Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Powder
Editor's Picks #8: Top Ski Stories From Last Week
By Matt Lorelli,
2 days ago
If you've been following along, you know that this is a weekly column in which I feature my favorite ski news stories from the previous week here at POWDER. If you haven't been following, welcome, friend.
Let's take a look at my favorite ski stories from last week (August 12-August 18th, 2024).
5. Mow Some Grass, Earn Your Pass at Mad River Glen, Vermont
This is a real photo of a scythe-wielding volunteer taking in the view of MRG's iconic single chair. It feels like something I would have typed into an AI photo generator after consuming one too many gummies in college, if the technology had existed at the time.
Synopsis: Mad River Glen, a fabled ski-only area in Vermont, is offering a season pass for the Winter '24/'25 season to volunteers who mow their grass. The ski area uses mowers for the groomed runs, but relies on scythe-carrying volunteers to chop down the hard-to-reach areas.
Editor's Thoughts: It's one thing to offer a season pass to a volunteer who helps maintain your ski area. It's another when you give them a tool invented in 5000 BC and ask them to hike up a rocky ski run. Mad River Glen. Ski it if you can. Mow it if you can. I love this place.
4. Mammoth Mountain to Use Old Chairlift Towers as Terrain Park Features
Is it possible for an individual terrain park to "own" a color? Mammoth Unbound's use of neon pink certainly makes a case for it.
Synopsis: Mammoth Mountain is replacing the Broadway Lift (also known as Chair #1) with a brand-new Doppelmayer D-Line 6-pack detachable high speed chairlift. The new lift requires new towers, and Mammoth's legendary Unbound crew hatched a plan to put the old towers to use.
Editor's Thoughts: Genius. The Mammoth Unbound crew are simply genius. I am not a park skier by trade, but it took just one lap down an Unbound line with Tom Wallisch and Jossi Wells back in June of 2023 for me to realize just how good these guys and gals are. Turning old chairlift towers into a park feature is as cool as it is environmentally-friendly. Kudos all around, and keep your eyes peeled for the massive neon pink features to debut next season.
3. Skier Hank Stowers Is Charting Their Own Course
Synopsis: Hank Stowers (they/them) is making a name for themselves despite injury, adversity, and a lapse in love of skiing. POWDER's Ian Greenwood chats with Hank about the journey thus far, and what they hope is in their future.
Editor's Thoughts: Ian did a fantastic job telling Hank's story without narrowing in on any particular aspect. Yes, Hank is a non-binary professional skier, but there is obviously much more to them than how they identify. I'm looking forward to sharing similar stories on POWDER in the future.
2. Checking in With the Utah Avalanche Center's New Leaders
Synopsis: The Utah Avalanche Center is considered to be one of the United States' leaders in avalanche education, research, and forecasting. The organization recently appointed two new leaders in Paige Pagnucco and Caroline Miller. POWDER's Ella Boyd spoke with both leaders about the future and direction of the UAC.
Editor's Thoughts: I've been watching and reading content from the Utah Avalanche Center as long as I can remember. Long before I had even stepped within 2,000 miles of avalanche terrain, I was learning from their instructional online content. With that in mind, leading the UAC is a big deal, and landing interviews with both of their new leaders was a big get for Ella.
1. Meet the Skier Who Set a New Record on Mont Blanc
Anna DeMonte
Aaron Rolph
Story: Meet the Skier Who Set a New Record on Mont Blanc
Synopsis: Michigan native Anna DeMonte recently set a fastest known time (FKT) on the Grand Mulets route of Mont Blanc. She spoke with POWDER's Ian Greenwood about the grueling journey that was over 20 miles long and included 12,000 feet of elevation gain.
Editor's Thoughts: Gosh. I love it when Americans travel abroad and claim skiing records for themselves. There's also something especially delicious about the record being set in France. I can only hope there's a salty French woman in a cafe cursing DeMonte for being so fast.
Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world’s best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed.
Submit your best clips for a chance to be featured on POWDER. Tune in and watch handpicked, high-quality ski videos streaming all day long on POWDER TV , and subscribe to our YouTube channel .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Most Popular
Comments / 0