October 2026

 Ski Industry Sends Letter to Lawmakers Strongly Opposing Permanent Daylight Savings Time. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to end the United States’ long practice of daylight saving time. Now, it just needs to pass the Senate vote before it can become law. USA Today reported that a coalition representing 115 ski areas in 10 states warned senators that permanent daylight saving time would have detrimental effects on the ski industry. More. Snowbrains

Waterville Valley Building New Outdoor Adventure Zone. Construction is well underway on the new multi-element Outdoor Adventure Zone that will include several new year-round activities in one central hub at Waterville Valley Resort, on the shore of Corcoran Pond near the village’s various lodging properties. More. SAM

Killington’s $7.2 Million Snowdon Quad Takes Shape Ahead of World Cup Return. Killington Resort reached a major construction milestone recently when helicopters helped install the remaining towers for its new Snowdon Quad chairlift. More. Ski Racing Media

What’s New at Ikon Pass Resorts for the 2026/27 Season. When there’s more than 70 downhill destinations in nearly a dozen countries, Ikon Pass offers something new somewhere each season. This is a high-speed chairlift ride through what you can expect for the 2026/27 season with one of Ikon’s many different pass choices. More. Seniors Skiing

Happy Anniversary Deals and More Deals. Several resorts marking milestone anniversaries this season are celebrating with steep discount deals for lift tickets, and others are discounting prices just for fun- our fun. Some lift tickets are just $9 on certain days, even $3.75, even free. More. Seniors Skiing

NSAA Injury Study: Good News for Incident Rates. The study found that the rate of incidents at United States ski areas was 2.2 per 1,000 skier visits during the 2022-23 season, a 39 percent decline from 3.6 incidents per 1,000 visits reported in the previous study from the 2010-11 season. More. SAM

 The 10 States That Produce the Most Skiers Visits (One Has No Ski Areas at All).  The top states include some of the usual suspects and are home to many of the country’s biggest and most popular ski resorts. But one state in the top 10 has no ski area within its borders. Together, the top 10 states account for more than 55% of all skier and snowboarder visits each winter. More. SnowBrains

New Data Reveals Who the Typical American Skier Is—and How Beginners Don’t Necessarily Fit The Mold. The typical U.S. snowsports participant is a 34-year-old white man on skis. But NSAA data suggests younger, more diverse beginners could change that picture. More. Ski via Google Alerts

Alterra Mountain Company Taps Kelly Vohs as New CEO. Alterra Mountain Company has appointed hospitality and operations leader Kelly Vohs as its new chief executive officer, effective Oct. 19, 2026. Vohs brings nearly 30 years of experience leading businesses across hospitality, real estate, and technology to the role. More. SAM

The Battle Rages On as Oasis Management Files 13D, Escalating Vail Resorts Proxy Fight.  Oasis Management has filed a Schedule 13D with the SEC, formally moving from passive investor to activist and setting the stage for a proxy fight that could put Picabo Street and former Disney CEO Robert Chapek on Vail’s board. More. Snowbrains

September 2026

Vail, Alterra, Boyne, and Powdr Hit With New Antitrust Lawsuit Alleging Ski Pass Price-Fixing. Three skiers have filed a new federal class-action lawsuit accusing four of the biggest ski resort operators in the United States of conspiring to raise and stabilize prices for ski passes, lift tickets, and other destination ski products. More. SnowBrains

Vail Resorts Launches New Marketing Strategy Featuring Flagship Destination Rebrand. Vail is rethinking its strategy going forward to raise the profile of the individual brands within its portfolio. Rather than selling skiers access to a collection of resorts, Vail is attempting to highlight the unique experience of each destination. More. Snowbrains

Ikon Pass Adds Three Resorts in Asia, Two Bonus Mountains in US. Madarao Mountain Resort in Japan and Beidahu Ski Resort and Lake Songhua Resort in China have joined Ikon Pass for winter 2026-27. Also new for 2026-27, Caberfae Peaks in Michigan and Snowy Range Ski Area in Wyoming have been added as Bonus Mountains. More. SAM

Indy Pass Adds More Than 30 Partners, Including Smugglers’ Notch. Indy Pass has added more than 30 new partners, including a headlining partnership with Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Vt. More. SAM

New Mega Pass Announces 25 Partner Resorts For $400. Here’s Who It’s Best For. Today, 14 resorts are joining the Snow Pass, a new multi-resort product offering skiers two days at each partner resort, and 30 percent off additional days. The pass is Northeast-focused, and an excellent intro pass for skiers looking to road trip around and visit smaller, less crowded resorts. More. Ski

8 New Nonstop Flights That Make Getting To The Mountains Easier This Winter. Several airlines are announcing new direct flights into ski country, including routes to ski towns like Bozeman, Montana and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Plus, skiers looking to book that big ski trip to Japan will find new nonstop routes to Tokyo and Sapporo. More. Ski

The 8 Most Exciting New Lifts Coming to North America This Winter. A few of these have been years in the making, others will open new corners of the mountain. Here’s what’s new in ski country. More. Ski

Sugar Bowl’s New Gondola Nears Completion, Part of $100 Million Transformation. Sugar Bowl is detailing several new updates as it undergoes a $100 million, multi-year transformation, tweaking everything from lift infrastructure to its lodges. More. Powder

Tremblant to Invest CA$42M in Lift Served Expansion, Beginner Area. Mont Tremblant will add 62 acres of skiable terrain served by a new high-speed quad chairlift for the 2027-28 season in the Versant Soleil area of the resort, which is also the future home of the new Club Med Tremblant that’s scheduled to open in 2028. More. SAM

Loon to Add 272 Acres of Tree Skiing for 2027-28. Loon Mountain Resort plans to add 272 acres of inbounds tree skiing for the 2027-28 winter season in an area called Black Ridge. More. SAM

Smugglers’ Notch Undergoing Major Snowmaking Improvements. Significant snowmaking equipment and infrastructure upgrades are underway at Smugglers’ Notch Resort, aimed at improving efficiency and production ahead of the 2026-27 winter season. More. SAM

The Summit at Snoqualmie Ends Ikon Pass Reservations, Skiers React. While Ikon Pass holders will no longer need to reserve a spot at the Summit, the resort plans to continue managing ticket capacity. More. Powder

Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Suspends Summer Skiing, Leaving Only One Glacier Ski Area Open in the European Alps. Saas-Fee, Switzerland, suspended summer skiing on August 10, becoming the second major Swiss glacier ski area to shut down this season as persistent heat continues to deteriorate conditions across the Alps. More. SnowBrains

FREESKIER’s Top Five Legendary Double Chairs in North America. A good two-seater lift is unlike anything else in skiing. Ranked and numbered, these are FREESKIER’s top five legendary double chairs in North America. Put ’em on your bucket list! More. Freeskier

11 Famous Ski Resorts—and What Each One Does Best. Every great ski resort has a superpower. Some are defined by their terrain, some by their snow, and others by the way they make a day on the mountain feel. More. Ski

Hit-and-Run Snowboarder Sentenced to 45 Days More Than 2 Years After Causing Collision at Aspen Mountain. A snowboarder who fled the scene after seriously injuring a skier on Aspen Mountain, Colorado, in 2024 has been sentenced to 45 days in jail. More. SnowBrains

August 2026

 Ski Giants Vail, Alterra and Others Sued Over Alleged Price-fixing. Vail ​Resorts, Alterra Mountain Company and two smaller rivals were sued in federal court ‌in Colorado for allegedly colluding with a ski-industry trade association and a research firm to fix prices for multi-mountain season passes and lift tickets. More. Reuters via Google Alerts

Approval for Disputed Park City Lift Improvements Upheld. Lift replacements at Park City Mountain that had been delayed due to opposition by members of the local community were, for now, given the green light by a municipal hearing officer following an appeal of the Park City Planning Commission’s June decision to approve the projects. More. SAM

Eagle Point (UT) Resort to remain closed for 2026-27 season after fire, flooding. Eagle Point Resort will not be open for skiing this winter due to damage from the Cottonwood Fire and Beaver floods. The locally popular resort is in central Utah.  More. KUTV Salt Lake City  via MSN.com

It Takes a Village. Killington’s base village expansion relies on willing collaboration between resort, developer, and the local community. More. SAM

Donner Ski Ranch (CA) Posts Signs Encouraging Guests to ‘Rat Out’ Lifties. The Tahoe-area resort recently took to its Facebook to reveal a new sign that will be posted at the bottom of every chairlift and carpet. The sign encourages guests to “rat,” or report, on lifties using their cell phones while working the lifts. More. Snowbrains Ed. Note: Donner Ski Ranch is a family friendly ski hill across the road from more well-known Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.

 Vail Resorts to Invest in Changes to Rentals, Private Lessons, Dining. Vail Resorts believes the company’s future growth will come by offering an improved guest experience rather than acquiring more ski areas. More. SAM

Aspen Snowmass Partners with Snow Secure to Extend Winter. Aspen Snowmass has enlisted Finnish company Snow Secure to help save snow at the end of each winter, leading to lower energy costs and less water consumption. More. Freeskier

Construction Site July 2026. Infrastructure projects large and small got underway across North America this spring. More. SAM Magazine

Updated North Carolina Winter Sports Safety Act Signed into Law. The North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 648 this week and Gov. Josh Stein signed it into law, codifying an update to the state’s Winter Sports Safety Act that includes a variety of “needed changes” to the legislation, according to the North Carolina Ski Areas Association. More. SAM

Students Invent Device That Could Save Skiers From Tree Wells. The Tree Well Guardian, a device affixed to a ski boot, kicks into action when skiers get stuck headfirst in the snow. More. Powder

The 11 Most Annoying Things Anyone Can Do on a Chairlift Ride. After receiving over 1,000 comments, Snowbrains dug through them all and tallied the pet peeves that came up again and again. From the obvious to the truly horrifying, here are the 11 most annoying things you can do on a chairlift ride, plus a few honorable mentions that deserve a shout-out. More. Snowbrains

The Future of Chairlifts May Be Liftie-Free With Doppelmayr’s AURO System. Austrian ski lift manufacturer Doppelmayr debuted its first Autonomous Ropeway Operation (AURO) lift in December 2020 with the Kumme gondola in Zermatt, Switzerland. What makes the Kumme gondola and AURO lifts special? They do not need lifties. Instead, they rely completely on modern technology to safely and comfortably move skiers up the mountains. More. Snowbrains

June-July 2026

 Mt. Bachelor Announces Game-Changing Upgrades to Northwest Lift. The project will upgrade the utility power supply to the chairlift and replace the electric motor, auxiliary power unit, and all interior equipment, while preserving the foundation, towers, haul rope, terminals, and chairs. More. Powder

Timberline Lodge and Ski Area, OR, Pivots Away from Long-Delayed Mount Hood Gondola Project. The ambitious vision of a modern gondola rising from Government Camp up the slopes of Mount Hood has been discarded. Timberline Lodge and Ski Area has scrapped the high-profile project, choosing instead to re-engineer how guests transition between its lower and upper mountain terrain. More. SnowBrains

Sun Valley Upgrades Two More Bald Mountain Lifts for 2026. The existing Lookout Express lift is being replaced with a high-speed, six-person chair that cuts the ride time down to 8.5 minutes. The existing Christmas lift will remain a detachable four-person chair but will be upgraded to a high-speed quad. More. Freeskier

