7 Essentials to Bring For a Great Ski Day It’s the night before a ski day, and your gear is scattered throughout your house. Why? Because at the end of your last day out, you laid everything out on your floor to “dry out” without actually putting it away. Now, what are the essentials you need to track down and prepare tonight to have a successful day on the […] Gear Zach Suffish | June 24, 2025 0 Comments
Top 5 Best Ski Counties in the United States There are countless great skiing and snowboarding locations across the United States. Some counties, however, pull far above their weight when it comes to quality and quantity of snow, elevation, access to great inbounds and backcountry terrain, vibrant après scene, accessibility from major airports, and of course number of ski resorts. From coast to coast, we’ve compiled a list using […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | June 23, 2025 0 Comments
17 Not So Obvious Bucket List Experiences for Skiers and Snowboarders in the U.S. Most skiers and riders have a mental list of the usual bucket list items, such as visiting specific resorts or finally going heli-skiing. However, the mountains are full of lesser-known gems that only locals may know about, which can be just as memorable. From riding special lifts, conquering challenging runs, or basking in unique moments, the not-so-obvious experiences often turn […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 20, 2025 0 Comments
Indy Pass Offering Free Season Pass to Anyone With a ‘Ski Indy’ License Plate For fans of the Indy Pass and the growing movement toward independent ski resorts, there’s now a new way to show your support and get rewarded for it. Say hello to the Indy License Plate Club, an offbeat, fun initiative that gives you a chance to earn a free Indy+ Pass just by sporting the right vanity plate on your […] Industry News Brent Thomas | June 17, 2025 0 Comments
The Income Needed to Own a Home in Top U.S. Cities Close to Skiing Skiing and affordable are two words that aren’t generally used in the same sentence. While ski towns across the U.S. are famously expensive, such as Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, these types of towns generally don’t offer the same career opportunities that larger metro areas do. As a result, many professionals prefer to move to larger cities that offer […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | June 9, 2025 1 Comment
Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Catamount Mountain Resort, NY—Carving Memories I have such fond memories of winter mornings waking up before dawn and getting on the road to Catamount Mountain Resort in Upstate New York. The night before each trip, it was hard for me to sleep. I imagined the runs that awaited me, twisting and turning along the ridge lines. It wasn’t just spending time with my dad. It […] Luke W. Smith | June 4, 2025 0 Comments
Eastern Sierra, CA, Report: Steep, Well-Walled, & Short | The Lower Lamarck Lake Chutes Report from May 27, 2025 My last day of backcountry skiing for the season was in the Lower Lamarck Lake Chutes. Lee and I set off at a casual 7:00 a.m. from Mammoth, and we were hiking by around 8:30 a.m. We walked the trail to the lake, then had to route-find around the lake, where we finally encountered snow […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 1, 2025 0 Comments
Mammoth Mountain, CA, Report: Memorial Day Weekend Radness! Report from May 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 2025 The past week at Mammoth has been fire. Groomers are good. Wiggles are good, and new ones are forming all the time. Bumps are good. Off-piste skiing is exceptional—especially on Cornice & Chair 23. I’ve been riding my new e-dirt bike to the mountain each day, and it makes every […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 29, 2025 0 Comments
Palisades Tahoe, CA, Report: Going for the D-Spin 720º at 47-Years-Old View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) Report from May 25, 2025 I woke up at 1 am last night and everything was so clear. I’d wake up at 5:45 am, drive to Palisades Tahoe, land the D-Spin 720, and roll back down to Mammoth for Tall Carl’s party. Tahoe had been off the table because […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 26, 2025 0 Comments
Trip Report: 13,994′ Mt. Humphreys, CA | “Northeast Couloir” With A Crew of 9 Report from May 23, 2025 Mt. Humphreys is one of 4 Eastern Sierra peaks on my wedding ring. I’d skied one of the east chutes last year. It was time to go back for the classic Northeast Chute. But I wasn’t alone. We were a huge crew of 9 marauding uphill. 13,996′ Mt. Humphreys “Northeast Couloir” Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 26, 2025 0 Comments
