🥇 Shiffrin's historic season

Good morning, Stoke Crew. Okay, it's almost too hot now, currently sweating in my room typing this out, which feels wrong for Colorado. Speaking of hot things, I've got a hot take under the Mountain Briefing section this week. Let me know what you think! Here's the report :)

In today's report

• ⛷️ Shiffrin won a record ninth slalom in a single season
• 🏂 Snow League title results
• 🚲 Moab opened 200+ miles of singletrack to e-bikes
• 📉 Outdoor industry business updates

Events

🏅 Shriffrin and Shaun White

⛷️ Mikaela Shiffrin won her record-setting ninth slalom of the World Cup season at the Finals in Hafjell, Norway, beating Wendy Holdener by 1.32 seconds and breaking Janica Kostelic's record of eight slalom wins in a single season. The following day, she clinched her record-tying sixth overall World Cup title (matching Annemarie Moser-Pröll's all-time mark) by finishing 11th in the season's final giant slalom. The overall title is decided by cumulative points across all races throughout the season, and Shiffrin's performance this season built such a lead that she only needed a top-15 finish to hold off Germany's Emma Aicher, who finished the season 87 points back.

• The victory was Shiffrin's 110th career World Cup win, extending her all-time record. She won nine of ten slaloms this season (not counting her Olympic gold at Milan Cortina, which doesn't count toward World Cup totals).
• The title caps a remarkable comeback: a Gaint slalom crash in November 2024 that punctured oblique muscles, a PTSD diagnosis in February 2025, and an 0-for-8 Olympic medal drought that ended with slalom gold at Milan Cortina, her third Olympic gold and first since 2018.

Why It Matters: After a crash that nearly ended her career and a PTSD diagnosis that forced her to rebuild her relationship with the sport, this season is less about the numbers and more about what it took to get back here. Incredible season that Shiffrin had!

🎿 Eileen Gu and 17-year-old Luke Harrold were crowned the inaugural Snow League freeski world champions at the Season One finale in LAAX, Switzerland. Shaun White's new halfpipe-specific league featured a $2.2 million season purse across four events: Aspen (March 2025), Yunding Snow Park in China (December 2025), Aspen (February 2026), and LAAX (March 2026).

• Gu dominated the women's field, winning both freeski events (China and LAAX) for a perfect 200 league points and earning $75,000 total ($50,000 for the event, $25,000 for the championship). The victory came weeks after she capped the Milan Cortina Olympics with halfpipe gold, giving her medals in all six Olympic events she's entered across two Games.
• Harrold's men's title came down to a dramatic third-run tiebreaker final against Brendan Mackay, a rematch of their China showdown. Harrold, competing in just his second Snow League event, landed back-to-back 1620s to advance and delivered the winning final run for his first professional victory. He and Mackay finished tied on 185 season points, with the tiebreaker going to the most recent result.
• The format uses head-to-head brackets (best of three runs), with athletes dropping in from opposite halfpipe walls.

Why It Matters: Shaun White bet that halfpipe skiing and snowboarding needed its own league with bigger purses, a head-to-head format, and a prime-time broadcast model. Season One delivered: Gu's dominance, a 17-year-old New Zealander winning in a third-run tiebreaker, veterans like Wise and Kenworthy showing up, and events on three continents. Whether the Snow League becomes the future of halfpipe competition or a high-profile experiment depends on Season Two, but the debut made a strong case that this format works.

MOUNTAIN BRIEFING

🚲 E-bikes roll into Moab, Colorado weighs in

🚲 More than 200 miles of Moab's iconic mountain bike trails opened to Class 1 e-bikes on March 1, a massive shift for one of the world's most famous riding destinations. The BLM's Moab Field Office selected the most expansive option from its environmental assessment, opening nearly all of its 230 miles of nonmotorized singletrack across 12 trail systems. Previously, e-bikes were permitted on fewer than 18 miles.

