Risk Taking in Extreme Sports | Why Do We Do Things That Could Kill or Injure Us? According to Psychology Today, some researchers define risk-taking as engaging in any activity with an uncertain outcome. It is indisputable that activities such as skiing, climbing, mountain biking, etc., are all somewhat extreme sports that involve an element of risk. These sports are extreme because the outcomes can be pretty dire and inflict severe injury or even death. Within the context of these […] Brains Greg Obernesser | September 30, 2022 5 Comments
How Does El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Affect Salmon? This article was originally published on climate.gov When we discuss the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (“ENSO” for short) at the blog, we often take a rather human or physics-y view of the climate phenomenon. We’ve published loads of articles discussing the mechanics for how ENSO works in the atmosphere and the ocean, and how ENSO impacts humans from droughts and wildfires […] Weather WeatherBrains | August 11, 2022 0 Comments
7 Ways to Up Your Game as a Resort Skier Resort skiing is awesome, no matter how you look at it. Chairlifts that float you up the mountainside, hot laps with friends, ski patrol doing all the work so you don’t have to worry about avalanches—skiing inbounds is a vibe, and if you’re like me, you might do it a lot. But if you’re also like me, then you’re constantly […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | June 14, 2022 6 Comments
Do You Know Where the Tallest Trees on Earth Grow? This story originally appeared on Nasa.gov and was published by Kathryn Hansen. Every now and then, a new map changes the way we view our planet. This is one of those maps. The map above shows the height of Earth’s forests, from stubby saplings to timbers towering more than 50 meters tall. It reveals some patterns you might expect, such […] Brains SnowBrains | May 24, 2022 1 Comment
Orthopedic Surgeon Outlines the Science Behind Shin Bang | Causes, Treatment, Prevention Too benign to seek professional treatment for, and too painful not to complain about—everybody hates shin bang. You know, shin bang—that horrid, painful sensation on your shinbone that you get from your boot after skiing hard? Yes, you do. Although die-hard ski racers in 1 million flex alpine race boots that they can barely walk in might tell you otherwise, […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | April 29, 2022 3 Comments
Rescue by iPhone? How 1 Man’s iPhone Saved Him from Certain Death After Falling Alone on a Mountain Solo Session What would you do if you found yourself injured and alone on the mountain? Who would you call for help? Just ask Tim Blakely, a 41-year-old personal trainer and snowboarder with over 17 years of experience, most of which is solo and done off-piste. While casually riding in the Swiss Alps on what appeared to be a routine […] Brains Ryan Kime | April 14, 2022 1 Comment
Atmospheric Rivers: How They Work, and How El Niño and La Niña Affect Them This article was originally published on climate.gov When rivers reach the sky Guest co-author Dr. Kai-Chih Tseng is a postdoctoral research scientist at Princeton University and the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory who is an expert on climate variability and prediction, including the study of atmospheric rivers. In the summer of 2022, Dr. Tseng will begin an assistant professor position in the Department of Atmospheric […] Weather WeatherBrains | February 25, 2022 0 Comments
Colorado’s Ski Season is Shortening Because of Climate Change With climate change altering several factors of everyday life, it’s safe to wonder what effects it has on the length of winter. Consequently, climate change experts predict that Colorado’s ski seasons are getting shorter every year. This year alone, Colorado’s ski season has been impacted by faulty weather conditions. According to Vail Daily, this year alone, 4 resorts were forced […] Brains Breya Bergom | December 1, 2021 4 Comments
Brains
Weather
