The Matchstick Productions crew filmed one of the deepest powder skiing segments of all time when they visited Chatter Creek, BC back in 2011.

It dumped 211 cm. (83 in.) of cold, dry smoke powder over 10 days. Talk about perfect timing.

Take a trip in the time machine and watch the epic segment from MSP’s 2012 film ‘Superheros of Stoke’:

Matchstick Productions: “Snow is starting to fly across the west, so for today’s Segment Saturday, we’re throwing it back to one of, if not THE, deepest segment we’ve ever filmed. Bottomless pow in Chatter Creek, BC from 2012’s Superhero’s of Stoke! Who’s ready for some more days like this?!? Featuring some MSP legends! Mark Abma James Heim Leo Ahrens”

The gray walls of my cubicle were made of plastic and other bland material, but they might as well have been the iron bars of a jail cell.

Sorry. That’s a little dramatic. Let me try again.

The gray walls of my cubicle should have been the first sign that I wasn’t cut out for corporate America.

I tried to spruce things up by plastering every inch of my workspace with colorful trail maps, but even James Niehues’ masterful artistry wasn’t enough to keep me from feeling the dull, aching pain of making 30+ phone calls every day to doctors.

I never wanted for my first job out of college to be selling colorectal cancer screening kits to doctors over the phone, but as Matt Damon said in ‘Good Will Hunting’ I “had to see about a girl…”.

I spent most of my days doing my best to avoid the gaze of my boss, faking phone calls, glaring at the same aforementioned trail maps, and religiously reading Unofficial Networks.

The seemingly endless feed of goofy blogs felt like my personal mainline into the ski culture that I so badly wanted to be apart of. I was living in Wisconsin, and while there’s certainly a diehard population of skiers, I was a long way from the slopes of Vermont and Utah that I loved so dearly.

One day, as I was scrolling through Unofficial’s main website feed, I saw a blog titled: ‘Unofficial Is Hiring Interns!’. I clicked not knowing that it would change the trajectory of my life.

I started off writing 2-3 pretty mundane blogs about news related to skiing and snowboarding, but I was instantly hooked. The fact that I, a stupid ski-obsessed kid from Delaware, was writing for the most-viewed ski blog in the country, was something that I just couldn’t get over.

My writing got better over time, and I became even more obsessed.

I got in trouble multiple times at my poop-in-a-box-selling-job (seriously, that’s what I was selling) for writing blogs or researching topics. I didn’t care. The satisfaction I got from writing for Unofficial’s audience brought me joy when I needed it most.

Two years passed and I finally made the jump to writing full-time in November of 2020- just a couple of months after I was married. My then-wife (more on that later) didn’t approve because I took a serious pay cut, but I knew that this was what I meant to do.

Writing full-time about skiing felt like my answer to the over-used trope about work. You know, the one where people say ‘If you love your job you will never work a day in your life.’ Let’s be real, writing 10 blogs everyday is definitely work, but I was excited to wake up each morning to do it.

Things went seemingly-well for the next two years or so. I wasn’t making a lot of money, but I was able to travel the country for stories. Ski for free and write about it? Yeah. I could live with that.

Unfortunately, my world was turned upside down in April of 2022. Here’s a way-too-quick summary of what happened: I was abusing substances, my wife filed for divorce, I ended up in the hospital for mental health concerns, I moved home with my parents in PA, and I felt like I had nothing left to live for.

Heavy stuff I know, but I think it’s all relevant to the story.

Despite everything I was going through, the guys at Unofficial stood by me. I took some much-needed time off, but I was back at it grinding out content by the end of the month.

Don’t get me wrong, I was in a rough spot for the better part of six months, but I genuinely looked forward to writing every single day.

Writing about skiing was something that I could always find motivation for even on my darkest of days, and I’m forever grateful that Unofficial’s editor Mike Dudek and Unofficial’s CEO Tim Konrad continued to give me endless opportunities to flex that creative muscle. I needed it.

All of this gratitude is why I’m sad to say this:

I’ve published thousands of articles since I started in June of 2019, but this will be my last.

I have accepted the role of Lead Trending News Writer for Powder Magazine. I start in just a couple of weeks.

Unofficial’s CEO Tim Konrad asked that I write this blog to say farewell, and again, I’m grateful for how generous he has been through this whole process.

So, loyal readers of Unofficial Networks, I’d like to finally say- thank you.

Thank you for reading my nonsense through all of these years. Thank you for calling me out when I made mistakes. Thank you for laughing at my terrible jokes. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your interest. Thank you for reading.

I don’t know where I’d be without you. You have done so much for me without knowing it. You have been a guiding light through my dark journey through depression, divorce, and substance abuse. Your interest in my work is the greatest gift anybody has ever given me.

I know that the folks at Unofficial will continue to pump out great content, and I know you will continue to support them in their never-ending mission to provide you with the news and entertainment you have come to expect.

This is farewell, but I know that our paths will cross again.

I’ll sign off with the only way I know how:

Thank you AGAIN, and stay safe out there, friends.

-Matt

Skiing has taken people all across the world, but I’m fairly certain this is the first time I’ve ever seen somebody ski inside of a school.

Watch as Czech-Austrian skier Matej Svancer laces a perfect run through the halls and stairways of a real school.

