#high-elevation

#high-elevation

The storm already underway across most of the state keeps snow going through today, then winds down overnight and early Wednesday. The guidance is well clustered on that timing and on snow levels holding between 6,500 and 8,500 feet while it is snowing.

The goal of this trip isn't perfection, it's survival. At that altitude, your judgment fades as quickly as your lung capacity.

The early morning sun is bursting around the dark corners of High Dodd and Sleet Fell, sending a flush of light across the golden bracken and on to the hammered silver of the lake.

By April 1, the state's long-term snow data showed conditions unlike anything previously recorded. Of the 64 manual snow course sites in Colorado with records stretching back more than 50 years, 60 either tied or set their lowest April 1 readings ever observed.

The body is a shifting landscape transformed by surfaces and sensations. Each look captures a different tactile world: the heat of blood, the cool weight of metal, the yielding drift of water. The result is a sculptural study of how the elements carve, shield, and release the self. The materials we embody become the emotions we carry, and the body becomes a materialised exhibition of our emotions, from the pulse of Blood to the discipline of Metal to the surrender of Water.

My father was a petroleum geologist. A lot of my childhood, he was gone, away on oil rigs in the Powder River Basin and remote parts of Wyoming, living in man camps long before cellphones. We had to wait days to talk to him. When he went into the nearest town to shower, he'd find a payphone and call us. I was always breathless with news.

Avalanches kill about 100 people in Europe each year, with vast masses of ice, snow and rock regularly crashing down on hikers and skiers who have been caught unawares. The structure of the snow, angle of the slope and variation of the weather can dictate whether a gentle disturbance like a gust of wind or the glide of a snowboard can trigger a deadly shift in the mountain.

Jornet's well-publicized States of Elevation project in 2025 was a feat in human endurance, mountain running, and planning. Starting on September 3, he linked 72 of the 14ers in the contiguous U.S in a human-powered fashion - on foot and bike - with a support crew following him and helping with logistics. He started with the 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Colorado, then went on to California and north to Washington, finishing on the 14,410-foot Mount Rainier.

Many of them were built for purposes that no longer exist - cattle drives, mining prospecting, early U.S. Forest Service fire patrols - while others were packed by the footprints of the Chumash people well before the colonization of North America. Sections of trail cling to steep slopes that seem to barely resist gravity, shedding soil and stone with each winter storm.

Confidence is highest from Monday afternoon, March 16, through Tuesday afternoon, March 17, when southern Chile and the northern Patagonian Andes should see the steadiest snowfall. After that, Tuesday night through Thursday trends drier for most resorts, and the next push into the central Andes near Santiago looks more modest, more elevation-dependent, and less certain on amounts.

The Andes Cordillera is full of incredible sights, unique ecosystems, and unforgettable experiences. I believe there's something here for everyone, from vibrant cities to towering volcanic peaks.

Wildlife populations are in decline. Recreation sites are crowded and often underfunded. Wildfires are larger, more destructive and harder to control. Climate change is reshaping natural systems, from ocean fisheries to mountain snowpacks, faster than institutions can respond. At the same time, communities are being asked to host new energy projects, transmission lines and mineral development - often without clear processes, adequate resources or trust that decisions are being made in the public interest.

AllTrails, a hiking app with trail maps and reviews, dug into insights from their 90 million-plus members and team of trail experts to spotlight lesser-known places where the trail alone is worth planning a trip around. Their guide, Travel-Worthy Trails for 2026, spotlights eight unexpected destinations around the world where the trail is the destination.

I'd been stopped maybe 2 seconds and the slope started to move. I pivoted to straightline but was swamped-no speed, no chance. The impact was like stepping off a curb in front of a 40 Tonne truck doing 60 mph.

Mt. Baker is the PNW's snow vacuum. It's close enough to the Pacific to get storm after storm, and the North Cascades do what they do best: force moist air straight up, wring it out, and bury everything in sight. Maritime storms roll in wet and heavy, then pile up fast when they hit terrain.

To get back to average snowpack, we essentially need to have the most snow that we've ever had for the last 30 years between now and mid-April. It would be extremely difficult for Colorado to get back to a normal/average snowpack. As an example, when looking at the Independence Pass SNOTEL site in central Colorado outside of Aspen, we typically have 13 inches of snow-water-equivalent at the end of February. This year, we only have 6.7 inches of SWE.

Vail Mountain has recorded its lowest snowpack in 47 years, with just 67 inches of snow so far this season. It has been a tough season so far for many resorts located in the Rockies and out West. "We experienced one of the worst early-season snowfalls in the Western U.S. in over 30 years," Rob Katz, Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release. This has limited Vail Mountain and other resorts from opening new terrain and has decreased skier visits.

Located just 15-20 minutes from downtown Banff, the adventure begins at the Gondola Base. Eight passengers at a time ascend 1,650 vertical feet over roughly three miles in about 20 minutes. Along the way are stunning views in every direction. There are three stations along the way - a mid-line directional change, the Goat's Eye offload, and finally the upper village terminal.

Many of us are riding the high of the recent major snowstorm wondering when the next big powder day will swing through. Unfortunately for most of North America, it looks like the snowy weather won't be returning anytime soon, or at least not for the next week. Meteorologist Chris Tomer 's Mountain Weather Update paints a rather sad picture for snowfall totals in North America between January 29th and February 5th.