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// DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD
News

The Forest Service Just Told Ski Resorts They Don't Have to Be Ski Resorts Anymore

A quiet rule change dropped three weeks ago. After the worst season in 50 years, it might be the most important story in skiing.

Apr 17, 20267 min readforest-service, climate-change, summer-operations, ski-industry, closing-dates, spring-skiing, mountain-biking, public-lands
News

Vail Closed a Swiss Resort on Easter. The Alps Are Not Amused.

1,200 signatures. Excellent snow. A furious community. And a 2027 World Championships on the horizon. Welcome to Vail Resorts' European chapter.

Apr 15, 20268 min readvail-resorts, crans-montana, switzerland, europe, early-closure, epic-pass, antitrust, spring-skiing, alps
News

Week Ahead: The Last 23 Standing

Only 23 western resorts are still open. Utah gets a surprise April storm. A 'forgotten coup' explains how the ski monopoly happened. And 85% of ski workers are alarmed about climate change.

Apr 13, 20267 min readweek-ahead, spring-skiing, utah, climate-change, antitrust, closing-dates, prediction-markets, april-2026
News

Vermont Has More Open Resorts Than Colorado. Nobody Saw That Coming.

Nine mountains still spinning in the Green Mountain State while the West shuts down. Plus: Vail angers Swiss locals, the antitrust lawsuit goes deeper, and where to ski this weekend.

Apr 10, 20267 min readvermont, colorado, ski season, closures, vail resorts, crans-montana, spring skiing, killington, jay peak, antitrust
Racing

Lindsey Vonn Wants Another Comeback. Yes, Really.

Two months after a crash that nearly cost her a leg, the 41-year-old is already talking about 'one more run.' Here's why nobody should be surprised.

Apr 8, 20266 min readlindsey vonn, olympics, milan cortina 2026, comeback, alpine skiing, injury, downhill, ski racing
News

Week Ahead: Vail Closes Wednesday. The Lights Are Going Out.

The biggest ski resort in Colorado is calling it quits 11 days early. Just 7 resorts remain statewide -- and the numbers are dropping fast everywhere.

Apr 6, 20266 min readweek-ahead, closures, vail, spring-skiing, april-2026, colorado, utah, pnw, california, mammoth, season-end
News

Last Call: The Biggest Closing Weekend in Decades

Easter Sunday will kill more ski seasons simultaneously than any day in recent memory. Here's where to make your last turns -- and who's hanging on.

Apr 3, 20267 min readclosures, spring-skiing, april-2026, storm-recap, colorado, utah, pnw, california, closing-day, easter
Breckenridge ski area gondola with snow-covered peaks
Industry

The Ski Pass Duopoly Is Getting Sued

A class-action antitrust lawsuit claims Vail and Alterra rigged the game. Here's what it means for your wallet.

Apr 2, 20266 min readvail resorts, alterra, epic pass, ikon pass, antitrust, lawsuit, ski pass prices, lift tickets, ski industry
Analysis

The Season in Numbers: A Statistical Autopsy of 2025-26

Today is April 1 -- the single most important day in western snowpack measurement. This year, the numbers are a horror show. Here's every stat that matters from a season that fell apart.

Apr 1, 20269 min read2025-26, season recap, data, snowpack, april 1, colorado, california, closures, vail resorts, prediction markets, jay peak, pnw, statistics, climate
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: April's Last Gift -- A Storm Arrives Just in Time for the Funerals

Reuters is writing obituaries for the ski industry. Meanwhile, 6-9 inches are headed for the Rockies and PNW. Here's who can still use them.

Mar 30, 20267 min readforecast, closures, april-storm, spring-skiing, week-ahead, march-2026, climate, predictions, colorado, utah, wyoming, pnw
Racing

The Season Ends, But Shiffrin Doesn't

Mikaela Shiffrin ties the all-time record with her 6th overall World Cup globe -- clinched in a giant slalom, the discipline that nearly ended her career. Meanwhile, the worst closure wave in Western ski history rolls on.

Mar 27, 20267 min readmikaela shiffrin, world cup, overall title, crystal globe, ski racing, 2025-26, season closures, emma aicher, hafjell, norway
Analysis

The Reckoning

A disastrous season, an antitrust lawsuit, and a CEO admitting the model is broken. The ski industry's worst winter just became an existential moment.

Mar 27, 20269 min readantitrust, vail resorts, alterra, epic pass, ikon pass, lawsuit, rob katz, ski industry, 2025-26, season recap, 2026-27, lift tickets, climate change
Feature

The Two-Speed Season: Baker Gets 2 Feet While Tahoe Loses 60% of Its Snowpack

The Pacific Northwest is having the time of its life. Everyone else is watching the season melt away. Here's why the weather pattern split the West in half.

