“News Flash” is FREESKIER’s online column designed to keep you up-to-date with snippets of outdoor news you need to know about. This article is published weekly on Wednesdays.
This Week’s Weather Forecast
The entire Western United States is now a winter wonderland
Washington, Oregon and Utah just had their deepest week of the season so far, and the storms continue to roll in this week. The Pacific Northwest will see the next storm Tuesday night-Wednesday and will push into the Rockies Wednesday and Thursday.
This Week’s Top Headlines
Inbounds avalanche claims one life at Palisades Tahoe
An inbounds avalanche at Palisades Tahoe over the weekend buried three people and claimed the life of one skier. Our hearts go out to the victim’s friends and family, as well as the entire Tahoe snow community.
Gondola detaches at Austrian ski resort, injuring all four passengers
When a gondola detached at Ötz Ski Resort, it crashed 23 feet to the ground and left all four passengers critically injured. A father, two kids and their uncle were all air-lifted to the nearest hospital. Experts are still determining how the failure happened.
Avalanche closes Berthoud Pass in Colorado
Highway 40, more commonly known as Berthoud Pass, on the Front Range of Colorado closed to traffic both ways on Sunday after an avalanche covered half of the road, burying parked vehicles in the process.
Winter X Games schedule released
Taking place January 26-28, the Winter X Games is just a couple of weeks away, and now we can see the whole weekend’s lineup. For the first time ever, ski and snowboard Knuckle Huck will feature a women’s division, both running first thing Saturday.
Blizzard welcomes Juliette Willmann to the team
Formerly on Dynastar skis and Lange boots, the French Freeride World Tour phenom is now rocking the iconic Tecnica orange and Blizzard Sheeva series. No longer on the tour, Juliette is setting her sights on bigger mountains and steeper skiing. We look forward to seeing how this new partnership plays out.
What to Watch This Week
Nikolai Schirmer and friends find a spine skier’s paradise
A long walk leads Nikolai Schirmer and Jacob Wester on a December spine mission. How many laps can they get on this face?
Veronica Paulsen teases second season of YouTube series
Follow Veronica Paulsen as she continues her YouTube series for a second season, following around some of the world’s best skiers and diving deep into their lives. What makes them tick? How do they accomplish the feats that they do? V is here to give us all the tea.
