Family Stranded in Californian Mountains Flagged Off-Duty Firefighters After 9 Passing Cars Ignored Waves for Help A family of four stranded in deep snow in the mountains north of Lake Tahoe were lucky that a passing fire truck stopped and came to their rescue. During the last weekend of March, Paul and Chris Harper and their two children, a 10-year and a 4-year-old, were on their way to check out the cinder cones in Lassen Volcanic National […] SnowBrains | April 27, 2021 2 Comments
Jamaican Nationals Receive $1-Million Payout in Racial Discrimination Case Against Ultra-Exclusive Yellowstone Club, MT A group of Jamaican nationals hired to work at the ultra-exclusive Yellowstone Club, MT, who sued the resort claiming that they had been cheated out of tips and other compensation, have reached a $1 million class action settlement, court documents show. About ninety Jamaican workers will receive checks ranging from less than $1,000 to more than $14,000 under the settlement. Related: […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 27, 2021 0 Comments
Sierra Snowpack Has Seen Biggest April Decrease in History With an already particularly rough season behind us, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range throughout California has now seen the biggest overall decrease in its size for the first three weeks in April in history. The Central Sierra snowpack, which was only 63% of average during its highest on April 1st, has now seen a decline to 37% […] Liam Abbott | April 27, 2021 5 Comments
Drought Persists in Colorado: Western Part of State’s Snowpack Drops to 61% of Median, Bringing Statewide Snowpack Down to 79% Colorado’s snowpack has been drying up in the past few weeks—quickly. The statewide snowpack, calculated as snow water equivalent, is at 79 percent of the to-date median. Part of this number is brought up by the South Platte River Basin (including Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder) which sits at 100 percent of the to-date median snowpack. But it’s also brought down […] SnowBrains | April 27, 2021 0 Comments
The SnowBrains Podcast Review: The Brainy Side of the Ski Industry This post first appeared in Podcast Magazine and was written by Dr. Heidi Forbes Öste The snow is falling in the Northern Hemisphere. For many, the itch to get back on the slopes is deep within the soul. We prep our gear, watch extreme ski movies and listen to weather forecasts in anticipation of the powder and sunshine. Although many […] SnowBrains | April 27, 2021 0 Comments
Ski Apache, New Mexico Threatened by Already 4,000+ Acre Fire Which Started This Morning | Evacuation Orders in Effect The Three Rivers Fire near Ruidoso, New Mexico—home to ski area Ski Apache—is 0 percent contained at this time. It started at 10:30 am on Monday, April 26, and has grown to an estimated 4000 acres in size by 4 pm today according to Laura Rabon, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. The video below is courtesy of […] Fire Firebrains | April 26, 2021 6 Comments
Alyeska, AK Report: Evening Backflips Over the Ocean on Closing Day View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from April 21, 2021 Yesterday was closing day at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, AK (they’ll reopen for 3 more weekends starting May 8) and we took full advantage. This place has scoopy jumps etched into it all over the […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 26, 2021 0 Comments
This Guy Has Got the Last Chair at Alta Ski Area, UT for the Last 30-Years For most people, it’s always about the first chair; first of the season, first on a powder day, first on any day. But for the last thirty years, Mike Wisland has made a habit of taking the last chair. Related: How Alta Avoided Glitz & Glam and Stayed True To Its Roots For the last thirty years, Wisland has been the last person […] SnowBrains | April 26, 2021 0 Comments
Mount Hood Meadows, OR Issued 17,000 Write Ups For People Not Wearing Masks Last Season As the season winds down towards a conclusion, we’ve all played our part in making sure it has been successful and even happened at all. From day one, most resorts were very clear about their policies; no mask, no lift ride. But not everyone complied. “We started out just asking everybody to follow our compliance, and most everybody did. But there […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 26, 2021 2 Comments
Former Vice President Mike Pence’s Family Ski Trip to Vail, CO Cost Taxpayers $750k for Security Alone Former Vice President Mike Pence’s controversial family ski trip to Vail, CO in December cost taxpayers $757,527.85 in Secret Service costs alone. The trip was from December 23 to January 1, at the height of the pandemic, and at a time when the CDC had recommended Americans stay home over the holidays to limit the spread of the virus. Related: American […] SnowBrains | April 26, 2021 4 Comments