With Another New Lift, Deer Valley Will Reach 4,500 Acres Next Winter.  The most visible addition during the 2026-27 season will be the Hail Peak Express, a high-speed quad that departs from the new East Village area and brings skiers to the top of the nearby Hail Peak. The Express adds another 200 acres of terrain and seven new runs. More. Powder

Four New Chairlifts Are Coming To These 3 BC Ski Resorts Starting Next Season. The new lifts are set to be built at Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in 2026 and 2027, in some cases significantly changing how visitors can move through the mountains. More. Powder

Three New Midwest Ski Resorts Added to the Ikon Pass. Three new Midwest ski resorts are joining the Ikon Pass. Here’s what skiers need to know about Snowriver, Lutsen and Granite Peak before winter arrives. More. Freeskier

Eagle Point UT Assesses Significant Damage Following Cottonwood Fire. Approximately 300 of its 600 skiable acres were affected by the fire. The central Utah resort reported that Canyonside Lodge, one of its two day lodges, was destroyed, along with more than 100 condominiums and 30 cabins. Four of the resort’s five chairlifts also sustained damage, along with other buildings and equipment. More. SAM

When Does a Ski Pass Pay for Itself? Ski Calculated the Break-Even Point. SKI analyzed all of the major pass products and calculated approximately how many days it takes for each to beat buying day tickets. It all goes to answering the ultimate question-is a season pass still worth it if I only ski a handful of days? More. Ski

Want To Keep Skiing Into Your 70s? These Septuagenarians Have Some Tips. Don’t let aching knees keep you off your skis. Ski spoke to senior skiers about how they keep their bodies—and minds—in prime ski shape. More. Ski

Those Window-Rattling Booms on Powder Days? The Howitzers Behind Them Are Nearly Gone.  The combination of new avalanche mitigation strategies, dwindling supplies of the surplus ammunition used for mitigation, and retirements of people who know how to service an aging arsenal of howitzers has culminated in a more than decade-long push to eliminate reliance on artillery for avalanche mitigation. More. SnowBrains

An Age-Old Lift Problem. The ski industry in North America faces a significant challenge: nearly half of its lifts are at least 30 years old. That means resorts must adopt more rigorous maintenance regimens and plan for eventually replacing these lifts. However, rising prices, limited means of financing, and a reduction in the number of used lifts entering the market make replacement difficult. More. SAM

11 Largest Vertical Drop Chairlifts in North America, Ranked.  With ski tracking apps becoming more popular in recent years, people have become more conscious about the amount of vertical they are getting in every year. More. SnowBrains

More Skiers Than Ever Are Wearing Helmets and the Trend Is Growing. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) reported that 91% of skiers and snowboarders in the United States wore helmets during the 2024-25 season. For comparison, only 25% wore helmets in 2002-03. More. SnowBrains

15 Mountain Truths Ski Patrollers Only Talk About After Hours. Ever wonder what ski patrollers talk about when the lifts stop running? From bizarre skier habits to mountain secrets, here is the ultimate after-hours debrief. More. Ski

May 2026

 Snow Partners to Launch New Multi-Mountain Product, Expand Snow Triple Play. Snow Partners is launching a new multi-mountain frequency product, Snow Pass. The pass will provide two days of access to each partner ski area and operate as a cooperative. The company is also expanding its three-day multi-mountain product Snow Triple Play to the Midwest. More. SAM

Skier visitation in the U.S. tumbled by more than 6 million in the Rocky Mountain West amid a historically hot and dry winter. Roughly 9 million fewer skiers and riders took to the slopes this season than last, with the Rocky Mountain West accounting for more than two-thirds of that decline, according to preliminary data released this week by the National Ski Area Association. The data counted skier visits, or each time an individual used a lift ticket or season pass to a ski area. More. The Aspen Times via Google Alerts

 Global Skier Visits Hit Record 399M for 2024-25. Global skier visits reached a record 399 million in the 2024-25 season, surpassing the previous high of 392 million set in 2018-19, according to the 18th edition of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, compiled by Laurent Vanat. More. SAM

These 5 East Coast Resorts Just Had Their Best Seasons on Record. From the longest season to the earliest opening, these are the East Coast ski areas who won the 2025-’26 season. More. Ski

Vail Resorts Visits, Revenue, and Pass Sales Down. Skier visits, lift revenue, and other season-to-date metrics reported by Vail Resorts were down for the North American ski season through April 19, 2026, compared to the same period through April 20, 2025. More. SAM

Bought a Ski Pass and Didn’t Use It? Here’s What You Can (and Can’t) Get Back. Common sense dictates that since you didn’t use the service you paid for, you should get your money back. Right? Right?!?!? Unfortunately, usually not. More. Ski

$1 Billion Expansion Plans Could Make Nordic Valley, UT, One of the Premier Ski Resorts in the State. A major approved development plan could transform the Ogden Valley ski area into something far larger, with new lifts, expanded terrain, hundreds of lodging units, chalets, condos, hotel rooms, employee housing, and a full village-style base area. More. SnowBrains

Homewood, Sugar Bowl, Lee Canyon Working To Debut Lifts Next Season. A trio of lifts highlight the summer construction season in the Far West, including the ongoing resurrection of a ski and snowboard mountain on Lake Tahoe, and the latest version of a one-of-a-kind, parking lot-base gondola. More. SnowCountry

Nearly 2,000 Ski and Snowboard Instructors Join Labor Suit Against Vail Resorts. Nearly 2,000 current and former ski and snowboard instructors have joined a collective action Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit against Vail Resorts, according to reports citing consent forms filed in federal court in Colorado last week. More. SAM

One Staff Member Killed, Another Injured After Work Basket Falls at Mt. Hood Skibowl. Two Mt. Hood Skibowl employees were in a work carrier when it fell from the line of the Upper Bowl chairlift Thursday morning, killing one and injuring the other. More. SAM

Parents Charged with Endangerment After 5-Year-Old Falls from Lift.  The parents of a 5-year-old boy who fell from a chairlift at Blue Knob All Season Resort were each arraigned this week on a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child. The boy was riding the lift alone when he reportedly turned to adjust his goggles, slipped off the chair and fell 20 feet to the trail below. He did not sustain any major injuries. More. SAM

Official Report on the Castle Peak, CA, Avalanche That Killed 9 Reveals Critical Decision Errors, Undeployed Airbags, and Victims Buried 8 Feet Deep. The Sierra Avalanche Center has published its official investigation report on the February 17, 2026, Perry Peak near Frog Lake/Castle Peak avalanche that killed nine skiers and guides northwest of Lake Tahoe. The report is publicly viewable on Avalanche.org. More. SnowBrains

Skier Killed After Sluff Knocked Them 2,000 Feet Down a Cliff in Rogers Pass, BC. A skier died after a small loose-snow avalanche knocked them off their feet and sent them tumbling 2,000 vertical feet (600 vertical meters) down the northeast face of Swiss Peak in Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, British Columbia. More. SnowBrains

Taxing the Mountain: Vail Resorts’ Blended Sales Tax Angers New Hampshire Residents.  When a skier in New Hampshire buys an Epic Day Pass or full Epic Pass to Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched Mountain, and Mount Sunapee, they’re now paying an Epic Pass sales tax of approximately 3.2% at checkout, even though New Hampshire collects no such tax on retail transactions. More. SnowBrains

April 2026

Indy Pass Adds 16 Resorts for Next Season. Indy Pass continues to grow, which is a good thing, because it offers bargain rates and other perks to smaller, independent areas at less than half of other multi-destination season passes. More. Seniors Skiing

Ikon Pass Adds SilverStar, Giants Ridge. SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia has joined Ikon Pass as a partner resort and Giants Ridge, Minn., has been added as a bonus mountain on the 2026-27 pass. More. SAM

MCP Details $37.5M in Planned Capital Improvements. Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) plans to invest more than $37.5 million in capital improvements across its Power Pass network ahead of the 2026-27 season in the United States and the 2026 season in South America, with projects focused on snowmaking expansion, lift infrastructure, and terrain development. More. SAM

Ikon Pass Adds Partners, Benefits, and Other Changes for 2026-27. Alterra Mountain Company’s 2026-27 Ikon Pass suite of products is on sale  with new partners, access, benefits, and numerous other changes. More. SAM

A New Lift Will Unlock 1,000 Acres of Steep Expert Terrain at Powder Mountain (UT).  Powder Mountain’s new expansion will bring a chairlift to the steep “DMI” (short for Don’t Mention It) terrain pod while adding a new base lodge and other amenities. More. Ski

$1 Billion Expansion Plans Could Make Nordic Valley, UT, One of the Premier Ski Resorts in the State. Nordic Valley has long been one of the state’s more low-key ski areas. If built as envisioned, Nordic Valley would go from a modest ski hill to one of the more dramatically reimagined resorts in the West. More. SnowBrains

Mont-Sainte-Anne Details Lift Replacements, Other Improvements. Mont-Sainte-Anne has ordered three new lifts to replace four existing lifts as part of a CA$100 million investment plan that operator Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) is undertaking in partnership with the Québec government to modernize the resort’s lift infrastructure. More.

Pico (VT) Ski Resort Retires Historic Chairlift. Pico Mountain announced that the Outpost Double chairlift is now closed for good. Earlier this ski season, it experienced a main drive-shaft failure. After further review, an engineering analysis revealed that further repairs are no longer possible. More. Unofficial Networks

Berkshire East and Catamount Join Bear Den, New Mountain Alliance Formed. Berkshire East and Catamount Resorts in Massachusetts have joined Bear Den Partners, formalizing an ownership transition that brings the Schaefer family’s two ski areas into a growing portfolio alongside Vermont’s Burke Mountain and Smugglers’ Notch. More. SAM

Mountain Collective Pass Adds Referral Bonus for 2026-27. The 2026-27 Mountain Collective pass is on sale and has retained all the resort destinations around the world that it offered in 2025-26. More. SAM

New Hampshire Will Become Headquarters for Indy Pass and Parent Company. Erik Mogensen has announced that he will buy out all early investors in Black Mountain and return the ski area to 100% private ownership. He will also permanently relocate the headquarters of Entabeni Systems to the Jackson, New Hampshire, site, as well as the headquarters for the Indy Pass. More. SnoCountry

Oregon Legislature Passes Waiver Reform Bill. Oregon lawmakers finally passed a bill that strengthens the enforceability of liability waivers in the state after several previous attempts to quell what had amounted to a crisis for the state’s outdoor recreation providers failed to progress over the past decade or so. Senate Bill 1517 passed the Oregon House 55-2 on March 5 and the Senate 29-0 on March 6. More. SAM Ed. Note: The Northwest Ski Club Council carried out an extensive letter writing campaign to support the legislation.

