Ski Giants Vail, Alterra and Others sued Over Alleged Price-fixing. Vail ​Resorts, Alterra Mountain Company and two smaller rivals were sued in federal court ‌in Colorado for allegedly colluding with a ski-industry trade association and a research firm to fix prices for multi-mountain season passes and lift tickets. More. Reuters via Google Alerts

Approval for Disputed Park City Lift Improvements Upheld. Lift replacements at Park City Mountain that had been delayed due to opposition by members of the local community were, for now, given the green light by a municipal hearing officer following an appeal of the Park City Planning Commission’s June decision to approve the projects. More. SAM

Eagle Point (UT) Resort to remain closed for 2026-27 season after fire, flooding. Eagle Point Resort will not be open for skiing this winter due to damage from the Cottonwood Fire and Beaver floods. The locally popular resort is in central Utah.  More. KUTV Salt Lake City  via MSN.com

It Takes a Village. Killington’s base village expansion relies on willing collaboration between resort, developer, and the local community. More. SAM

Donner Ski Ranch (CA) Posts Signs Encouraging Guests to ‘Rat Out’ Lifties. The Tahoe-area resort recently took to its Facebook to reveal a new sign that will be posted at the bottom of every chairlift and carpet. The sign encourages guests to “rat,” or report, on lifties using their cell phones while working the lifts. More. Snowbrains Ed. Note: Donner Ski Ranch is a family friendly ski hill across the road from more well-known Sugar Bowl Ski Resort.

Vail Resorts to Invest in Changes to Rentals, Private Lessons, Dining. Vail Resorts believes the company’s future growth will come by offering an improved guest experience rather than acquiring more ski areas. More. SAM

Aspen Snowmass Partners with Snow Secure to Extend Winter. Aspen Snowmass has enlisted Finnish company Snow Secure to help save snow at the end of each winter, leading to lower energy costs and less water consumption. More. Freeskier

Construction Site July 2026. Infrastructure projects large and small got underway across North America this spring. More. SAM Magazine

Updated North Carolina Winter Sports Safety Act Signed into Law. The North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill 648 this week and Gov. Josh Stein signed it into law, codifying an update to the state’s Winter Sports Safety Act that includes a variety of “needed changes” to the legislation, according to the North Carolina Ski Areas Association. More. SAM

Students Invent Device That Could Save Skiers From Tree Wells. The Tree Well Guardian, a device affixed to a ski boot, kicks into action when skiers get stuck headfirst in the snow. More. Powder

The 11 Most Annoying Things Anyone Can Do on a Chairlift Ride. After receiving over 1,000 comments, Snowbrains dug through them all and tallied the pet peeves that came up again and again. From the obvious to the truly horrifying, here are the 11 most annoying things you can do on a chairlift ride, plus a few honorable mentions that deserve a shout-out. More. Snowbrains

The Future of Chairlifts May Be Liftie-Free With Doppelmayr’s AURO System. Austrian ski lift manufacturer Doppelmayr debuted its first Autonomous Ropeway Operation (AURO) lift in December 2020 with the Kumme gondola in Zermatt, Switzerland. What makes the Kumme gondola and AURO lifts special? They do not need lifties. Instead, they rely completely on modern technology to safely and comfortably move skiers up the mountains. More. Snowbrains