Mar 25, 20268 min readspring skiing, pacific northwest, tahoe, palisades, mt baker, snowpack, weather patterns, closures, 2025-26, data, el nino
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: The Great Meltdown -- 50+ Resorts Closed Early and the Dominoes Keep Falling

The 2025-26 ski season is in full collapse across the West. Here's who's still standing, who gave up, and what comes next.

Mar 23, 20267 min readforecast, closures, heatwave, spring-skiing, utah, colorado, california, idaho, week-ahead, march-2026, climate, vail-resorts, gen-z
Guide

The Spring Skiing Survival Guide

Half the West is closing early. The other half is hanging on. Here's exactly where you can still ski -- and where you should be heading right now.

Mar 20, 20267 min readspring skiing, closures, 2025-26, california, utah, colorado, tahoe, mammoth, jackson hole, guide, weekend preview
Analysis

Pass Wars 2026-27: The Full Breakdown

Epic vs Ikon vs Mountain Collective vs Indy Pass. Every price, every perk, every angle -- and who should buy what.

Mar 18, 202610 min readski passes, epic pass, ikon pass, mountain collective, indy pass, 2026-27 season, gen z, season pass, pass comparison
Analysis

The Season That Fell Apart

California is melting. Colorado bookings are cratering. Resorts are shutting down weeks early. And the CEO of Alterra just walked out the door. A postmortem on the worst Western ski season in decades.

Mar 18, 20269 min readski season, 2025-26, climate, snowpack, california, colorado, alterra, vail resorts, early closures, snow drought, analysis
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: California Is Melting, Minnesota Is Buried, and the Season Is Splitting in Half

The worst March heatwave in California history is killing ski resorts while the Midwest digs out of a blizzard. Welcome to the weirdest week of 2026.

Mar 16, 20266 min readforecast, california, heatwave, minnesota, blizzard, pacific-northwest, vail-resorts, week-ahead, march-2026, climate
News

Friday the 13th: The Luckiest and Unluckiest Week in Skiing

Washington is drowning in snow. California's shutting down. The Paralympics are melting. And Ikon wants $1,399 for next year.

Mar 13, 20266 min readpnw, washington, stevens-pass, crystal-mountain, mt-baker, california, mt-shasta, ikon-pass, paralympics, climate, march-2026
Guides

The Best Ski Pass for Every State (2025-26 Season)

Epic, Ikon, Indy, or something else entirely? We broke it down for all 37 states with ski resorts.

Mar 11, 202612 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, indy-pass, mountain-collective, season-pass, ski-pass, guide
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: The PNW Is About to Get Buried

Washington's biggest storm of the season, Telluride's courtroom drama, and Colorado's warm spell that won't quit

Mar 10, 20265 min readforecast, pacific-northwest, colorado, telluride, week-ahead, march-2026, epic-pass, deer-valley
Industry Analysis

Pass Wars 2026: Skiing Has an Affordability Crisis

Vail just slashed prices for Gen Z. That tells you everything about where the industry is headed.

Mar 5, 20268 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, vail-resorts, alterra, affordability, gen-z, ski-industry
Analysis

Pass Wars 2026: The Affordability Crisis

Vail just dropped a 20% Gen Z discount on Epic Pass. Here's what it means -- and what it doesn't.

Mar 5, 20268 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, pricing, affordability, gen-z, vail-resorts, alterra, indy-pass
Guide

March Madness: Where to Chase Spring Snow

Forget the bracket. Here's the only March competition that matters -- who's got the deepest base heading into spring.

Mar 2, 20266 min readspring-skiing, march, powder, late-season, snowpack
Technology

Ikon Just Quietly Became Epic's Biggest Threat on Mobile

Alterra partnered with Slopes for real stat tracking, then hired a Marriott exec to run the whole thing. The pass war just moved to your phone.

Feb 27, 20266 min readikon-pass, alterra, apps, technology, epic-pass, slopes
Industry

Resorts Are Closing Early. Others Never Opened at All.

The 2025-26 snow drought is hitting small ski areas hardest -- and the forecast isn't helping

Feb 27, 20265 min readsnow-drought, idaho, colorado, climate, ski-industry, 2025-26-season
Storm Coverage

The Blizzard of 2026 Just Buried the Northeast. Yawgoo Valley Got Three Feet.

Winter Storm Hernando dumped 2-3 feet across the Northeast megalopolis. 37.9 inches at T.F. Green Airport. And Rhode Island's only ski area is having the time of its life.

Feb 25, 20267 min readstorms, blizzard, northeast, new-england, nor-easter, yawgoo-valley, rhode-island
Snow-covered Sierra Nevada backcountry terrain
Safety

9 Dead in Tahoe Backcountry Avalanche -- California's Deadliest on Record

Three guides and six clients killed near Castle Peak. The worst U.S. avalanche since 1981.

