BA is back with Mike and Evan, and winter continues to taunt these Flakes.

This week’s Flakes episode dives into a snowfall scoreboard that keeps lighting up east of the Mississippi, while the West remains stuck in a frustrating dry stretch. From the Great Lakes through New England, ski areas piled up anywhere from 1 to 4 feet of snow, including legitimate powder days in the Midwest. Jay Peak now leads North America in verified snowfall this season. The crew looks ahead to a potential pattern shift in mid-February, with cautious optimism (and plenty of “maybes”).

This episode also features a special interview with Shannon Colleton, physical therapist for the women’s U.S. Ski Team, joining from Austria as Olympic selections approach. Shannon shares what life on the road looks like with elite athletes, how teams balance injury prevention with peak performance, and practical advice for everyday skiers — and why helmets are non-negotiable.

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Sponsors

The Flakes Podcast is proudly sponsored by Alta Ski Area — one of the most special ski areas on the planet. Independently owned since 1938 and tucked deep in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Alta is a skier’s-only mountain known worldwide for its legendary powder skiing. With an average of 538 inches of snowfall each season, powder days aren’t the exception here — they’re the expectation. Learn more at Alta.com.

We’re also supported by Smartwool, because chasing snow means long days outside in every kind of weather. From cold chairlift rides to deep powder laps and post-ski town runs, Smartwool’s merino layers keep us warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s not, and comfortable no matter what the forecast throws our way. It’s gear we actually wear — on storm days, travel days, and everything in between. Visit Smartwool.com to learn more.

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Whether you’re racking up powder days in the East or staring at dry charts out West with the rest of us, thanks for being part of the Flakes community. We’ll keep watching the models, waiting on that pattern change, and renewing our powder prescriptions — hopefully sooner rather than later.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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