The SnowBrains Podcast – Episode #1 – Why Is The Colorado Backcountry the Deadliest in the USA? The SnowBrains Podcast is brought to you by Alta Ski Area Today we are very proud to announce the launch of “The SnowBrains Podcast“. The SnowBrains Podcast interviews the most intelligent people in the snowsports industry and passes their fascinating knowledge onto you, our listeners. With our listeners, we explore skiing, snowboarding, snowsports, avalanches, technology, climate, COVID, snow science, medicine, […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 11, 2021 2 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Active Pattern Out West The Next Seven Days, 1-6 Feet of Snow Possible Forecast By SnowBrains Meteorologist – Eric McNamee Brought to you by Alta Ski Area 6:45 PM MST, 2/10/2021 Forecast Summary: 1-6 FEET of snow is expected across the West through the next seven days as a series of storms make their way through the region. Snow will get going tomorrow morning as the first shortwave trough moves into the West […] Weather Eric McNamee | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Mountain Weather Update 2/10/21: Big Storm Totals Likely Across the West This Weekend [arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCUnI4wyI6o"] WeatherBrains | February 10, 2021 Likes Tweets 1 Comment
SnowBrains Forecast: 6-12″ of Snow For Parts of Central Appalachia Through Friday Forecast By SnowBrains Meteorologist – Eric McNamee 10:45 AM MST, 2/10/2021 Forecast Summary: Two disturbances will move through the region today through Friday, bringing 6-12″ of snow for some mountain locations. Active weather looks to continue through the remainder of the forecast. Resorts that look to see the most snow are Snowshoe Mountain and Canaan Valley. Short-Term Forecast: Wednesday-Friday: 6-12″ […] Weather Eric McNamee | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Winter Park Resort, CO Declares COVID-19 Outbreak Among Resort Employees Winter Park Resort, CO and Grand County Public Health (GCPH) released a joint statement Monday night declaring a COVID-19 outbreak among resort employees. By reporting the outbreak, more resources can now be made available to the resort to combat the spread among workers. Through case investigations, it has been determined that these cases have not been traced back to transmission […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
New to the Backcountry? Alpenglow Expeditions Has You Covered Brought to you by Alpenglow Expeditions The 2020-21 ski season is going to be unique for reasons I need not explain. Many of you (myself included) are planning on spending a lot more time in the backcountry than usual. For even the most seasoned resort skier or rider, venturing outside the ropes can be a scary leap. First, there’s all […] Featured Article Mike Lavery | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
The Backcountry Map Project: Crowdsourced Backcountry Lines to Have Fun and Stay Safe Hello, my name is Clay Malott, I’m a high schooler in California and an avid backcountry skier. For the last few years, I have been working on a project to map and catalog my favorite backcountry ski lines in the Tahoe area. It has been a huge success for myself, I have over 75 descents recorded including parking, ascent route, and […] Backcountry Clay Malott | February 10, 2021 14 Comments
The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering Brought to you by SCARPA Backcountry Week The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering is a deep dive into all aspects of the sport. Countless hours have been invested by photographer, filmmaker, and IFMGA guide Mark Smiley making this a one-stop resource for beginners just starting, intermediate users who want to up their game, and even pros wanting […] Backcountry SnowBrains | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
How Well Do You Know How to Use Your Beacon? | Beacon Searching 101 Brought to you by SCARPA Backcountry Week Over the next few days, I’m going to highlight some of the Backcountry Access avalanche safety videos for SnowBrains’ SCARPA Backcountry Week. With over a dozen avalanche deaths in just over a week across North America, there is a lot of focus on avalanche safety in our community. Group size, effective communication, appropriate […] Brains Mike Bartholow | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
“Why I Don’t Use Ski Pole Straps” The past few winters, I’ve spent a lot of time with a few guys who never ever wear pole straps. They have their reasons and I always assumed I understood them. Today during a conversation, my buddy Patrick said he had skier thumb and he was accused of wearing pole straps. “You know what would fix that skier thumb? Stop wearing pole straps!” – Nick “Nick, I haven’t skied with pole straps for 14 years.” – Patrick Right then I realized how serious these guys were about not wearing poles straps so I stopped their conversations and […] Avalanche Miles Clark | February 10, 2021 31 Comments
