TCR | August 07, 2026 — Sage Cattabriga-Alosa Used a Tree as a Kicker, Antitrust Comes for Ski Passes

Published August 07, 2026

August 07, 2026

The Forecast

The Forecast

JJF gets obliterated in Panama

John John Florence is anchored off Bocas del Toro getting absolutely detonated by Panama's heaviest beachbreak, and honestly that energy feels about right for the first week of August — the people who live for this stuff are out there chasing it wherever it breaks, crashes, or dumps. The Andes remain comically deep. Valle Nevado is still sitting on 414 centimeters like nothing happened, Portillo just ticked up to 284cm, and Las Leñas is holding a fat 236cm base across the border. Meanwhile, a new federal antitrust lawsuit is alleging Vail, Alterra, Boyne, and Powdr have been colluding on pass pricing, which — regardless of where the case lands — is the kind of headline that tends to get skiers very animated very quickly. Hintertux is eight weeks from park opening. Natural Selection Surf just dropped its South Africa roster. And Sage Cattabriga-Alosa once launched off a snow-covered tree like it was a perfectly shaped kicker, because some people just see terrain differently than the rest of us. The Southern Hemisphere is running the show. Everything north of the equator is just plotting its next move.

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Fresh Tracks

◆ Surfer Magazine

John John Florence Gets Obliterated at Panama's Heaviest Beachbreak

JJF's year-long sabbatical aboard the catamaran Vela has taken him to Bocas del Toro, where the three-time world champ found the kind of Caribbean beachbreak that looks beautiful until it's folding you in half. The video is a reminder that the best surfer in the world still gets ragdolled sometimes.

Sage Cattabriga-Alosa Launched Off a Tree and It's the Gnarliest Takeoff You'll See This Week

★ TGR

Sage Cattabriga-Alosa Launched Off a Tree and It's the Gnarliest Takeoff You'll See This Week

From the vault of TGR's Under the Influence (2017) — Sage spots a snow-loaded tree, points his skis at it, and treats it like a natural booter. The man sees features where the rest of us see obstacles.

◆ Surfer Magazine

Natural Selection Surf Drops Its Full South Africa Roster

Natural Selection has managed to make competitive surfing feel genuinely exciting again — no priority, no grinding through small surf, just raw sessions judged on commitment and style. The full lineup for the September 25 South Africa premiere just landed.

Clean Water, Filthy Tubes — Al Cleland Jr. and Rolando Stanley Score Cloudbreak

◆ Stab Magazine

Clean Water, Filthy Tubes — Al Cleland Jr. and Rolando Stanley Score Cloudbreak

Stab sent Al Cleland Jr. and Rolando Stanley (aka EDM Girl) to Fiji for the first time, and Cloudbreak did what Cloudbreak does — served up pristine, terrifying tubes that make ten thousand kilometers of travel feel like a reasonable life decision.

The Edit

Patagonia Films follows Braydon Bringhurst to the base of Gouranga in Squamish, BC — a steep, technical, high-consequence double-black-diamond descent that rattles even experienced riders. But Bringhurst isn't just there to ride down. 'Without a Doubt' captures the kind of deliberate, all-in commitment to a single line that separates people who ride bikes from people who make you hold your breath watching them ride bikes. Patagonia's athlete films keep nailing this format: one person, one objective, enough tension to justify every second of runtime.

Watch →

@Patagonia Films

Off-Piste

⚖️ Three skiers have filed a federal class-action antitrust lawsuit accusing Vail, Alterra, Boyne, and Powdr of conspiring to fix ski pass prices. The complaint alleges coordinated pricing behavior across the four largest resort operators in the US. Whether it has legal legs or not, the optics aren't great for an industry already under scrutiny for consolidation. SnowBrains

⛷️ Hintertux Glacier is eight weeks from park opening, which officially kicks off the European 2026-27 freestyle season. Freeskiers and snowboarders start filtering back to the Austrian glacier in early October — the first real on-snow sessions for most of the Northern Hemisphere since spring. SnowBrains

🏔️ Brian Head Resort in Utah continues work on its multi-decade Aspen Meadows expansion, adding to a crowded slate of major Utah ski projects alongside Deer Valley's East Village and Nordic Valley's new base village. Utah is quietly becoming the center of North American resort development. Unofficial Networks

🌧️ The Farmers' Almanac has dropped its 2026-27 California winter forecast: "rain or mixed precipitation" with "mild" temperatures. Make of that what you will — the Almanac's track record is roughly as reliable as your friend who swears every storm will be a powder day. Powder Magazine

Conditions Check

Chile firing

Valle Nevado holding at a monstrous 414cm base, Portillo at 284cm, La Parva at 246cm — this is one of the deepest Andes winters in recent memory and all three resorts are fully open. →

Argentina good

Las Leñas is sitting on a 236cm base and skiing well; Chapelco is a different story at just 15cm — go south if you're crossing the border. →

New Zealand thin

Treble Cone is open but running on a bare-bones 5cm base — it's early season survival mode, waiting for the next system to build any meaningful coverage. →

Australia mixed

Falls Creek is the standout at 53cm and open for business; Perisher and Thredbo are scraping by on just 3cm each — the snow gods have been selective. →

Oregon / Summer thin

Timberline is open on Palmer but reporting 0cm base — summer glacier skiing at its most committed; check conditions before making the drive. →

Alps — Summer thin

Zermatt at 5cm and Hintertux at 3cm — both technically open for glacier turns, but this is high-altitude survival skiing until autumn snowfall arrives. →

If Sage can launch off a tree, you can send that email you've been avoiding all week.

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