What Does the Government Shutdown Mean for Public Lands and the Ski Industry? Ski areas across the country are beginning to feel impacts from the shutdown of the Federal Government, on top of huge cuts to the Federal workforce earlier this year. Since October 1, almost 750,000 Federal workers have been furloughed, including 12,744 workers out of the 32,390 current employees of the Forest Service, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Lapse […] Industry News Zach Armstrong | October 9, 2025 0 Comments
Top 5 Vintage Ski Resort Logos Ski resorts have always been about more than just the slopes—they carry a sense of identity and culture that shows up in everything from trail maps to apparel. The resort logo often serves as one of the most lasting symbols. While marketing teams may update logos to keep things modern, it’s often the older designs that leave the strongest impression. […] Brains Brent Thomas | September 18, 2025 0 Comments
What’s the Difference Between a Ski Resort and a Ski Area? Skiers and riders love to debate just about everything—powder skis vs. all-mountain, Epic vs. Ikon, nachos vs. chili fries at lunch, or the best mountains to visit, to name a few. But if you’ve been around skiing or snowboarding for a while, you’ve probably noticed that people toss around the words “ski resort” and “ski area” like they mean the […] Brains Brent Thomas | August 29, 2025 0 Comments
Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Northeast Slopes, VT: Volunteer Based—Community Driven The thermometer reads 2° Fahrenheit below zero as we gather our ski gear off of the old wooden drying rack by the woodstove. Moments later, Dad comes in through the side door with an arm full of firewood, the wind howling, blowing snow through the opened door as he shivers and quickly closes it behind him. He looks at my […] Chris Grant | November 19, 2024 1 Comment
The Ski Area Snow Report: Fact or Fiction? We’ve all had those days: The snow report is claiming an epic dump, but on the hill, it skis like only a few inches. What the heck? Is the snow report just a total lie? A publication in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics decided to have a closer look. Snow reporting is a challenging process. Things like elevation, wind, and […] Brains Mike Lavery | July 22, 2024 12 Comments
5 Stars — The Highest-Rated Ski Resort in Every Ski State A standard practice in 2024 is firing up Google, searching for a restaurant, business, activity, etc., and scrolling through reviews and comments until a suitable match is found. Using the court of public opinion is often a great method to minimize poor results and manage expectations, particularly in unfamiliar locations or with new activities. Related: Does Affordable Skiing Still Exist? […] Jared Roberts | March 20, 2024 6 Comments
Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Wolf Creek Ski Area — The Most Snow in Colorado In a state renowned for plentiful powder days sandwiched between periods of beautiful bluebird weather, one Colorado ski area stands above the rest. Wolf Creek Ski Area, resting on the Continental Divide in Southern Colorado between the charming towns of South Fork and Pagosa Springs, is perfectly situated to capitalize on its unique microclimate that guides storms originating in the […] Industry News Jared Roberts | October 20, 2023 0 Comments
Why Bluebird Backcountry in Colorado Permanently Closed On July 10, 2023, it was announced that Bluebird Backcountry in Colorado would permanently shut its doors to skiers and snowboarders. The news shocked many since the ski area had only been running for three seasons and was initially very successful. However, Bluebird, unfortunately, announced that they would be shutting down their 1200-acre terrain permanently. As the only ski resort […] Industry News Ian McIsaac | July 19, 2023 0 Comments
Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Nashoba Valley, MA – More Than Meets the Eye This ski hill might seem unassuming to many, but let me tell you, Nashoba Valley, MA, is not your average ski hill. Nashoba Valley had its first season in 1964; ever since then, it has provided skiers of all abilities a New England skiing experience. Finding exciting and challenging trails at Nashoba can be tricky. Still, in a good snow […] Ian McIsaac | June 23, 2023 0 Comments
What Exactly Qualifies as a ‘Ski Area’? Often times when I hear people talking about the largest ski areas in North America, debate arises as to what qualifies as “one” ski area. At what point is ski area marketing going too far in this regard? Case 1: Long connector trails Example: Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont In this case, single trails provide the only connections between mountains. Resorts with […] Brains Spencer McLaughlin | October 31, 2022 0 Comments