Vail, Alterra Named in Antitrust Class Action over Pass Pricing. Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company have been named in a federal antitrust class-action lawsuit challenging pricing and competitive practices tied to their Epic and Ikon passes, respectively. the complaint alleges the companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct by bundling multi-resort access and setting single-day lift ticket prices high enough to steer consumers toward season passes. More. SAM

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz Opens Up About Expensive Lift Tickets, Crowding In Wall Street Journal Interview. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz gave some insight into how he and Vail Resorts view high ticket prices, crowding, and dwindling Epic Pass sales. Katz seldom gives interviews, so his conversation with WSJ Correspondent Roberto Ferdman gives a rare glimpse into his thinking on some of the more contentious issues facing skiers today, More. Snowbrains

Ski Helmet Usage Just Hit An All-Time High of 91% In The 2024/25 Season. According to a report from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), overall helmet usage among U.S. skiers and snowboarders reached a national all-time high of 91% during the 2024/2025 skis season, up from just 25% back in the 2002/03 season. That’s a generational shift in behavior playing out over two decades. More. Unofficial Networks via Google Alerts

More Than Just a Sticker: How Mips Is Changing Helmet Safety in Skiing. SnowBrains spoke with Mips CEO Max Strandwitz to better understand what the technology does and why it has become increasingly common across snow sports and beyond. More. SnowBrains

La Niña Fades as NOAA Expects El Niño by Summer With Significant Impact on Winter 2026-27. The climate pattern that has shaped global weather for the past year is nearly done. La Niña is weakening quickly, and by summer, its warm-water counterpart El Niño could take over. More. SnowBrains

 Germany’s Last Glacier Ski Resort Disappears as Zugspitze’s Platt Lift is Torn Down. An era in German winter sports is drawing to a close as the final ski lift on the Zugspitze glacier area is being dismantled this week — a sad sign of how climate change is reshaping alpine landscapes. More. SnowBrains

Don’t Knock ’Em Till You Ski ’Em. Why Appalachia’s Resorts Are Worth Exploring. Once you get past the stigma, the Southern Appalachians are an unexpected ski region that doesn’t deserve the overlook it gets. More. Ski

I Thought It Was a Gimmick—Until This $60 Boot Hack Saved My Toes at Zero Degrees. Bootcaps, low-tech toe wraps for your ski boots, add a crucial 20 degrees of warmth to keep you on the mountain all day .More.  Ski

February-March 2026

Ikon Pass Reveals 2026-27 Price, New Resorts, and Access for Skiers. The Ikon Pass, one of the two biggest multi-mountain ski passes, is back on sale soon with new resorts, deals for younger skiers, and expanded Colorado access. More. Powder

Indy Pass Adds 16 Partners, Launches Auto-Renewal Requirement for 2026-27 Sales. Indy Pass has added 16 new alpine and cross-country ski area partners and opened 2026-27 pass sales Feb. 25 to existing pass holders under a new automatic renewal structure the company said is designed to manage demand. More. SAM

Epic Pass Drops 20 Percent In Price, But Only For This Age Group. Vail Resorts announced a 20-percent discount for skiers aged 13-30, slashing the price of an Epic Pass to $869 and the price of an Epic Local Pass to $649. The 2026-’27 prices will debut at $1,089 for an adult Epic Pass and $809 for an Epic Local Pass. That’s about a 3.6 percent increase (which is a smaller increase from last year’s 6.5 percent). More. Ski

How Premium Season Passes With Exclusive Amenities are Quietly Influencing the Ski Industry. Resorts across North America are experimenting with ultra-expensive products that promise first tracks, shorter lines, private lounges, and a host of VIP perks to those willing to pay thousands of dollars for the privilege. More. Snowbrains

Oregon Introduces the ORCA Act of 2026 to Address the State’s Liability Insurance Crisis. A bipartisan coalition of Oregon lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 1593, also known as the Oregon Recreation Commerce and Affordability Act of 2026 (ORCA), for consideration in the upcoming legislative session. “Oregon’s liability laws are broken, and it’s not just hurting recreation providers,” Representative  Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) said. “It’s hurting small businesses of every kind that rely on basic liability waivers to operate.” More. Snowbrains

Steamboat’s Long-Held Local’s Only Side Country is Now Open to the Public. Now, two seasons after Alterra Mountain Company invested $200 million over three years on its “Full Steam Ahead” project, Steamboat is still finding its equilibrium between massive infrastructure improvements, increased visitation, a passionate local user base, and how people can best utilize the expanded mountain and base area. More. Freeskier

$100M Investment, Major Changes Coming to Mont-Sainte-Anne. Mont-Sainte-Anne and operator Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) have reached an agreement with the Quebec government to fund substantial capital improvements at the resort, including the replacement of four lifts with three new ones, new snowmaking infrastructure, and installation of warm-season attractions. More. SAM

ORDA Commits $15.9 Million for Upgrades at Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre. The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) board of directors approved $15.9 million in capital investments across Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre mountains, continuing a multi-year run of infrastructure upgrades at the state-owned ski areas. More.  SAM

Burke Mountain (VT) Revival Has Begun. After nearly a decade in receivership, Vermont’s Burke Mountain is coming out of hibernation. New owners Bear Den Partners are prioritizing long-deferred capital improvements and operational stability, having already accomplished a variety of projects after taking ownership in May 2025, with more on the horizon. More. SAM

Bear Den Partners Acquires Majority Ownership of Smugglers’ Notch (VT). Bear Den Partners has acquired a majority ownership interest in Smugglers’ Notch Resort from Bill Stritzler, who has owned Smuggs for 29  years and whose family will retain an ownership stake in the resort. Stritzler’s daughter and Smuggs CEO Lisa Howe will serve as an advisor on the future of the mountain. More.  SAM

Pats Peak (NH) Snowmaking Expansion Includes Multifold Increases to Pumping Capacity, Water Storage. Pats Peak will undergo a significant expansion of its snowmaking system this summer that will allow the ski area to double the number of snow guns it can operate at once starting in winter 2026-27. More. SAM

Powderhorn (CO) Launches Limited Three-Year Pass Tied to 60th Anniversary, Lift Investment. As it approaches its 60th anniversary season, Powderhorn Mountain Resort is introducing a limited three-year season pass, positioning it as both a loyalty offering and commitment to affordability amid a major capital upgrade and plans for future improvements. More. SAM

Pomerelle (ID) Sold to Longtime Mountain Manager. Pomerelle Mountain Resort in southern Idaho has been sold to mountain manager Zach Alexander and his wife, Crystal, according to Ski Idaho. The Anderson family, which has owned and operated the ski area for decades, finalized the sale this month. More. SAM

Shanty Creek (MI) Acquired by New Ownership Group. Trinidad Resort & Club, LLC has sold Shanty Creek Resort to a new ownership group called Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort, LLC. The resort is a 5,500-acre, four-season property that includes two ski areas—Shuss Mountain and Shanty Creek—five golf courses, a variety of lodging and dining options, and several other amenities. More. SAM

Little Switzerland (WI) to Invest $4 Million on Two New Chairlifts. Little Switzerland Ski Area will install two new Skytrac quad chairlifts this summer to replace the ski area’s Lift 1 and Lift 2, a unique “up and over” double chairlift that loads from both the base area and backside of the ski area and transports guests uphill in opposite directions to unload at the summit mid-point. It was originally installed in 1964. More. SAM

What It Really Takes to Build a Modern Ski Lift. No two chairlifts are the same and the engineering and construction must be adapted to the specific terrain and carrying capacity requirements. Replacement of an existing chairlift is a very different process from installing a new one in a new place. More. Ski

Is a $300 Ski Helmet Really Safer Than a $70 One? Ski Found Out. Every winter, Ski’s gear testers try out dozens of ski helmets, putting them through the paces in myriad locations and different weather conditions. Then they collect everyone’s detailed feedback and rate the winning helmets, calling out the best qualities in each one. More. Ski

January 2026

 Ski Patrol Strike Shuts Down Colorado’s Popular Telluride Resort Indefinitely. Telluride Ski Resort in Mountain Village, Colorado, was shuttered Dec. 27, with no date set for reopening, due to a labor dispute with the ski patrol union over wages. More. CBS News via Google Alerts Update: The Telluride website states the following on Sun. Jan. 4: We will open Lifts 1 and both the Children’s learning center and Meadows magic carpets on Monday, January 5. All uphill and downhill access to the mountain on any other terrain is currently closed day and night. There is no public access, anyone trespassing on the mountain will be prosecuted.

Avalanche Kills Mammoth Mountain Ski Patroller. A 30-year-old Mammoth Mountain ski patroller died Sunday from injuries sustained in an avalanche on Friday. One other patroller was injured in the incident, which occurred about 7:30 a.m., Dec. 26, on Lincoln Mountain, while the patrollers were conducting avalanche mitigation work. More. SAM

Snowmass Puts Up Two Lifts In Its Upper Reaches. Two new replacement lifts, an overhaul of a famed mid-mountain rest stop, and tweaking of on-mountain eateries highlight what’s-new at Aspen Snowmass. More. SnoCountry

New Ownership At Ragged Mountain Pledge To Keep Mountain’s Soul Intact. The group of local investors who have purchased New Hampshire’s Ragged Mountain have promised to keep the mountain’s character intact as it makes improvements going forward. More. SnoCountry

Vail Resorts Loosens Advance-Purchase Lift Ticket Window. Vail Resorts will now offer skiers and riders a discount on lift tickets purchased four or more weeks in advance for 12 of its mountain resorts, loosening the previously limited timeframes that non-Epic Pass holders could buy tickets for less than the highest window rates. More. SAM

Vail Resorts’ Latest Earnings Reveal Pass Sales Decline But Major Upgrades for 2026. Notably, Vail reported a 2% decrease in its season pass sales, but a 3% increase in earnings from season passes. The real gems of this report, though, are in the mentions of the improvements Vail Resorts plans to make during 2026. More. Snowbrains

Seven  Up-and-Coming Ski Resorts To Check Out This Season. Tired of skiing the same resort each year on your annual ski vacation? Look no further than this list of up-and-coming ski resorts. More. Powder

Crested Butte – Still the Last Great Colorado Ski Town. It’s not the easiest to get to, but that’s what makes the town so special. As for the mountain, it’s as close to gnar-nia as a skier might ever come. It’s number three on Freeskier’s 2026 ski resort rankings. More. Freeskier Ed. Note: Crested Butte is  the destination for the Far West Ski Association’s 2026 North American Ski Week.

New Living Community for Skiers Above the Age of 55 to Open at Massanutten VA.  Massanutten Mountain Resort, located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, has broken ground on a 55+ community nestled within the resort’s 6,000 acre property. The resort has 82 skiable acres, 23 trails, seven lifts, a vertical drop of 1,100, and until this year, the only double black diamond trail in the southeast. More. SnoCountry

December 2025

Oregon’s outdoor recreation industry is in the midst of a liability insurance crisis. Earlier this year, Safehold Special Risk, a major insurer for ski resorts, announced it would no longer provide coverage in the state. The decision stems from Oregon’s legal climate, where liability waivers are largely unenforceable following a series of lawsuits, leaving businesses more exposed to lawsuits than in neighboring states. More. Snowbrains

At Long Last, Deer Valley Expansion Is Ready To Be Tracked Up. Due to warm weather and ongoing construction, Deer Valley officials don’t expect to start operations until the week before Christmas. But when the ropes finally drop on the much-anticipated Mayflower expansion, seasoned Deer Valley skiers (no snowboarders) will find 2,900 acres of new terrain, 100 new trails, 10 new chairlifts and a 10-passenger gondola that expands the Utah resort’s footprint to 5,700 acres. More. SnoCountry

Pacific Group Resorts (PGR) has acquired SilverStar Mountain Resort in Vernon, British Columbia, from Powdr. PGR’s portfolio now includes six resorts after its acquisition of Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Colorado earlier this year and Jay Peak Resort in Vermont in 2022. SilverStar becomes by far PGR’s biggest ski area with 133 trails spread across 3,300 acres of skiable terrain served by 10 lifts. More. SAM

Ragged Mountain NH Sold to Local Investor Group. SF Mountain Co., LLC (SFMC), a group of local investors with lifelong ties to Ragged Mountain, has acquired the ski area, which went on the market in March of this year. The group has pledged to keep Ragged affordable and rooted in community while investing in its future as a year-round mountain destination. More. SAM

