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From Controversy to Commonplace: How Ski Helmets Became the Norm

From Controversy to Commonplace: How Ski Helmets Became the Norm

Drawing on DCSki archives and National Ski Areas Association statistics, this feature traces how ski helmets went from a controversial choice among Mid-Atlantic skiers to nearly universal equipment. Forum debates, improved helmet design, rental availability, changing expectations, and increased awareness of head injuries all shaped the shift from 25 percent helmet use in 2002-2003 to 94 percent in 2025-2026.
Road Trips "R" Us

Road Trips “R” Us

Jim Kenney recounts the beautiful, crazy, scary, lucky, and tasty moments gathered during decades of ski road trips across North America.
Mountain Weather

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Updated 1 hour ago

A mild, quiet stretch is ahead across the Mid-Atlantic, with no natural snow or meaningful wintry precipitation in the forecast. Wednesday through Friday brings mostly dry weather and warming temperatures, with highs generally in the upper 50s to low 70s. Eastern and lower-elevation areas will be warmest, including Bear Creek and Liberty Mountain, while higher terrain such as Snowshoe and Timberline stays several degrees cooler.

A weak cool-down arrives Friday night into Saturday, when overnight lows fall into the upper 30s and low 40s at many northern and higher-elevation locations. That may offer only a marginal, brief snowmaking-temperature opportunity, not a sustained window. Sunday remains mostly dry in much of the region, but showers become more likely around Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain, with chance showers also appearing near Snowshoe and Wintergreen.

Weather Fact of the Day
Snow does not always settle evenly after a storm. Wind can strip soft crystals from exposed ridges and deposit them in sheltered hollows, where the snow becomes denser and deeper; meanwhile, repeated scouring can leave a hard, icy surface up high. That is why slope aspect and terrain can matter as much as the snowfall total when judging coverage.
DCSki regional outlook based on National Weather Service forecasts for Mid-Atlantic ski areas.
Around the Ski World

Elsewhere on the Web

Fresh ski and snowboard stories from around the web, selected daily for DCSki readers.

Updated 20 hours ago
POWDER Oct 26

Mt. Bachelor Welcomes Winter to Central Oregon

Mt. Bachelor received three inches of snow at its base as a broader Pacific Northwest storm moved through, with more snowfall expected across Oregon and Washington. The resort is scheduled to open December 4, while nearby Timberline and Mt. Hood Meadows are forecast to receive substantially more snow.

Read at POWDER
OpenSnow Oct 26

Snow Coming to the Northwest this Week

Meteorologist Alan Smith forecasts the season’s first significant snowfall for the Northwest, British Columbia, and the Northern Rockies, with favored resorts potentially receiving 6 to 14 inches. The storm track is expected to shift toward California and the southern and central Rockies over Halloween weekend.

Read at OpenSnow
Links open external websites. Story summaries are generated from publicly available reporting and are refreshed once daily.
DCSki Spotlight

Explore DCSki's Lost Ski Areas

Discover ski areas that once operated across the Mid-Atlantic through DCSki's growing historical archive.

Explore Lost Ski Areas →
Black Moshannon State Park
Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

Black Moshannon State Park

Near Philipsburg and Penn State, Black Moshannon’s modest ski area offered inexpensive skiing on two surface lifts and quiet, beginner-friendly slopes. The operation reportedly lasted about 15 years before closing, but its lodge survives as a park rental cabin and the old runs remain mowed hiking trails.
6 reader comments
Shawnee Land
Winchester, Virginia

Shawnee Land

Shawnee Land was a ski area and country club resort near Winchester, Virginia, active from the late 1950s into the late 1960s or early 1970s. Readers remember steep slopes, snowmaking, and rope tows powered by old trucks, alongside a lodge and extensive summer amenities that later disappeared.
56 reader comments
Sharp Mountain
Pottsville, Pennsylvania

Sharp Mountain

Sharp Mountain in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was a mid-century local ski area and longtime home mountain for the Flying Dutchmen Ski Club. Readers remember learning there on wooden skis and gathering at the Pottsville Club lodge, while later mining reshaped the former trails and lift lines.
9 reader comments
Wildwood Highlands Ski Area
North Hills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Wildwood Highlands Ski Area

For a short time in the early 1970s, Wildwood Highlands offered lift-served, night-lit skiing in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, with 300 feet of vertical and a chairlift crossing Pine Creek. A lodge fire ended the area’s run; the site later became a family entertainment center and snow tubing venue.
5 reader comments
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