The bums are back and they’ve found some cool new projects on crowd funding sites Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. Don’t know what crowd funding is all about, well strap in and check out the podcast to find out.

Monday morning dawned with big news for both the ski world and the stock exchange: Vail Resorts, a publicly traded company, announced plans to buy Whistler Blackcomb for $1.06 billion.

The move is a sign of the times for ski resorts facing pressure to diversify in the face of climate change.

Adding another $36 per share to Vail shareholders on Wall Street

adds the largest ski area in North America to Epic Pass (Will stay on Mountain Collective Pass for 2016-2017 season).

signals change for the future at Whistler

Echo Mountain ski area filed for bankruptcy in February 2016.

Echo Mountain is the closet ski area to the Denver Metro area - you can actually see Denver from the hill. It's only 40 minutes west of Denver, CO.

A 27-year-old University of Denver alumni, Peter Burwell, is currently under contract to buy the struggling ski area for $3.8 million.

The sale will include all 226 acres of the ski area as well as all the facility's equipment such as snow cats, snowmaking equipment, and the chairlifts.

Angel Collinson was on her annual trip to Alaska in April, filming with Teton Gravity Research, when she took a fall that resulted in a torn ACL, finding herself on the couch with her leg raised under a bag of ice instead of hopping out of helicopters on massive Alaskan peaks.

"I've experienced the whirlwind of emotions that come with a big injury-the identity crisis, finding other ways to spend time besides being in the mountains, and practicing self-love, regardless of blown knees."

What is the biggest lesson that you think you've learned from being injured?

"I would say that it's really important to accept yourself for where you're at, and it's important to work hard and have discipline and goals. But really the most healing thing is a good attitude and self-love."

Interchangeable magnetic lenses, interchangeable components, targeting $60 for goggles.

$4,075 pledged of $500 goal with 9 days left.

The Carbon A-Sender is a no-compromise tool for hard charging backcountry skiers. It is handmade in Salt Lake City.

This product is designed for the backcountry skier who desires the confidence and reliability of Rossignol FKS/Look Pivot alpine bindings on the descent. For the uphil

We’ve turned the corner on the summer and time will start moving quickly. We’re all out there running, biking, working out getting ready for those sweet powder days, but don’t forget, it can be dangerous out there, so you better watch yo’ self. The bums share some of their recent experiences where failed to do so.

Overview: El Niño is transitioning to La Niña. In other words, the water in the South Pacific near the Equator is cooling off. Why does this matter? It matters because it will change the average position of the jet stream this winter. The jet stream guides storm systems around the globe ultimately determining where the heaviest snow falls in any given winter season.

Outlook: A low grade La Niña (aka La Niña Lite) will be the dominate player by late fall and continue through the winter season. What does that mean? It means the storm track will favor certain areas for heavier than average snowfall. Those areas may be different than last winter. I believe we'll see the heaviest snow in the Pacific Northwest, northern Intermountain West, Great Lakes and possibly parts of the Northeast.

Biggest Winners: La Niña tilts the odds in favor of above average snowfall for Mount Baker, Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Bachelor, Whistler, Lake Louise, Schweitzer, Sun Valley, Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Discovery, Whitefish, Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, Steamboat, Buffalo Pass, Squaw Valley, Northstar and Heavenly.

Mildly Favored: Aspen, Snowmass, Copper, Vail, Loveland, Alta, Snowbird, Snowbasin, Park City, Jay Peak, Smuggers' Notch, Stowe, Sugarbush, Sugarloaf and Killington.

Tomer's Take: The above forecast percentages are a broad-brush look at the winter as a whole rather than any specific month alone. It is a forecast. I'll be closely watching the south Pacific trade winds and water temperatures in the next two months. If you're planning an early winter ski trip it will be important to know those two details. For example, will we have good snow coverage by Thanksgiving? How about by Christmas? Those answers will become more apparent in the next two months.

Come join us to celebrate TGRs 21st Birthday. The tighter your show the looser you can be. With over 21 years of traveling the globe and pushing the boundaries of what is possible we have experienced the full spectrum of adventure. It has been a constant evolution of refining a lifestyle - keeping things as buttoned-up on the front end in order to seize the moment when things reach the edge of control. Our latest film "Tight Loose" is TGR's highest achievement to date. From India to Alaska, come join us as we discover unridden spine walls, massive airs, and full throttle riding in some of the wildest and most spectacular places on earth. Witness the 21-year athlete roster as they come together for a reunion-style massive group shred of the Palisades at Squaw Valley. Tight Loose is living to the fullest!

RUIN AND ROSE Official Traile

It’s the dog days of summer and the bums are doing their best to stay cool and make the best of it the only way they know how – drinking, cycling, shopping for ski gear and watching ski movie trailers.

