Blown-In — A semi-regular look at the latest ski and outdoor industry news bits is a collection of press releases, new products, and interesting stuff circulating on the interweb that catches our attention.
This edition of Blown-In features recent ski movie drops, winter 2025-26 weather outlook and Olympic skimo.
TGR Ski Movie Drop – Pressure Drop
TGR’s latest ski film, Pressure Drop, marks 30 years of inspiring footage to kick off your ski season. From Norway to Jackson Hole, Pressure Drop follows the world’s top skiers and snowboarders through deep powder, huge cliffs, and iconic lines. Born from a dream and forged on the edge, this isn’t just TGR’s 30th annual film; it’s a tribute to the fleeting moment when breath slows, gravity takes over, and everything else fades away. Shot on location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Lofoten Islands, Norway, Valdez, Alaska, Grand Targhee, Wyoming, Interior British Columbia, Haines, Alaska, Palisades Tahoe, California.
Be sure to catch the TGR Pressure Drop ski film tour this fall.
Matchstick Ski Movie Drop – After The Snowfall
Straight from the horse’s mouth (aka, the Matchstick press release): “Opening on a quiet, storm-buried morning, After The Snowfall is a high-octane and heartfelt journey through the culture and chaos of modern skiing. Filmed in stunning locations from the Lyngen Alps of Norway to the heli-accessed steeps of British Columbia, the film showcases an elite crew of skiers, including Michelle Parker, Nikolai Schirmer, Nico Porteous, Caite Zeliff, and more, pushing boundaries with jaw-dropping style and skill.
But this is not just a story about pros. It is about the everyday ski bum, the weekend warrior, and the mountain town lifer whose passion burns just as bright. Interwoven throughout the action are honest and irreverent reflections from both athletes and everyday skiers on what skiing means to them; why they risk injury, chase fleeting storms, and build their lives around snow. The film explores both the literal mountains they climb and the internal terrain they navigate: personal growth, camaraderie, obsession, and joy.
With Matchstick Productions’ signature blend of cinematic artistry and raw stoke, After The Snowfall is a reminder that skiing is more than a sport; it is a way of life. Presented by Toyota and supported by The North Face, Ikon Pass, and Stanley, this film is a tribute to the people, places, and powder turns that make it all worth it.”
Be sure to catch the Matchstick Productions After the Snowfall ski movie tour near you.
Winter 2025-26 Outlook – La Niña Watch
Fall season precipitation and temperature outlooks from NOAA
With the latest ski movie trailers dropping, the annual winter weather outlook and ENSO (La Niña / El Niño) from NOAA will be here soon. NOAA typically releases the full winter outlook in October.
In the meantime, the current ENSO status is for a La Niña Watch with ENSO-neutral conditions in place and forecast to hold into October. This means that equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are near average across most of the Pacific Ocean at the moment.
According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center, ENSO-neutral is most likely to hold through the late Northern Hemisphere summer 2025 (56% chance in August-October). Thereafter, a brief period of La Niña conditions is favored in the fall and early winter 2025-26 before reverting to ENSO-neutral.
As a reminder, La Niña conditions refer to below normal SSTs, while El Niño conditions refer to above normal SSTs. Each condition influences winter weather in North America. Read our La Niña / El Niño tutorial for more details on how ENSO may impact your ski season.
Milano Cortina 2026 – Skimo Makes the Olympics
image courtesy of USASkimo.org
Somehow, I missed that ski mountaineering (skimo) will debut at the Olympics this winter. Apparently, the sport has grown in popularity in recent years, including here in North America. Ski Mountaineering World Championships are held every two years, alternating with continental championships. There is also a World Cup circuit with a minimum of five stages every year, and the sport is governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF).
Ski Mountaineering as a sport includes multiple race formats of individual, vertical, teams, sprint, and relay races. The Olympic skimo program will consist of three medal events: men’s sprint, women’s sprint and a mixed gender relay. The quota assigned to ski mountaineering is 36 athletes, equally divided between females and males.
The sprint race is a short, fast-paced, fixed-course format consisting of an uphill ski section, a booting section and a descent through race gates. Each race climbs up to 262 vertical feet (80 meters) and typically lasts around 3 minutes. The format consists of a time trial to establish seeding into a bracket, where six racers compete against each other in rounds to advance and race to the final six, to race for the podium.
The relay race format is based on the Sprint, and features a team of athletes taking turns to complete the course in a continuous circuit.