Backcountry Safety Basics Part 3: Group Dynamics [arve url="https://youtu.be/6bvKkk6E0x0"] Clay Malott | February 10, 2021 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
Could You Survive An Unplanned Night Out in the Mountains? Last week, eight of my friends spent an unplanned night in the mountains in a rainstorm in Japan. They spent the night out on a deep snowpack at about 1,600 meters (5,250 ft). It was the worst night of the year to spend a night out. There was even lightning and thunder this night. After they got back and had a few days to digest everything I asked them a few questions about their trip. I wanted to know what gear they had with them, what they did that worked, and what gear they wish they had with them. […] Featured Article Miles Clark | February 10, 2021 10 Comments
5 Things You Need To Do Before Heading Into The Backcountry Whether you’re a seasoned expert or new to it all, there are several ways to prepare for your trip that you need to do before leaving home to heading into the backcountry. The most important thing before heading out into avalanche terrain is knowing […] Avalanche Eric Behn | February 10, 2021 3 Comments
Man Found Alive 49 Days After Going Missing in the Grand Canyon, AZ 60-year-old Stephen Coleman of Portland, Maine, was last seen on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park on December 20th, 2020. He left his belongings with a friend before heading into the canyon, and he never returned to retrieve them. The National Park Service believed he was traveling alone into the canyon and is a transient in the Arizona area. […] Backcountry Dominic Gawel | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Man Saves Elk from Avalanche Near British Columbia Town Finally, some uplifting avalanche news! On February 3rd, Jesse Dahlberg, a 32-year-old man from Golden, B.C., was safely watching crews perform avalanche control on Mount Dennis, B.C., for a railroad and highway below. While watching, Dahlberg spotted an elk in a likely slide path about five minutes before the avalanche. Mount Dennis is 8,363-feet next to Field, B.C., a small […] Avalanche Dominic Gawel | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Barking Dogs Save Their Owners’ Lives after Avalanche Burial in Switzerland Winter Hiking In Switzerland. | Photo Via Jungfrau Region Tourismus AG On Saturday, January 30th at 3:00 PM, two people were buried in an avalanche while hiking in Avers Valley. Located in southwestern Switzerland, Avers valley offers many winter sports activities, including hiking, ski touring, and resort skiing. The pair were out hiking on the well-prepared winter hiking trails when […] Avalanche Miles Wong | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Amazing 45 Foot Tall “Ice Volcano” Forms in Kazakhstan An “Ice Volcano” towering 45 feet above the earth has recently formed near the Almaty region in Kazakhstan. The formation results from an underground spring that sprays water up from the ground, which instantly freezes. This is the second spotted in the region, and it has attracted many tourists to the area. Related: Watch – The Incredible Ice Volcano The three […] Industry News Nick Retterer | February 10, 2021 0 Comments
Does the Health of U.S. Cities Correlate with Their Distance to Ski Resorts? This week, Wallethub.com published its 2021 list of Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America. In their report, Wallethub ranks 182 of the most populated U.S. cities by measuring them in 44 categories of what they determined to be key indicators of good health. These indicators range from the number of healthy restaurants per capita to most walking trails per capita […] Brains Liam Abbott | February 10, 2021 2 Comments
Mountain Weather Update 2/9/21: Big Snow for PNW + WY + CO This Week Interesting end to the week with two large Pacific storm systems and an Arctic Front. Big totals possible across the Intermountain West. Meteorologist Chris Tomer 2/9/2021. Weather SnowBrains | February 9, 2021 0 Comments
Snowbrains Forecast: 6-18″ of Snow For Western Colorado Mountains Through Tomorrow Forecast By SnowBrains Meteorologist – Eric McNamee Brought to you by Monarch Mountain 10:40 AM MST, 2/9/2021 Forecast Summary: A shortwave trough currently over the Great Basin will move through Colorado today and tomorrow, bringing 6-18″ of snow for mountain locations. Another shortwave trough will move through this weekend and bring some additional snowfall to the state. Resorts that look […] Weather Eric McNamee | February 9, 2021 0 Comments