British Adventurer Aims To Summit Mont Blanc, France, in 1830s Gear Lise Wortley, British Adventurer aims to climb Mont Blanc, France, in 1830s gear. Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe at 15,766 feet, has been summited numerous times. But the first woman to reach the top, at least under her own power, was in 1838. Her name was Henriette d’Angeville and she was 43 years old […] Climbing Ben Davies | May 6, 2024 0 Comments
Is the Semi-Private Model at Powder Mountain, UT, the Future of Independent Ski Resorts? Could the semi-private model at Powder Mountain, Utah, be the future for independent ski resorts? The new CEO of Powder Mountain and principal investor, Reed Hastings, certainly believes so. Hastings sees it as a model for keeping large ski areas independent from big corporations such as Vail Resorts. By selling private memberships to half the visitors on the mountain, the […] Industry News Ben Davies | April 26, 2024 0 Comments
Mount Kailash, Tibet: The Unclimbable Mountain Mount Kailash, Tibet, has the reputation of being an unclimable mountain. Located in the Ngari prefecture in Tibet, it reaches 21,778 feet in elevation. This photogenic mountain isn’t close to the heights of some of the other mountains in the Himalayas, such as Mount Everest at 29,032 feet or K2 at 28,251 feet. So why hasn’t it been climbed? In […] Climbing Ben Davies | April 15, 2024 3 Comments
Whitewater Ski Resort, BC, Conditions Report: Backcountry Delivers Five Inches of Cold Smoke Report from Sunday March 11, 2024 The backcountry at Whitewater, British Columbia, delivered cold smoke again on Sunday. Expectations were low in the morning when the car was getting loaded. Although it looked like it had snowed roughly to the belt buckle of the Viking gnome on the snow stake at Whitewater, the reports from the day before weren’t that […] Conditions Report Ben Davies | March 19, 2024 0 Comments
Massive Avalanche Control Week for Ski Patrol at Whitewater Ski Resort, BC Between February 26 and March 5, Whitewater Ski Resort, British Columbia, experienced a historic avalanche control week. It’s been a different sort of winter season in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, home to Red Mountain and Whitewater Ski Resort, this year. One of the worst starts, followed by one of the biggest storms, with 64 inches falling since the […] Avalanche Ben Davies | March 19, 2024 0 Comments
Ski and Snowboard Production in the EU Up 37% in 2022 Ski and snowboard production rose by 37% in the EU in 2022. According to an article in Snow Industry News Online, this means that production within the EU has now surpassed the pre-COVID level. Europe, in general, has long been a large net exporter of skis, with multiple brands rolling out of the same mega factories. There are many well-known […] Industry News Ben Davies | March 5, 2024 0 Comments
39% of French Ski Slopes Were Covered in Man-Made Snow in the 2022/2023 Season As the snowline rises across the European Alps, the once snow-sure resorts find themselves using more and more snowmaking to stay open. Where once you could be reasonably sure of being able to ski down to the lower village at around 4,600 feet off-piste through the trees, there are now just thin landing strips of snow, covered in artificial snow. […] Industry News Ben Davies | February 19, 2024 0 Comments
Whitewater Ski Resort, BC, Report: Hero Snow in the Burn This conditions report was written on February 12th, the morning after With the new Raven lift going in, access to the area of the Whitewater Ski Resort, British Columbia, backcountry known as 5 mile has become easier this year. The chair goes to the ridge that used to take 20 to 30 minutes to reach on skins. With five and […] Conditions Report Ben Davies | February 12, 2024 0 Comments
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