The 9 Most Frequent Dangers in the Mountains, and How to Avoid Them As enchanting as the mountains maybe, they are far from forgiving. Some dangers are external, like avalanches, wildlife, and massive storms, and some are internal, ones you cannot see coming, like altitude sickness, getting lost, and hypothermia. You must always stand guard while on top of the world if you’d like to make it back down. Below you can learn about the nine most […] Spencer Miller | May 5, 2025 13 Comments
K2 and the Commercial Exploitation of a Deadly Peak K2 is the second-highest mountain above sea level, with an altitude of 8,611m/28,251ft. However, it is known to be more difficult to climb than Mount Everest. Unlike Everest, K2 is not located in the Himalayas but further north at the Chinese/Pakistani border in the Karakoram range, making the climate colder and the snow deeper. Its steep faces and extreme weather […] Climbing Julia Schneemann | August 14, 2023 2 Comments
Why This Ski Season Has Seen More Fatal In-Bounds Crashes This season has been off to a rocky start in many ways. Many resorts have been dealing with the lack of snow across the nation, as well as an increase in fatal crashes. Ski resorts all across the country have been in a drought. This winter has been exceptionally dry of late, and on top of it, areas have seen […] Crash Aunika Skogen | February 15, 2022 14 Comments
Backcountry Popularity Increases Avalanche Danger Interest in backcountry skiing and riding has grown exponentially since March 2020, when ski resorts across the country stopped turning their lifts, despite massive storms, due to the pandemic. It has continued into the 21/22 ski season after last year, when many resorts implemented reservations. With ever-changing Covid-19 restrictions across the country, many skiers and boarders have been searching for […] Avalanche Aunika Skogen | December 1, 2021 2 Comments
Three Mountaineers Missing in K2 Winter Attempt At 28,251′, K2 is the second-highest peak in the world. The peak is notorious for its stature, death rate, short season, and difficulty to climb. The “savage mountain” claims the lives of 1 in 4 climbers who attempt it making it the 3rd deadliest mountain in the world. Until January 16, 2021, the peak had never been climbed in the […] Climbing Dominic Gawel | February 11, 2021 0 Comments
Is Colorado Really One of the Worst States to Drive in? Colorado was ranked as one of the worst states to drive in the United States according to a 2021 WalletHub report. The report ranked Colorado as the 41st best state to drive in making it the 10th worst state to drive in. Colorado scored 52.71 out of 100. The report details categories and methods to score each state. Each state was […] Industry News Dominic Gawel | January 22, 2021 3 Comments
Deadly Days: What is an Avalanche Cycle? In the snow industry, we hear the words “avalanche cycle” thrown around quite a bit. The term clearly relates to snow safety and avalanche danger, but what exactly does it mean? How does it form? How long does it last? What are avalanche cycles? First, we must understand some basic snowpack science. There is one main thing to remember as it […] Avalanche Clay Malott | January 7, 2021 0 Comments
Free Avalanche Beacon Training Park Near Vail, CO White River National Forest and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) just installed a new beacon training park just off of the I-70 near Vail, CO. The new training park gives backcountry users a free and convenient location to practice avalanche rescue. Users need to provide their own avalanche rescue equipment: a beacon, shovel, and probe. The training park is […] Avalanche Dominic Gawel | December 26, 2020 1 Comment
Central Oregon Avalanche Center Expands to Forecasting 4 Days a Week This Season The Central Oregon Avalanche Center (COAC) is looking to expand its operation as more skiers and snowboarders head into the backcountry this season. Mt. Bachelor is requiring parking permits this season and Bend has been seeing a steady increase in population which will cause inexperienced backcountry skiers and snowboarders to head into the Central Oregon backcountry. Currently, the COAC does […] Avalanche Dominic Gawel | December 10, 2020 2 Comments
Elk Attacks Man At Colorado Golf Course, Slices his Kidney in Half A bull elk nearly killed a man at a Colorado golf course over the weekend. Golfer Zak Bornhoft was driving a golf cart at a golf course in Evergreen, Colo. when he was suddenly charged by a large bull elk and impaled by one of its antlers. Related: Friday Fun: Moose Charges Cyclist to Protect Young | Cyclist Lays Down […] SnowBrains | October 8, 2020 2 Comments
