Late Season Skiing in Europe: Top 15 Resorts for Spring Skiing As winter fades into spring, some skiers and snowboarders may be moth-balling their equipment for the season, but then there are those die-hard winter enthusiasts refusing to call it quits. If you count yourself into the latter group, you may wonder where you can still get turns in as late as the end of April or even early May in […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | April 12, 2024 2 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 11, 2024 Several ski areas in Europe were blessed with some massive snowfalls this week, with some receiving 1-1.5 meters (3-5 feet) of snow.Other areas did not benefit from the storm front moving in from Italy.Which resorts have the most snow right now? Here is the top 7 for the European Alps: *Please note, snow depths are self-reported by resorts and […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | March 12, 2024 0 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 8, 2024 There have been a few dustings here and there across the Alps, but no significant snowfalls, so the top 7 remains fairly unchanged from last week as snow has only seen compression from week 7. We have the same players but some reshuffling of positions. However, if you are planning to ski, fret not, several storm fronts are forecast to […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | February 20, 2024 0 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 7, 2024 Last week saw some snowfalls across the European Alps. Our top 7 list of resorts has changed a little bit from last week, but is still heavily dominated by French resorts. Which resorts have the most snow right now? Here is the top 7 for the European Alps: *Please note, snow depths are self-reported by resorts and not verified by […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | February 14, 2024 0 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 6, 2024 Conditions across the European Alps were dry last week, meaning existing snow cover has compacted in most places. Our top 7 list of resorts this week is actually a top 8 since we have a three-way-tie for sixth place. The list is still heavily dominated by French resorts. This may change going forward if the weather moves in. Which resorts […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | February 6, 2024 0 Comments
FIS Cancels Men’s Speed World Cup Events at Chamonix, France, Due to Warm Weather The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (‘FIS’) announced on Saturday, January 27, that the speed events scheduled for February 2 and 3 in Chamonix, France, will be canceled. The Slalom event, scheduled for Sunday, February 4, may still go ahead at this stage. The Kandahar Alpine Ski World Cup in the shadow of the Mont Blanc has been a staple […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | January 29, 2024 0 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 4, 2024 Steady snowfalls were dusting the European Alps this week. Our top 7 list of resorts with the deepest snowpack has a new leader, breaking through the 5 meter marker. France in the west of the Alps keeps topping the list, but snow has fallen all across the Alps this week. Which resorts have the most snow right now? Here is […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | January 23, 2024 0 Comments
Conditions Report: Skiing La Vallée Blanche, Chamonix, France Report from January 13, 2024 La Vallée Blanche La Vallée Blanche is arguably the most famous off-piste ski run in the world. Starting atop the Aiguille du Midi, average people take 4-6 hours to ski the 22 km (13.5 mile) glacier run with a 9,000-foot descent. If you have any questions or have never skied it, it is necessary to […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 22, 2024 0 Comments
Chamonix, France, Conditions Report: Sunny Skies at Brévent and Flégère Report from January 12, 2024 Chamonix The Chamonix region in France includes five main ski areas. La Balme, Les Grands Montets, Brévent, Flégère, and Les Houches. Unlike most places in Europe, Chamonix does not have a mega resort where all resorts in the area are connected by lifts. Although from town Brévent/Flégère are connected and the closest areas to the […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 21, 2024 0 Comments
Top 7 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Europe — Week 1, 2024 The new year delivered the goods across many European resorts. Between 20 and 50 cm (8-20 inches) fell across the Alps on New Year. Especially French resorts in the west of the Alps have seen a lot of snowfall in the last couple of days. If you’re wondering which resorts have the deepest snowpack* right now, here are the top […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | January 3, 2024 0 Comments