Mad River Glen Exercises Right to Buy 1,100 Acres Surrounding the Ski Area. The Mad River Glen co-op board of trustees voted unanimously to exercise its right of first refusal to acquire 1,100 acres of land that surrounds the existing ski area. The vote was triggered after a third-party offered $2.5 million to buy the property from the current owner. More. SAM

Wisconsin’s Whitecap Mountains Files for Bankruptcy. Whitecap Mountains Resort has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, a process that halts collection efforts as the resort negotiates with creditors. The petition follows several years of financial strain. More. SAM

Shaun White’s The Snow League Sets New Standard. Crafted by Shaun White, the League is a new global halfpipe competition circuit that stands apart from existing competitions thanks to its unique bracket-style format and record-setting prize purse (the free ski prize purse alone is a staggering $580,000). More. Freeskier

The 10 Best Ski Resorts of 2025, According to USA TODAY. USA TODAY assembled a panel of experts to nominate the top contenders, then readers across the country cast thousands of votes to crown their favorites. The result is a definitive list of 10 resorts that rise above the rest, whether for their vast acreage, historic character, family-focused amenities, or sheer ability to make every run unforgettable. More. Snowbrains

Killington Commits $100K in Hurricane Relief for Jamaican Staff, Unveils New ‘Upward & Outward’ Initiative. Killington Resort / Pico Mountain has launched a new charitable and sustainability program, Upward & Outward, starting with a $100,000 commitment to support the resort’s Jamaican employees whose families were impacted by Hurricane Melissa. More. SAM

Snowboarder Falls from Chairlift at Keystone Resort. The 27-year-old snowboarder fell from the Montezuma Express chairlift at Keystone Resort, according to resort officials. Keystone Ski Patrol responded immediately, and the rider was transported to Keystone Medical Center for evaluation where he was treated for unspecified injuries. More. Snowbrains

Breckenridge Ski Patrol Union Reaches Tentative Deal with Resort, Averting Strike. The Breckenridge Ski Patrol Union (BSPU) and Vail Resorts reached a tentative agreement after a late-night bargaining session on Nov. 13 that ended a planned picket and replaced the patrol’s expiring contract. More. SAM

Jackson Hole Ski Patrol Files Petition to Unionize. Ninety-three percent of eligible Jackson Hole Ski Patrol employees backed a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board for a union representation election, according to a release from the patrol. If certified, the group would form the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol Union under Communications Workers of America Local 7781, United Mountain Workers. More. SAM

Snowbound and Snowvana Draw Good Crowds, Future Changes Ahead. The stalwart consumer ski and snowboard shows still play an important—and in some cases a growing—role in stoking excitement for winter sports in key markets of the country, and a handful of this year’s events reportedly did well in their current venues as relocation and expansion discussions are being had for 2026. More. SAM

November 2025

 Will the Drought in the Northeast Curtail Snowmaking This Fall/Winter? Current drought conditions may affect the early season (November/early December). In a “normal” year, resorts might push snow guns aggressively or respond to brief cold snaps. In a drought year, they may have to ration water usage, being more selective about when and where to make snow. The timing of reservoir refill (from late summer and fall rains) is going to be critical. More. Seniors Skiing

Colorado Ski Industry Worried About Slowdown in J-1 Visas That Are ‘Essential’ for Resort Areas’ Workforce. The National Ski Areas Association, which represents over 300 alpine resorts throughout the U.S., said it has heard from ski areas, including in Colorado, that are worried about a potential shortage of seasonal foreign workers on J-1 visas this winter. More. Post Independent (Glenwood Springs and Garfield County, CO) via Google Alerts

Going Skiing in Europe This Winter? New Rules You Need to Know. Going skiing in Europe this winter? Italy now requires helmets for everyone, insurance is mandatory, and France is extending smoking bans to the slopes. Here’s what travelers need to know before hitting the mountains. More. Ski Racing Media

Timberline Prices to Rise Due to Oregon’s ‘Broken’ Liability System. As insurers exit Oregon and available insurance premiums skyrocket in response to the state’s legal climate, in which recreational liability waivers are unenforceable, outdoor recreation providers, including ski areas, are in a precarious position. Timberline, which operates on Mt. Hood, addressed this in a message to Oregonians, warning them that prices will be rising due to “unsustainable financial pressure.” More. SAM

Ikon Pass Expands Access in Asia with Nine New Destinations. The Ikon Pass will significantly expand its footprint in Asia for winter 2025-26, adding nine new ski destinations across Japan, China, and South Korea. More. SAM

Indy Pass Reports Jump in Sales, Redemptions. The number of Indy Pass products sold for 2025-26 grew 60 percent year-over-year, and pass holder redemptions at partner ski areas were up 40 percent for the 2024-25 season compared to 2023-24. With the addition of 50 new ski area partners on the pass, pass holders will have two days of access to each of more than 270 ski areas around the world.  More. SAM

Killington Plans $22M in Improvements for 2026. Killington Resort plans to invest $22 million in on-mountain infrastructure next year, including a new fixed-grip quad and an expanded on-hill restaurant facility. The Snowdon triple will be replaced by a fixed-grip quad chair, a $6.5 million project. An additional $6 million of funding will be used to construct a reimagined Jerk Jamaican Mountain Grill.  More. SAM

FIS Bans Russian Athletes from Milan-Cortina Olympic Qualifiers. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has voted to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes out of all qualification events for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, reaffirming its firm stance against participation by both nations amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. More. Ski Racing Media

Saddleback, Big Sky Tops in SKI Reader Survey. The results from the 2026 SKI Reader Resort Survey put Saddleback, Maine, ranked top in the East and Big Sky Resort, Mont., as the highest ranked resort in the West. Saddleback improved one place from its No. 2 ranking last year, while Big Sky jumped 23 spots. Rankings are based on responses from SKI’s annual reader survey, which is conducted every spring and asks respondents to rank each ski area in 18 different categories, such as grooming, family-friendliness, value, dining, and access. More. SAM

The 9 Most Outdoor-Obsessed States. To see which states in the nation are the most adventure-hungry, travel brand KÜHL dug into Google search data from August 2024 to August 2025, analyzing interest in 14 outdoor activities across all 50 states and adjusting the results per 100,000 residents. More. Snowbrains

Upcycling— How Fishing Nets Become Ski Jackets. What if we told you that the new ski jacket you just bought for this winter is actually made from a net that was once used for commercial fishing? Brands across the ski industry are utilizing new technology that takes old fishing nets and turns them into high-performance nylon suitable for technical outdoor apparel. More. Powder

October 2025

 Best Ski Resorts For Early Season Snow. It’s never too early to start planning for the upcoming winter season, and that includes the popular time around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. ZRankings has put together an excellent guide to help you find the best snow during the holidays. More. OpenSnow

Alterra Commits $400M to Resort Upgrades, Employee Housing for 2025-26.  Alterra Mountain Company is spending more than $400 million on capital projects, guest amenities, and employee programs across its portfolio for the 2025-26 season, with a major share directed to Deer Valley Resort’s ongoing transformation. More. SAM

Snow Triple Play Pass Partners with Mountain Collective, Adds Kissing Bridge. Snow Partners, parent company of Mountain Creek Resort, Big Snow American Dream, and the Snow Triple Play pass, has formed a strategic partnership with the Mountain Collective pass program. More.

Indy Pass Ended Sales Sept. 18, Added Final Resorts. Since last winter, Indy has added 48 resorts across 14 countries. The latest additions include Donner Ski Ranch, Calif.; Montage Mountain, Pa.; Magic Mountain, Idaho; Leavenworth Ski Hill, Wash.; Kaunertaler Gletscher, Austria; and Kartalkaya Dorukkaya Ski Resort, Turkey.  More. SAM

Indy Pass to Partner With Up to 100 Independent Ski Shops.  Indy Pass announced today that it has allied with the Winter Sports Retailers (WSR), an independent ski and snowboard retailers association, to provide exclusive discounts on gear and tune-ups for Indy Pass holders at participating shops. More. SnowBrains via Google Alerts

Fire Destroys Sugarbush Resort Golf Clubhouse. A fire late Sept. 24 destroyed the clubhouse at Sugarbush Resort Golf Club, which housed the golf pro shop and Hogan’s Pub, resort officials said. More. SAM

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe Invests $6 Million in Tubing Center and Snowmaking for 2025-26 Season.  Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has invested $6 million this season to add the new Wildslide Tahoe Tubing Center and expand its snowmaking systems. More. SAM

Year-End Results for Vail Resorts Signal Changes Ahead. In his comments about Vail Resorts’ fourth quarter and full year results reported Sept. 29, CEO Rob Katz acknowledged that the company plans to make some changes to its strategy to combat declines in Epic Pass sales and visitation to its North American resorts. More. SAM

Snowbound Expo Returns to Boston This November to Kick Off the 2025-26 Winter Season. Boston will again become the epicenter for winter sports enthusiasts this November as the Snowbound Expo takes place from November 14 to 16 at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center. This three-day event marks the official start of the 2025-26 snow season in New England, bringing together a vibrant community of skiers, snowboarders, and enthusiasts of other winter sports all under one roof. More. SnowBrains

Virtual Silent Auction Flyer for distribution. If you’d like to send the flyer to others or print it, this link will take them to the flyer on the NSCF website.

September 2025

Indy Reopens Sales, Launches Learn-to-Turn Pass. With the addition of dozens of new resorts, Indy Pass went back on sale to the public on Aug. 28, 2025. Indy halted sales of its 2025-26 pass in March after reaching its cap following a 10-day sales period. The company will also launch a new Learn-to-Turn pass that includes three total days of bundled lift access, rentals, and lessons for $189 on Aug. 28. More. SAM

Indy Pass Confirms 43 New Partners, Learn-to-Turn Details. Indy Pass has added 43 alpine and cross-country partner ski areas for the 2025–26 season, bringing its total to 271 worldwide. The pass went back on sale August 28. More. SAM Ed. Note: This additional article details the added ski areas.

