami threat after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday at 12:37 p.m. locl time. Officials quickly downgraded and then canceled the tsunami warning for the region. There were no reports of significant damage. “We have seen other earthquakes in the area […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 17, 2025 0 Comments
You Can Volunteer to Help Protect New Mexico’s Wild Places Just by Hiking If you love hiking and care about the future of New Mexico’s wilderness, New Mexico Wild has a unique opportunity for you to make a real difference, and all you have to do is hit the trail. Now through October 31, 2025, you can volunteer as a solitude monitor in the stunning Carson National Forest. It’s a chance to enjoy […] Industry News Brent Thomas | July 17, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Avalanche Pass Trail in the Adirondacks, NY, Closed Due to Mud and Rockslides The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has closed a section of the Avalanche Pass Trail in Keene, Essex County, New York, after heavy rain triggered multiple mud and rockslides. The closure affects the stretch between the Lake Arnold Trail intersection and the southern end of Avalanche Lake. Hikers should avoid the area until further notice while DEC […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Italian Extreme Sports Icon Dies in 200-Meter Fall in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy Extreme sports icon Andreas Tonelli—a 48-year-old mountain biker and adventure sports guide from South Tyrol, Italy—has died after falling around 200 meters (656 feet) during a solo outing in Vallelunga, near Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy. Tonelli, who had amassed over 120,000 followers on social media through his high-altitude cycling and mountaineering content, was reported missing on Tuesday evening, July 15, when […] Biking Julia Schneemann | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Milano Cortina 2026 Unveils Olympic and Paralympic Medals in Venice, Italy With only 205 days to go until the Winter Games start, organizers of the 2026 Olympics at Milan-Cortina, Italy, unveiled the official Olympic and Paralympic medals on Tuesday, July 15. The medals are designed with inclusivity and symbolic weight in mind. Presented in Venice, the capital of Veneto—one of the host regions of the Games—the medals were introduced by Italian […] Olympics SnowBrains | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Norwegian Olympic Medalist Killed by Freak Lightning Strike Norwegian ski cross and alpine athlete and Olympic medalist Audun Grønvold has died days after being struck by lightning while on holiday in Hardangervidda National Park. According to a social media post shared by his wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, the 49-year-old was struck by lightning on Saturday, July 12, while holidaying at their mountain hut in the Norwegian Hardangervidda National […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Lake Placid, NY, to Host FIS Ski Jumping World Cup December 12-14 The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) announces tickets are on sale for the International Ski and Snowboard (FIS) Ski Jumping World Cup returning to the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex on December 12-14. The event will bring together the world’s top male and female ski jumpers for three days of competition on the HS 128 large […] Industry News Press Release | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
The 7 Best Offseason Training Activities and Their Benefits for Freeride Skiing Summer is here and, unfortunately, unless you live in the southern hemisphere or near a glacier, skiing is done until next winter. What are some off season training methods and how much will they impact your skiing come next winter? Staying active and fit is undoubtedly the most important thing you can do, but which activities will have a direct […] Climbing Zach Suffish | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Ski Patrol Successfully Triggers Size 2 Slab Avalanche at Ōhau Snow Fields, New Zealand The New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZAA) is New Zealand’s official backcountry avalanche forecasting network. NZAA provides public avalanche advisories for 13 regions across the country. These forecasts, explicitly written for recreational users of the backcountry, make up one component of traveling safely in ‘avalanche terrain’, along with carrying the appropriate rescue equipment and getting the proper training. On July 15, […] Avalanche Gregg Frantz | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Deer Valley, UT, Invites Community to be Part of Historic Expansion Event by Watching Live Chairlift Construction Deer Valley Resort welcomes the Park City, Utah, community to a rare opportunity to watch chairlift construction live this Saturday July 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on top of Deer Valley’s Bald Mountain. Visitors can go on the scenic Overlook Trail, which has a view of the new Park Peak, giving them a prime viewing point for both […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Elan Skis Builds Yachts, Too? Elan Skis, the Slovenian Alps ski manufacturer, has been producing skis for over 75 years. In 1945, Rudi Finžgar and nine other visionaries founded the Elan ski company with the goal of consistently bringing good times to skiers worldwide. Since its beginning, Elan has been a respected and well-known brand that skiers could rely on when hitting the slopes each […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
Where is the Future of Snowboarding Heading? Over the past decade, snowboarding has seen a decline in participation and sales, especially when compared to the sport’s surge in popularity in the early to mid-2000s. Despite the sport’s young age, it seems to have already gone through an entire life cycle, reaching peak popularity in the 2010-2011 season, followed by a steep decline in the following years, according […] Brains Quinn Brophy | July 16, 2025 0 Comments
The 10 Biggest Ski Resorts on the East Coast Although the East is home to hundreds of small hills, there are a surprising number of big mountain ski areas that offer an abundance of terrain that rivals West Coast resorts. Many East Coast resorts get overlooked when skiers and riders are looking to book week-long vacations. Many people pass over these resorts, thinking they do not offer enough terrain to […] Brains Brett Currie | July 15, 2025 3 Comments
22-Year-Old Trail Runner Dies After Slipping on Snow-Covered Trail in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria A 22-year-old Belgian trail runner was found dead late last Wednesday night after slipping on steep terrain near the summit of the Geißstein in Austria’s Pinzgau mountains near Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Austrian authorities initially reported him as a 27-year-old, but Brugge/Bruges police (Belgium) have confirmed the hiker was, in fact, 22 years old—not 27 as stated by Salzburg Mountain Rescue and Salzburg […] Hiking SnowBrains | July 15, 2025 0 Comments
Understanding The Challenges Women Face in Split Boarding Split boarding has gained popularity over the last decade, with an increasing number of people venturing out to explore the backcountry. However, the numbers comparing men and women who participate in split boarding have not grown equally within the sport. Men grossly outnumber women in the backcountry and in split boarding, which prompts the question: why? Are there obstacles, challenges, […] Backcountry Gregg Frantz | July 15, 2025 2 Comments