Soaring Temperatures in Alps Cause Summer Ski Resorts to Close Much like in the summer of 2022, 2023 temperatures in Europe have been soaring to record levels. This is partially thanks to the El-Niño weather pattern and human-made climate change. High temperatures in high-elevation areas such as the Swiss Alps and the Pyrenees have caused ski resorts to close summer skiing on Glaciers. In addition, many forests in the Swiss […] Weather Ian McIsaac | July 26, 2023 0 Comments
Ultra Runner Finishes Mont Blanc Ultra-Marathon in France Covered in Blood Norwegian Ultra Runner Sylvia Nordskar was a shocking sight to behold as she crossed the finish line of the Mont Blanc Marathon in France. The 29-year old had tripped and fallen on the last 3 km (1.875 miles) of the 42 km (26.25 miles) race and badly injured her nose, causing it to bleed uncontrollably, as the brave Norwegian kept […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | July 6, 2023 2 Comments
Fire-Ravaged Trams at Chamonix, France, to be Replaced in 2024 Lift-served access to the summit of Les Grands Montets ski area in the Chamonix Valley is slated to finally return in 2024 after a disastrous fire disabled service in 2018. As reported by Snowbrains at the time, the mid-station fire destroyed the structure that connected both the cable car from the valley floor in Argentière to mid-mountain, and the […] Industry News Christopher Leach | July 5, 2023 0 Comments
Top 7 Bucket List Ski Resorts According to Our Readers On January 14th SnowBrains asked our readers on Facebook, “What resort should everyone visit before they die?” After 211 comments, the results for the top 7 ski resorts are in! Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada Coming in with 8 votes, our readers are big fans of Whistler. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains have an ample amount of skiable terrain for all levels. […] Brains Riley McDonald | February 28, 2023 5 Comments
Want to Sleep on Top of a Mountain? The Bertol Hut in Switzerland Might Be Just Right for You! At an elevation of 3,311 meters (10,863 ft.), sitting high above the glacier pass which shares its name, the Bertol Hut is undoubtedly one of the iconic huts along the Haute Route. Related: Haute Route Trip Report: Ski Touring From Chamonix, France, to Zermatt, Switzerland Since “The High-Level Route” was originally named by its English hikers who first traversed it […] Industry News Ryan Kime | May 17, 2022 8 Comments
Haute Route Trip Report: Ski Touring From Chamonix, France, to Zermatt, Switzerland Report from April 2022 and written by the Explore-Share team The Haute Route ski touring route joins Chamonix, in France, with Zermatt, in Switzerland, and is famous for its Mont Blanc views on one end and Matterhorn views on the other. The full route is 180km (112m) long and takes around one week to cross on a ski touring traverse, depending […] Trip Report Guest Author | May 9, 2022 0 Comments
Mont Blanc Plane Crash Treasure Finally Split with Discoverer In 2013, while ascending Mont Blanc in France, a French climber came across a container amongst a plane crash wreckage filled with an assortment of precious stones. Complying with French law, the finding was handed over to the local authorities. It wasn’t until this year, eight years later, that individual was finally rewarded with half of the gems, valued at […] Crash Jake Vigesaa | December 9, 2021 0 Comments
Snowstorm Dumping in Alps and Pyrenees This Weekend While Resorts in the Western US are blowing snow to open on time, many resorts in the Alps and Pyrenees are expecting huge snowstorms to bring feet of snow over the weekend. So far fall snowstorms have broken records for snowfall in the Alps this season. Early December storms in the Alps as well the Pyrenees have many resorts expecting a couple […] Aunika Skogen | December 4, 2021 2 Comments
5 Ski Mountaineers Caught & Carried in Avalanche on Mont Blanc, France | Early Season Avalanche Conditions Exist When there’s snow there’s a possibility for avalanches — no matter how early in the season it is. Five skiers/mountaineers triggered an avalanche in the Mont Blanc backcountry as they were climbing the steep Scala couloir when a small slab fractured 20 meters (~60 feet) above them, causing an avalanche and knocking all of them off their feet. They were […] Avalanche AvyBrains | October 23, 2020 0 Comments
VIDEO: Skiing off the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, France View this post on Instagram How did you start your day? This was ours! Thanks amigos 🤙🏼🙏! • • @kaestleski @scarpaspa @thenorthface A post shared by Mike Arnold (@mike_d_arnold) on Oct 8, 2020 at 7:56am PDT Mike Arnold is an American UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide an Athlete who now lives and plays in the Italian Dolomites. This video of the alpine […] SnowBrains | October 12, 2020 0 Comments
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