• Class 1 e-bikes are pedal-assist only (no throttle), with power cutting off at 20 mph. Five trails remain closed to e-bikes, including Porcupine Rim Singletrack (the bottom section of The Whole Enchilada) and Lower Porcupine, due to wilderness study area status or Forest Service land.
• The BLM spent 18+ months studying the expansion and received over 1,550 public comments, with 83% supporting expanded access. The agency cited studies showing no significant speed or soil displacement differences between e-bikes and traditional mountain bikes.
• Now, Colorado's BLM Upper Colorado River Valley Field Office (567,000 acres) is collecting public comments on a similar plan to open 220+ miles of singletrack to Class 1 e-bikes around Eagle, Carbondale, Rifle, and Glenwood Canyon.
• The expansion follows the BLM's Grand Junction office opening trails around Fruita to e-bikes several years ago with "no significant conflicts."

Why It Matters: E-bikes make trails accessible to older riders, families, people with physical limitations, or maybe that one lazy friend that refuses to pedal uphill. At the end of the day, I think everyone should be able to access the incredible trails on their public lands. But the conversation can't stop at access. As more powered bikes hit the same singletrack, we need clearer expectations around trail etiquette, especially right of way. If I'm ripping downhill and someone on an e-bike is climbing toward me, downhill should have the right of way. Maybe that's a hot take, but as Colorado starts weighing its own expansion this summer, we definitely need to think about the experience for both riders.

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this topic, reply to this email and let me know!

Business

📉 REI fights, Wilderness Exchange closes, Vail gets sued

🏪 REI is cutting employee benefits and reducing wages for new hires as contract negotiations with its 11 unionized stores have broken down. CEO Mary Beth Laughton's internal memo confirmed slower vacation accrual, a switch from guaranteed retirement contributions to company match, state-by-state sick day alignment, and lower starting hourly rates effective July 1, 2026.

• Unionized employees voted to boycott REI's Anniversary Sale in May, the retailer's biggest event. The union says REI "walked away" from negotiations in February and declared impasse, which allows the company to unilaterally implement changes. An REI spokesperson called the boycott "disappointing" and said it could "put the jobs, wages, benefits, and future opportunities employees depend on at risk."
• REI has struggled financially: a 6% sales decrease and $156 million net loss in 2024, closure of the Experiences travel division (428 layoffs) in early 2025, and planned closures of stores in Boston, SoHo, and Paramus.
• Workers at 11 of approximately 190 stores have organized over the past four years. None has reached a collective bargaining agreement. REI is represented in talks by Morgan Lewis, a management-side law firm.

Why It Matters: The outdoor industry's most recognizable co-op is in a genuine identity crisis. REI built its brand on values, community, and taking care of employees, and now it's cutting benefits during negotiations, hiring a union-busting law firm, and facing a boycott of its signature sale. For an industry where brand trust is everything, the gap between REI's marketing and its labor practices is becoming a story that's hard to ignore.

🏔️ Wilderness Exchange, Denver's 26-year-old used and new outdoor gear shop near Confluence Park, closes its doors March 29. Founder Don Bushey didn't give a reason, simply writing "all good things must come to an end." The store will continue online. It opened in 2000 with a mission to make the outdoors affordable and grew into one of Denver's most beloved independent gear shops.

My Take: This one stings. I've been to Wilderness Exchange more times than I can count, picking up gear for climbing, biking, backpacking, or digging through the basement for cheap finds. One of my favorite memories is going to the store when I first moved to Denver with my buddy Spencer. We both bought the same sunglasses and thought we were the coolest guys in town. In a city where outdoor retail is increasingly dominated by chains and direct-to-consumer brands, losing a 26-year-old community shop that made the outdoors affordable hits differently. Where am I supposed to go now?

⚖️ Four skiers have filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Vail Resorts and Alterra in Denver, alleging the two companies inflate lift ticket prices to coerce skiers into buying Epic and Ikon passes. The 74-page complaint notes that 29 of 31 major U.S. ski areas are tied to the two passes, Epic prices are up 37% in six seasons, and single-day tickets now reach $356 at Vail resorts. Vail called the claims "without merit."

📚 Trailhead Trivia

How old is Mikaela Shiffrin?

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