Red Bull Snow: “First thing you want to do after finally graduating from school?! Get out as soon as possible to do what you are destined to do. And that’s exactly what Matej Svancer is doing. In his very own unicorn way!”

Those stairwell railings need a plaque saying: “Matej Svancer skied here for a Red Bull video in 2023”. That would be cool.

This video puts a whole new meaning on the term ‘Ski School’, eh?

Meteorologist Chris Tomer is forecasting big snow totals for ski resorts from coast to coast over the next week.

By his predictions, it looks like the Sierras, The San Juans, and the Northeast will get the hardest over the next 7-10 days.

Here’s what notable resorts are predicted to get:

Mammoth Mountain, CA: 37 in.

Heavenly, CA/NC: 36 in.

Mount Snow, VT: 30 in.

Purgatory, CO: 26 in.

Taos, NM: 23 in.

Killington, VT: 20 in.

Check out the full forecast below:

Leave it to the good folks over at Red Bull to sponsor something so unbelievably stupid and awesome at the same time.

I mean, what else are you supposed to do when you have hundreds of millions of dollars from selling energy drinks?!

Watch as Luke Czepiela lands his modified plane on top of the world famous helipad of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, 56-storys above the ground.

If only I would have known as a kid that being a Red Bull athlete would be so damn cool.

I could have started practicing kick flips, or literally anything extreme for that matter. Oh well.

If you’re a kid and you’re reading this- stop what you’re doing and give yourself one goal for the rest of your life-

GO GET THAT RED BULL MONEY.

The video below shows a mama Mexican black bear and her cub climbing a rock wall in Santa Elena Canyon on the US-Mexican border.

It’s unclear why they’re scaling the wall, but their ability to do so is beyond impressive.

Check it out:

Those bears look like fricken Alex Honnold!

Did you notice how the cub hit a spot he couldn’t pass, backed down the wall, adjusted, and chose a better route? That was so cool to watch.

Here’s more information about the Mexican Black Bear from Bear Conservation:

Description: Medium sized black bear, adult males weighing around 90 to 180 kg (200-400 pounds) and adult females around 45 to 110 kg (100-240 pounds).

Range:  Exact range in Mexico is poorly defined but recorded in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Zacatecas and Durango.  Chiso Mountains in Texas, USA (including within the Big Bend National Park).

Status:  There is strong evidence that Mexican black bears are increasing in numbers and, as a result, dispersing northwards into Texas in the Hill Country and along the Rio Grande; nevertheless numbers remain small.  Mexico has listed black bears as in danger of extinction and the bears are listed as endangered in Texas.

Need a little pick-me-up this morning? Don’t worry. I got you.

You might have never considered that watching a highway get plowed would be satisfying, but let me tell ya- it certainly is.

It’s like the those power washing TikToks that go viral every once in a while. There’s just something that feels good about watching it, but it’s hard to explain.

Check it out. You’ll see what I mean:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Utah DOT (@utahtransportation)

Perfection.

If you know of a place to watch tandem snowplowing videos let me know.

I have an itch that needs scratched!

Emerald Bay is a staple landmark of Lake Tahoe.

The inlet is a tourist attraction due to the state park flanking the shores, and the iconic Fannette Island that rises from the middle of the bay.

Emerald Bay sees some ice form every winter, but it rarely freezes completely over from shore to shore. That’s until this winter.

Officials believe this is the first time the bay has frozen since the ’90s.

Check out the full news report from ABC7 below:

The Lake Tahoe region has been slammed with upwards of 600 inches of snow this winter complimented by blustery winds and freezing temps.

It was the perfect recipe for Emerald Bay to freeze.

All Images Credit: California State Parks

Mt. Rose- Ski Tahoe, NV is offering a pretty unbeatable deal for all of you weekend warriors out there.

Starting on March 17th, Mt. Rose will stay open until 6PM every Friday with lift tickets costing just $59 after 12PM.

It’s important to note that the Zephyr Express and Slide Bowl will close at 4PM, but afternoon/evening skiers will be able to enjoy plenty of terrain off Lakeview Express, Wizard, and Magic.

All skiers wishing to ride after 4PM should park at the Main Lodge.

It’s kind of silly that the majority of resorts close at 4PM when springtime daylight could allow them to stay open later.

Adding extra hours on Friday with affordable lift tickets benefits the local community, and adds extra value for season passholders. It’s a win-win.

Hell, I’d be up there everyday Friday after work if I lived in Reno.

Here’s hoping more ski areas follow Rose’s lead.

Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe Stats/Info:

Base Elevation: 8,260 ft. (highest in Tahoe)

Summit Elevation: 9,700 ft.

Vertical: 1,800 ft.

Skiable Acreage: 1,200+ ac.

Average Snowfall: 350 in.

Snowfall This Season: 481-584 in.

Named Trails: 70+

Lifts: 8

Night Skiing: NO

Snowmaking: YES

Terrain Park: YES

Pass: N/A

Snowbird has a huge range of terrain that the general public can access fairly easily, and that’s one of the many reasons the resort is constantly ranked amongst the top in the world.

So, what happens when three of the best skiers on the planet show up for a day of riding?

Check out the video below showing Maxim Chambloz, Andrew Pollard, and Reine Barkered ripping some classic lines at Snowbird: