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 2022

Bode Miller Launches Peak Ski Company with Six New Ski Designs. Miller is launching a new venture, Peak Ski Company, a direct-to-consumer ski brand leading with a line of six all-mountain skis designed for skiers like you and me—which is to say, skiable by mortal enthusiasts. Miller is joined by co-founder Andy Wirth, most recently the president and CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings until 2018, who will serve as the brand’s CEO. More. Outside Online

Indy Pass Introduces New XC Pass. Indy Pass has introduced the new Indy XC Pass for 2022-23, which will include two days of access to seven cross-country ski areas in North America. The pass costs $69 for adults, $29 for youth ages 12 and under. Cross-country access will also be included on the regular Indy Pass ($279 adult, $119 youth) in addition to the two days at each of the 82 alpine partner ski areas. More. SAM

Vail Resorts to Add Housing for 875 Employees Across Four Resorts. Vail Resorts has planned four new investments in employee housing at Park City Mountain, Utah, Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., Vail Mountain, Colo., and Okemo Mountain Resort, Vt. The new housing will in total provide affordable housing options to more than 875 VR employees, an increase of more than 10 percent across the company’s resorts. More. SAM

Vail Town Council Halts Vail Resorts Affordable Housing Project. The Vail town council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to begin possible condemnation proceedings on a 23-acre parcel of Vail Resorts-owned land in East Vail, citing concerns over the wellbeing of a herd of bighorn sheep in the adjacent natural preservation. The land was selected in 2019 as an approved site for a $17 million affordable housing development to house 165 employees. Vail Resorts had pledged an additional $100,000 for habitat improvement aimed at preserving the herd of bighorn sheep, which uses part of that parcel for critical winter range at times. More. SAM

Indy Rebrands Core Pass Product, Reduces Blackout Dates. Indy has rebranded its primary pass product as the Indy Base Pass. The Indy Base Pass—not to be confused with the similar-sounding Ikon Base Pass—will continue to provide two days at Indy’s roster of independent partner resorts, subject to newly reduced blackout dates. The Indy+ Pass will remain unrestricted at all resorts. More. SAM

Winter Park Proposed Master Plan Calls for Gondola to Connect Town and Resort. A proposed 10-to-15-year master development plan for Winter Park Resort, Colo., includes a series of gondolas spanning nearly three miles that would connect downtown Winter Park to the Winter Park Resort village, among a variety of other elements that include new and replacement lifts, expanded terrain, new facilities, and more. More. SAM

NY Olympic Regional Development Authority Plans $91.7 Million in Improvements. The state Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) board of directors approved more than $91.7 million in upcoming capital projects, including nearly $20 million for construction of a new lodge at the North Creek Ski Bowl and $38 million for seven new or upgraded lifts at ORDA’s Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre mountains. More. SAM

Stowe Mountain to Implement Paid Parking. Stowe Mountain Resort will implement a new parking plan for the 2022-23 season that includes paid and free parking as well as carpool incentives. The new strategy aims to reduce traffic congestion on the resort’s two-lane access road, a topic of much discussion this winter. More. SAM

More H-2B Visas Released for This Summer, NSAA Sets Sights on Winter Period. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released 35,000 additional H-2B visas for employers with start dates between April 1 and Sept. 30. The release more than doubles the 33,000 H-2B visas authorized by statute. NSAA director of risk and regulatory affairs Dave Byrd said that additional H-2Bs will also be needed for this winter season. More. SAM

Vail Resorts’ Rob Katz and Sugarbush’s Win Smith to be Recognized by NSAA. Win Smith and Rob Katz will receive the 2022 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Lifetime Achievement and Industry Impact Awards, respectively. Smith owned Sugarbush for more than 19 years before selling the resort to Alterra Mountain Company in January 2020. After 15 years as CEO of Vail Resorts, Katz stepped down in November 2021 and assumed the role of executive chairperson. More. SAM

Former Jay Peak Owner Ariel Quiros Sentenced to Five Years. Ariel Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak Resort, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and pay more than $8 million in restitution for his role in a “Ponzi-like” scheme that misused $200 million of EB-5 investor funds raised to support capital projects at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain, as well as a biomedical research center in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Projects at Jay and Burke came to fruition, but the biomedical research center never did. More. SAM

Lake Tahoe Chosen for Latest Monopoly Game. Makers of the game, Top Trumps USA, will replace the famous Atlantic City squares (from Boardwalk to Park Place) with representations of much-loved Lake Tahoe historic landmarks, treasured natural destinations, and summertime favorites. Under license from Hasbro, the games will be out in February 2023, and the public can help select the features on the board game. More. SnowBrains

Taos Ski Valley Looks to Reach Net-Zero Emissions with Help of a 100% Electric Snow Groomer. Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico recently became the first North American ski resort to use a fully electric snow groomer by putting a PistenBully 100 E into operation. This is just one of several actions the mountain village is taking to promote sustainability and achieve its pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. More. Electrek via Google Alerts

How The Ski and Snowboard Industry is Changing in 2022 (and What Comes Next). The 2021-22 snow season was marked by immense change as the industry continues to grapple with the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and climate change, but also sees increasing advancements in technology, sustainability and retail. More. Forbes via Google Alerts

Skier Sets Fastest Known Time on Mount Hood in Just His Underpants. Skier Jack Kuenzle just redefined the concept of going fast and light in the mountains. On Kuenzle skied up and down Oregon’s 11,249-foot Mount Hood in 1 hour 31 minutes 31 seconds—a mark that is believed to be the new fastest known time. More. Ski Magazine

The Last Best Ski Bars in the World. A completely opinionated list of the last great ski bars across the globe. These classic ski bars have been around long enough to earn a spot on this list, and a visit to any of them promises a true après-ski experience you’ll remember—and want to revisit. More. Ski Magazine