Snow Triple Play to Launch Sept. 1 with 15 Partner Ski Areas. A new multi-mountain ski and snowboard product, the Snow Triple Play, went on sale Sept. 1, offering Northeast skiers and snowboarders three days of lift access at 15 participating resorts in the U.S. and Canada for $199.99. More. SAM

Sugarloaf, Maine Announces Upgrades Ahead of 75th Season. Vice President of Mountain Operations, Brent Larson, announced several upgrades to mountain infrastructure. More. Freeskier

Six Best Chairlifts in the Rocky Mountains. FREESKIER has picked out six lifts (in no particular order) that we think stand apart from the masses. Some are front-page regulars; popular chairlifts that you’ve heard of before. But some are a bit off the beaten path. More. Freeskier

ICYMI: Ikon Pass Expands in Italy, Adds Five Valle d’Aosta Resorts. Ikon Pass holders will gain access to Valle d’Aosta’s five ski areas for winter 2025-26, including Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Cervino Ski Paradise, La Thuile Espace San Bernardo, Monterosa Ski, and Pila. More.  SAM

“Cervino the One” Project: Matterhorn Ski Paradise Plans Dramatic Overhaul of the Connection from Cervinia, Italy, to Zermatt, Switzerland. The Italian side of the cross-border ski area Matterhorn Ski Paradise has announced its biggest lift upgrade in decades, aimed at dramatically improving access from Italy to Switzerland. More. Snowbrains

Vail Resorts Faces Investor Pressure as Local Billionaire Tech CEO Matthew Prince Eyes Purchase of Park City Mountain, UT. Matthew Prince, the billionaire CEO of Cloudflare and a longtime Park City resident, has renewed public interest in buying Park City Mountain from Vail Resorts—even as the Colorado-based company insists the resort is not for sale. More. Snowbrains

Jury Sides with Skier Injured in Fall from Chairlift. An Oklahoma woman who was left paralyzed from the waist down after she fell from a chairlift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in March 2022 was awarded $20 million in damages by a Colorado jury on Friday. More. SAM

Is the “Golden Age” of Skiing Coming to an End?  Despite all the challenges facing skiing, the sport is not doomed to disappear. The decline of skiing is a complex issue driven by environmental, economic, and cultural changes. While skiing faces significant challenges, there are opportunities for adaptation and reinvention. More. Seniors Skiing

March 2025

Women Ski Jumpers Win Equal Pay for First time at First Women’s World Cup in USA. For the first time in history, a Women’s World Cup ski jumping event was held on U.S. soil, marking a major milestone for the sport. The competition also made history by awarding equal prize money to female athletes for the first time, a significant step toward gender equity in professional ski jumping. More. Park City Town Lift via Google Alerts

Indy Pass Adds Six Ski Areas for 2025-26 Season. Indy Pass will include six new ski area partners in 2025-26, including the first Southern Hemisphere partner resort. The new additions are Burke Mountain, Vt.; Tenney Mountain, N.H.; Corralco Mountain Resort, Chile; Rauriser-Hochalmbahnen, Austria; Pila, Italy; and Mt. Washington XC, British Columbia, Canada. Indy Pass holders can ski this summer at Corralco when it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere. More. SAM

Mountain Collective 2025-26 Pass Adds Benefits, Loses A-Basin. For the 2025-26 season, the Mountain Collective Pass will once again offer two days of access to 26 ski partner resorts with some changes from the previous year, including the departure of Arapahoe Basin, Colo., and the addition of new pass-holder benefits. More. SAM

Idaho Supreme Court Reconsiders Ski Area Liability Ruling. Initially, a lower court ruled in favor of Sun Valley Resort, citing Idaho’s 1979 Ski Area Liability Act, which limits ski area operators’ liability for inherent risks of skiing. The Idaho Supreme Court reversed this decision in December 2023, stating that a jury should determine whether the resort had failed to meet the duties of ski area operators outlined in the state’s Ski Safety statute, regardless of the skier’s actions. The December 2023 ruling could lead to higher insurance costs for all ski areas. Sun Valley asked the court to rehear the case on the basis that the court failed to factor in considerations such as the duty of skiers in its original ruling.  More. SAM

Keystone Ski Patrol ratifies contract after months of negotiations with Vail Resorts.  The Keystone Ski Patrol Union announced that members voted to ratify a contract with Vail Resorts. More. KDVR-TV Denver via MSN.

Majority Sale of Powderhorn Brightens Future for Colorado Resort. A deal to make the managers of Powderhorn Mountain the majority owners of the western Colorado mountain promises to build upon recent upgrades. Located less than an hour’s drive from Grand Junction, Powderhorn first opened in 1966. More. SnoCountry

The 11 Oldest Ski Gondolas Still in Use in North America Today. While new gondolas are being installed each year across North America for skiing, this article will focus on the oldest gondolas still in operation for skiing access. More. SnowBrains

Honoring 60+ Years of East Coast Spring Skiing Tradition at Killington, VT, as Resort Begins Construction for New Superstar Chair in April.  The legendary Superstar Express Quad is being replaced with a new six-passenger chairlift and will close to the public on April 13, after providing almost 40 years of incredible spring skiing. The new lift will be finished in the fall, though not in time for the annual Thanksgiving World Cup race, which has been moved to Copper Mountain, Colorado, for 2025. More. SnowBrains

This May Be the Best East Coast Ski Season in Almost 20 Years: It Just Keeps Snowing. While it’s still relatively early, 2024-25 is shaping up to be a memorable year on the East Coast. More. SnowBrains

December 2024 – January 2025

 Forest Service Budget Challenges Threaten Avalanche Center Operations Nationwide. Looming federal budget cuts have forced the Forest Service to institute a hiring freeze this fall for seasonal employees right as many avalanche centers are getting ready to bring on their winter workforce of experts. More. SnowBrains

Park City Mountain Resort Ski Patrol Goes on Strike. Nearly 200 members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association went on strike over wages and benefits. Vail Resorts says wages have increased for ski patrollers by over 50% over the past four seasons. The Park City resort remains open with patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and other resorts. More. Deseret News

The Remaking of Deer Valley Begins with Lifts, Terrain, Second Village. This winter, the Wasatch Range resort will sneak-peek the new East Village area by opening three new chairlifts and 300 acres of terrain just off U.S. 40 below Park City. The new base will offer a second entrance to Deer Valley’s slopes and trails, hopefully reducing traffic around downtown Park City where the original base area is located. More. SnoCountry

Powder Mountain Begins Transformation into Public-Private Resort. The grand experiment is underway at Powder Mountain in northern Utah, as the 2024-2025 season opens with four new chairlifts, a portion of the mountain roped off for homeowners only, a longtime season pass cap lifted, and February weekends restricted to season pass holders. More. SnoCountry

Alterra Mountain Company Closes on Arapahoe Basin. Alterra Mountain Company closed the purchase of Arapahoe Basin in Colorado in November, expanding Alterra’s portfolio to 18 mountain destinations. A-Basin president and COO Alan Henceroth, who has been with the resort for 36 years, will continue to lead the resort and oversee daily operations with his longtime team. More. SAM

Red River, Ski Santa Fe Debut New Lifts On New Mexico Mountains. Two of northern New Mexico’s winter mountains put in chairlifts this summer to replace a pair of workhorses that had been hauling skiers and riders out of the base areas for decades. More. SnoCountry

9 Ski Areas Seniors Can Ski for Free. If there is one perk to aging, it‘s got to be free skiing. Growing older certainly is proving to have its benefits, with some resorts across North America offering free ski passes to those who meet their definitions of “Senior” or “Super Senior.” Ed. Note: Palisades Tahoe also offers free skiing to 80+ skiers.  More. SnowBrains

The World’s First 100% Aluminum Skis are Here and the Benefits are Substantial. Ski design has undergone a remarkable evolution, from early hickory planks to the advanced composite technologies of today. The latest innovation, however, comes in the form of skis milled entirely from aerospace-grade aluminum. More. SnowBrains

Industry Legend Klaus Obermeyer Just Turned 105 and He Looks Better Than Ever. “The longer you ski, the longer you live” is the motto of Klaus Obermeyer, a legend in the skiing world who embodies both the pioneering spirit and the heartfelt passion that defines the sport. More. SnowBrains

Did You Know There Used to Be an Unconventional Ski Area in the Suburbs of Atlanta, GA? For a few years in the late 1970s, Atlanta, Georgia, offered an unexpected twist for thrill-seekers: the Vinings Ridge Ski Area. Far from the powdery peaks of traditional ski resorts, Vinings Ridge operated on a synthetic surface due to the warm climate, making it a unique, year-round attraction. More. SnowBrains

April 2024

 Epic Pass Raises Prices, Adds Crans-Montana for 2024-25.  Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass suite for 2024-25 has the unrestricted Epic Pass launching at $982 and the Epic Local pass retailing for $731, new highs for the products and about an 8 percent increase from last year, when they were $909 and $676, respectively. More. SAM

Ikon Pass Increases Prices, Adds Benefits for 2024-25. The 2024-25 Ikon Pass suite goes on sale March 14, with 58 destinations and a handful of new benefits. The company has bumped up prices, with the unrestricted Ikon Pass retailing for $1,249 (compared to $1,159 last year) and the Ikon Base Pass on sale for $869 (up from $829 last year). More. SAM

Switzerland’s St. Moritz Ski Resort added to Ikon Pass. The Engadin Valley community—a two-time Olympic host, five-time home of the FIS Ski World Championships, and the birthplace of winter tourism in the Swiss Alps—is the sixth European destination on the Ikon Pass. More. SAM

Indy Pass Adds Seven Alpine Partners, Discounts on Cat Skiing. Seven new alpine resorts have been added to the Indy Pass for the 2024-25 season, including four owned by Pacific Group Resorts Inc. Also new, pass holders can get 10 percent off when they book day seats or packaged visits at five cat skiing operations. More. SAM

Antelope Butte (WY) To Offer Free Season Passes to Anyone Under 18. The nonprofit Antelope Butte Ski Area is making 2024-25 season passes free for anyone younger than 18 years old on the date of purchase. Pass sales open on Friday, April 5, for all age groups. The ski area is located roughly an hour outside of Sheridan, Wyo. More. SAM

Warning: Credit Card Fraud Continues to Target Ski Areas. There appears to be an extensive effort to sell fraudulently purchased lift tickets on Craigslist at a discounted price, with dozens of ski areas across North America being targeted. More. SAM

Wave of Western Ski Patrols Move to Unionize. Ski patrollers at Keystone Resort are the latest in a string of western resort patrol departments moving to unionize this winter. At least four other resorts have pending votes to form a patrol union as well. More. SAM

Inconsistencies in Classification of Ski Slope Difficulty Ratings. Individual ski resorts can classify their slopes and runs without permission or oversight by a governing body. This is frustrating and potentially dangerous, especially for beginner skiers relying on those trail markings to be accurate. More.  Snowbrains

This 50-Year Study Reveals Surprising Insights on Ski Helmets and Injury Prevention. Jasper Shealy’s groundbreaking research in ski safety has reshaped our understanding of head injuries on the slopes. More. Ski Magazine

11 Things About Skiing in Europe That Shock Americans. Hint: It’s not the endless vertical or the incredible views they can’t stop talking about. More. Ski Magazine

Abandoned Stagecoach Ski Resort, CO, to be Revived as Private Ski & Golf Club by Company Behind Exclusive Yellowstone Club. A ski area that ceased operations 50 years ago is seemingly being resurrected as a private ski and golf resort by a consortium including the brains behind Yellowstone Club. More. SnowBrains

Retro Ski Suits Are Making a Comeback on the Slopes. Here’s Why. Whether its tight one-piece ski suits or block-print neon numbers, fashion has boosted the cachet of winter sports. More. Salt Lake Tribune via Google Alerts Ed. Note: Barbara Alley Simon who is quoted extensively in the article was honored with a Snowsports Builder Award by the Far West Ski Association in 2019.