9 Resorts to Visit Before You Die, According to SnowBrains Readers Last January, we asked our readers what resorts they thought everyone should visit before they die. The following list is based entirely on readers’ responses to what resort they think skiers and riders need to visit before their final day comes. It’s sure to be an expensive trip all over the world, but according to SnowBrains readers, these resorts are […] Brains Tyler Hatch | May 23, 2025 3 Comments
Trip Report: “South Fork Bowl” – Skiing 3,400-Vertical-Feet on Peak 13,103 in Big Pine, California Report from May 19, 2025 Garrett told us we had to go down to Big Pine and ski Peak 13,103 next to Kid Mountain. He said it was only a 2-mile dirt walk, then snow all the way. What I didn’t realize is that it would be a 3,300-vertical-foot bootpack… Peak 13,103, CA – South Fork Bowl Details Summit (actually […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 20, 2025 0 Comments
Eastern Sierra, CA, Report: The “Bat Cave Chutes” In 5-Star Corn Snow Report from May 16, 2025 2 days ago, we saw this zone on our hike up University Peak and I loved the look of it. Convoluted, spines, chutes, and open faces all in one zone. We came back for it the next day, yesterday. 2 days ago, it was cool in the morning. Yesterday was hot. We battled up that […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 17, 2025 0 Comments
Trip Report: The East Face of 13,595-Foot University Peak, CA Report from May 15, 2025 I knew we wanted to start south this year in the Eastern Sierra, CA, but I didn’t make it here until May 10 due to a family issue. Even more reason to start in the south. Fox had just been down there to a zone I’d never been to and said it was special. I […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 17, 2025 1 Comment
Mammoth, CA, Report: Mini-Powder Day Fun Dust-On-Crust in Paranoids, Cornice Bowl, Avalanche Chutes, & More Report from May 14, 2025 It snowed pretty damn hard on Tuesday night here in Mammoth… Mammoth reported 3″ of new snow yesterday morning. We hit the mountain early and grabbed 4th chair on Chair 2. Our first run was on Chair 3 and it was dust on crust but fun dust on crust We did another 3 down Coyote […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 15, 2025 0 Comments
Eastern Sierra, CA, Report: 113mph Winds, Lenticular Clouds, & Crazy Long Chute In The Sun Report from May 13, 2025 Yesterday was insanely windy in the Eastern Sierra, CA. Mammoth Mountain saw winds up to 113mph and didn’t open for the day. We brainstormed all morning on where to ski and ended up heading to the “Trailer Park Chutes.” These chutes don’t look like much from below, but man, they are long and fun. The […] Backcountry Miles Clark | May 14, 2025 0 Comments
Top 5 End-of-Season Spring Skiing Traditions As ski resorts begin to close, it’s a great time to look back and reflect on the past winter. The ups and downs. The chairlift-chats and gut-busting laughter with friends, both old and new. The long days filled with powder and après. But just because the snow is winding down, doesn’t mean the fun has to, too. If there is […] John Cunningham | May 14, 2025 0 Comments
Mammoth, CA, Report: Big Wind Leads To A Private Ski Resort on Chair 23 Report from May 11, 2025 Our plan was backcountry yesterday, but the wind said otherwise. It was blowing about 60mph at the top of Chair 1 at Mammoth around 8 am. The wind direction was magically just right and Mammoth was able to get all the chairs open. Weirdly, the lower mountain was windier than the upper mountain. I rode […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 12, 2025 0 Comments
The 9 Most Expensive Daily Lift Tickets in the USA Last Season Three-hundred-dollars. 300 big ones. A week’s pay or more for many full-time laborers in America—workers in the very same ski towns that charge these exorbitant prices for a day lift ticket. How do these honest people afford to go skiing? Or do they? Related: Understanding Dynamic Pricing in the Ski Industry It’s happening; daily ski ticket prices are reaching unprecedented […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | May 12, 2025 30 Comments
Eastern Sierra, CA, Report: Gorgeous Chute With Mini-Mandatory Air in the “Dirt Bike Chutes” Report from May 11, 2025 I awoke in Pennsylvania on Friday at 4:20 am, drove to New York, got on a plane, pit stop in Detroit, landed in Salt Lake City, UT, up to Park City, packed my bags, dropped by the POC office in Park City, grabbed a full-face helmet for my new e-bike, dropped by the Momentous office […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 11, 2025 0 Comments
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