With 1,151 feet of vertical the Adirondack ski hill of Big Tupper is a far cry from Vail, which may explain why it was closed for a decade. But now an army of volunteers has brought it back to life, as well as an even lesser known mountain, Ski Hickory, that was also shut for five years. Both mountains are being run by locals, and those locals at Hickory are happy to let things be a little less groomed, a little more wild. Folks can skin up and ski whatever backcountry they can find, too. Which is just how Hickory’s WWII-era founders, who were ski paratroopers, would’ve wanted it. The bumper sticker for Hickory is also classic: “Mad River Glen, Ski It If You Can’t Ski Hickory!”

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

At At its mid-mountain Cloud Nine restaurant, they’re dropping hard alcohol from the menu and limiting patrons to three drinks after a few too many who’ve had a few too many had to be snowmobiled down the mountain by patrol. “I understand people will get upset,” said Aspen spokesman Jeff Hanle. But “given the mid-mountain location, we’ve gotten to be concerned about the safety of our guests.” Said the Cloud Nine manager, “We certainly don’t want people skiing intoxicated.” You’re right about that: They might run into a stoned ski bum.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

A federal appeals court ruled last week that Snowbowl has cleared all legal hurtles in using recycled and purified wastewater to make snow on its slopes. The court denied the petition of Save the Peaks Coalition, which sued to stop the plan. Further, the court said the suit was “a gross abuse of the judicial process” by using arguments and an attorney who’d already lost an identical petition from the Navajo Nation. “The ‘new’ plaintiffs…brought certain environmental claims that were virtually identical to some that the attorney had improperly attempted to raise in the earlier lawsuit for no apparent reason other than to ensure further delay and forestall development,” the court said. The Forest Service approved treated water for snowmaking in 2004, but its use has been held up in litigation since then.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

And, no, that’s not cynical, it’s a fact. Especially in a year when Northeast-area ski hills are struggling and getting by on manufactured snow alone, having NBC come and broadcast from your mountain is a big deal says Killington GM Chris Nyberg. It isn’t even about the event: “The bigger value is post-tour.” Meaning that folks in relatively mild Philly, NYC, and Boston need the reminder that while there might not be snow on the seaboard, there is in Vermont.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

The verdict is in, Travis Rice has won the Red Bull Supernatural. The event was held in the backcountry near Nelson, British Columbia on a hillside covered with augmented natural-ish features. They had perfect conditions for the comp, and the guy who helped set it up took home first place…not that I’m suggesting there were any improprieties. The entire contest will run on NBC on March 31.

Several scientists say that a thinner polar ice cap ramps up the snow machine for Europe. It goes like this: Less ice at the pole leads to warmer water evaporating into a cold sky just as days are shortening over the top of the planet in late fall. That water vapor freezes, turns to snow, and in a natural oscillation creates a semi-permanent funnel of snow that ducks down over central Europe until longer spring days disturb the colder upper atmosphere at the pole. Chamonix, here we come.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

This year at the Coloradikal Backyard BBQ Meesh Hytner had to pop her BCA Float 30 avalanche airbag she got caught in a class 3 slide. She stayed on top the whole ride and escaped with no injuries. An avalanche during a competition? Yes, the BBQ is an unsanctioned, grassroots event that includes beer drinking, music, and the occasional avalanche.

That Steve Jobs-tribute board Signal Snowboards built was pretty insane, yes, but as Wired reports, founders Dave Lee and Marc Wierenga have encouraged employees to let their imaginations run wild, from deck-mounted paintball guns to boards built with beer cans, an integrated boom box, a dart board, and a putting green. And it’s all in the name of development, because every concept board sees snow, which means Signal learns how to make better snowboards. They’re just having fun along the way. Because hey, it’s snowboarding, not rocket science. But you know, done right, it could be.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.

Club Med says it’s the largest ski lodging outfit in the world — it has 18 resorts in the Alps — and is confident it can crack the market here. Specifically the mega-developer is said to be shopping for property in Colorado, California, and Quebec, and with real estate in the dumps it’s probably a good time to be looking. But for world-famous Club Med to succeed it’s going to have to dispel its cheesy stereotype. That is, a tacky buffet, battles at the bar for your one free drink, and hairy chests decorated with gold chains.

Read more awesome outdoor stories like this at Adventure Journal.