Feb 25, 20267 min readavalanche, backcountry, tahoe, safety, castle peak, sierra nevada
Week Ahead

Week Ahead: Late Feb Storm Train

Wednesday's CO system has models fighting -- here's what we know

Feb 24, 20264 min readforecast, colorado, storm, week-ahead, february-2026
Olympics Coverage

USA Wins Hockey Gold on the Anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. You Can't Script This.

Jack Hughes scores in OT to beat Canada 2-1 -- on the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice.

Feb 23, 20265 min readolympics, hockey, 2026-winter-games, milan-cortina-2026, usa, miracle-on-ice, jack-hughes
Olympics Coverage

Shiffrin's Redemption, Skimo's Arrival, and the Best Week of the Olympics

A slalom masterclass, a brand new sport, and one very torn ACL.

Feb 20, 20266 min readolympics, 2026-winter-games, mikaela-shiffrin, ski-mountaineering, skimo, slalom, cortina, bormio
Snowboarder riding fresh powder at Schweitzer
Features

You Can Literally Bet on Snow Now

Prediction markets are eating everything. We brought them to skiing -- minus the losing money part.

Feb 18, 20265 min readprediction markets, snow predictions, bet on snowfall, ski weather predictions, polymarket, kalshi, snow prediction markets
Olympics Coverage

Mid-Olympics Check-In: Alpine Skiing by the Numbers

Seven of ten alpine events are done. Here's the data dump.

Feb 16, 20268 min readolympics, 2026-winter-games, alpine-skiing, results, cortina, bormio, prediction-markets
Heavy snow falling on Colorado ski resort
Storm Tracking

Colorado's Biggest Storm of the Season Lands Tuesday

2+ feet on the peaks, avalanche danger at extreme levels, and finally some relief for a drought-stricken season.

Feb 16, 20264 min readstorms, colorado, powder, weather, avalanche, vail, aspen, breckenridge, winter park
Data Analysis

Epic vs Ikon: Who's Winning the Snow War?

We pulled the live data for both mega-passes. Here's who's actually skiing on more snow right now.

Feb 15, 20267 min readepic-pass, ikon-pass, snowfall, base-depth, comparison, data
Heavy snow falling on mountain peaks
Storm Tracking

Massive Storm Incoming: 3-5 Feet for the Sierra This Week

Winter Storm Warnings from Tahoe to Mammoth. Ridge gusts over 100 mph. This is the real deal.

Feb 15, 20265 min readstorms, sierra, tahoe, mammoth, powder, weather, california, oregon, idaho
Resort Deep Dive

The Olympics Are in Our Backyard: A SnowRadar Guide to Cortina d'Ampezzo

Cortina isn't just an Olympic venue. It's one of the best ski destinations in the world.

Feb 6, 20269 min readolympics, cortina, dolomites, europe, 2026-winter-games
Conditions & Snow Science

The 2025-26 Mid-Season Report Card: Who's Got Snow, Who's Praying for It

We pulled the numbers for every resort in our system. Here's what's going on.

Jan 27, 202611 min readsnow-report, seasonal-analysis, conditions, data
Lift & Infrastructure

Gondola One: Vail Dropped $20 Million on a Lift and It Was Actually Worth It

A deep dive into the numbers, engineering, and impact of Vail's flagship gondola.

Jan 20, 20269 min readvail, gondola, doppelmayr, lift-upgrade
On-mountain dining experience at a ski resort
Mountain Culture

Top 10 On-Mountain Dining Experiences

Because the best ski days include at least one meal that makes you forget you're at 10,000 feet.

Jan 15, 20269 min readdining, food, on-mountain, resort-guide, apres
Ski chairlift ascending a snow-covered mountain
Lift & Infrastructure

Top 10 Chairlifts That Changed Skiing

Engineering firsts, capacity game-changers, and the lifts that rewired how we get uphill.

Jan 10, 202612 min readchairlifts, history, engineering, infrastructure
Skier sending it through deep powder in a snow-covered forest
Resort Rankings

Top 10 Ski Resorts for Powder Chasers

Ranked by actual snowfall data. Because vibes don't measure in inches.

Jan 8, 202610 min readpowder, snowfall, rankings, resort-guide
Skier on uncrowded slopes at an underrated ski resort
Resort Rankings

Top 10 Most Underrated Ski Resorts in North America

Skip the megaresorts. These places are better than their reputation and your lift line will prove it.

Jan 5, 202610 min readunderrated, hidden-gems, resort-guide, value
Wide groomed ski run with beginners learning on a sunny day
Resort Rankings

Top 10 Ski Resorts for Beginners (That Won't Bore Your Expert Friends)

Great learning terrain AND enough steep stuff to keep everyone happy. Yes, these places exist.

Jan 2, 20269 min readbeginners, family, resort-guide, mixed-ability
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