November  2023

 Late October Snow Primes the Pump for More Ski Area Openings. More North American ski areas are opening for the season after late-October snowstorms pummeled various regions this past week and cooler temps allowed other areas to fire up their snowmaking systems. Here is a rundown of some recent and soon-to-come opening dates. More. SAM

Windham (NY) Unveils Rebranding, New Master Plan. The Windham Mountain Club, formerly known as Windham Mountain, unveiled its rebranding and capital upgrades for the 2023-24 winter season and beyond. More. SAM

Mountain Capital Partners Inks Joint Venture with Sandia Peak, NM. Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) and Sandia Peak Ski Company have entered a joint venture agreement for the operation of Sandia Peak Ski Area, located 35 miles northeast of Albuquerque, N.M. This is MCP’s third New Mexico ski area.  More. SAM

California Mountain Resorts Company Buys Bear Mountain. California Mountain Resorts Company (CMRC) has acquired Bear Valley. It’s the third acquisition in three years for the growing Golden State conglomerate, which is headed by CEO Karl Kapuscinski. CMRC, which has owned Mountain High since 1997, purchased California’s Dodge Ridge in 2021 and China Peak in 2022. More. SAM

Smugglers’ Notch and Stowe Connector Lift Plans Withdrawn. Plans for a proposed gondola connecting Smugglers’ Notch Resort and Stowe Mountain Resort have been withdrawn following initial disapproval from the Agency of Natural Resources, according to reporting by the News & Citizen. Stowe, owned by Vail Resorts, and privately held Smugglers’ Notch have reportedly been in discussions with Vermont state officials about building the 2,600-foot lift since 2017. More. SAM

Alterra Purchases Mike Wiegele Heli Ski Operation. Alterra Mountain Company has initiated the purchase of Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing (MWHS) in Blue River, BC, Canada. Officials at Alterra said the addition will complement the company’s BC-based CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures operation, and is expected to be completed late this year, pending closing conditions that include regulatory approvals. More. SAM

Black Mountain (NH) to Open, Assisted by Indy Pass. A week after announcing that it would not open for the 2023-24 season, owners of New Hampshire’s Black Mountain have reconsidered after reaching an operating agreement with Indy Pass and its parent company Entabeni. Black Mountain officials announced on Oct. 11 that the ski area would remain closed due to “circumstances beyond our control,” citing soaring energy costs, staffing shortages, and unpredictable weather among other factors. More. SAM

New Owners for Alberta, Canada’s Rabbit Hill. Rabbit Hill Snow Resort, founded in 1955, has transitioned to new ownership—business partners Chuck and Lara Amerongen and Derek and Anna Look. The independently owned ski area is located about 20 miles southwest of Edmonton. More. Ed. Note: Although not of general interest, I just love the resort name.

August  2023

Colorado Ski Traffic is About to Get a Whole Lot Better. Thanks to a major project by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), I-70 will be a much more enjoyable ride from Evergreen to Idaho Springs. The expansion from Evergreen to Idaho Springs will eliminate the bottleneck experience when three lanes merge to two, by way of an additional express lane. More. Freeskier

Utah Dept. of Transportation  Approves Little Cottonwood Canyon Gondola. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has released its final record of decision (ROD) to move forward with construction of a controversial eight-mile-long gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon. When complete, the gondola will feature a central station at the base of the canyon along with a new 2,500-stall parking lot. It will have the capacity to transport 1,050 passengers per hour at 35 people per cabin to Snowbird and Alta. More. SAM

Stratton Mountain Resort, VT, Announces $6.9 Million Investment. Stratton Mountain Resort, Vermont, has announced a $6.9 million investment for the 23/24 season. The resort’s press release states that the investment will go into enhancing multiple facets of the guest and employee experience beginning in the base area with RFID lift gates and a reimagined beginner area. More. SnowBrains

Northeast Ski Areas Damaged, Closings Occurred  in Wake of Floods. An early July deadly storm dropped as much as 10 inches of rain on areas of New York’s lower Hudson Valley July 9 before moving East, bringing downpours across Vermont, with more than 4 inches of rain reported in some mountain locations. Several ski areas sustained flood damage. More. SAM

One Dead, One Seriously Injured After Tremblant Gondola Accident. One person has died and another reported in critical condition  in a Montreal-area hospital after a piece of heavy construction machinery struck a cabin on the Panoramic gondola at Mont-Tremblant Resort on July 16. Two people were riding in the cabin at the time of the crash. It’s believed the two were thrown from the cabin and fell several meters to the ground, according to reporting by the Montreal Gazette. More. SAM

Fire Destroys Lake Louise Ski Resort Employee Housing. Summer operations at Lake Louise Ski Resort were temporarily shut down after an arson fire. A 40-year-old man was charged with arson after a  July 3 fire destroyed a 100,000 square-foot building that houses hundreds of resort staff. There were no fatalities and summer operations have resumed although with some reductions in services.  More. SAM

11 Ski Areas Flee Ski Cooper Pass as Indy Delivers Ultimatum: Drop Cooper or We Drop You. At issue is Ski Cooper’s $379 season pass, which offered three lift tickets each at 73 ski areas when it went on sale July 1. Reciprocal agreements among ski areas are common. The majority of Indy’s partners have established at least a handful as a benefit to their season pass holders. But Indy Pass officials say that the scale of Ski Cooper’s coalition has created a shadow multi-mountain national pass masquerading as a small-mountain pass. More. Storm Skiing Journal

Crested Butte Lift Mechanics, Electricians Vote to Unionize. Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) voted 7 to 3 to form the Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Professional Union, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) 7781. This is the second ski area lift maintenance crew in the country to unionize, following the unionization of Park City Lift Maintenance last October. More. SAM

July  2023 

New Upgrades Coming to Belleayre (NY), ORDA Releases Final Plan. A number of new capital upgrades including two new lifts and a 4,000-square-foot addition to the Longhouse Lodge are in the planning stages at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center after the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) released its 2023 Unit Management Plan Amendment (UMPA). More. SAM

Anonymous Offer Made on Burke Mountain (VT). An unnamed bidder has made an offer of an undisclosed amount to buy Burke Mountain Resort, according to a filing by Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in charge of overseeing the ski area. Goldberg will continue to seek other qualified buyers, according to VT Digger. If a matching or higher priced bid is made, the resort will go to auction. More. SAM

New Hampshire Approves $18 Million for Cannon Tramway Project. State-owned Cannon Mountain, which is part of Franconia Notch State Park, can move forward with major improvements to its iconic aerial tramway after the state legislature approved an $18 million appropriation to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) to fund “maintenance and operation” of the tramway. More. SAM

Jury Clears Mt. Bachelor in Wrongful Death Suit. A Deschutes County jury ruled in favor of POWDR-owned Mt. Bachelor in a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit on Friday. The suit was brought against the resort by the father of a 24-year-old Bend snowboarder, Alfonso Braun, who suffocated and died after falling into a tree well within the resort’s boundary on March 2, 2018. More. SAM

Studies Show Gains in Snowsports, Outdoor Participation. Two individual studies released by Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) show positive gains in snowsports participation, and outdoor sports as a whole. The SIA study notes that a greater share of respondents participated in resort skiing in 2022-23 compared to the 2021-22 season, but respondents skied fewer days this season compared to last.  The survey also found that snowboarding participation increased 10 percent, while downhill skiing participation increased 2.2 percent year-over-year. Cross-country skiing continued its upward trend with participation increasing 9.6 percent from the previous year; snowshoeing was up 17 percent, and snow tubing was up 4.5 percent over 2021-22. More. SAM

The Science Behind Problematic Pink Snow. An annual summertime sight in alpine environments, pink snow, also known as watermelon snow, often lingers on late-season snowpack and glaciers worldwide. Though it may be appealing to try and take a bite of the brightly colored snow, it may forecast a more sinister warning about our warming environment. The unique color of the snow is actually caused by a species of green algae, Chlamydomonas nivalis, that thrives in the cold and wet environment of glaciers. After lying dormant during the winter, these algae release pink pigment as a protective barrier against the sun throughout the summer snowmelt the same way that humans use sunscreen. More. SnowBrains

NSAA Presents 2023 Awards for Sustainability, Safety, Marketing and Beginner Conversion. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) named the winners of its annual awards in sustainability, safety, marketing and beginner conversion (growth). The awards were presented to ski area members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category at the association’s National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, GA. More.  NSAA

June  2023

 Alterra Mountain Company to Acquire Schweitzer. Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Schweitzer, Idaho, from owner and developer MKM Trust. The transaction is expected to close later in 2023 and is subject to closing conditions such as regulatory approvals. More. SAM

Little Cottonwood Gondola Gains Conditional Approval. The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) has voted to approve a long-term regional transportation plan from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) that includes the widely-debated Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola. More. SAM

 Smugglers’ Notch and Stowe Consider Connector Gondola. The owners of Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers’ Notch Resort are in talks to install a connector gondola between the two properties. The proposed lift would link Spruce Peak at Stowe to Sterling Mountain at Smugglers’ Notch. More. SAM

Will Utah’s Newest Ski Area Be the Next to Ban Snowboarding? When completed, Mayflower Resort will be the first new ski area in the U.S. since 2004. Here’s the latest on the massive project. More. Outside

U.S. Ski Areas Set New Record for Skier Visits. U.S. ski areas recorded record visitation for the 2022-23 season with a total of 64.7 million skier visits, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is a 6.6 percent increase over last year’s record season. More. SAM

Winter Park Resort, CO, Donates All Proceeds From Uphill Armband Sales to Local Non-Profits. More than $70,000 will help outdoor organizations provide equipment and resources to help serve the thousands of people who adventure in Winter Park’s backyard every year. More. SnowBrains

NSAA Honors Best in Ski Industry at Annual Awards Ceremony. National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) named the winners of its annual awards in sustainability, safety, marketing, and beginner conversion (growth). The awards were presented to ski area members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category at the association’s National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, Ga. More. SnowBrains

US Ski & Snowboard Bring Paralympic Alpine and Snowboard Teams Back Under Umbrella. U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) will add the Paralympic Alpine ski and snowboard teams back under its umbrella effective immediately. The U.S. Paralympic Alpine and snowboard teams have been under the management of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee since 2010. More. Salt Lake City Tribune via Google Alerts

Season Pass Plays. The 2023-24 season pass sale is underway with lots of new offerings and more multi-area passes than ever before. More. SAM Magazine

The Onlys. Meet the three ski areas that are the only ones in their respective states. Tennessee, Maryland, and Rhode Island boast only one ski area each. More. SAM Magazine

Crested Butte Lift Mechanics, Electricians Look to Unionize. Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) have signed union authorization cards initiating a process to unionize. Resort management and leaders at ownership group Vail Resorts now have the option to voluntary recognize the union, a move that would bypass the need for the petitioners to vote in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election. More. SAM

May  2023

How Western States Are Trying to Solve Ski Resort Traffic. State officials and ski resorts in the West are weighing solutions to mitigate crushing traffic up to the slopes, as population growth and a rise in outdoor recreation lure more people to the mountains. More. Axios via MSN News

Indy Pass to Meter Growth After Record Volume Halts Sales. Sales of the 2023-24 Indy Pass have been suspended after the volume of renewals and purchases by new passholders exceeded expectations. The pass had only been available to new customers for 10 days. Officials plan to reassess their sales goals in terms of volume and capacity. More. SAM

Will Utah’s Newest Ski Area Be the Next to Ban Snowboarding? When completed, Mayflower Resort will be the first new ski area in the U.S. since 2004. Here’s the latest on the massive project. More. Ski Magazine

Windham Mountain Gains New Majority Owners, Multi-year Capital Investment. Windham Mountain ownership has secured new investment from two hospitality and resort development families that will provide growth capital for a multi-year development and renovation plan at the resort. More.  SAM

MCP Acquires Lee Canyon (NV). Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has acquired Lee Canyon ski resort, located about 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from Powdr Corporation and local partner, the Thomas family. More. SAM

America’s Only Summer Ski Area Set To Open Memorial Day Weekend. Skiers and snowboarders looking to get some summer turns in the Big Sky State, Beartooth Basin is planning to open May 26th (weather dependent). Tickets go on sale shortly and the mountain has a daily capacity is 80 skiers, so if you have a date in mind purchasing asap is recommended. More. Unofficial Networks

