The Best Big Mountain Ski Resorts in the U.S., Ranked by a Freestyle Skier Ranking the best big mountain ski resorts in the United States is a fool’s errand — and I’m absolutely doing it anyway. Lists are inherently wrong, no matter how you look at them. There will almost always be something to argue about. So why make them at all? Well… I love a good debate. There are no set factors that […] Brains Ryan Flynn | May 13, 2026 31 Comments
March Madness Ski Resort Edition 2026: Vote on the Best Ski Resort in North America Just when you thought the ski season was about to wind down, the biggest ski resort showdown begins. In honor of one of the best tournaments ever created, SnowBrains’ March Madness Ski Resort Edition sets out to crown the overall best ski resort in North America, voted by the people. Last year marked the first edition of the tournament, featuring […] Featured Article SnowBrains | March 15, 2026 2 Comments
“Just Point It”—The New Mexico Ski Company Built on Steep Lines and Commitment You may have never heard of the company Just Point It, but it was born on the steep pitches of New Mexico over a decade ago. The Wolff brothers—Ted, Nick, and Joe—grew up skiing every mountain they could reach, but they always found their way back to the challenges of Taos Ski Valley. Their rallying cry on the hill, “Just […] Gear Brent Glogau | December 15, 2025 0 Comments
Taos, NM, Offers $70 Lift Tickets on 70th Anniversary Opening Day Taos Ski Valley is one week away from Opening Day, with fresh snowfall, cold temperatures and around-the-clock snowmaking setting the stage for the start of the 2025-26 winter season. The resort said in a press release that lifts are scheduled to begin spinning next Thursday, November 27, as the mountain enters its 70th anniversary season. Snow earlier in the week, […] Martin Kuprianowicz | November 20, 2025 0 Comments
Earn a Free Season Pass to Taos, NM, by Ski Compacting This Winter If you’ve ever dreamed of skiing Taos all season long without paying a dime, here’s your chance. The Taos Ski Patrol is inviting up to 30 volunteers to join its Boot & Ski Packing Program. This program is a unique opportunity to help prepare the mountain for winter, reduce avalanche risk, and earn a free unlimited 2026 season pass with no […] Industry News Brent Glogau | October 4, 2025 0 Comments
Taos Ski Valley, NM, Begins Replacement of Lift 7, Launches New Fund to Support Local Youth Summer construction is underway at Taos Ski Valley as the resort replaces its aging Lift 7 with a new Leitner-Poma fixed-grip triple chairlift. The upgrade is part of a broader infrastructure improvement effort aimed at enhancing the mountain experience ahead of the 2025-26 ski season. Related: Severe Floods Wash Away Home and Kill Father and 2 Children in New Mexico […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | July 15, 2025 0 Comments
New Mexico Ski Instructor Clinches 3rd Freeski National Title Edward Herrera, a 38-year-old ski instructor from New Mexico, secured his third overall freeski national championship at the 2025 United States Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) National Championships, held April 5–9 at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Representing the Southwest Freeride Series, a regional competition circuit that gives skiers and snowboarders across New Mexico and the Southwest a chance to qualify for […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | May 1, 2025 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Southern Rockies Resorts Get Up to 18″ of Snow Today, But a Pattern Change Incoming Forecast Prepared at midnight MST, April 4, 2025 A storm moves across Southern Colorado on Friday and Friday night, producing snow across the Front Range and the San Juan Mountains but primarily hitting the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This storm will close out one of the busiest weeks this year for the Southern Rockies. However, the outlook for April looks much […] Weather WeatherBrains | April 4, 2025 0 Comments
March Madness Ski Resort Edition: Vote on Who Will Be Crowned Champion as Best Ski Resort in North America While March may be the most exciting time of year for basketball fans, the month typically sees skiing wind down to a close—until now. To honor the most intense sports tournament on the continent, SnowBrains decided to host a March Madness of its own to find out which ski resort its following would crown champion as the Best Ski Resort […] SnowBrains | March 25, 2025 0 Comments
Beyond Carbon Neutral: How American Ski Resorts Are Achieving Net Zero Carbon Emissions In an ever-changing world of combating climate change, some ski resorts are leading the sustainability charge. Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico was the first North American resort to go carbon neutral in 2021, and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado did it soon after, also going carbon neutral in 2023, just under two years ahead of its 2025 goal. Going carbon […] Brains Jake Benton | January 3, 2025 0 Comments
