• Gore Mountain: A Big Step Forward

    Gore Mountain: A Big Step Forward
    I skied Gore two days this holiday week and — all things considered — the mountain was in pretty good shape. During the week before Christmas significant rainfall wiped out the thin natural base leaving everything very firm. It was great to see Gore’s snowmaking firepower on display. There were issues with the gondola both days, leading to lines that left me uncomfortable. I was grateful for the AE2 and ended up riding it exclusively in the morning. The two » Read More &r
  • Raide Drops HUGE 2027 Product Updates

    In the last few years, there’s undeniably been a “cool” brand for backcountry skiers. And no, it’s not a ski, binding, or boot brand, it’s a maker of really well-designed backpacks and apparel. Raide, and the man behind the show Kyle Siegel, have really left a mark on the industry with intentional design and extremely high quality (and highly coveted) items that many other brands might consider an afterthought in their product portfolios. We’ve talked about Ra
  • Utah's New Ski Area Unveils Trail Map, Lift Tickets Are Just $20 This Season

    Utah’s “newest” ski area, Snowland, is gearing up for another season with a new trail map and lift tickets at $20, among the cheapest in the state.
    The upcoming opening this winter follows the news that Snowland, operated by the non-profit Snowland Foundation, said it had secured a new special use permit with the Forest Service. The permit, according to a release, allows the ski area’s continued operation and development.
    Brent Lange, chairman of the Snowland Foundation,
  • Skiers Turn Kicking Horse Into Terrain Park for High Octane SLVSH Match Up

    What happens when you put two Jackson Hole-bred skiers in a head-to-head trick match (have we mentioned we love a head-to-head battle?) at one of North America’s best freeride playgrounds? If you answered ‘the second round of SLVSH Games this season,’ your Instagram algorithm is probably excellent, and you’re spot on.
    After kicking off a few weeks ago, the second SLVSH freeride competition of the season went live today with an epic matchup between Teton-raised skiers Nate
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  • Three Feet of Snow Possible as Winter Storm Slams Alaska

    A major winter storm is hitting Alaska this week, bringing as much as three feet of snow to some areas in the Eastern Alaska Range.
    The National Weather Service has issued a slew of winter weather advisories and warnings for the state’s eastern interior, with the significant totals concentrated around Trims Camp, Donnelly Dome, and Black Rapids.
    A winter weather warning for the area lasts through Thursday morning, and the NWS said that “24 to 36 inches [of snow is] expected above 250
  • Anon Launches Collab Collection with French Artist Lucas Beaufort

    French artist Lucas Beaufort has teamed up with helmet and goggle brand Anon to release a collaborative capsule collection of their gear, which launched with an event in London over the weekend.
    The collection, dubbed Encounters, seeks to bring a visual interpretation of life’s most memorable, unplanned moments to Anon’s products. Beaufort is best known for his playful drawings and for incorporating them into his photography. His close ties to the skate and snowboard communities have
  • New Map Forecasts How El Niño Will Affect Drought Conditions In Winter 26/27 From Coast to Coast

    November is around the corner, and nearly every weather-conscious American has one question on their mind: how will El Niño affect the winter of 2026-27?
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently revealed the likelihood of a “strong” El Niño this winter: “El Niño continues to strengthen, with a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027 (remaining greater than an 83% chance),” writes NOAA. “C
  • The Story Behind POWDER Magazine's 2026/27 Cover

    The 2026/27 print issue of POWDER is here. Pick up your copy by following this link.
    Some time ago, the Sandpoint, Idaho-raised photographer Jasper Gibson headed into the mountains with two Kiwis. 
    These weren’t average Kiwis, though. One was Sam Smoothy, a Freeride World Tour charger turned steep-skiing extraordinaire. The other was the man behind what might be the most iconic Olympic slopestyle run of all time: a zero-spin extravaganza that fired up die-hards and left non-skiers scr
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  • 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
  • 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
  • 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

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