Efforts Ramp Up to Fix Traffic Woes in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT A panel was held on Tuesday, October 29, by Canyon Guard, Friends of Little Cottonwood Canyon, Friends of Alta, and Save not Pave to discuss the future of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah. The eight-mile-long gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon has been a topic of controversy for some time due to its large nature with 22 proposed […] Industry News Anders Henrikson | November 27, 2024 0 Comments
Top 9 Ski Resorts in North America as a Professional Freeskier View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) Here are my top nine personal favorite ski resorts as a professional freeskier: Related: The Top 10 Male Freeskiers of All-Time: 9. Mount Bachelor, Oregon This is where I learned to ski. It was a very special place in my heart. I did a full ski season […] Featured Video Miles Clark | November 26, 2024 0 Comments
Alta, UT, Report: 1,800-Vertical-Feet of Terrific Early Season Skiing With Zero Lift Lines Report from November 25, 2024 Today was my first inbounds day at Alta this season after 10 fun uphill preseason days. Alta is legit right now. Collins and Wildcat are open with 1,800 vertical feet of good skiing. I cranked laps – mostly on the groomers – with an obnoxious smile. Off-piste was a bit risky with rocks and logs […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | November 25, 2024 0 Comments
Alta Ski Area, UT, to Open For Season Friday, Nov. 22: “We Recommend Expert Skiers Only Given the Current Conditions” Alta Ski Area, located at the end of Little Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, will open for the 2024-25 winter season tomorrow, Friday, November 22 with limited terrain. Collins Gultch will be available for skiers via the Collins and Wildcat chairs. The resort announced on social media that it recommends expert skiers only given the current conditions and […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 21, 2024 0 Comments
Alta, UT, Report: Powder Skiing The Gunsight Area in Scary, Thin, & Deep-In-Spots Conditions Report from November 13, 2024 I was too scared to go back into Main Chute at Alta, Utah, yesterday so I decided to go hit the backside near Gunsight hoping the wind would have filled it in well. The wind had done it’s job but it was clear you still wanted to stay in the gullies and concavities that had […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | November 14, 2024 0 Comments
Alta, UT, Report: Fear & Loathing in “Main Chute” on 11,068′ Mt. Baldy Report from November 12, 2024 Yesterday I made my classic move of skiing Main Chute on 11,068′ Mt. Baldy in a blinding storm. You’ve gotta figure out how to zig when everyone zags in the very busy Wasatch Mountains. The storm arrived the previous night with a forecast pointing out most of the snow falling during the day and ending […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | November 13, 2024 0 Comments
Alta, UT, Report: Day #1 of the Season After 7″ of New Snow Falls Report from November 3, 2024 Yesterday was ski day #1 of the North American ski season for me. Alta got about seven inches of new snow overnight so I decided to go see how skiable it was. Alta felt like an operating ski resort yesterday. The parking lot was half full, people were tailgating hard, and hundreds of folks were […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | November 4, 2024 1 Comment
Fresh Tracks and New Peaks: Discover What’s New at Utah Ski Resorts for the 2024-25 Season Ski Utah is thrilled to announce exciting new upgrades and experiences for the highly anticipated 2024-25 ski season across all 15 Utah ski resorts. From cutting-edge lift technology and expanded skiable terrain to revamped dining experiences and sustainability-driven initiatives, Utah’s resorts are raising the bar for winter sports enthusiasts. Come discover why Utah’s legendary slopes are the ultimate winter playground! […] Industry News Press Release | October 27, 2024 0 Comments
Ski Bumming 101: How to Ski 100+ Days a Year as a College Student in Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City. Where you go to school to ski. A college degree is only a bonus—if you are so disciplined to resist the calling to give up on life and retreat into the Wasatch after your first season experiencing “the Greatest Snow on Earth.” It happens to a lot of people. I graduated from the University of Utah in […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | October 20, 2024 1 Comment
Mount Superior, UT, Temporarily Reopens to Hikers The wait to hike Mount Superior, Utah, is over, but only for a few weeks before another short-term closure in early September. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has temporarily lifted the closure in Little Cottonwood Canyon after completion of the initial phase of their avalanche mitigation project along SR 210, which is the road that leads to Alta Ski […] Industry News Alfred Arnaud | September 1, 2024 0 Comments
