SnowBrains Forecast: PNW in for a Foot This Weekend Ahead of a Multi-Foot Storm Cycle Next Week A Friday-through-weekend system refreshes the Pacific Northwest mountains, and then a colder, more unsettled pattern keeps the door open for a much bigger snow cycle into next week. Snow levels trend downward through the weekend, helping keep most resort terrain in snow and setting up improving quality as colder air settles in. After a brief lull, additional rounds of mountain […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 12, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Up to Two Feet of Snow for the PNW This Weekend Dry, mild weather holds through Friday, then a weekend storm cycle runs from Friday night into Tuesday with a warm start and a colder finish. Snow levels start high on Saturday, so upper mountain terrain and northern locations do the best with wet snow while some lower slopes mix with rain. Colder air arrives Sunday night into Tuesday, dropping snow […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 5, 2026 0 Comments
Mt. Hood Skibowl, OR, to Suspend Ski and Ride Operations Due to Warm Temperatures and Lack of Snow Mt. Hood Skibowl, Oregon, is dealing with the reality that Mother Nature has not been cooperating with Western ski resorts this season, and will suspend its ski and ride operations after Sunday night. The temperatures at Mt. Hood Skibowl on Saturday, January 31, were 33 degrees at the base area and 42 at the top. The snow depth at the top […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | January 31, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Snow Returns to the PNW This Weekend A warm, moisture-limited Pacific Northwest pattern keeps snowfall modest this weekend, with generally high snow levels and mostly dense to wet snow quality. The best accumulation favors Whistler and Mt Baker, while the Washington Cascades and Mt Hood see lighter totals with periods of wind. After Monday, high pressure builds in and turns the region drier and unseasonably mild, limiting […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 31, 2026 0 Comments
Oregon Introduces the ORCA Act of 2026 to Address the State’s Liability Insurance Crisis On January 26, a bipartisan coalition of Oregon lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 1593, also known as the Oregon Recreation Commerce and Affordability Act of 2026 (ORCA), for consideration in the upcoming legislative session, which begins on February 2. “Oregon is facing an affordability crisis in recreation and health and fitness,” Senator Mark Meek (D-Oregon City) said in a press release. […] Industry News Brent Glogau | January 27, 2026 2 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 1 Foot of Snow Returns to the PNW This Week With High Snow Levels This forecast was created at 11 a.m. PST on Monday, January 26, 2026. A midweek storm cycle brings the Pacific Northwest a round of modest snowfall with rising snow levels, then the pattern leans warmer with fewer clean powder windows heading into early February. The best midweek accumulation favors higher terrain, with Whistler and Oregon’s upper elevations leading totals, while […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 26, 2026 0 Comments
General Manager of Mt. Ashland, OR, Andrew Gast Resigns Amid Resort Closure [UPDATE: Mt. Ashland opened for the season on Wednesday, January 7) Mt. Ashland has had a challenging season so far, with less-than-ideal conditions forcing an indefinite midseason closure. Following the early closure, additional news has emerged for the South Central Oregon resort. Andrew Gast, General Manager of the resort since 2021, announced his resignation in the pursuit of another unknown job opportunity. Related: SnowBrains Podcast […] Industry News Joseph Kaufmann | January 9, 2026 2 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 10 Inches of Wet Snow for the PNW This Weekend Before Rain Early Next Week A quick-hitting round of Cascades snow wraps up Friday, then the weekend turns noticeably warmer and wetter northward before a drier, quieter stretch takes over. The tail end of Thursday’s system keeps light snow going into Thursday night, with the best refresh focused on the higher Washington Cascades and Mt Hood; snow levels climb overnight into Friday, so lower-mountain snow […] WeatherBrains | January 8, 2026 0 Comments
Mt. Ashland, OR, Pauses Ski Operations Indefinitely Due to Not Having Enough Snow Mount Ashland, Oregon, has recently announced via Facebook they are pausing ski operations indefinitely as of December 31, 2025. Mt Ashland, located in South Central Oregon, is a owned and operated by the non-profit Mt. Ashland Association and was founded in 1964. Located in a subalpine climate, yearly rainfall averages over 60 inches, while snowfall averages 223 inches. The high […] Weather Joseph Kaufmann | January 6, 2026 1 Comment
