Snowbird’s Top 5 Videos from the 2020-21 Season in Utah We made it through the coronavirus winter of 2020-21. Good job everyone, and huge thanks to resorts nationwide for staying open this year! Courtesy of world-class Utah ski area Snowbird, here are its “Top Five” Instagram videos from this previous season: 5. Mabel Gets to Work View this post on Instagram A post shared by Snowbird (@snowbird) 4. Jonnie […] SnowBrains | May 26, 2021 0 Comments
Alta, UT Report: Muggy, May Powder Skiing in Devil’s Castle Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from Monday, May 24, 2021 Powder is powder. I don’t care who you ask. At about 8:30 this morning I was cruising up Little Cottonwood Canyon, which felt wet and sleepy. There was a dead bull moose on the side of the highway. About five inches of new snow fell at Alta this […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | May 24, 2021 0 Comments
Wasatch Range, UT Report: A Murder-Suicide on Mount Superior Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from Thursday, May 13, 2021 Often the best things in life are unexpected: relationships, job opportunities—Chuting Gallery couloir link-ups. This morning at 11, two buddies and I set off for Suicide Chute—a Wasatch-classic couloir on Mount Superior. I’ve already skied Suicide several times, so I figured I’d take a look at Homicide Chute […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | May 14, 2021 0 Comments
Alta Ski Area, UT To Implement Weekend & Holiday Paid Parking Reservation System Next Season | Season Passes on Sale May 3rd View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alta Ski Area (@altaskiarea) Alta’s got three more days left for you to ski this season from Friday, April 23 to Sunday, April 25. Then they officially close and season passes go on sale on May 3rd. The skier’s only mountain has revealed some changes for next season, too. […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 21, 2021 1 Comment
Wasatch Range, UT Report: 2 Ski Areas, a 1,300-Vertical-Foot Backcountry Couloir, and 1 Closing day Brought to you by Alta Ski Area Report From Sunday, April 18, 2021 We started at Alta. By 11 am we were on top of a 45-degree, 1,300-vertical foot couloir. We were in Brighton by noon and back at Alta for last chair at 4:20. Yesterday was a day that’ll be etched in the walls of my mind for as […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | April 20, 2021 1 Comment
Trip Report: Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT – 3,000-Vertical-Foot “Coalpit #4” Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report From Thursday, March 11, 2021 It was deep inside the belly of the beast where we finally found solace. Buddies Landon, Gage, and I went for a long boot pack this morning up a narrow couloir near the entrance to Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT. “Coalpit #4” is 3,000-vertical-foot long, 38º steep, narrow, couloir […] Trip Report Martin Kuprianowicz | March 12, 2021 0 Comments
VIDEO: UDOT Workers Reflect on Surviving Avalanche in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT [arve url="https://youtu.be/UPokypduUwc"] AvyBrains | February 19, 2021 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
Alta Ski Area/Snowbird, UT Open Today After 60-Hour Interlodge Which Left Town Residents Trapped Indoors, Ski Areas Closed Brought to you by Alta Ski Area Over five feet of new snow fell at Alta in the past seven days. The avalanche danger rose to ‘extreme’ everywhere in the canyon yesterday, and the town of Alta and Snowbird Resort went on interlodge for 60-hours. Alta, Snowbird, and Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Into 3rd Day of Closure Due to Avalanche […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | February 18, 2021 0 Comments
Plan for $1 Billion Rail Line From Salt Lake City to Alta Ski Area, UT Being Considered There’s been a lot of chit-chat in the past year about what to do with the absolutely horrific traffic congestion that plagues Little Cottonwood Canyon in the winter—home to Utah’s premier steep-skiing destination resorts, Alta and Snowbird. Even Utah’s governor Spencer Cox has been talking about it. Improved bus service was proposed by the Central Wasatch Commission (CWC), a canyon […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | February 18, 2021 10 Comments
Wasatch Range, UT Moves to ‘Extreme’ Avalanche Danger Today | What That Means and Why That’s So Rare The avalanche compass turned black in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah today. Black on the avalanche compass means ‘Extreme’ avalanche danger—the highest danger rating there is. The Utah Avalanche Center wrote in the Tuesday, February 16 avalanche forecast: “Today the avalanche danger is EXTREME at mid and upper elevations. The avalanche danger is HIGH at low elevations. Avoid being under or near any […] Avalanche AvyBrains | February 16, 2021 0 Comments
