TCR | September 11, 2026 — Kilian Bron Rides a 19,685-Foot Andean Summit, Matchstick Drops the Trailer, and NOAA Says 75% Chance of Historic El Niño

Published September 11, 2026

September 11, 2026

The Forecast

19,685 feet on a mountain bike

Kilian Bron just rode a mountain bike down a 19,685-foot snow-covered summit in Bolivia — Huayna Potosí, a glaciated peak in the Cordillera Real — three years after a failed first attempt. That sentence alone should be enough to carry your Friday. Meanwhile, Matchstick Productions officially dropped the trailer for The Way Out, their 34th annual ski film, and the premiere tour is loading up. Warren Miller's Days Off trailer is live too, with Katie Burrell hosting the 77th edition. That's two major production houses with trailers out and dates announced — film season isn't approaching, it's here. Down south, Valle Nevado just ticked up to 546 centimeters. Portillo is holding at 269cm. The Andes winter of 2026 keeps writing history. NOAA's latest update puts the odds of a historic El Niño — stronger than any since 1950 — at 75 percent for this fall. Nine days until TGR's Actually, It Is Rocket Science premieres in Jackson Hole. Friday is stacked.

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Fresh Tracks

◆ Unofficial Networks

Kilian Bron Finally Rides a 6,000-Meter Andean Summit in Bolivia

Three years after bailing on his first attempt, French mountain biker Kilian Bron summited and descended Huayna Potosí — 19,685 feet of glaciated Bolivian terrain — on a bike. The film project documenting the mission just dropped, and it's exactly as unhinged as it sounds.

Read →

◆ Powder Magazine

NOAA: 75% Chance This El Niño Becomes the Strongest Since 1950

NOAA's September update just bumped the odds again — a 75% probability that the developing El Niño will exceed every event in the modern record during October-December. If you own property at 7,000 feet in the Western US, start reinforcing your roof.

Read →

◆ SnowBrains / P.M. Fadden

Full Moon Night Skiing at Fox Peak, New Zealand

No powder. Nutcracker grips. Skis slithering up a rope tow field in Canterbury. Paulie Fadden's dispatch from Fox Peak's full-moon night ski session is the kind of grassroots trip report that reminds you skiing doesn't need a helicopter to be worth writing about.

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★ TGR

Ollie Smith Throws a Massive 3 Over a Chilean Gully

The Southern Hemisphere season in one clip — Ollie Smith launching a huge 360 over a gully in Chile, filmed by Tristen Lilly. The Andes are still delivering.

Watch →

The Edit

Matchstick Productions just dropped the official trailer for The Way Out, their 34th annual ski film, and the premiere tour dates are live. MSP has been doing this longer than most of their audience has been alive, and the trailer shows exactly why they keep getting away with it — big lines, bigger energy, and the kind of crew chemistry that only comes from decades of chasing storms together. This one hits the road this fall. Tickets are up at matchstickpro.com.

Watch →

@Matchstick Productions

Off-Piste

🎬 Warren Miller Entertainment dropped the official trailer for Days Off, the 77th installment of the franchise. Host Katie Burrell leads the concept — what do the world's best do when they slow down? Premiere tour dates coming soon. Watch the trailer

🎿 Ski resorts across North America are pouring millions into next-gen snowmaking — automated snow guns, bigger pumps, more compressors — betting that the future of opening day depends less on the weather and more on the infrastructure. Winter Park and Solitude are among those leading the charge. Unofficial Networks

🎨 Austrian artist Hannah Philomena Scheiber is painting three gondolas and a lift tower on the Pitztal and Stubai glaciers in Tyrol — turning alpine infrastructure into full-scale mountain canvases before the lifts spin for winter. SnowBrains

🚴 Red Bull Rampage is heading back to its original 2001 venue in Southern Utah. The OG freeride faithful are going to lose it. Powder

Dropping

KLÄTTERMUSEN MEILE JACKET — The Swedish cult brand finally enters the ski world with its first-ever insulated shell jacket. Klättermusen has spent years building a following among the gear-obsessed for its environmental rigor and unorthodox Scandinavian design, and the Meile is their play for the resort and backcountry crowd. Matching pants available. If you've been waiting for Klättermusen to make something you can actually ski in, here it is.

Shop →

Conditions Check

Chile firing

Valle Nevado at a staggering 546cm base, Portillo holding 269cm, La Parva at 244cm — the historic Andes winter of 2026 is still running hot. →

Argentina mixed

Las Leñas is sitting on a deep 231cm base and skiing well; Chapelco is scraping by at 5cm — a tale of two resorts. →

New Zealand thin

Treble Cone is open but holding just 10cm of base — it's been a tough season across the Southern Alps, and full-moon night sessions at Fox Peak are about the vibe right now. →

Australia thin

Falls Creek at 8cm, Perisher at 5cm, Thredbo at zero — the Australian season is limping to the finish line after a rough winter. →

Oregon / Summer mixed

Timberline is listed open with 0cm base — Palmer Snowfield may still be running limited summer operations, but don't expect much. →

Alps — Summer thin

Zermatt showing 8cm on the glacier, Hintertux at 0cm — summer glacier skiing is holding on by its fingernails until the autumn refresh. →

Nine days to the TGR premiere. Two trailers live. 546 centimeters in the Andes. A guy just rode a bike down a 6,000-meter peak. Go have a Friday.

The Conditions Report

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