The 9 Best ‘Small’ Snowsports Brands Everyone knows big snowsport brands like K2, Burton, or Salomon. So let us introduce you to some small but incredible snowsports brands, the garage band of the bunch. We looked at the best small brands and compiled a ‘top nine’ list. To qualify for our “small” category, revenues had to be <$5 million, and the product launched less than 30 […] Gear Julia Schneemann | April 19, 2025 6 Comments
Why is Avalanche Safety Gear So Expensive? This post was first published in August 2021. The gold standard of avalanche rescue gear is a beacon, a shovel, and a probe—three products you hope you never have to use outside of a beacon park. A standard-issue kit like this will almost always set you back at least a few hundred dollars—$333 is the cheapest one I found on […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | April 19, 2025 4 Comments
Every State’s Record Snow Year According to Their Ski Areas 2023 will go down as one of the overall snowiest ski seasons ever. An incredible 18 resorts set snowfall records. But what year and at what resort holds the record for each state? See below for the answer. The list is sorted in ascending order by total snowfall. States not included are lacking records. West Virginia – 1981 Snowshoe Ski […] Brains Brent Thomas | April 19, 2025 4 Comments
Today’s Deepest Resorts—North America’s Top 5 Snowfalls on April 18 Spring is here, which means winter is over already, and resorts across the country have started closing. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to stop snowing. All these resorts are open and celebrating powder days this morning. Related: Top 9 Snowiest Resorts in North America This Season When writing, these resorts across North America had the most snow in the last […] SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Man Killed by Avalanche at Val Thorens, France, Resort Entrance A 27-year-old British man has died after being swept away by an avalanche at the entrance of Val Thorens, France, following heavy snow that has closed resorts across the Alps. Val Thorens received over 40″ of snow in the last couple of days. The avalanche struck shortly after 10 a.m. on Thursday, as the man stood by the side of a […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio Ski Area to Cap Daily Visitors in Effort to Curb Overtourism In a first for Italy, the renowned Madonna di Campiglio Ski Area will introduce a cap on daily skier entries starting next winter season. The decision aims to improve slope safety, enhance guest experience, and tackle the mounting challenges of overtourism during peak holiday periods. Related: Avalanche Risk at Maximum as Season’s Biggest Snow Storm Shuts Down European Ski Areas […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 18, 2025 2 Comments
9 Deepest Snowpacks in North America This Weekend Spring is here, and spring skiing is in full swing. Which resorts have had the best winter to set them up with a deep snowpack for incredible skiing in April, May, and beyond? Related: Why Do Ski Resorts Close When Their Snowpack Is Still So Deep? The deepest snowpack here is over 17 FEET! Wow. Get in the Snow – SnowBrains […] SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 3 Comments
Historic Day for Skiing as Massive Tricks Meet the Planet’s Most Dynamic Terrain at Natural Selection Tour’s Debut Ski Event Eleven Winterlake Lodge, Alaska Range (April 17, 2025) – A new era in skiing has begun as the Natural Selection Tour launched its first-ever ski event, the YETI Natural Selection Ski, carving a bold new line into skiing’s history books. Riders faced Priority 1, one of Alaska’s most legendary big mountain venues, with a single mission: create a film-quality, freestyle-meets-freeride […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
NOAA May 2025 Outlook: Warmer and Drier Than Normal for Most of the West The NOAA just released its outlook for May 2025. While winter is ending, snow is not unheard of in May. Let’s see what the NOAA claims is in store next month. Fingers crossed! Related: NOAA April 2025 ENSO Update: La Niña has Ended TL;DR: May 2025 looks warmer and drier than normal for most Western ski and mountain regions, with […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Record-Breaking Snow Totals in Switzerland as 89″ Falls in 2 Days A new Swiss snowfall record has been set at the Bortelsee station in the Simplon region of Switzerland, where 89 inches (226 centimeters) of snow fell within just two days, and 97 inches (247 centimeters) accumulated over three days. This unprecedented event, recorded from April 15 to 17, 2025, now stands as the largest amount of snow ever measured in […] SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Unveils 25-Year Plan to Reduce Tahoe Traffic and Protect the Environment The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has released its draft update to the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy—Connections 2050—a sweeping 25-year