How a Young Norwegian Couple Who Live in a Van is Changing the Way We Look at Steep Skiing “If I ask, ‘Can I join you skiing tomorrow?’ the answer will almost always be ‘yes.’ But when Mia asks, the assumption that she’s a girl makes people hesitant. If we program to ski with someone, I usually send the message like, ‘Can I bring a friend?’ instead of ‘my girlfriend,’ because people get hesitant,” Jesper Gustafsson told SnowBrains over […] Backcountry Martin Kuprianowicz | August 30, 2026 0 Comments
French Skier Cyprien Sarrazin Announces New Deal with Rossignol Back in May, French skier Cyprien Sarrazin returned to race training following a 2024 crash that nearly took his life. Now he will continue his recovery under a new deal with a familiar face. The 31-year-old has been a dominating force on the World Cup circuit on Rossignol skis since 2018. And on Sunday, the French ski mega-company announced a […] Industry News Quinn Brophy | August 3, 2026 0 Comments
Legendary Ice Tunnel at Aiguille du Midi Top Station, Chamonix, France, Closed on Tuesday + Wednesday *this article has been updated to reflect an extended closure which now includes Wednesday, August 5 A Legendary High Mountain Ice Cave is Unstable On August 4 and 5, the infamous Aiguille du Midi ice tunnel exit in Chamonix, France, will close. A summer of successive heatwaves in Western Europe has driven the famous grotte de glace (ice cave), located […] Industry News Sergei Poljak | August 3, 2026 0 Comments
Lac Blanc Ski Resort, France, Will Shut Down its Ski Lifts As a Result of Climate Change It is a difficult time for ski enthusiasts in the Vosges Region of France, as Lac Blanc Ski Resort announced it would be permanently shutting down its ski lifts starting the 2026-27 season. The reason? Climate change has created unpredictable winters for the resort, and the resort can no longer meet the requirements to operate. It made the call to […] Industry News Quinn Brophy | July 10, 2026 0 Comments
Frenchwoman Iris Pessey Sets New Mont Blanc Speed Record A French Alps native broke the fastest known time to summit Mont Blanc. In just five hours and two minutes – 10 minutes faster than the previous record – endurance athlete Iris Pessey climbed from base to summit at Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. Her summit of the 4,806-meter peak set a new speed record, outpacing any […] Climbing Quinn Brophy | June 26, 2026 0 Comments
We Are Still Skiing Steep Lines In Powder In May In Chamonix, Trying Not To Die This Conditions Report is from Thursday, May 7, 2026. “No one went left. There’s a reason!” Janne shouted back at me. We were now approaching the rappel into the Cosmiques Couloir just a stone’s throw away from the Aiguille di Midi—a mountainous transport vessel of mythical status that offers those brave enough access to one of the most incredible alpine […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | May 7, 2026 0 Comments
Skier Convicted of Manslaughter Following Fatal 2022 Collision with British Child In a ruling handed down by the Bonneville judicial court in Haute-Savoie, France, a 43-year-old volunteer firefighter has been convicted of manslaughter following a high-speed collision that claimed the life of a five-year-old British girl. The court sentenced the man to a 12-month suspended term and ordered a payment of €165,000 in damages to the bereaved family, according to updated […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | May 4, 2026 0 Comments
French Duo Shaves 2 Minutes Off Mont Blanc Speed Record in Grueling Round-Trip Pursuit French alpinists Samuel Equy and Mathéo Jacquemoud have etched their names into the history books of Western’s Europe’s highest mountains, setting a new round-trip Fastest Known Time (FKT) on 4,810-meter (15,766′) Mont Blanc. Starting from the iconic church in the center of Chamonix, the pair ascended to the summit and returned in a staggering 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 24 seconds. […] Climbing Martin Kuprianowicz | April 29, 2026 0 Comments
Tignes, France, Report: The Late Season Star — Packed Powder, No Crowds, 8PM Sunsets Report from Friday to Saturday, April 3–4, 2026 There are certain April ski days when expectations are tempered, the snow is soft, spring conditions prevail, and maybe a few lifts have closed. And then there are days like we just had in Tignes. Over two days, we found packed powder, bluebird skies, and one of the most complete ski experiences […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | April 13, 2026 0 Comments
AvalancheClarity: Free App Brings AI-Translated French Avalanche Bulletins to International Skiers First app to translate and explain Météo-France avalanche reports in eight languages, with Swiss Alps coverage and pan-European report access coming soon. AvalancheClarity, a new free mobile app for Android and iOS, makes Météo-France’s daily avalanche bulletins accessible to non-French speakers for the first time. The app uses AI to translate the official BRA (Bulletin de Risque d’Avalanche) into English, […] Avalanche AvyBrains | March 31, 2026 0 Comments
