• Close Comfortable Catamount

    Close Comfortable Catamount
    It had been too long. If my notes are correct my last real day of skiing last season was March 8. We all know what happened, I’ll try not to dwell on it, too much. Last weekend I went online and figured out how to get reservations at Catamount on our Indy Passes. I’d already waxed our skis so I just had to warn Junior that he was getting up early on Sunday and we were all set. The drive » Read More »
    The New York Ski Blog: NYSkiBlog.com
  • Kimberley Mountain Resort Makes Progress on New Quad Chairlift

    A multi-resort lift upgrade project at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) is well underway, with the first of four new chairlifts completing a major installation step over the weekend. Kimberley Alpine Resort in British Columbia had new lift towers installed for the updated Tamarack chairlift.
    The Tamarack Quad lift will replace the old Tamarack Double chair, which was installed in 1998. A quad chair from Skytrac will be the mountain’s second lift of that size and be built along the sam
  • Aleksander Aamodt Kilde Says He's "Gutted" After Achilles Rupture

    “WHAT THE F…”
    So begins an update from decorated Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who, still relatively fresh off a prolonged recovery after hurting his calf and shoulder, recently fell and ruptured his Achilles tendon while training in Chile.
    The Associated Press reported that the Norwegian Ski Association said last Thursday that Kilde was “now traveling home to Innsbruck (his base in Austria) for further medical examinations and assessment of treatment opti
  • Little Cottonwood Canyon Backcountry Closed as UDOT Installs Remote Avalanche Mitigation Devices

    Parts of the backcountry near Little Cottonwood Canyon will close for much of Monday, October 19, 2026, to allow the Utah Department of Transportation to install a new avalanche control system.The closure began at midnight and will last until 5 p.m. on Monday.
    The closure will affect the South ridge of Mount Superior, the Superior Ridgeline to Cardiff Peak and Cardiff Pass, and extend beyond East Hellgate as UDOT uses helicopters and possibly explosives to install new avalanche mitigation device
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  • Northeast Ski Resorts Begin First Snowmaking Push Ahead of 2026-27 Season

    The West got its start; now it’s the Northeast’s turn. 
    This past weekend, as overnight temperatures dipped, Sunday River, Maine, began snowmaking on Locke Mountain, hitting the T2 and Upper Sunday Punch trails. 
    The resort said in an email that its system, in full, can move 10,500 gallons of water per minute through more than 2,000 snow guns. This winter, Sunday River is one of four resorts in the country testing SMI’s new Panther Fan Gun. 
    Snowmaking at Sunday
  • New Maps Forecast Winter 26/27 as El Niño Strengthens

    Popular YouTube weather forecaster Direct Weather has updated his Winter 26/27 long-range forecast as El Niño strengthens and winter approaches.
    “The historic/strong El Niño is the number one factor,” says Direct Weather about his Winter 26/27 forecast. “We have updated a few things, especially in the temperature forecast.”
    Tap or click to watch the full forecast below. Keep reading for a breakdown.Direct Weather’s Winter 26/27 Temperature Forecast
    Dir
  • Slab Avalanche Sweeps Mountaineering Group Into Lake, Killing Three at Ski Portillo, Chile

    A large slab avalanche claimed three lives at Ski Portillo, Chile, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, according to a press release from the resort.
    “The ski resort closed for the winter season on Sunday, October 11, and the area where the accident occurred is outside the designated ski area,” writes Ski Portillo. “Entering closed areas, or continuing an activity despite warnings, means exposing oneself to serious hazards that can endanger the lives of both those who enter and the t
  • Behind the Making of Zero G's New Indie Ski Movie "Low Tide"

    Last winter, as Daniel Harper worked on his first full-fledged ski movie, he got the call: a big storm was headed to Lake Tahoe. There was a problem, though. Harper was in Jackson, filming another segment, more than ten hours away by car. He raced overnight down mountain highways and through blizzards so he could make it in time for the opening of Palisades Tahoe’s iconic lift, KT-22. 
    Along the way, it snowed so hard that Harper occasionally couldn’t tell the difference between
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  • Nearing 60, This Skier and Filmmaker Still Drops Cliffs. Here's Why.

    Scott Gaffney knows it’s a little odd—and maybe even comical?—for a guy in his late 50s to be putting out ski edits. To our benefit, though, that isn’t stopping him. He dropped his latest video earlier this week, chronicling the truly weird Western ski season and suggesting that age is more of a loose guideline than a number.
    To make the edit, the former Matchstick Productions director, longtime Tahoe local, and 57-year-old skier slapped a GoPro on his head and went to to
  • Killington Mountain Announces $200M In Upgrades Over the Next Decade

    It’s been just over two years since Killington Mountain, along with Pico Mountain, was purchased by local investors from POWDR Corp.Since Killington Independence Group, as the cohort named their venture, took over ownership, they’ve made significant investments in infrastructure and maintenance across the mountain.
    More than $80 million has been invested in projects across Killington over the last two years, including $35 million on lifts, $20 million on facilities, and $13 million o
  • After Long Legal Saga, Closed NY Ski Area Has New Owner and Reopening Plans

    After a twisty tale of legal action and a prolonged closure, the Syracuse, New York, area Toggenburg Mountain has a new owner and is set to reopen for the 2027-28 season. 
    As part of a settlement announced by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the ski area, shuttered since 2021, was sold to local business owner Douglas Wheeler and his family.
    “Our intention for Toggenburg is and has always been the same. To acquire Toggenburg Ski Center and return it to its former glory while m
  • The Best Freeride Skis of 2027

    There’s no clear answer as to where and when the term “freeride” skiing got started, but without sounding too poetic, I’ll say it clearly got started in the hearts of skiers looking to have a good time. On snow, there’s not much that’s more fun than chasing your friends through whatever terrain you feel like, jumping off things, spraying each other with snow, and skiing with reckless abandon. Whether you’re deep in the backcountry riding proper big mount
  • New NOAA Forecast Provides Early Look at El Niño Winter

    Each month, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issues a series of seasonal outlooks that provide a broad look at the temperature and precipitation expected in the months to come.
    Normally, these outlooks interest skiers. That’s even more true this year with a very strong El Niño set to shake up the season. 
    The latest update doesn’t differ dramatically from the last and still aligns with the El Niño pattern: a band of moisture stretching through the Southwest.
  • The 5 Best Ski Bags of 2027, Tested on Trains, Planes, and Ski Trips

    In almost every skier’s life, at least if you have your priorities straight, opportunities will arise that demand you acquire a ski bag. So, on top of all your other ski gear investments, it might be time to pony up for another bag to stuff it all in so you can drag it around the world. In this, don’t be complacent, and don’t cheap out: your choice of ski bag is a serious endeavor. 
    I have had the good fortune to drag skis through airports, bus stations, and dirt roads all
  • Whitefish To Open Two New Glades This Season Thanks To Wildfire Mitigation

    How do you make an old mountain feel new? Give it a haircut!
    POWDER’s Ian Greenwood covered how Sun Valley opened 90 acres of new terrain last season thanks to wildfire fuel mitigation efforts, and Whitefish Mountain Resort, Montana, is following suit with new glades of its own.
    “Throughout summer 2026, Whitefish Mountain Resort and the U.S. Forest Service undertook the Big Mountain Fuels Reduction Project, which involved felling trees on roughly 200 acres of terrain,” wrote a
  • Ultralight Avalanche Shovel Maker Gets In Hot Water With Pro Athletes

    Earlier this year, a small, honest discussion erupted into a full-blown online argument between the maker of the PurePeak avalanche shovel, Matic Meza, and athletes Nikolai Schirmer and Cody Townsend. Schirmer and Townsend, perhaps two of the most respected and accomplished skiers in the industry right now, called out the fact that they had been sent the product (an ultralight carbon fiber avalanche shovel) for testing on an expedition to Alaska, and managed to both break theirs on the trip usin
  • U.S. Ski Team Announces It's First-Ever Freeride Roster

    It hasn’t worn off yet and probably won’t wear off until the 2030 Olympics have come and gone. Freeride is headed to the biggest stage and, duly, U.S. Ski and Snowboard has put together a team. 
    The roster includes regular Freeride World Tour contenders and some skiers who rip but have only recently returned to the competition scene, like Kai Jones. The names were based on the team’s selection criteria, which account for FWT performance and qualification for last winter&rs
  • AIARE Introduces New One-Day Avalanche Education Refresher Course

    Like all hard skills, those learned in an avalanche course can be perishable. In an effort to preserve those learned in Avalanche 1 courses, the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, more commonly known as AIARE, has introduced a new course offering ahead of the 2026/27 winter.Backcountry users who have completed their AIARE 1 or an equivalent avalanche education course, such as the American Avalanche Institute’s (AAI) Avalanche Level 1, will be able to take the new one-
  • The Race To Open Is On as Colorado Ski Resorts Start Snowmaking

    In Colorado, it’s officially snowmaking season. 
    Arapahoe Basin and Keystone Resort, two mountains known for being among the first to open, have turned on their snow guns.
    As a surge of colder weather and snow passed through Colorado Wednesday night, Keystone began its first snowmaking push. 
    “The start of snowmaking is always one of the most exciting milestones of the year because it signals that winter is just around the corner,” said Kate Schifani, senior director
  • Norwegian Star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde Tears Achilles In Chile Training Session

    It’s been a rough few years for Norway’s 21-time World Cup champion ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.
    Kilde returned to the World Cup circuit last year after an injury and subsequent infection in 2024, but he opted to sit out the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.He was making a push to return to full racing shape this summer with extensive training in Chile, but the Norwegian Ski Federation announced today that Kilde tore his Achilles in a training accident yesterday, October 14,
  • How Bracelayer Is Changing The Game for Skiers With Knee Injuries

