TCR | May 03, 2026 — 500 Skiers Walk Into a Swedish Hillside

Published May 03, 2026

May 03, 2026

The Forecast

The Forecast

500 Skiers Walk Into a Swedish Hillside

Sunday morning and 500 people just pointed their skis downhill at the same time in Åre, Sweden — Red Bull Homerun's 15th anniversary looked like a medieval siege with better outerwear — and if that doesn't tell you everything about where the energy lives right now, check the forecast: northern Colorado is looking at 10–15 inches midweek, and A-Basin just extended operations through May 10 on the strength of 14 fresh inches. That's not a resort limping to the finish line; that's a resort that got a second wind and decided to sprint. Scandinavia continues to be the last real snow machine on the planet, picking up 29 centimeters in the last week with another 12 in the three-day forecast under temps that are still solidly below freezing. Meanwhile, the spring touring window in Japan's Tateyama is producing the kind of 3,000-meter ridge runs that make the whole shoulder season worth it. The map is shrinking. The quality of what's left is not.

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Fresh Tracks

A-Basin Just Bought Itself Another Week and a Half

A-Basin Just Bought Itself Another Week and a Half

Fourteen inches of late-season snow was all it took — A-Basin is now running lifts through May 10, making it one of the last resorts standing in North America. If you're within driving distance and you're not going, that's on you.

Springtime in Tateyama: 3,000-Meter Ridgelines and Granular Sugar

◆ STEEP Magazine

Springtime in Tateyama: 3,000-Meter Ridgelines and Granular Sugar

STEEP's YOSHI takes us into Tateyama's spring backcountry — a 3,000-meter ridgeline accessible by Shinkansen and bus, skiing corn that justifies the entire shoulder season. This is what Japanese spring touring looks like when you know where to point your skins.

◆ Powder Magazine

Is Skiing Too Complicated? Powder's Snidecountry Has Answers You Didn't Ask For

Powder's humor column returns with a deeply unserious guide to navigating the absurd complexity of modern skiing. Parking apps, pass tiers, base-layer discourse — it's all here, and it's all ridiculous.

Cam McCaul Dropped Into Corbet's on a Mountain Bike

★ TGR

Cam McCaul Dropped Into Corbet's on a Mountain Bike

Spring in Jackson means the snow is soft, the consequences are real, and apparently someone thought a mountain bike was the appropriate tool for Corbet's Couloir. @cammccaul made it look inevitable.

The Edit

Level 1's SuperUnknown is the most important pipeline in freeskiing — the contest that launched careers for half the names you know — and this year they handed the cameras to the filmers themselves. Suspect's edit from SuperUnknown 23 is a FilmerUnknown entry that brings a raw, distinct POV to the comp footage, proving the next generation isn't just skiing differently, they're seeing it differently too. Worth your full attention on a Sunday morning.

Watch →

@Level 1 Productions

Off-Piste

🔹 Vail Resorts is adjusting its pass purchase process after New Hampshire's attorney general opened an investigation into the company charging sales tax to NH residents — a state that famously doesn't have one. The fix is in, but the optics aren't great. Unofficial Networks

🔹 Northern Colorado is looking at 10–15 inches midweek. SnowBrains is tracking a Monday-through-Wednesday storm cycle that favors the northern Front Range and Winter Park side of the divide. If you still have a pass that scans, this is the play. SnowBrains

🔹 Jackson Hole's Big Red tram reopens May 16 for sightseeing. The Aerial Tram transitions to summer ops, which means Corbet's viewing without the commitment. TGR

🔹 Mountain Gazette 205 just dropped its contributor list, and it's a mix of old-guard essayists and new voices — including George Sibley writing about mortality in the mountains, which is the kind of piece that only gets published in a magazine that still believes in long-form. Mountain Gazette

Dropping

The Case for Natural Fibers in Your Outdoor Kit. Outside just published a deep dive into why merino, wool, and other natural-fiber fabrics are staging a quiet comeback against the polyester-industrial complex. The argument is compelling: better temperature regulation, less microplastic shedding, and the kind of durability that fast-fashion synthetics can't match. If you're building out a spring touring or summer hiking kit, this piece might change what ends up in your cart.

Shop →

Conditions Check

Pacific Northwest closed

No snow on the ground at Baker, Crystal, or Stevens with temps in the 9–18°C range and nothing in the forecast — the PNW season is done. →

Rockies spring

Colorado picked up 20cm in the last seven days with 10–15 more inches forecast midweek; A-Basin is open through May 10 and Utah's holding on with 18cm in the last week — this is real spring skiing, not a funeral. →

Northern Rockies / Interior BC thin

Jackson and Big Sky saw just 3cm in the last week with temps at 1–9°C and no new snow in the forecast — limited terrain at best, with most operations winding down. →

Northeast spring

Killington's Superstar is grinding May moguls as tradition demands, and Jay Peak is still skiing corn in the trees with cool temps hovering around -3 to 3°C — the East Coast season isn't over yet. →

Europe mixed

Scandinavia is the bright spot with 29cm in the last week, 12cm more forecast, and temps at -7 to -4°C; the Alps are thin at 1cm base across France, Switzerland, and Austria with minimal new snow expected. →

Japan closed

No new snow across Hokkaido or Honshu with temps at 4–18°C and nothing in the forecast — resort ops are done, though high-altitude touring in Tateyama is still delivering. →

The best days of the season are the ones nobody told you to show up for.

The Conditions Report

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