暗黑爆料

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has won her record-tying 86th World Cup race with victory in a giant slalom.

Colorado skier Mikaela Shiffrin won the gold medal in the women鈥檚 giant slalom at the world championships.

A valley in Colorado鈥檚 high country, where soldiers trained in mountain combat long ago is now a national monument, established by President Biden during a ceremony at the facility, near Leadville, earlier this week.

The U.S. Forest Service has ordered a halt to the expansion of a Rocky Mountains ski resort after contractors mistakenly demolished protected alpine tundra to create a temporary road.

Many rural towns across the Mountain West are experiencing a moment of crisis 鈥� water scarcity and the threat of wildfire, as well as extreme income inequality and a shortage of workers, in part, because the cost of living is often incredibly high. We speak with veteran ski journalist Heather Hansman, who covers these issues in her new book, Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow.

Products like non-stick pans and waterproof jackets have something in common 鈥� they鈥檙e often made with chemicals known as PFAS. But the man-made chemicals don鈥檛 break down in the environment, or our bodies. And they鈥檙e suspected of causing cancer and other health problems. The Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau鈥檚 Madelyn Beck reports on efforts to ban PFAS in a popular winter product: ski wax.

Year by year, Rocky Mountain snowpack is shrinking, slowly exhibiting the sting of a warming climate. The way we measure the snow is changing too, as a shifting baseline for what counts as 鈥渁verage鈥� paints a somewhat deceptive picture of how much snow is stored at high altitude.

Most industries faced a slump at the beginning of the pandemic, and that included the companies that make chairlifts. But they鈥檝e made a big comeback as people return to ski resorts.

Some of the Mountain West's COVID-19 hotspots have been, and continue to be, areas with major ski resorts.

Breckenridge Ski Resort opened its slopes to skiers and snowboarders on Friday, drawing large crowds even as Colorado鈥檚 COVID-19 numbers and hospitalizations climbed to record levels.