[MAP] Every Ski Area on U.S. Forest Service Land You might have to do some squinting, but above is a graphic of every ski area operating on U.S. Forest Service Land. Is your home mountain on USFS land? Related: Topographic Ski Maps: A New Way of Tracking Resort Days Brains SnowBrains | August 9, 2022 1 Comment
The Alta, UT Parking Issue: Discussing Possible Parking Scenarios for Next Ski Season This article was originally published by Alta Ski Area POSSIBLE PARKING SCENARIOS FOR NEXT SKI SEASON Alta Ski Lifts (ASL) has developed and maintains parking lots within its special use permit with the US Forest Service for ski area customers and operational purposes. Over the years, ASL has allowed use of these parking areas by non-ski area visitors, such as […] Industry News Guest Author | March 9, 2021 5 Comments
Beaver Mountain, UT Report: Mini-Powder Day in Paradise Brought to you by 10 Barrel Brewing Report from Saturday, December 12th, 2020 I was driving from Jackson, WY to Park City, UT yesterday when a flashing sign told me that I-80 west in Wyoming was closed. I took a detour around Bear Lake and ended up at the foot of Beaver Mountain, UT. Beaver Mountain Stats: 400″+ average annual snowfall […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | December 13, 2020 0 Comments
Standard Ski Mask is Not an Effective Face Covering, Research Says | Wear 2 and Ensure They’re Dry Have you been skiing at a resort since the pandemic started? To operate ski areas this season, there are obviously a ton of regulations put in place to keep people safe. As we all know, one of these regulations is to wear a facial covering. Research is showing that your standard ski mask you wear anyways is not quite enough. […] Industry News Dominic Gawel | December 4, 2020 0 Comments
For Sale: Vermont Ski Area Hits the Market for Less Than $2-Million This is your chance to own over 600-acres of Vermont paradise. The former Birdseye Mountain Ski Resort, located in Castleton, VT was last operational in 1967 but is looking for a new lease of life. For less than $2-million this old ski area could be yours. Related: FOR SALE: Spout Springs Ski Area, OR Could Be Yours for Just $1.25-Million […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 25, 2020 0 Comments
Famous Glacier in the Italian Dolomites Melting Fast Marmolada glacier may not last long enough to see 2030. The highest peak in the Italian Dolomites, Marmolada, stands at 10,968 feet and contains one of Italy’s most famous glaciers. The area played a pivotal role in World War I, as it became the line of control between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces. However, due to the ongoing effects of climate […] Taylor Stephan | September 5, 2020 0 Comments
National Ski Areas Association Releases Guide for Safe Winter Recreation Practices During COVID-19 Pandemic This information originally appeared on NSAA.org and can be read in full by clicking here. Ski season will be weird this year — this we all know. That’s why the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has provided a detailed guide of the best practices to engage in at the ski area this winter when it comes to recreating safely and […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 31, 2020 0 Comments
Arapahoe Basin, CO Will Reopen on Wednesday, May 27th 2020 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (@arapahoe_basin) Arapahoe Basin ski area in Colorado just announced that they will be reopening on Wednesday, May 27th 2020. They are going to stay open as long as they can and have not announced a closing date yet. “We have been given an extraordinary opportunity. We need […] Industry News SnowBrains | May 24, 2020 0 Comments
Ski Areas Reopen in Norway Select few ski areas in Norway are watchfully spinning their lifts again as ski areas shut down because of coronavirus concerns begin to reopen. However, they’re not exactly operating like before the pandemic. RELATED: FONNA Glacier Summer Ski Area in Norway Will Open for the Season on May 1st With 40-Foot Base Norwegian ski areas are reopening with new, strict […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 25, 2020 0 Comments
VIDEO: Dad of the Year? Man Builds Piste and Chairlift in Backyard So Kids Can Ski Nomination for Dad of the year right here. When coronavirus closed down Europe’s ski resorts, he didn’t want to disappoint his daughters. Who said the kids can’t go skiing this Easter? Gotta love the music too, it’s like you’re actually in the Alps… SnowBrains | April 8, 2020 0 Comments
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