    Sponsored StoryThere was a time, not too long ago, that a torn ACL or other knee ligament meant the end of a skier’s career. That’s changed with advancements in surgery and rehabilitation, but as any skier with a knee injury knows, the journey doesn’t end after the last physical therapy appointment.
    Many skiers wear bulky, oftentimes wrong-for-the-job knee braces over their base layers, but these braces are more about peace of mind than performance. Plus, does anybody like the
  • Meet the Rossignol Ski Purpose-Built for Buyers Who Can't Make Up Their Mind

    The term “quiver-killer” gets thrown around a lot these days, but having one ski to do it all—and do it well—is perfection worth striving for. Rossignol entered the scene in recent seasons with the Soul 102, taking cues from both their hard-charging freeride Sender line and the now-retired cult-classic Soul line to create a modern flat-tailed all-mountain freeride ski that will make a lot of skiers very happy. This year, the ski remains unchanged (aside from losing the &l
  • Review: 2027 Salomon QST 106 Skis

    If you’ve heard of Salomon, you’ve heard of its QST line of freeride skis. 
    The skis have evolved in waist widths, construction, and lengths, but the core purpose of the QST has not wavered. These are skis made for the common man that work equally as well under the feet of bona fide freeride pros such as Mike Douglas, Cody Townsend, Josh Daiek, Delia Quinn, and even ski racer Alice Robinson.
    The QST 106, in particular, feels like the most approachable ski in a line of very appro
  • Why a New Ski Lift at Whistler Blackcomb Looks Like It's Floating in Space

    Partway through your first ride on Whistler Blackcomb’s new Showcase lift, you might, depending on your tolerance for out-there engineering contraptions, start to feel nervous. Why? The lift’s fifth tower looks like it’s hovering in space, held up by a metal arm that juts out of a rock face. 
    In one comment below Whistler Blackcomb’s post explaining the funky-seeming construction, one person wrote, “Bar will be going down on this one.” We feel similarly.
  • Snow Has Arrived at Silverton Mountain, Colorado and Skiers Are Making Powder Turns

    Have you heard the good news? Snow is falling in Colorado, and Silverton Mountain, the Centennial State’s big mountain and backcountry hotbed, is scoring.
    The ski area known for its lone chairlift and expansive heli-skiing isn’t planning to open until December 31, 2026, but that hasn’t stopped Mother Nature from dumping snow. And while an official snowfall total hasn’t been reported, it looks like the snow is stacking up by the feet, not inches.
    Some of Silverton’s
  • Arizona Snowbowl Fires Up Snowmaking as Temps Drop and El Niño Approaches

    This is not a drill. Arizona Snowbowl is blowing snow.
    The resort announced that, starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, it fired up its snow guns from the top of the Arizona Gondola down to Agassiz Lodge. The resort said it’s “seen solid temps through the night and well into this morning” and asked skiers to “keep your fingers crossed for cold temps!”
    Courtesy Arizona Snowbowl
    While the skies are now clear and the temperatures are expected to crest just a
  • Alta Ski Area Adds Pricey Fines for Skiers Who No-Show Parking Reservations

    Alta is far from the only ski area to implement weekend and holiday parking reservations, but a new rule for Winter 26/27 is being celebrated among the Alta faithful.
    Parking is limited in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and while Alta’s parking reservations have mitigated some overcrowding and traffic woes in recent years, many skiers have been frustrated by the number of no-shows on a given weekend.Alta skiers, it seems, have a tendency to book a scrupulous amount of parking reservations for w
  • The Best All-Mountain Skis of 2027

    There are skis you dream about for those once-a-season days, and then there are skis that actually make sense to own. We get it. Big, fat powder skis are dreamy, and what we all wish we could be riding most days of the season. They’re exotic and aspirational, and really really fun. And that’s fine. But, sometimes you’ve got to think about the rest of your days on the mountain. In fact, let’s be real, if you ski a lot, that ends up being most days on the mountain.And for a
  • Stunning Photos Show Alta Ski Area's First Major Snowfall of the Season

    Fall colors. Plenty of white. This is October at Alta Ski Area, Utah, where a recent storm produced the most coverage the resort’s seen so far this season. 
    As of 4:15 p.m. on October 13, the resort was measuring 13 inches of settled snowfall, a number that, per the snow report, hasn’t grown so far but may have increased by the time you read this. Either way, just over a foot was more than enough to transform the slopes of Alta.
    Other resorts benefitted, too. Alta’s neighb
  • AccuWeather's Winter 26/27 Forecast Says Super El Niño Will Bode Well for Some Skiers

    Somewhere, in an alternate universe far away, a metaphorical Paul Revere is riding down the cobblestone streets of Boston yelling, “El Niño is coming! El Niño is coming! El Niño is coming!”
    As the Pacific Ocean continues to warm, a strong, or even “super” El Niño seems all the more likely this winter. NOAA says a “strong to very strong” El Niño has an 83% chance of taking shape in January-March of 2027; California Governor Ga

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