Les Deux Alpes, France, Report: Endless Vertical, Glacier Powder, and a Mountain That Just Keeps Going Report from Monday, March 23, 2026 Some mountains reveal themselves all at once. Others take a run or two. And then there’s Les Deux Alpes, a place that keeps unfolding lap after lap, zone after zone, until you realize you’ve spent the entire day chasing terrain that never really ends. We honestly didn’t expect it to feel this big. Straight From […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | March 26, 2026 0 Comments
[VIDEO] Candide Thovex Drops New Edit, “Les Tufs” New Candide. Enough said. “After L’Aiguille Percée, Candide Thovex explores another iconic terrain in Tignes, France: Les Tufs. Lines shaped by time.” – Candide Thovex YouTube Related: Tignes, France, Report: “Rest on Zee Lift!” 46 Years of Local Wisdom In Rowdy Terrain Martin Kuprianowicz | March 12, 2026 0 Comments
La Clusaz, France, Report: One of Those Days Report from Saturday, February 28, 2026 Balme—Candide Thovex’s Playground. A mythical location on the far skier’s right side of La Clusaz Resort. Where the wave of freeskiing creativity crested and broke before it slowly rolled back… You can still see the high-mark that the water left behind at the French ski area in Candide Thovex’s famous films: One of Those […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | March 1, 2026 1 Comment
Les Arcs, France, Report: Last Run of the Trip… 22 Powder Days in a Row Here! Report from February 25, 2026 Yesterday was the last day of my ski trip to France. Twenty-two powder days in a row. I’m completely exhausted and utterly satisfied. One of the best ski trips of my life, and maybe the most powder I’ve ever skied in a 22-day stretch. Here, you don’t have to hike backcountry. You just keep riding […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 28, 2026 0 Comments
We Went to The Biggest Ski Area on Earth and Got Our Whole Perspective Changed On the pursuit of good powder snow sometimes you find something bigger. A place so vast it makes your brain stutter.A landscape so interconnected it feels impossible.A ski area so large it stops feeling like a resort and starts feeling like its own mountain range. This is Les 3 Vallées (which happens to be on the Epic pass for added convenience […] Trip Report Martin Kuprianowicz | February 27, 2026 9 Comments
Les Arcs, France, Report: Casual Backside, No-Fall Frontside, & Endless Chutes with Pierre The Local Report from February 24, 2026 Yesterday I met up with my new buddy Pierre, whom I’d met during that illegal powder day at Les Arcs four days ago. He grew up here, so I just smiled, nodded, and followed him around all day. It was crazy hot again and this was my 4th day in a row of wearing just […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 25, 2026 0 Comments
Val d’Isère – Tignes, France, Report: Sweet, Stubborn Sunshine at One of the Largest Ski Resorts on Earth Report from February 21, 2026 Yesterday I drove up from the rustic village of Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise to the luxurious town of Val d’Isère, France. Val d’Isère–Tignes is one of the largest ski resorts on Earth. Many of the largest ski resorts on Earth are in this same valley, and we’ve skied them all on this trip, or at least tried to: […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 22, 2026 0 Comments
Les Arcs, France, Report: Skiing an Illegal Amount of Fresh Powder in One Day… Report from February 20, 2026 The zone at Les Arcs, France, that I rolled up to yesterday morning was cut off from the rest of the resort thanks to a massive storm and 5/5 EXTREME avalanche danger. Perfect. The drive the mountain was rowdy up dozens of switchbacks up skinny French roads. There was even a “Route Barrée” sign that […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 21, 2026 0 Comments
Les 3 Vallées, France, Report: BC Style Pillows and Deep Powder in the Heart of the Storm Report from February 19, 2026 Dumping snow again yesterday. Eight inches overnight. Avalanche danger remained at 5/5, EXTREME. People who’ve been coming here since the 90s say they don’t remember a stretch this snowy with avalanche danger this high. The Alps are going off. We were on the Golf chair in Village Méribel at 9 a.m. From there, we headed […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 20, 2026 0 Comments
Les 3 Vallées, France, Report: Courchevel Cold Pow + Méribel Sun-Kissed Pow = The Magic Combo Report from February 18, 2026 Yesterday we woke up in Les 3 Vallées, France, to no new snow for the first time in what felt like weeks. There was a strange color in the sky—blue. Esfand had a plan: Go to Courchevel Ski the tree lines I know over there Come back to Méribel Hit the L’Oze chair when it […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | February 20, 2026 0 Comments
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