Classic Barbera del Monferrato wines have a deep ruby hue and a bouquet of ripe plum and cherries, often piqued by a hint of black pepper. They are known for retaining a balanced acidity even in warmer vintages, making them an ideal partner to tomato based dishes. Barbera based wines are lower in tannin than those made from Nebbiolo, making them more approachable in their early years.

Barbera del Monferrato, situated in Italy's northwestern Piedmont region, is probably the least known of the three Piedmontese classified Barbera zones. It is the largest of the trio, with around 10,320 acres (4300ha) under vine. Most of the wines come from around the province of Alessandria, but the vineyard area also stretches into eastern Asti.

All Barbera del Monferrato wines must comprise at least 85% Barbera, the remaining 15% made up from any combination of Freisa, Grignolino and Dolcetto.

A blend of premium anejo and extra anejo, extra filtered for a superior finish.

Swedish freeskeir Matilda Rapaport has died today at the age of 30 after being buried in an avalanche in Farellones, Chile on July 14th. The avalanche burial left Matilda without oxygen for a prolonged period of time. This lack of oxygen left Matilda in a coma.

Matilda's mother and husband, Swedish World Cup ski racer Mattias Hargin, were with her when she passed away today.

Matilda is the is the 2nd female Freeride World Tour athlete to die in an avalanche this year after two-time world champ Estelle Balet died on April 19th in Switzerland.

Australia just got buried in up to 70cms (28") of new snow this week. Australia doesn't generally get big dumps like this, so it's a big deal. MountainWatch.com is calling it a "Once-In-A-Decade Storm". Cool!

Aussie ski resorts currently own 6 of the 10 deepest snowpacks on Earth right now.

In their 6th installment, 4FRNT brings the ski world "Here and Now". The movie includes regulars such as Wiley, Hoji, and Wise but with the addition of street specialist and former K2 team member, Cam Riley.

At the end of June, officials from the USSA, FIS and Killington headed out to the official site of the Killington World Cup to map out the event in which the best female racers in the world will race in Vermont for the first time since 1978.

According to Killington Communications Manager Michael Joseph, it will take six non-consecutive days—or 144 hours—of snowmaking throughout the month of November to prepare Superstar for the race

The sn

It’s getting hot and we’re not doing a whole lot of skiing right now, but now is the time to prepare. The bums talk about some of their off-season planning for winter.

in general, the mountains and ski areas in the northern half of the United States will see more favorable ski conditions than ski areas to the south. The ski areas in the PNW and in the Northeast could see big winters with copious amounts of snowfall.

While snow is falling in Oregon, parts of the northern rockies are looking to get some snow later this weekend. As of now, the forecast is focusing on snow falling on the Beartooth Mountains of southern Montana. That said snow should fall in the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier as well by Sunday night/Monday morning.

Iceland had a hell of a run in the Euros this year and their thunder clap was heard could be heard around the world but this tiny Atlantic island nation has so much more to offer than unpronounceable last names and world's strongest men. This entry to the REDirect Explore 2016 contest by Matt Hardy showcases what Iceland has to offer in the way of skiing and if they ran this a commercial I think they would see a bump in tourism.

If you are interested in voting in the competition, a link is in the article

Shopping for deals on gear, trips, and looking at schedules

An initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California officially qualified for the Nov. 8 ballot on Tuesday as the campaign for the measure has taken a commanding lead in fundraising for the battle ahead with opponents.

Justice Ministe

The bums are back and they are fresh off a trip to the Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo in New York City. They’ve got the inside scoop of the legal cannabis industry and they’re sharing with you. Oh boy!

Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced this week that skier visits at its 21 member resorts totaled 7.4 million in 2015-16, up by nearly five percent compared to last year's CSCUSA membership season total and a new record for visitation.

Additionally, the 2015-16 season skier visit total for CSCUSA members bested the five-year average by more than 10 percent, making it the third consecutive year skier visits have outpaced the five-year average.

CSCUSA resorts' 2015-16 skier visits outpaced the ski industry nationally, which saw gains in visitation by .05 percent despite weather challenges in the East and Midwest. CSCUSA resorts also supported strong percentage gains across the Rocky Mountain region, which enjoyed good snow conditions.

Towns or operates 11 ski areas in North America not including international holdings, mountain villages, other recreational properties or real estate.

The company that tussled with Vail Resorts over which had the legal right to Park City Mountain Resort still likely sees itself as the most formidable rival to the Vail Empire. Powdr Corp's recent purchase of Eldora, which Vail reportedly was considering, is a testament to their ongoing competition.

Boyne Resorts owns four ski areas across North America and holds six operational leases from CNL Lifestyle Properties, a real estate trust that is currently trying to offload its ski areas, and those leases represent the best of the company's offerings.

Another publicly-traded ski resort operator, Intrawest doesn't really measure up to Vail Resorts in Wall Street's eyes, but it still has a solid stable of mountains.

Aspen Skiing Co. is a privately held company with four popular ski resorts in a tight geographic area. And even though it's been more than 20 years since the c