Utah Ski Resorts See Decline in Visitor Numbers for 2023/2024 Season The State of Utah has 15 ski resorts and is one of the best skiing destinations in the United States. It’s home to some of the most famous ski areas in America, such as Snowbird and Alta. The record-breaking snowfall during the 2022/2023 ski season caused ski areas to report some of the highest visitor revenue of all time. However, this season didn’t […] Industry News Leander Walchshöfer | July 11, 2024 0 Comments
Alta Ski Area, UT, Faces Challenges with Supreme Lift and Considers Rebuild Alta Ski Area is confronting significant issues with its Supreme lift, a detachable quad with an eight-degree turn, due to accelerated metal fatigue. General Manager Mike Maughan disclosed that the lift’s chairs have sustained damage over time from passing through numerous canted sheave assemblies. “Every one of those [chair pans] is cracked significantly,” Maughan informed the Alta Town Council. Engineers […] Industry News SnowBrains | June 23, 2024 0 Comments
Wasatch Mountains, UT, Report: Ski Day #189 = “Suicide Chute” | 11,045′ Mt. Superior Report from June 4, 2024 On Tuesday, I drove to Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah with a plan to ski Main Chute at Alta. I was tired after 188 days of skiing this season. As I drove past Mt. Superior, I saw that there was snow from Suicide Chute right down to the road. I hit the brakes and swerved […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 6, 2024 0 Comments
Trip Report: Snowbird, UT | “Pipeline Couloir” Report from June 5, 2024 Yesterday was my last ski day of the Northern Hemisphere winter. Ski day #190. Ski day #463 of the past 546 days. I’ve been skiing 6 days per week for 17 months straight (78 weeks). I’m exhausted… 11,489′ American Fork Twin Peak, UT “Pipeline Couloir” Details Summit (actually a notch): 11,300′ Car: 7,900′ Vertical From Car: […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 6, 2024 1 Comment
Alta Ski Area, UT, General Manager Pens “Red Snake Letter” to UDOT to Offer True Solution for Congestion in Little Cottonwood Canyon If you pay attention to snow industry news, there is no doubt you are aware of the saga of the traffic issues on State Route 210 in Utah leading to Snowbird and Alta Ski Area. On weekends and powder days, the traffic can delay travelers for hours, especially if the road is closed for avalanche danger and mitigation. To address […] Industry News Brent Thomas | May 9, 2024 1 Comment
Alta, UT, Report: Funky Snow Little Chute Fun Report from April 29, 2024 Yesterday I went for a jaunt at Alta, UT. I went for Little Chute which I hadn’t skied this year. I skied Main Chute (just next door) 6 times in November, but back then, Little Chute didn’t have enough snow to be skiable. Alta is loaded with snow right now. I strolled up the lowers, […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 1, 2024 0 Comments
Alta Ski Area, UT, Reaches 600″ Snowfall for the Season | First Back-to-Back 600″ Seasons for 15 Years Alta Ski Area in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, has always been known as one of the snowiest resorts in America. This season is no exception. Recent storms have brought the legendary resort to 612″ for the season as of today, April 8, 2024. For the first time in 15 seasons, Alta notches back-to-back, 600-inch-plus winter. View this post on […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 8, 2024 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Spring Storms Keep the Fun Going in UT, CO, and WY Expected snow totals this week. Source: maps.weatherbell.com Forecast prepared the morning of Friday, April 5th Forecast Summary A strong cold front arrives in Utah and Western Wyoming Friday afternoon, and Colorado overnight, with very strong winds out ahead of the front followed by mountain snow behind the front. This front brings relatively light snow accumulations to UT/CO resorts, but hangs […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 5, 2024 0 Comments
Solitude, UT, Report: Skiing “Ortovox Chute” on 9,850′ Evergreen Peak Report from April 3, 2024 Yesterday morning I met up with Juan and Martin for a stroll up Fantasy Ridge at Solitude, UT. Fantasy Ridge is terrain that only opens a few days per year. It’s challenging, wild, beautiful, alpine, short, and sweet. It’s also one of the 97 lines in legendary Andrew McLean’s “Chuting Gallery” book. He calls the […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 4, 2024 0 Comments
Trip Report: “The Y Couloir Alternate” in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Report from April 2, 2024 I drove from Tahoe to Utah 2-days ago. Yesterday, I decided to go for a classic: “The Y Couloir” in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I’d skied The Y Couloir with Martin & Daryn back in 2019 and loved it. I haven’t been in Utah for 2 months and I wasn’t familiar with the snowpack but I […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 3, 2024 0 Comments