Should Helmets Be Mandatory at Ski Resorts? It wasn’t very long ago that ski helmets were more of an obscurity then the norm like they are today. Though ski helmets were initially invented in the 1950s with the use of technology from World War II, they didn’t really began to see wide spread use until the early to mid 2000’s. A study from ScholarBlogs found that in the […] Industry News Joseph Kaufmann | July 10, 2025 2 Comments
Top 7 Most Unexpected Animals Seen on the Slopes Like any outdoor activity humans participle in, from time to time we tend to come in contact with the original inhabitants of the area we choose to make our playground. Many ski resorts are on national forests, and in those dense, often remote areas one can run into some pretty striking wildlife. In fact, Colorado’s White River National Forest is […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | July 9, 2025 0 Comments
Eaglecrest Ski Area, AK, Closes Aging Black Bear Lift Permanently Eaglecrest Ski Area, Southeast Alaska’s largest ski area and the only in-bounds resort in the region, has announced the indefinite closure of its aging Black Bear chairlift. Owned and operated by the city of Juneau, Alaska’s capital, Eaglecrest Ski Area was established in 1975, and features four double chairlifts accessing 640 acres, with 36 marked alpine runs, two Nordic skiing […] Industry News Joseph Kaufmann | July 4, 2025 0 Comments
9 Biggest Ski Resorts for Night Skiiing Most resorts stop spinning their lifts after 4 p.m. but a select few keep the party going long after the sun goes down. The experience of carving down the mountain under the stars with friends and family, refusing to call it a day is truly one of a kind. There is something so peaceful about hitting the slopes after dark […] Brett Currie | June 24, 2025 0 Comments
National Weather Service Issues First-Ever Heat Advisory in Alaska For the first time in state history, the National Weather Service has issued an official heat advisory for Alaska, signaling a shift in how hot weather is communicated to residents in one of the nation’s coldest regions. The advisory, issued for the Fairbanks area, is in effect for Sunday, when temperatures are expected to climb above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 […] Weather Martin Kuprianowicz | June 16, 2025 2 Comments
Aviation Report: Pilot Lacked Key Training and Lead Ski Guide Had Elevated Cocaine Levels in Fatal Alaska Helicopter Crash That Killed 5, Including Czech Billionaire On March 27, 2021, under the bright, deceptive calm of a blue sky, an AStar helicopter carrying six people—three Czech nationals, two American guides, and a pilot—lifted off from Wasilla Lake, heading for the remote, untouched powder of Alaska’s Chugach Mountains. It never returned. By the end of the day, Petr Kellner, Czechia’s richest man, was dead. So were four others. […] Deep Dive Martin Kuprianowicz | June 11, 2025 0 Comments
Body of Skier Killed in 3,000-Foot Fall on Denali, AK, Has Been Recovered [UPDATED: 01:50 a.m. PST, June 5, 2025] The body of a deceased ski mountaineer was recovered on the morning of Wednesday, June 4. Alex Chiu, aged 41 of Seattle, Washington, died as a result of a 3,000-foot fall from the Denali (Mount McKinley) West Buttress climbing route onto the Peters Glacier. After recovery, rangers returned to Denali National Park and […] Climbing SnowBrains | June 5, 2025 0 Comments
2 Rescued After Getting Caught in Avalanche Near Byron Glacier Valley, AK Two people were rescued by emergency crews Saturday afternoon after being caught in a spring avalanche in the Byron Glacier Valley near Portage Lake, Alaska, reports the Anchorage Daily News (ADN). Related: [VIDEO] Why Colorado Has Dangerous Avalanches Near Summer The Girdwood Fire Department and Alaska State Troopers responded to a call just before 1 p.m., launching a coordinated rescue in […] Avalanche AvyBrains | June 2, 2025 0 Comments
Brain Post: Denali, AK, Not Everest, is the Tallest Mountain on Land in the World Denali is the World’s tallest mountain, according to Denali National Park and Preserve. Yep, you read that right. The peak of Mt. Everest is 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level, making it the mountain with the highest elevation. However, the base of Mount Everest is estimated to be 17,000 feet (5,200 meters), making the vertical rise of the mountain roughly 12,000 […] SnowBrains | May 26, 2025 4 Comments
84 Days of Daylight Begin in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, as Midnight Sun Returns The sun has officially set for the last time this season in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. The northernmost town in the United States will now experience 84 straight days of continuous daylight—an annual natural phenomenon known as the ‘midnight sun.’ Related: Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: 14 Glorious Runs on the Best Day of the Season & Mom’s Birthday On Saturday, the sun […] Martin Kuprianowicz | May 14, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: 14 Glorious Runs on the Best Day of the Season & Mom’s Birthday Report from April 25, 2025 Friday was my Mom’s birthday. She left us in 2023. We’ve had a difficult weather month here in Valdez this year but on Mom’s birthday, it went blue… We started early on Friday with Pulseline Adventure. Legendary guide Jessica Baker was our lead guide on this day and she crushed it. Powder, steeps, long runs, […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 28, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: Evening Light Steep Skiing Until Pumpkin Hour Report from April 24, 2025 We’ve had rough weather this month in Valdez, AK. But we did sneak out for one powder run with Pulseline Adventure on April 23rd, and it was glorious just to get out. Then, on a sunny evening on April 24th, we got back out and skied a warm-up and then two deliciously steep runs. This […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
What’s in the Pack? | Alaska Heli-Ski Guide Backpack Why do heli-ski guides complain about their backpacks? What’s in a helicopter ski guide’s backpack? What’s in their pockets? A lot… My heliski guiding backpack weighs 30+ pounds. I’m carrying about 60 pounds of gear overall when I drop in. Check out this video to see exactly what I carry on a day out heliski guiding in Alaska. I guide […] Miles Clark | April 21, 2025 3 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: Sluffy Steeps & Powder Snow In A New Zone Report from April 15, 2025 Yesterday we got out there early knowing the clouds would be building in the afternoon. We tip-toed as we have quite a few avalanche problems on the board and our reconnisance flight yesterday morning revealed hundreds of avalanches that occured mid-storm. We started on very mellow terrain. Then bumped up the angle slowly and tenitively. […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 20, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Report: 9 Runs of Airs, Mini-Spines, & Wide-Open Powder Report from April 15, 2025 On Tuesday, we got there early with Pulseline Adventure in Valdez, AK. We knew the clouds were coming in later in the day. We found good snow in a gorgeous zone off the Valdez Glacier right away. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) We lapped it and laughed at the […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 20, 2025 0 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
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
Freeride World Tour Returns to Alaska in 2026 with YETI Alaska Pro After nearly a decade, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) is heading back to Alaska. The FIS Freeride World Tour by Peak Performance has confirmed that one of its six global stops for 2026 will take place in Haines, Alaska—a location long considered the pinnacle of big-mountain freeriding. The competition, titled the YETI Alaska Pro, will be held in March 2026 […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | April 15, 2025 0 Comments
Alyeska Resort, AK, Just Broke 700″ of Snowfall This Season No stranger to receiving the most snow in North America, Alyeska Resort, Alaska, is at it again. Just 10 days after smashing through the 600″ mark, the most recent storm has taken it past 700. The resort has seen 721″ of fresh snow this season and has a 201″ base. Related: The 500 Club: 5 Resorts Have Received More Than […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 15, 2025 0 Comments
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