SnowBrains Forecast: 4 Feet of Snow to Hammer the PNW This Week This forecast was created at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 4, 2025. A midweek punch of cold, stormy weather will deliver widespread new snow across the Pacific Northwest, with the biggest totals focused on the Washington Cascades and the Oregon volcanoes. Snow starts with a lighter Sunday night into Monday refresh as snow levels step down, then ramps up sharply […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 4, 2026 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 18 Inches for the PNW This Weekend An active Pacific Northwest pattern continues through Monday night, with snow levels starting high and then steadily dropping to improve snow quality late in the weekend. The biggest accumulations stack up at Whistler and on Mt Hood, while the Washington Cascades see a wetter start that transitions to more consistently snowy conditions as snow levels fall. Expect the densest snow […] Weather WeatherBrains | January 1, 2026 0 Comments
Mt. Bachelor, OR, Report: No Lines for My First Day of the Season On Christmas Report for Thursday, December 25, 2025 Usually, the ski season in the Pacific Northwest kicks off around Thanksgiving. Not this season, which is perplexing given it is supposed to be a La Niña year, which typically brings huge snowfall to the area. It’s been incredibly frustrating waiting for enough snow to hit the slopes. I rarely go skiing on Christmas […] Conditions Report Brent Glogau | December 28, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 18 Inches of Snow for the PNW This Week This forecast was created at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. A warm, windy Christmas Eve system gives way to a colder, higher-quality reload Thursday night through Friday, before precipitation tapers into a drier weekend. The first round peaks Wednesday into early Thursday with elevated snow levels (near 6,000–7,000 feet early) and denser snow where it stays all snow, […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 24, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Christmas Miracle Storm Pattern Will Bring 4+ Feet to the PNW This Week A stormy, progressive pattern will keep the Pacific Northwest in a steady feed of snow through Wednesday night (12/24), with the most sustained totals stacking up in the north and the best-quality, lightest snow favoring higher terrain and Whistler. Snow levels stay mostly low enough for all-snow at resort elevations during the core waves, but there are a couple milder […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 19, 2025 0 Comments
Recovery Operations Suspended For Missing Climber On Mount Hood, OR The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office has suspended the search for Matt Aldridge, the 26-year-old climber from Bend, Oregon, who went missing on December 13. Aldridge had left Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area with two partners on December 13, with the intention of climbing the Newton Clark Headwall. Poor conditions and slow progress caused his two partners to turn around, […] Backcountry Zach Armstrong | December 18, 2025 0 Comments
Severe Lack of Snow Causes Mount Ashland, OR, to Delay Opening Indefinitely After finishing up last season with one of its latest closing dates in the last thirty years, Mount Ashland is struggling to get this season off the ground. With only a few flurries in October and November, Mount Ashland has had no measurable snowfall in December, and has nothing on the ground. The ski area’s website said that for operations […] Industry News Zach Armstrong | December 16, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 3-6 Feet for the PNW This Week A stormy, wind-whipped week is on tap for the Pacific Northwest, with a warm start that favors heavier, wetter snow at lower elevations before a powerful midweek cold front drops snow levels to the passes and kicks off the deepest mountain totals, followed by a warmer late-week pulse that turns snow dense again before cooler, showery snow closes out the […] Weather WeatherBrains | December 15, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: 12-18 Inches of Snow for the PNW This Week This forecast was created at 10 a.m. PST on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. A pair of warm, relatively dense early-season storms will build bases across the Washington and Oregon Cascades this week while open Whistler sees only a light refresh before a cooler, drier weekend. Expect low- to mid-double-digit snow totals at several Washington passes, modest but wind-affected accumulations on […] Weather WeatherBrains | November 25, 2025 0 Comments
The Ultimate Ikon Pass Odyssey: How to Spend a Year Skiing Across 5 Continents As the mega passes grow in both mountain access and price, being a casual skier is no longer worth the hefty cost. The Ikon Pass nearly spans the entire skiable world, covering both hemispheres, five continents, 13 countries, and 70 resorts. So what’s the most value someone can get from one Ikon Pass? Did you know that access to Southern […] Brains Zach Suffish | November 13, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Podcast Ep. 90 | Andrew Gast – General Manager of Mt. Ashland, OR Andrew Gast is the General Manager of Mt. Ashland Ski Area in southern Oregon. This is a very special ski resort because it is not-for-profit. Its one and only goal is to serve its community to the best of its abilities. This episode explores everything Mt. Ashland, along with how non-profit ski areas work in general. About The SnowBrains Podcast: […] Featured Video Podcast | November 12, 2025 0 Comments