FOR SALE: Private Montana Ski Area ($3.5 Million). Wraith Hill Ski Area is a 160-acre plot of land featuring a ski area with an 800-foot vertical drop. Eight trails range in beginner, intermediate, and advanced difficulty. While there is a surface lift, it’s unclear if it’s still operational. Wraith Hill is bordered by thousands of acres of Forest Service land. More. Unofficial Networks

Small towns reclaim abandoned ski areas as nonprofits. Under the gaze of the imposing Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado, the 50-acre Parker-Fitzgerald Cuchara Mountain Park is the story of so many American ski areas, only the community was determined to change the script. More. AP via Google Alerts

Stifel to Have Naming Rights of U.S. Ski and Snowboard in Partnership Expansion. Stifel Financial Corporation have expanded their partnership with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, acquiring the naming rights of all ski teams, it has been announced. More. Inside the Games via Google Alerts

The Story Of SoCal’s Abandoned Year-Round Ski Slope. Opening back on June 25, 1966, the $750,000 project in Chino Hills  became the largest synthetic ski slope on the planet. The project got its inspiration from similar slopes in Japan, with it using plastic bristle tiles rather than snow. More. Unofficial Networks

Eight Reasons Why Spring Is the Best Time of Year to Ski. Everyone knows that skiing exists in the spring, but people don’t understand how spectacular spring skiing truly is. Here are the top eight reasons why spring skiing is the best time of year to ski. More. SnowBrains

December 2022 – January  2023

Important Precedent Set in Oregon Ski Area Ruling. Recreational use law was successfully used as a defense against a plaintiff seeking $1.5 million in a parking lot slip-and-fall claim against Hoodoo Ski Area in Oregon. Recreational use statutes limit the liability of landowners if they make their land available for recreation free of charge. More. SAM

Tahoe MegaResort Opens in Time for Snowmageddon. Palisades Ski Resort and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area are now one giant MegaResort, thanks to the opening of the base-to-base gondola between the neighboring ski areas. The two resorts, owned by Colorado’s Alterra Mountain Company, have become the second largest single ski destination in the country. More. Connectcre via Ski Racing Media

Steamboat Resort Unwraps ‘One-of-a-Kind’ Wild Blue Gondola.  With snow falling, Steamboat Resort opened the Wild Blue Gondola on Saturday, Dec. 24, just in time for Christmas. The debut was complete with a red bow on the first car, a ribbon cutting, a jingle of bells, and a long line of people waiting to board. More. Vail Daily via Ski Racing Media

Owners of Mountain High and Dodge Ridge (CA) Purchase China Peak. China Peak Mountain Resort has been sold to Mountain High Resort and Dodge Ridge, Calif. All three are also existing partners on the Indy Pass and Powder Alliance.  More. SAM

Mont-Sainte-Anne Ski Resort (Quebec) to Reopen Jan. 8 After Dec. 10 Shutdown Over Gondola Cabin Disconnect. The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) has authorized the reopening of four of the resort’s five lifts that were shut down after a gondola fell to the ground last month. Though nobody was injured in the incident, the resort has been closed since Dec. 10. More.  CBC/Radio-Canada

Tree Falls on Park City Mountain Chairlift, Employee Killed. A Park City Mountain staff member was killed Jan. 2 after falling from the chairlift they were riding. A tree fell on the line of the Short Cut chairlift, unseating the employee who fell at least 25 feet to the ground, according to a Vail Resorts spokesperson. The staff member was working at the time of the incident. More. SAM

Indy Expands Colorado Foothold with Echo Mountain, Granby Ranch. The coalition now has four partner areas in Colorado, including Sunlight Mountain and Bluebird Backcountry, and is up to 121 downhill and Nordic resorts total across the U.S., Canada, and Japan. More. SAM

Indy Pass Adds Four Northeastern Nordic and Alpine Resorts. The Indy Pass has added four Northeastern Alpine and Nordic ski areas, making for 21 total participating ski areas in the Eastern region. Included are Peek ‘n Peak in New York and Tussey Mountain, Pa., on the Alpine side, and cross-country areas Catamount Outdoor Family Center, Vt., and the Rangeley Lakes Trail Center in Maine. More. SAM

Mt. Bachelor Biomass Boiler to Provide Cleaner Heat, Reduce Wildfire Risk. Powdr-owned Mt. Bachelor in Oregon will install a new wood energy facility to provide heat for four of its base area buildings using a modern biomass boiler fueled by the byproducts of forest management and wildfire fuel reduction activities within the surrounding Deschutes National Forest. Mt. Bachelor anticipates the new facility will reduce the resort’s propane consumption by roughly 150,000 gallons annually and reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 1,000 tons per year.  More.  SAM

Ski California Debuts Updated Digital Mountain Safety Guide. Ski California has debuted an updated digital version of its Mountain Safety Guide. Designed by the association and its member resorts in California and Nevada, the new version is a play off the group’s existing Mountain Safety Guide.  More. SAM

Fourteen New Chairlifts to Ride This Winter. There are a lot of new lifts, and even some expanded terrain, coming online this winter. Here’s what you can look forward to as you click into your planks at ski resorts across North America. More. Ski

The 10 Best—and Worst—Ski Resorts For Parking. An overview of parking requirements at the worst offenders this winter. More. Outside

Ed. Note: The following two articles list some of the same resorts but also some different ones.

The 10 Best Ski Resorts in North America for Seniors. The number of seniors on the slopes has reached epic proportions. In 2020-21 seniors accounted for 16.1% of skier visits, totaling 59 million, while a record 10.5 million seniors participated in the sport, according to the National Ski Areas Association. More. Travel + Leisure via Google Alerts

The Top 9 Resorts in the U.S. for Seniors. According to the National Ski Area Association (NSAA), the median age of snow sports participants has been gradually increasing. Additionally, over 16% of all participants are now seniors. These seniors are proving that there is no age limit for winter fun, and you don’t have to fly south when the weather turns cold. More Snowbrains via Google Alerts

New to the Market, Peak Skis Is Bringing Innovation to the Slopes. Developed by professional ski racer Bode Miller, Peak Skis is shaking up the industry with design technology that put Miller on podium after podium throughout his racing career. More. Ski

How to Wax Your Own Skis In 4 Easy Steps. Mere mortals can, in fact, learn to maintain their skis at home (and save money in the process). More. Ski

The Art of Charcuteski: Craft an On-mountain Dining Experience with the Skis That Got You There. Picture this: You’re at your favorite resort, and there’s bluebird skies above as you clip out of your skis, wedge them into the snow, and start layering on stacks of salami, cheese wedges, heaps of crackers and punchy pickled vegetables. This, my friends, is charcuteski. More. Tahoe Daily Tribune via Ski Racing Media

81-Year-Old Cross-Country Skier Odd Osland Still Finds Joy on the Trails. Norwegian transplant Odd Osland is at home in Minnesota’s Nordic ski community. Odd Osland is an elite skier who still competes across North America. More. Star Tribune via Ski Racing Media

The Hidden History of Skiing in the West. Skiing in the U.S., as we think of it now, came from Europe in the late 1800s by way of Scandinavian immigrants, who used skis as a mode of transportation. They also liked to have a good time in the long, dark mountainous winter, founding ski jumping hills at places like Howelsen Hill, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Ecker Hill, near Parleys Summit, in Utah. More. Deseret News via Google Alerts.

October 2022

Winter Park Resort to expand terrain this winter. Among a series of announced improvements, Winter Park Resort is opening new terrain for the 2022-23 ski season that the resort says will almost double its expert-only terrain over last season.  More. Steamboat Pilot & Today

Three More Ski Areas Added to Indy Pass. Bluebird Backcountry, Colo.; Chestnut Mountain, Ill.; and Snowriver, Mich., have joined the Indy Pass starting in winter 2022-23. With the additions, Indy Pass holders will have two days of access to 96 alpine ski areas and 13 Nordic ski areas in North America and Japan. More. SAM

Mountain Collective Adds Sugar Bowl. The Mountain Collective Pass has added Sugar Bowl, Calif., to its now 25-destination roster. The Tahoe resort joins Sun Valley, Snowbasin, Marmot Basin, and Le Massif de Charlevoix as new partners for upcoming season. More. SAM

Ikon Pass Adds Sun Peaks, Grandvalira Resorts Andorra. Ikon Pass has added Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia and Grandvalira Resorts Andorra in Andorra for the 2022–23 season. With five other partners added earlier this year—Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley, France, Sun Valley, Idaho, Snowbasin, Utah, Lotte Arai Resort, Japan, and Panorama, B.C.—Ikon Pass holders will now have access to more than 50 mountain destinations in 11 countries. More. SAM

Canada to Remove All COVID-19 Restrictions for Travelers. Canada will lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions for international and domestic travelers starting Oct. 1. More.  CBS News via Inntopia

Mountain Capital Partners to Operate Willamette Pass Resort. Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has entered a joint venture with the Wiper family to operate and manage Willamette Pass Resort, Ore. The partnership will begin immediately. More. SAM

Telluride Renews Epic Pass Partnership with Vail Resorts. Vail Resorts and Telluride renewed their partnership for an undisclosed number of years. The terms remain the same: Full Epic Pass holders get seven days at Telluride with no blackouts. Four-to-seven-day Epic Day Pass holders with “all resorts” access can also redeem those days at Telluride. More. The Storm Skiing Journal

Pacific Group Submits Top Bid for Jay Peak at $76 Million. Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Jay Peak, $76 million, following an auction with multiple bidders. More. SAM

No Immediate Changes Planned for Jay Peak. Pacific Group Resorts Inc. (PGRI) does not plan to make any immediate changes to Jay Peak’s pass products, management, or infrastructure for the 2022-23 season. More. SAM

Maine’s Shawnee Peak Returns to its Original Name, Pleasant Mountain. Maine’s Shawnee Peak will return to its original namesake, Pleasant Mountain, a move that honors its 84-year history and the mountain it calls home, said resort officials. More. SAM

Alterra Acquires Ski Butlers Rental Service. Alterra Mountain Company has acquired Ski Butlers, a leading ski equipment rental and delivery service based in Utah. Ski Butlers will remain a standalone business with ongoing operations in 50 worldwide ski destinations while maintaining its current staff and leadership. Alterra hopes to expand the service to more resorts, both within and outside Alterra’s portfolio. More. SAM

Indy Pass Sales Reflect Growth in Partnerships. After adding 40 partner resorts since the end of the 2021-22 season, the Indy Pass now has 96 alpine ski areas on-board offering two days of access each to Indy Pass holders, plus 14 cross-country ski areas. More. SAM

Vail Resorts Plans Mobile Access Feature for 2023-24. Vail Resorts plans to utilize technology that will allow guests to store and use their season pass or lift ticket directly on their phone. The new feature will be tested during the 2022-23 North American winter season, with roll-out to guests expected for the 2023-24 season. More. SAM

“Where There’s Snow, We’ll Go”: This Black Ski Club In D.C. Was One Of The First In The U.S. Black Ski, Inc. has been etching out a supportive space in the powder for jet-setting African Americans in the D.C. area since 1972. Based in the D.C. area, the organization was one of the earliest Black ski clubs in the U.S. More. DCist/WAMU American University Radio via Google Alerts

Vail Resorts Launches Youth Access Program. Vail Resorts will provide more youth of color with the opportunity to learn how to ski or snowboard through its expanded Epic for Everyone youth access program. During the 2022-23 winter season, Vail plans to partner with nonprofit and youth development organizations working to support youth of color to host 9,000 youth across 29 resorts. More. SAM

