Helicopter Crash Claims One Life in Remote Swiss Alpine Region A helicopter crash in the high-altitude Fusshörner region of the Swiss Alps has left a 51-year-old Swiss man dead, Valais authorities confirmed Saturday, June 28. The helicopter, which was traversing the Oberaletsch Glacier at the time, came to a sudden halt on its side after an unexplained impact with the ground, according to Valais cantonal police. The aircraft, operated by […] Crash Joseph Kaufmann | July 2, 2025 0 Comments
Flying With Skis? Here’s What Major Airlines Allow [Updated June 2025] Are you already planning your next ski trip to Europe, South America, or perhaps dreaming of conquering Corbet’s Couloir? Before you set off, it’s essential to know what you can bring and what it will cost you in checked baggage. United Airlines United allows one ski or snowboard equipment item per passenger as checked baggage, provided it […] Claire Weiss | June 30, 2025 0 Comments
“TikTok Made Me Ski There”—Can Viral Content Influence Where We Ride? TikTok may have started as a hub for lip-syncing and dance trends, but it’s now one of the most influential platforms shaping how people choose where to travel. A new study analyzing data from January 2023 to March 2025 shows just how far that influence has spread and how much it’s changing the way travelers, especially younger ones, explore the […] Brains Brent Thomas | June 25, 2025 0 Comments
The Reason You Can’t Build a Snowman in Antarctica Antarctica is the snowiest and most ice-covered place on Earth—yet paradoxically, it’s also the world’s largest desert. Less than half a percent of the continent is ice-free, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet contains a staggering 30 million cubic kilometers (7.2 million cubic miles) of ice. This single ice sheet holds about 70% of the planet’s freshwater and 90% of its […] Brains Joseph Kaufmann | June 18, 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
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
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
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
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: 14 Glorious Runs on the Best Day of the Season & Mom’s Birthday Report from April 25, 2025 Friday was my Mom’s birthday. She left us in 2023. We’ve had a difficult weather month here in Valdez this year but on Mom’s birthday, it went blue… We started early on Friday with Pulseline Adventure. Legendary guide Jessica Baker was our lead guide on this day and she crushed it. Powder, steeps, long runs, […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 28, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: Evening Light Steep Skiing Until Pumpkin Hour Report from April 24, 2025 We’ve had rough weather this month in Valdez, AK. But we did sneak out for one powder run with Pulseline Adventure on April 23rd, and it was glorious just to get out. Then, on a sunny evening on April 24th, we got back out and skied a warm-up and then two deliciously steep runs. This […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 27, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Heli-Skiing Report: Sluffy Steeps & Powder Snow In A New Zone Report from April 15, 2025 Yesterday we got out there early knowing the clouds would be building in the afternoon. We tip-toed as we have quite a few avalanche problems on the board and our reconnisance flight yesterday morning revealed hundreds of avalanches that occured mid-storm. We started on very mellow terrain. Then bumped up the angle slowly and tenitively. […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 20, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Report: 9 Runs of Airs, Mini-Spines, & Wide-Open Powder Report from April 15, 2025 On Tuesday, we got there early with Pulseline Adventure in Valdez, AK. We knew the clouds were coming in later in the day. We found good snow in a gorgeous zone off the Valdez Glacier right away. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) We lapped it and laughed at the […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 20, 2025 0 Comments
Valdez, AK, Report: Vicious Views Skiing Fresh Powder In Sunset Light Report from April 14, 2025 Monday morning started out snowing hard at sea level. Then, the clouds started to part around noon. By 1 pm, we were airborne. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SnowBrains (@snowbrains) We started in an old favorite zone and found good snow. As the day wore on, we bumped over to a […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | April 17, 2025 0 Comments