Top 9 Ski Resorts in North America as a Professional Freeskier View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) Here are my top nine personal favorite ski resorts as a professional freeskier: Related: The Top 10 Male Freeskiers of All-Time: 9. Mount Bachelor, Oregon This is where I learned to ski. It was a very special place in my heart. I did a full ski season […] Featured Video Miles Clark | November 26, 2024 0 Comments
Summer at Taos Ski Valley, NM, Delivers Mountain Adventures with Immersive Packages Taos Ski Valley, NM (May 14, 2024) – This summer Taos Ski Valley offers a variety of mountain adventures, spa experiences, dining, and lodging packages for guests of all ability levels and interests. With activities ranging from via ferrata, to mountain biking, to pickleball, to arts & culture immersions, Taos’ unique experiences couple the resort’s signature mountain hospitality with an […] SnowBrains | June 10, 2024 0 Comments
Today’s Deepest Resorts — North America’s Top 5 Snowfalls, April 2, 2024 April is the new January, have you heard? Just when you thought you could crack out the short shorts, it’s back to full on winter this season. Get in the Snow – SnowBrains Weekly Email Delivers Our Most Popular Articles, Social Posts, and Exclusive Deals to Your Inbox These open resorts across North America saw the most snow in […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 2, 2024 0 Comments
Taos Ski Valley, NM: 2024/2025 Season Passes Now on Sale 2024/2025 Taos season passes are now on sale. I spent a week at Taos for a freeride competition several years ago. It was one of the best weeks of spring skiing of my life. It was full of sunshine, short lift lines, corn, steep skiing, and hot laps. I can only imagine Taos on a mid-winter powder day. I hope […] Featured Article Dominic Gawel | April 1, 2024 0 Comments
Taos Ski Valley, NM, Completes 1 of 2 New Chair Installations For Next Winter Taos is known for its steeps but that doesn’t keep the ski area from improving its infrastructure for skiers and riders of all experience levels. On August 25, Taos Ski Valley announced the completion of its new Pioneer Chair, which accesses predominately beginner terrain. The new chair is a fixed triple, like the old one, except with a new and improved design […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 29, 2023 0 Comments
China Peak, CA, Continues Modernization With 2 New Lifts by 2025 China Peak, CA, recently announced exciting plans to upgrade two of its lifts by the 2024/2025 season. Located just 65 miles from Fresno, CA, this lesser-known resort has operated its lifts since 1958 and is noted for its wonderful terrain and limited crowds. However, to keep up with nearby resorts, China Peak has undertaken several modernization projects in recent years. […] Industry News Anton Lengyel | July 21, 2023 0 Comments
Taos Ski Valley, NM, Adds Electric Snowmobiles to its Fleet Taos Ski Valley, a world-class resort in New Mexico, has purchased a new fleet of electric snowmobiles. The machines were bought from the Canadian-based company Taiga, which is creating innovation in the snowmobile industry at a truly impressive rate. Related: Taos, NM: A Confluence of Culture Taos initially purchased nine snowmobiles from Taiga, and they plan to further integrate these […] Matt Scribner | May 9, 2023 0 Comments
Taos, NM: A Confluence of Culture Brought to you by Taos Ski Valley When you picture a ski town, you might imagine quaint European chalets tucked under a cozy layer of snow. Or, you might think of swanky condos and the sprawling mega-mansions of the super-rich. Chances are, you did not picture structures made out of adobe (a mud and straw mixture) that have stood for […] Featured Article Lynn Barlow | April 10, 2023 1 Comment
Water Distribution System Outage Closes Taos Ski Valley, NM Taos Ski Valley, NM, has been closed since Sunday, April 2, 2023, due to ongoing municipal water distribution system repairs. The resort first became aware of the problem on Saturday and had hoped to be able to fix this issue quickly. However, the antiquated pipes are leaking, meaning the resort doesn’t have enough water pressure to safely operate critical guest […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 4, 2023 0 Comments
Taos Ski Valley, NM, Hosting World Pro Ski Tour World Championships March 30-April 1, 2023 Taos, NM, will once again host the World Pro Ski Tour World Championships. The World Pro Ski Tour is an American tour featuring foremost professional alpine racers. This Tour features Olympians, World Cup athletes, and professional skiers from around the world and culminates in the World Championship tournament on Taos’ world-renowned terrain. Ski racers compete side-by-side in a single-elimination format. On-site […] Industry News SnowBrains | March 29, 2023 0 Comments
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