Season Passes Now Consistently Represent More Resort Visits Than Lift Tickets Nationwide. According to Aspen Daily News, season pass holders have been the dominant form of mountain access since 2019-20 season. In that year, 45.5% of visits were by season pass holders, while only 43.5% were made up by single day passes. Since then, it’s only gotten more severe, with last season seeing season passes representing 51.9% of visits and lift tickets representing only 37.3% of visits (the remaining percentage is represented by employee passes and complimentary tickets). More. Unofficial Networks via Inntopia

Best Months To Ski Colorado Ski Resorts. The short, fill-in-the-blank answer is late February into mid-March. At face value, it seems like a pretty easy question to answer. However, there are particular nuances that the ski enthusiast should be aware of. More. SnowBrains

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame Class of 2022. The inductees include X Games gold medalist, U.S. Open champion and Boarding for Breast Cancer pioneer Tina Basich; America’s first Olympic snowboard medalist Shannon Dunn-Downing; “father of freestyle snowboarding” Terry Kidwell; speed skier C.J. Mueller; freeskiing pioneer Kent Kreitler; one of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team’s most successful coaches, Phil McNichol; longtime Ski Racing International publisher Gary Black (posthumous); Mammoth Mountain and Alterra Mountain  Company leader Alan “Rusty” Gregory; and adaptive snowsports pioneer Gwen Allard. More.  SAM

September 2022

Historic Climate Bill Expected to Benefit Ski Industry. The package includes the largest climate, energy, and environmental justice investment ($370 billion) in U.S. history, from which the U.S. ski industry stands to benefit. More. SAM

Ski and Sports Shops See Impact of Russia-Ukraine War on Equipment Supplies. Ukraine is one of the biggest producers of winter sports equipment in Europe, producing hundreds of thousands of skis and snowboards each year. Certain brands may be hard to come by this snow season as disruptions in ski production from the war could rupture the supply chain. More. Sacramento Bee via Stars and Stripes

After Apocalyptic Lift Lines Last Year, Vail Resorts will Limit Ticket Sales this Winter.  Daily tickets at all of the company’s 37 North American resorts will be capped, but Epic Pass holders will not be affected. More. Ski Magazine

Vail Resorts Drops Vaccine Requirements, Will Limit Day Tickets. Vail Resorts has updated its Covid protocols, dropping vaccine requirements for guests and staff, and will limit day ticket sales for the upcoming winter season, according to its 2022-23 operating plan. Across all its resorts, the company will no longer require face coverings, vaccines, or dining reservations for guests. More. SAM

More Bidders for Jay Peak Likely to Appear. With the likelihood that another bidder (or more) for Jay Peak will surface in the next few days, the resort’s federal court appointed receiver, Michael Goldberg, filed a motion Aug. 18 proposing a new deadline of Sept. 2 for the sale of the resort. More. SAM

Indy Pass Adds Mountain High and Dodge Ridge in Calif. Indy Pass has added two more resorts to its growing list of partners for the 2022-23 season:  Mountain High and Dodge Ridge, Calif. The additions bring Indy Pass’s total alpine and Nordic resort partners to 106. More. SAM

Big Rock, Maine Gets $2.5 Million Boost from U.S. Department of Commerce. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Big Rock Mountain to boost tourism by supporting investment into a new chairlift and increased snowmaking capacity at the Mars Hill, Maine, ski area. More. SAM

Big Snow, Mich. Acquisition Closed, Renames as  Snowriver Mountain Resort. Charles Skinner Jr. has closed on the acquisition of Big Snow Resort, which includes Indianhead and Blackjack ski areas, all of which will be renamed with new branding. Big Snow will transition to Snowriver Mountain Resort, the Indianhead area will be called Jackson Creek Summit, and Blackjack will be Black River Basin. More. SAM

Ikon Pass Adds Lotte Arai, Japan and Panorama, B.C. Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass has added Lotte Arai Resort in Japan and Panorama Mountain Resort in British Columbia. With the additions, the pass will provide access to more than 50 destinations in 10 countries for the 2022-23 season. More. SAM

The Most Legendary Skier in California History? “Snowshoe Thompson.” He was a skiing beast who charged 90 miles over the Sierra Nevada in the dead of winter – solo – on 10-foot skis carrying an 80-100-pound pack in only three days. Then, he’d turn around and charge the 90 miles back home in only two. The guy did this twice a month during winter for 20 years (1856 – 1876)…. More. SnowBrains

 August 2022

Vermont Ski Area Ditching Its Controversial Name. Suicide Six will become Saskadena Six to alleviate any negative impact the current name could have on visitors. More.  Ski Magazine

Keystone Bergman Bowl Restoration Approved, But Lift Will Not Open for 2022-23. Work on Keystone Resort’s Bergman Bowl Express will move forward after the U.S. Forest Service approved the resort’s plan to restore environmental damage to a high alpine area incurred during construction. However, the lift will not be completed as scheduled in time for the 2022-23 winter season due to construction delays. More. SAM

Mt. Hood Meadows Joins Indy Pass. Indy Pass will now include Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore. The ski area is Indy’s largest resort partner by skier volume, and it brings the pass’ total resort partners to 105 for the 2022-23 season. More. SAM

Mountain Collective Adds Marmot Basin. The Mountain Collective Pass has added Marmot Basin, Alberta, to its winter 2022-23 roster. Marmot Basin is the seventh Canadian resort to join the pass partnership. (Le Massif de Charlevoix in Quebec signed on in June.) Its addition brings the total number of Mountain Collective resort partners to 24 worldwide More. SAM

Indy Pass Adds Black Mountain of Maine, Meadowlark, Aomori Springs in Japan as Full Partners; Paul Bunyan, King Pine, Cherry Peak as Allied. The Indy Pass has added Black Mountain of Maine; Meadowlark, Wyoming; and Aomori Spring, Japan as full downhill partners. Black’s Nordic center will join the pass as a separate entity, becoming the fifth ski area to add both operations to Indy, and the 13th Nordic partner overall. King Pine, New Hampshire; Paul Bunyan, Wisconsin; and Cherry Peak Utah will join the pass’ new Allied Resorts program. More. The Storm Skiing Journal

Motion Filed to Sell Jay Peak, PGRI Begins Bid Process. A motion for approval has been filed for Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) to enter into a $58 million asset purchase agreement (APA) to acquire Jay Peak Resort, Vt. A judge has 10 days to accept or deny the motion; if accepted, the asset purchase agreement would become the initial bid in a potential auction to purchase the resort. More. SAM

Schweitzer Breaks Ground On $22 Million Employee Housing Development. Schweitzer, Idaho, is amongst a growing list of ski resorts across North America that are investing millions of dollars into employee housing initiatives. More.  Unofficial Networks via Inntopia | Destimetrics

Vail Town Council Blocks Permits for Vail Resorts Employee Housing Project. The Vail town council approved an emergency ordinance this week that suspended all permits for any activity on Vail Resorts’ 23-acre property in East Vail where the company planned to build a $17 million affordable housing development. The housing project was already in limbo after the council began proceedings earlier this year to condemn the property, citing the development as a threat to a local herd of bighorn sheep that range on the land. More. SAM

Two More European Glaciers Close for Summer Skiing Due to Warm Temps, Melting Snow. Austria’s Mölltaler Gletscher and France’s Val d’Isère are the latest resorts to suspend summer operations. More. Ski Magazine

Italian Glacier Resort Closes as Glaciers Melt. Passo Stelvio is the latest summer ski resort to close as warm temperatures take their toll. Some question how many more years glacier skiing in Europe will be able to continue. The freezing level in Switzerland is currently over 5,000m (~16,250 ft.) – higher than any alpine peak. More. Planet Ski via Inntopia | Destimetrics

New Zealand Ski Resort Closes Due to Too Much Snow. Ski resorts in the southern hemisphere are having a great season with massive snowstorms dumping feet of snow on the mountains. In fact, there was too much at Mt Lyford Alpine Resort near Christchurch, New Zealand. More. SnowBrains via Inntopia | Destimetrics

The 13 Largest Ski Resorts on Earth. So, where are the biggest ski resorts on Earth?  Mostly in the Alps, it’s true, but there are a couple of others outside of the Alps in North America. More.  SnowBrains

Online Marketplace Takes the Hassle Out of Buying and Selling Used Gear. Got old skis and packs hanging around? Geartrade will take used gear off your hands and cut you a check in the process. More. Ski Magazine

World’s Oldest Skier Turns 105. “I’ve been able to ski consistently for 61 years, including a few runs this year at Sugar Bowl, but I can no longer ski at my favorite resorts in Utah because I can’t handle the altitude. I still do my 45 minutes of exercise every morning to keep limber, and that helps my mind, too,” he told Stanford Business School’s journal in July last year, after turning 104. More. InTheSnow.com

Europe’s Largest Dry Ski Slope Opens in Ukraine, Despite War. A huge dry ski slope has gone into operation near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. Work on the facility began last autumn and was completed in early summer, despite Russia’s invasion. More. InTheSnow

 July 2022

You’ll be charged to visit Europe from 2023. The EU has announced the launch of its long-awaited visa waiver scheme, ETIAS, to debut in May 2023. While ETIAS is not the same as a visa — it is quicker, done online, and requires no biometric information — there is still a procedure and a cost to acquiring it, rather like the United States’ scheme, ESTA.  More. CNN via NSCF Facebook Page

US Will End Covid-19 Testing Requirement for Air Travelers Entering the Country. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has lifted its requirement for travelers to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the US. More. CNN via Inntopia |Destimetrics

Why Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt Say Hotel Prices Are Only Going Up. Despite high inflation, a softening economy, and fears of a recession, the hotel industry is not seeing any slowdown. More. CNBC via Inntopia |Destimetrics

ICYMI: Indy Pass Hits 100 With Eight New Resort Partners. The Indy Pass will now offer two free days of skiing, riding, and cross-country skiing at 100 resorts for winter 2022-23 with the addition of eight new partners—five alpine and three cross country—in the Upper Midwest, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. More. SAM

Le Massif Joins Mountain Collective. Le Massif de Charlevoix has signed a three-year agreement with the Mountain Collective, according to Radio Canada. Le Massif is the first eastern Canadian ski area to join the pass coalition, which includes 22 other properties across North America. More. SAM

Park City Mountain Lift Upgrades Blocked. The Park City Planning Commission granted an appeal of a previous decision to approve two Park City Mountain (PCM) lift upgrades. More. SAM

Suicide Six (VT) to Change Name. Vermont’s Suicide Six ski area will retire its name this summer due to its negative connotation. A new name has already been determined and will be announced in the coming weeks. More. SAM

Windham Mountain (NY) Announces Purchase of Local Landmark for Employee Housing. The investment will provide housing in the winter primarily for international employees as well as part-time staff looking for accommodations on weekends. Rooms in the new facility will be available for employees of local businesses in the summer months. More. SnowBrains

Snowstorm Dumps on Ski Resort in Africa. A snowstorm just hit Afriski Mountain Resort in Lesotho, southern Africa June 22-24, dropping at least three inches of fresh snow on the resort. Afriski is the only skiing resort in Lesotho, located 10,006 feet above sea level, operating in Southern Africa near the northern border of Lesotho and South Africa. It is one of only three ski resorts in southern Africa. More. SnowBrains

Jon Weisberg, editor of Seniors Skiing, Passes. Weisberg, who spoke at the 2018 NSCF Annual Meeting at Zermatt Utah Resort, passed away on June 3 at the age of 78. Link to his obituary on the Seniors Skiing website. Storm Skiing Journal