Ski Bumming 101: How to Ski 100+ Days a Year as a College Student in Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City. Where you go to school to ski. A college degree is only a bonus—if you are so disciplined to resist the calling to give up on life and retreat into the Wasatch after your first season experiencing “the Greatest Snow on Earth.” It happens to a lot of people. I graduated from the University of Utah in […] Brains Martin Kuprianowicz | October 20, 2024 1 Comment
Why is Skiing in America So Expensive? If you’re a snowsport enthusiast, you’ve likely heard (and participated in) the age-old debate: American ski resorts vs. European ski resorts. Beyond the obvious differences in terrain, snow, culture, and scenery, one critical factor often tilts the scale in favor of European slopes for budget-conscious skiers: cost. American ski resorts have earned a reputation for being significantly more expensive than […] Brains Julia Schneemann | October 11, 2024 25 Comments
Brain Post: How Snow Guns Work The idea behind snowmaking is simple: you spray water into cold air, and it freezes into snow as it falls to the ground. But there’s more to it than that. Engineers have spent nearly 70 years developing snow machines, so modern snowmaking is really good. Let’s take a look at what goes into it. Related: Has Summertime Use of Snow […] Brains Tanner Blake | October 10, 2024 3 Comments
Introducing the Resorts Added to Ikon Pass With the Addition of St. Moritz, Switzerland Earlier this year, Ikon Pass added the Engadin St. Moritz ski area to its European offering, giving Ikon Pass holders 5-7 days of access to the resorts in this mountain cooperative. But what does this actually entail? Engadin Mountains is a group of resorts and ski areas in the Upper Engadin Valley on a single ski pass. Including Engadin St. […] Brains Julia Schneemann | October 8, 2024 0 Comments
The 9 Busiest Ski Resorts in the World by Visitor Numbers Did you know that there are an estimated 5,764 ski areas worldwide? However, most of that mind-boggling number are mom-and-pop ski areas, with maybe just one or two lifts. If we cut down that number to only include those ski areas with more than four ski lifts to qualify as a ‘ski resort,’ we still have a staggering 1,945 ski […] Brains Julia Schneemann | October 6, 2024 7 Comments
The Science That Explains Why Skiing Is So Enjoyable When first learning to ski, part of the initial instruction typically includes “French fry to go, pizza to slow.” Those pizzas progress into slow turns, then soon you are linking parallel turns. Functionally, you realize that turning is used to steer your direction and control your speed. Then, as you advance further, you become enlightened that the rhythm and pressure […] Brains Brent Thomas | October 3, 2024 7 Comments
The 5 Western Ski Towns With the Worst Traffic There are few worse feelings than when peak amounts of stoke abruptly vanish as visions of first chair and untouched bowls are replaced with the harsh red of braking tail lights stretched out as far as the eye can see. The euphoria of heading to ski resorts is muted by the dread of highway traffic where you and thousands of […] Brains Jared Roberts | October 3, 2024 0 Comments
Snow Farming in California and Utah: A Missed Opportunity? Consistent snowfall year after year, especially in the early season, can be unpredictable, as many of us unfortunately know. For myself and all of the Lake Tahoe region, we experienced record-breaking snow during the 2022-23 season that started strong in early November and did not let up until May. Last season (2023-24), as resorts around the area pushed back opening […] Industry News John Cunningham | September 30, 2024 1 Comment
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