TCR | April 29, 2026 — Two Frenchmen Just Broke Mont Blanc

April 29, 2026

The Forecast

Two Frenchmen Just Broke Mont Blanc

Wednesday morning and two French alpinists just did something unreasonable on Mont Blanc. Mathéo Jacquemoud and Samuel Equy set a new ski mountaineering FKT from the church in Chamonix to the summit and back — a round-trip that redefines what human legs and lungs can do at altitude. That's the news worth leading with today: not which resorts are closing, not who's packing it in, but the fact that people are still doing absurd, beautiful things in the mountains while most of the ski world is scrolling real estate listings. Elsewhere, Scandinavia picked up 31 centimeters in the last seven days with more in the forecast and the midnight sun turning everything gold. A-Basin caught 19 centimeters in the last week and still has terrain worth driving for. Killington's Superstar is open. Jay Peak is skiing corn in the trees. And in Austria, the spring parks at Kitzsteinhorn are running setups that would make a January park rat jealous. The season isn't ending. It's doing something more interesting than that.

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Fresh Tracks

◆ Unofficial Networks

Every Serious Skier Should Know About A-Basin's East Wall

If you've skied A-Basin and haven't made it to the East Wall, you've been doing it wrong. This piece breaks down why the highest-elevation steep zone in Colorado is the real reason the locals keep showing up in late April.

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★ Matchstick Productions

MSP Is Already Teasing the 2026 Ski Film — And Alaska Looks Unreal

Ben Richards threading Alaskan spines with helicopter support from Stellar Adventure Travel. MSP's 2026 film is coming, and if this teaser is any indication, the spine game is about to get loud.

Watch →

◆ InTheSnow

The Man Who Has Skied Over 1,000 Resorts

Oliver Kern runs SkiResort.info and has personally skied over 1,000 ski areas worldwide, collecting 25,000+ photos along the way. The interview is a window into what obsession looks like when it's backed by actual logistics.

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★ Red Bull Snow

That's a 90-Degree Drop-In

No run-in, no easing into it — just vertical commitment and the kind of confidence that makes your stomach drop through the floor. A quick gut check from Red Bull.

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The Edit

Patagonia introduces Cash — a Maui-raised waterman who picked up foiling in his mid-teens and turned messy ocean chop into something that looks like levitation. This isn't a ski film, but it's the kind of athlete profile that transcends discipline: a kid who reads wind and swell the way the best mountain riders read snow and terrain, finding lines where most people see chaos. Clean filmmaking, zero narration needed — the riding speaks for itself.

Watch →

@Patagonia

Off-Piste

🔹 Vail Resorts is under investigation by New Hampshire for charging sales tax on Epic Passes — in a state that famously has no sales tax. The Governor's office is looking into it, and if you needed another reason to question Vail's billing practices, here it is. Powder Magazine

🔹 Denver is fundraising $950,000 to install a surface lift at Ruby Hill Rail Yard, the city's beloved urban terrain park. Right now you hike your laps. A lift would open the place up to more riders and make Denver's weirdest ski asset even more accessible. Powder Magazine

🔹 Three hikers were caught in a large avalanche in Chugach State Park on Saturday. Multiple injuries, no fatalities. The slide on Peak 3's north side is a reminder that spring avalanche cycles in Alaska are no joke — warming temps plus steep terrain equals ongoing risk. Unofficial Networks

🔹 Telluride Bike Park will stay closed through the 2026 summer season as the resort prioritizes infrastructure upgrades. Mountain bikers planning a San Juan trip this summer need a new plan. TGR

Dropping

The Spring Eyewear Dilemma, Solved (Maybe)
SnowBrains put together a surprisingly thorough breakdown of the goggles-vs-sunglasses question for spring skiing — when to wear what, the optics tradeoffs, lens tints for flat light versus bluebird, and why most people get it wrong once the temps climb above freezing. It's not a product launch, but if you're still strapping on storm-day goggles for 40°F corn laps, this is the read that fixes your face situation.

Shop →

Conditions Check

Pacific Northwest closed

Zero snow on the ground at Baker, Crystal, and Stevens with temps ranging 0–10°C and no snow in the forecast — PNW resort season is done. →

Rockies spring

Colorado picked up 19cm in the last week with 2cm more expected and temps from -5°C to 4°C; Utah caught 23cm in seven days — A-Basin and Snowbird are earning late-season corn turns at elevation. →

Northern Rockies / Interior BC thin

Jackson picked up 24cm in the last seven days but base sits at just 1cm with temps -5°C to 1°C and no new snow in the forecast; BC shows similar thin coverage. →

Northeast spring

No new snow and temps running 1–13°C, but Killington's Superstar is grinding moguls into May and Jay Peak is still skiing spring corn in the trees — don't write off the East. →

Europe mixed

Scandinavia is the bright spot with 31cm in the last week, 3cm more expected, and temps from -8°C to 1°C under the midnight sun; the Alps are holding minimal coverage at glacier elevation with temps hovering around freezing. →

Japan closed

Zero snowfall across Hokkaido and Honshu with temps 2–9°C and no snow in the forecast — Japan's season is wrapped. →

The church in Chamonix is still there. The summit is still there. The only thing that changed is how fast two people connected them.

The Conditions Report

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