Utah Governor Spencer Cox Shares His Interest For Proposed Little Cottonwood Canyon Gondola Because traffic on a powder day up to Alta Ski Area and Snowbird equates to living hell, one of the proposed solutions to mitigate traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon has captured Utah’s Governor Spencer Cox’s attention. That option is a 30-seat gondola that would cost an estimated $576 million to build and $6.9 million to operate. Related: The SnowBrains Podcast | […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | January 20, 2021 2 Comments
New Salt Lake City, UT Airport Design Receives Social Media Backlash from Frustrated Travelers Everyone was stoked for the redesign of Salt Lake City’s international airport, which was supposed to cater to traveling skiers and make the overall airport experience better. But then the project completed some big milestones, the holiday season hit, and its new design began revealing potential flaws, which have since caused frustrated travelers to decry the new airport all over […] Martin Kuprianowicz | January 7, 2021 4 Comments
Alta, UT Report: Stormy Alta Morning, Afternoon West Buffler Brought to you by Alta Ski Area Video and text produced by The Daily Pow Today was a tale of two sessions. Our morning consisted of deep creamy snow and the storm still producing, with a little graupel mixed in. We started off with High Boy—it skied awesome from top to bottom. We took some runs in Thirds and Eagle’s […] Conditions Report The Daily POW | January 7, 2021 0 Comments
Alta, UT Report: Late Day Storm Laps [arve url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMOs_Ftu-J4&feature=youtu.be"] The Daily POW | January 5, 2021 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
Here to Help: The Utah Avalanche Center’s New Trailhead Avalanche Awareness Program High avalanche danger should = low-angle terrain selection which should = keeping powder-hungry hubris in check. That’s essentially what volunteers with the Utah Avalanche Center’s new Trailhead Avalanche Awareness program were explaining to curious passers-by as they toured past the red UAC tent at the Grizzy Gultch trailhead in Little Cottonwood Canyon last Saturday when snow conditions were concerningly suspect. […] Backcountry Martin Kuprianowicz | December 23, 2020 1 Comment
Alta, UT Mayor Asks for Everyone to Quiet Down After Study Reveals That Talking Loudly Can Increase Spread of Coronavirus If you like seeing the ski area open then you may want to shut the **** up this winter. At least that’s how the town of Alta, Utah’s mayor feels about it. And the science is there to back him up. Town of Alta Mayor Harris Sondak told the Salt Lake Tribune that being quiet in locker rooms, bathrooms, lift […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | December 17, 2020 3 Comments
14 Tricks For Making Steep Lines Steeper: Misadventures From “The Chuting Gallery, a Guide to Steep Skiing in the Wasatch” This article was written by Will Thomas One of the key challenges of “extreme” skiing is explaining it to the uninitiated especially when you yourself are the uninitiated. With the influx of new backcountry users, the situation is fraught. Thousands of unsuspecting people have exchanged hard-earned dollars for sparkling new touring gear, and, even with a litany of hashtags, will […] Backcountry Guest Author | December 9, 2020 2 Comments
VIDEO: Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster Warns That it Will Be “A Dangerous Winter in the Wasatch Once It Snows” “There is no doubt that we’re going to have a dangerous winter in the Wasatch once it snows.” – Trent Meisenheimer, Utah Avalanche Center Lack of snowfall has caused the existing snow in the Wasatch to become weak, faceted, and sugary—the perfect recipe for avalanches. And worse yet, there’s no snow expected for northern Utah for at least another week, […] Avalanche AvyBrains | December 3, 2020 1 Comment
Utah Department of Transportation Offers 2 New Ways to Mitigate Traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon Traffic on a powder day up to Alta Ski Area = hell. But there may be a solution—well, two, actually. Related: The SnowBrains Podcast | Episode #6 | “Alta Ski Area – Skiing First, COVID, Canyon Traffic, & Possible Mt. Baldy Tram” The Utah Department of Transportation announced Friday two possible strategies to help reduce traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | November 25, 2020 4 Comments
Alta, UT Report: Opening Day 2020/21 [arve url="https://youtu.be/TTU1Sd5aIsE"] SnowBrains | November 24, 2020 Likes Tweets 0 Comments