vision aimed at reducing vehicle congestion, improving safety, and protecting the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The plan outlines specific goals to shift the region away from a car-dependent model and toward a connected system […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Hawaii Under Winter Weather Advisory With 5″ of Snow Forecast A winter weather advisory is in effect for Hawaii’s Big Island through Friday evening. The National Weather Service forecasts up to five inches of snow on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The advisory for elevations above 11,000 feet warns of hazardous travel conditions from blowing snow and near-zero visibility. Related: Yes, You Can Actually Ski in Hawaii URGENT – WINTER […] SnowBrains | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Purgatory Resort, CO, Named #1 Resort for Beginners in North America as 2024–25 Season Wraps This Weekend Durango, Colo. – (April 17, 2025) – Purgatory Resort is capping off another successful ski season with a major honor: OnTheSnow.com users have named Purgatory the #1 ski area for beginners in North America in the 2024–2025 Visitors’ Choice Awards. The recognition, announced April 10, 2025, at the annual Mountain Travel Symposium, places Purgatory at the top among hundreds of […] Industry News Press Release | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Stowe Mountain Resort, VT, to Close April 27 After Historic Snow Season After a winter marked by record-breaking snowfall and some of the best skiing conditions in years, Stowe Mountain Resort will close for the season on Sunday, April 27, as it announced earlier this week. The 2024-25 winter season brought over 300 inches of snow to the iconic Vermont resort, with January and February setting the tone for a standout year. […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Winter Park, CO, Trip Report: A Destination Ski Resort Aiming to Strike the Perfect Balance—With High Stakes Winter Park Report from February 2025 One of the most common storylines seen across North America in today’s continually expanding ski scene is the overcrowding and overpricing of mountain towns. Jackson Hole, Aspen, Lake Tahoe, Park City, Telluride, Stowe. These incredible ski resorts offer visitors a tremendous ski experience, but they have struggled in recent years to support the communities […] Trip Report Liam Abbott | April 18, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Report: Vicious Views Skiing Fresh Powder In Sunset Light Report from April 14, 2025 Monday morning started out snowing hard at sea level. Then, the clouds started to part around noon. By 1 pm, we were airborne. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) We started in an old favorite zone and found good snow. As the day wore on, we bumped over to a […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 17, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Report: Chasing Blue Holes, Buzzing Over Glaciers, & Skiing Powder Snow Report from April 12, 2025 Saturday was the last day of my buddy’s week here in Valdez. It had been a rough week with brutal weather. We needed a win. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) Mother Nature gave us the nod on day 7 and gave us a lingering blue hole. It wasn’t much, […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 17, 2025 0 Comments
Avalanches in Val Thorens, France, Leave One Critically Injured and Force Ski Area Shutdown A series of avalanches swept through Val Thorens ski area in the French Alps today, leaving one person critically injured and forcing the closure of the entire ski area as authorities raised the avalanche risk to its highest level, PisteHors reports. Related: Avalanche Risk at Maximum as Season’s Biggest Snow Storm Shuts Down European Ski Areas Local officials reported that […] Avalanche SnowBrains | April 17, 2025 0 Comments
Pro Skier John Collinson Suffers 4th Major Knee Injury in 8 Years Professional big mountain skier John Collinson has announced on Instagram that he has suffered yet another ACL tear—his fourth major knee injury in eight years. The crash, which occurred on March 14, adds to a long list of injuries for the 32-year-old athlete, who has already undergone six knee surgeries during his career. Collinson, who became the youngest person to […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 17, 2025 0 Comments
Big Sky Resort, MT, Raises $162,600 Through Explorer 2 Chair Sale to Benefit Local Nonprofits Big Sky Resort, Montana, is proud to announce that the sale of 125 historic Explorer 2 chairs has raised $162,600 for three local nonprofit organizations: Big Sky Community Housing Trust, Gallatin River Task Force, and Wellness in Action. Each organization will receive $54,200 in support of its ongoing community work. Related: Big Sky, MT, Report: Winter’s Not Over Yet The […] Industry News Press Release | April 17, 2025 0 Comments
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