Meet Molly Armanino: One of the Best Prospects on the Freeride World Qualifier Molly Armanino started competing two seasons ago. She’s a 27-year-old, South Lake Tahoe native who, at 4,400 points, has placed second on the Freeride World Qualifier this season. Before deciding to enter into the world of competitive big mountain skiing, she took five winters off and hardly ever skied during that period. She’s a natural. This is why I called […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 26, 2021 0 Comments
Middle Teton, WY Report: Southwest Couloir, Successful Summit, and Variable Snow Report from Saturday, April 24 Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Grand Teton National Park, WY – After 16 miles and 7,000 feet of elevation gain in 11 hours, Josh, Quinton, Micah, and I are exhausted after climbing and skiing the Middle Teton. Having looked forward to this objective for months, I am beyond stoked about our summit and […] Conditions Report Dominic Gawel | April 26, 2021 1 Comment
Utah Gets New Hut-to-Hut Trail for Mountain Bikers The Aquarius Trail system, spanning 190-miles from Brian Head resort to the town of Escalante, is one of Utah’s newest and coolest offerings for mountain bikers. This ride makes its way around some of Southwestern Utah’s most striking landscapes and famous natural features, such as Bryce Canyon National Park, Escalante National Monument, and the Aquarius Plateau, as it descends over […] Biking Anson Brown | April 26, 2021 0 Comments
NASA Photo Tour: US National Parks From the International Space Station Scenic rivers. Parks. Historic Sites. National Park Service sites across the country are just as compelling when viewed from the vantage point of low-Earth orbit. In honor of #NationalParkWeek, explore views from the International Space Station. SnowBrains | April 26, 2021 0 Comments
Alyeska, AK: Backflips, Long Runs, Wiggles, and Jumps Everywhere… Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from April 23, 2021 We rolled up to Alyeska ski resort in Girdwood, AK at 2pm yesterday in blazing sunshine, light winds, and temps in the 40s and 50s. Alyeska has gotten 735″ of snowfall this season – the most in North America and maybe the world… Right away, I ran into my […] Miles Clark | April 25, 2021 0 Comments
Alyeska, AK: 735″ of Snow, Backflips, Costumes, Insane Views, & The Wiggle Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from April 23, 2021 Spring skiing paradise? I think yes… Yesterday we went for a spin at Alyeska ski resort, AK with Owen Leeper, Mark Morris, & Tyler. They’ve gotten 735″ of snowfall this season and it shows. We showed up at 1:30pm and things were just getting to the perfect spring […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 24, 2021 0 Comments
9 People Caught in Colorado Avalanches in Past 7 Days View this post on Instagram A post shared by Friends of CAIC (@friendsofcaic) It’s been one of the worst seasons for avalanche fatalities in Colorado in the past 100 years. This past week alone, 9 people were caught in avalanches in Colorado. Thankfully, no one has been seriously injured or killed. Friendsofcaic, a social media page geared towards […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 23, 2021 0 Comments
Vail, CO Resident Caught Stubbing Out Cigarette on Parked Tesla by Car’s Security System A Vail, CO resident has turned himself in after the Tesla he stubbed his cigarette out on caught him red-handed on its security camera. Related: Is This the Tesla of Sleds? At approximately 7:30 pm on April 16, a male was seen on surveillance video vandalizing a Tesla vehicle on East Meadow Drive in Vail Village. The male is observed […] SnowBrains | April 23, 2021 0 Comments
Solo Hiker Slipped and Fell to Death Ascending Steep Chute on Mount Whitney, CA On Thursday, April 15, Saulo Sifuentes Escalante, a 36-year-old man from Conroe, TX, arrived at Whitney Portal with intentions of hiking Mount Whitney as a day climb. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office received notification on Sunday, April 18 that he was overdue. Related: VIDEO: Dramatic Rescue Following Avalanche on Mount Whitney, CA Inyo County Search and Rescue responded and searched […] Climbing CragBrains | April 23, 2021 1 Comment
Western United States on Brink of First Ever Water Shortage Declaration Water levels in the western United States are nearing historically low levels. Despite snowstorms in parts of the West, we haven’t seen enough precipitation to replenish water sources. Many man-made lakes have seen their water levels fall, diminishing reserves that supply millions of people. Projections show that levels could drop even more, which may prompt the federal government to declare […] Brains Alex Mangels | April 23, 2021 1 Comment
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