These Are All The New Chairlifts Being Installed Out West This Year After a slump in lift installations during the pandemic, there are a ton of new projects this year and it can be hard to keep track of them. Here are most of the significant (non-beginner) lift installations and expansions happening out west this year. Colorado Vail New lifts: Game Creek Express #7, Sun Down Express #17 After nearly 4 decades […] Industry News Spencer McLaughlin | November 4, 2022 4 Comments
NASA: Western Smoke Rides the Winds In late summer 2022, nearly 100 large wildland fires burned in the U.S. West. Almost two dozen of those burned Washington and Oregon alone, filling the air with smoke. Plumes from two of the fires on September 10, 2022, were especially pronounced. Related: NASA: Smoky Fires Rage in the Northwest The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite […] Fire Firebrains | September 13, 2022 0 Comments
SnowBrains Forecast: Pattern Change Out West; Feet of Snow Expected Forecast By SnowBrains Chief Meteorologist – Eric McNamee 8:35 PM MST, 12/5/2021 Forecast Summary: FEET of snow is expected across the western US over the next week as a major pattern change occurs. The extremely dry November over the west looks to hopefully change going into December as a long-wave trough develops. Different regions of the west will see rounds […] Weather Eric McNamee | December 5, 2021 0 Comments
Where is All the Snow? Snowpack Well Below Normal Across the West After what seemed like a promising start to the winter, most states got dumped on in October, things have taken a turn for the worse. Warm temperatures and lack of precipitation have left ski areas hurting, with many having postponed opening days. Even snowmaking opportunities to give the base a helping hand have been limited due to the warm temperatures. Related: […] WeatherBrains | December 1, 2021 1 Comment
Recent Wintry Weather Has Left Many Mountains With Snowpack x1,000s More Than Normal The intermountain west has been slammed with wintry weather this last few weeks, doing wonders for the early season snowpack. Utah and Colorado especially have had an awesome start to the season, so much so that three Colorado resorts are open this weekend. Related: 3 Resorts Are Open in North America This Weekend What’s been so great about this, though […] SnowBrains | October 22, 2021 0 Comments
NASA: Heat Records Across the West Fall in Early Summer Heatwave This post first appeared on NASA Earth Observatory and was written by Kathryn Hansen Extreme heat has descended on the southwestern United States this week, with several states enduring temperatures near and above record highs for June. As temperatures have surged, the region is also dealing with drought and scattered wildfires. The map above shows air temperatures across the continental […] WeatherBrains | June 17, 2021 0 Comments
Lackluster Rainy Season Leading to Worse Drought Conditions in California Article By SnowBrains Meteorologist – Eric McNamee 2:20 PM MST, 3/30/2021 After a lackluster rainy season across California, there is a growing concern for drought conditions to worsen. Back at the beginning of the month, there was some optimism for a “Miracle March” since the overall setup was pretty active, with storms moving through the region every few days. But […] Weather Eric McNamee | March 31, 2021 1 Comment
SnowBrains Forecast: Active Pattern Out West The Next Seven Days, 1-6 Feet of Snow Possible Forecast By SnowBrains Meteorologist – Eric McNamee Brought to you by Alta Ski Area 6:45 PM MST, 2/10/2021 Forecast Summary: 1-6 FEET of snow is expected across the West through the next seven days as a series of storms make their way through the region. Snow will get going tomorrow morning as the first shortwave trough moves into the West […] Weather Eric McNamee | February 10, 2021 0 Comments