Top Five Fridays: April 11, 2025
#1: Top 4 Trends from the 2024-25 Ski Season
Hello and welcome to Top Five Fridays for April 11, 2025! As we wind down the ski season for many ski areas across the country, we’ll take a look back, a look abroad (south), and one forward as April reaches its mid-point.
In an online poll, Snowbrains.com asked readers what ski and snowboard trend they noticed the most this past season. Four categories were mentioned frequently in the poll: Safety and Serious Concerns, Behavior and Etiquette, Fashion, and Ski Culture.
The big one, Safety, was mentioned by 30.2% of the respondents. People felt they saw more dangerous and aggressive skiers and snowboarders. Tracking apps, influencer culture, and entitlement are all part of the blame here when it comes to on-hill safety.
Etiquette wasn’t far behind with a 28.6% mention rate. Stowe used to have signage atop their terrain parks noting that “Respect Gets Respect” and that rings true even today. Specific examples that were cited include leaving skis and boards on the snow instead of racking them, saving spots in the lift line with gear, backpack speakers, phone use, and overall lack of respect.
The Fashion trends are always worth noting, earning a 25.4% rate. If you spend any time at or near the terrain park, there’s always something new and interesting to notice. This year, it seemed that super-baggy pants, short hoodies, and retro sunglasses were all big parts of the trend. Elsewhere on the mountain, it seems that the fast fashion brands like Dope Snow and Montec are still prevalent, but not quite as noticeable anymore.
Finally, the notion of Ski Culture was mentioned by 15.9% of the populace. Most noted that while the party atmosphere of the mountain was still well in hand, it did seem that excessive drinking and drug use were seen more on hill this season. What’s going to stand out next year?
Source: https://snowbrains.com/top-4-trends-from-the-2024-25-ski-season/
#2: Powder Magazine tells us why ski areas close even with tons of snow
Have you ever been to a ski area on a closing weekend with a full load of snow and wondered why they’re shutting down? Here at Stowe, we’ve had it both ways—sometimes we still have over 100 inches of natural snow base up top but close anyway. Other times, they’ve had to stretch and push to scrape together enough coverage to pick your way down by closing time.
Out west, when most resorts close in mid to late April, there’s usually the deepest snowpack of the year. I remember being told that western resorts had to close due to Elk migration, or Big Horned Sheep, or some other type of animal making its way through the mountains, and that it was largely a determination of the US Forest Service.
Apparently, this is not the case—in most situations, according to Powder’s Ian Greenwood via the USFS, “The conclusion of winter operations is a business decision made by the Ski Area Permit holder. There are occasionally a few exceptions where the Forest Service requires seasonal closures due to wildlife considerations, but this is not the norm.” Interesting!
The main reason, though, that ski areas close when they do, is that frankly, nobody’s skiing anymore in mid to late April. Other than Wednesday’s powder day here at Stowe, there are basically zero cars in the parking lot on any given weekday. Those who are skiing are pass holders who do not spend more money on mountain services like ski school or food and beverage.
Many resorts, like Stowe, also have an operations budget that they must adhere to, so if their budget lists 150 days of operations, then that’s just what it’s going to be. Places like Killington in Vermont, Mammoth in California, and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado make it their “thing” to stay open longer than others, and due to reduced competition, more skiers flock to those places to get their ski fix, making it somewhat financially feasible.
Additionally, if you really want to ski more, many European resorts with glacier-style skiing just stay open.
Source: https://www.powder.com/news/why-ski-resorts-close-early
#3: Can you ski in the Southern Hemisphere with your pass?
Focusing on the end of the ski season can be very sad for many people. Fortunately, there’s a whole nother half of the Earth on which you can ski. Whether you’re interested in pursuing the Endless Winter lifestyle or looking to change up your normal summer vacation routine, there’s a good chance that a pass you already have can help you out in that endeavor. Brent Thomas from Snowbrains shows us the way.
As always, check your pass restrictions and eligibility before booking a trip to Chile. While there are considerably fewer resorts in the Southern Hemisphere, there’s still plenty of opportunity here.
If you have an Ikon Pass, check out Thredbo and Mt. Buller resorts in Australia, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Mt. Hutt in New Zealand, or Valle Nevado in Chile. If you live in the Eastern US, you don’t even have to change your clocks to go to Chile.
For Epic pass holders, you’ve got a choice between Perisher, Falls Creek, and Hotham in Australia. Additionally, check out the Power Pass for 7-day access to Valle Nevado and La Parva in Chile, the Powder Alliance pass gets you more NZ skiing, and the supplemental Mountain Collective pass gets you a few free days at Valle Nevado, Mt. Buller, and Coronet Peak and The Remarkables.
Skiing doesn’t have to end just because North America gets warmer.
Source: https://snowbrains.com/the-best-multi-resort-passes-that-offer-access-to-ride-the-southern-hemisphere/
#4: Purgatory Ski Area to add Lift, Trails for 2025-2026
Moving to the future, and specifically to Southwestern Colorado, Purgatory Resort will install a new chairlift and five new trails to their front side of the mountain this summer. The new Glendale triple will enhance skier access to the top of the mountain, independent of the Columbine and Village base areas.
Unfortunately, the Bike Park will take the summer off, but they’ll be able to update and maintain the trails for the following season. For this summer, at least, Purgatory will extend their workforce to help with the new development, adding two groups of about 12-15 year-round Purgatory employees.
The new lift will go up the lookers left of the resort, on the Durango side of the hill where it looks like you can park without getting into the full-on resort village.
While the story here is covered by 9News out of Denver, you can find detailed information on Purgatory’s website here: https://www.purgatory.ski/press/purgatory-resort-summer-update/
#4.5: Purgatory Bonus News
OnTheSnow.com’s readers award Purgatory as the best ski area for beginners in North America in its annual Visitor’s Choice Awards. Purgatory scored high in ski school for kids and adults, including a Free Beginner Experience for first time skiers and riders. You get a free 45-minute lesson with the purchase of a ticket.