VIDEO: Black Bear Swipes at Hiker on Popular Trail in B.C. [arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwmi3cM7mg0"] SnowBrains | August 31, 2020 Likes Tweets 2 Comments
UPDATE: Snowmobiler Broke Both His Legs in Independence Pass, CO Avalanche Earlier This Month Two snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Independence Pass in Colorado on April 7, that caught, carried, and injured one of them. Additional information from the CAIC has just been released, detailing the extent of the snowmobiler’s injuries. The organization said in a Facebook post: On April 7, a snowmobiler triggered and was caught in an avalanche south of Independence Pass. […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 15, 2020 0 Comments
Remembering The Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrollers Who Lost Their Lives on the Mountain April 6, 2006 WE REMEMBER Article by mammothmountain.com On Thursday, April 6, 2006, four experienced Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrollers were inspecting the mountain after a series of heavy snowstorms. The patrollers were fencing off the fumarole, on Christmas Bowl run (east of Chair 3) when the snow around the vent collapsed. In this instance, the tremendous snowfall had temporarily blocked the vent and […] SnowBrains | April 6, 2020 0 Comments
How Avalanche Forecasts are Made Hopefully, everyone who accesses the winter backcountry environment is familiar with avalanche forecasts. For those who have not yet ventured into the backcountry, or those who are not familiar with all safety considerations, here is a synopsis of how avalanche forecasts are made and why they are so important. The first avalanche forecasts began in 1973 in Colorado. Today, the […] Avalanche Connor Phillips | February 28, 2020 0 Comments
VIDEO: Moose Nearly Tramples Several Skiers at Resort A wild moose is shown sprinting through a trail filled with unsuspecting skiers at Åre Ski Resort in Sweden, coming inches away from trampling over several of them. It’s not exactly what you would expect to be coming right for you at full speed as you’re making turns on the groomer. Related: 78-Year-Old Aspen, CO Resident Fights Off Attacking Moose […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | February 19, 2020 0 Comments
VIDEO: Snowboarder Stuck on Cliff-Face For Hours at Whistler Blackcomb, BC This is intense. A snowboarder became trapped on a cliff at Blackcomb ski resort, BC in the Spanky’s Ladder area “a couple of weeks ago.” It’s being reported that this guy was rescued after hanging onto this cliff for 1-2 hours before ski patrol was able to rescue him. He was reportedly uninjured and seen drinking at beer at the […] Industry News SnowBrains | February 18, 2020 3 Comments
VIDEO: Pro Skier Shows Us the Danger of Tree Wells Avalanches aren’t the only thing you need to watch out for in the backcountry — or the resort for that matter. Professional skier and pilot Lexi Dupont demonstrates the danger of tree wells with CHM Heli Skiing, showing us how deep they can actually go. Related: Skier Died in Tree Well at Steamboat Resort, CO on Saturday A tree well, also […] Backcountry SnowBrains | February 15, 2020 0 Comments
7 Blizzard Survival Tips From A Retired Navy SEAL Ski season also means blizzard season. That’s great news for the slopes but not so good if, in the unlikely event, you get trapped in your car during a snowstorm. Do you call for help right away? Do you get out of the car? What supplies should you have just in case? Related: Severe Weather: Watch For Snow Squall Warnings […] Brains SnowBrains | November 18, 2019 3 Comments
VIDEO: Recent Avalanche on Independence Pass, CO Colorado avalanche mitigation officials are getting the first reports of avalanches in the high country. A natural avalanche occurred on Independence Pass on Wednesday, October 23rd. Over a foot of snow has fallen since last week in Colorado and more is on the way, making snow conditions increasingly dangerous throughout the state. Avalanche SnowBrains | October 28, 2019 0 Comments
Severe Weather: Watch For Snow Squall Warnings This Winter The National Weather Service is rolling out a new severe weather alert that warns of intense, but short periods of snowfall and wind resulting in reduced visibility called snow squalls. Related: New NOAA App Brings Cool Earth and Space Animations to Your Phone Snow squalls are quick bursts of intense snow accompanied by strong, gusty winds. They’re typically short-lived, lasting […] Weather WeatherBrains | October 25, 2019 0 Comments
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