Weekly snow news roundup – 20/07/2009
Tube my ride
From trying out the latest skiing gear at exclusive test camps in Tignes, to snow-heads “tubing their rides” – not to be confused with any kind of snow equipment pimping – check out this weeks snow news roundup.
Direct links below or hit the “read more” link.
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES
New Six Seater Chairlift Leads Courchevel News For 2009-10
Environmental Group Reports One Of World’s Highest Ski Areas Threatened By Garbage
Revamped Cable Car Opens in Four Valleys
‘Tube My Ride’ At Perisher
2010 Gear Test Camps Running Through The Autumn At Tignes
Six International World Cup Teams To train at New Zealand’s Mt Hutt For 2010 Olympics
Swiss Ski Resort Sold By Internet Auction
Las Lenas Invests In Water and Energy Independence
CMH Heli-Skiing and K2 Skis Announce Ski Demo Trips for 2010
Ohau Voted Best in Snow
New Six Seater Chairlift Leads Courchevel News For 2009-10
Courchevel will install a new six seater chairlift for the coming season, equipped with the Magnestick system, to modernize the link between Courchevel 1850 and Courchevel 1650. This is the main part of a host of initiatives and improvements for the coming winter at the famous French resort.
There will also be a new Family terrain park beneath the Verdon cable car incorporating snow park, snow cross and an ‘animation’s area.’ In addition the Cospillot’s ski lift will be extended to help make many more accommodation ski in ski out.
Six defibrillator machines will be placed in different levels of Courchevel for rapid availability for heart attack victims if required.
Lift pass changes include the creation of a three hours lift pass valid for any three hours of the day. This will replace the ‘morning’ lift pass that will no longer be available, although the afternoon’s lift pass (from 12.30pm) will still be available. Courchevel 1650 will be incorporated in to the minipass.
A new tourism office will welcome guests in resort. The new tourism office will be built in the heart of “La Croisette”, in Courchevel 1850, near to the lift pass sales desks, ski school desks and ski lifts. The new facility will include a free internet wifi area.
Environmental Group Reports One Of World’s Highest Ski Areas Threatened By Garbage
Gulmarg in India, the world’s highest major ski area, is facing a “tough battle” in dealing with non-biodegradable waste such as disgarded plastic water bottles and packaging material according to a report from environmental groups. The waste lies scattered beneath the route of the gondola, the world’s third highest, reaching around 4,000m.
“Affarwat and its adjoining slopes have many hot-shot spots of very fragile bio-diversity and the hazardous waste is a direct threat to some of the rare medicinal and other plant species that grow here,” says environmentalist M.R.D Kundangar.
“Hazardous elements released from this waste matter over a period of time directly effect the local ecology, with the result that soon we may lose many sensitive varieties of medicinal plants,” Kundangar told local media.
The use of polythene bags is reported to be banned in Gulmarg, but the ban is not being enforced according to visitors.
Resort management, who blamed the build up of waste under the gondola on the separate lift operating company, are now reported to be considering banning plastic bottles too. An alternative plan will see visitors charged a deposit on plastic bottles taken up in the gondola which will be refunded if the bottles are brought back for disposal at the bottom of the lift.
There are no known plans to collect and remove the waste that has so far accumulated on the mountainside.
Revamped Cable Car Opens in Four Valleys
The Tortin-Gentianes cable-car that serves the Mont Fort glacier in the Swiss Four Valleys ski area re-opened on Saturday following extensive renovations.
The cable cars cabins have been replaced by new cabins with panoramic views and automatic doors. Other behind-the-scenes improvements mean boarding time will also be reduced
Originally Built in 1981, the Tortin-Gentianes cable-car has been refurbished after 28 years of activity. It accesses the summit of Gentianes a few steps away from Mont-Fort.
Australia’s Perisher ski resort is continuing to report a good 2009 snow season to date, and has announced a new event this southern hemisphere winter: “The Coca-Cola Tube My Ride”.
On August 1st and 2nd skiers and boarders are invited to take on the PlayStation Slopestyle course on the resort’s Front Valley. The twist is that a run (or it can be multiple runs pieced together) is to be captured on film and edited into a slick video. This must be no more than three minutes in duration and most feature music from Perisher’s Launch Your Band competition.
Competitor videos will be hosted and voted on Perisher’s website and on You Tube.
Entries must be received no later than 15 August and the winner will be announced 31 August. A cool $5,000 (Australian) is up for grabs – winner takes all.
www.perisher.com.au/winter/tubemyride/index.php
2010 Gear Test Camps Running Through The Autumn At Tignes
Keen skiers and boarders can try out the new 2010 season equipment before anybody else at an exclusive test camp in Tignes, France. Ski and board retailer Edge2Edge has teamed up with holiday firm Mountainsun to offer a three-day break during September – December this year to the snow-sure glacier ski resort.
The camps, which cost from only £99 per person, will feature free equipment testing of gear from top manufacturers such as Atomic, Burton, Head, K2, Lib Tech, Rossignol, Salomon and Scott.
Tignes’ Grande Motte glacier has 20km of pistes and a 750m vertical drop and skiers will also have the chance to compare Fall Line magazine’s last three year’s winners of the ‘ski of the year’ award as well as Atomic’s Double Deck skis.
Boarders can see how the new rockered (reverse camber) Burton Custom – predicted to be next season’s biggest trend – compares with Lib Tech’s Skate Banana.
Skiers and boarders wanting to purchase any of the equipment tested at the camp can save money with discount vouchers, which are redeemed at Edge2Edge.
With panoramic views across the Isere Valley, visitors will stay at the three-star chalet hotel Les Melezes, which is located in the hamlet of Les Boisses and boasts easy access to the glacier.
The test camp runs from 25 September – 13 December and costs per person: £99 in September and October; £125 in November; and £149 in December.
The cost includes transfers from Geneva, three nights’ accommodation, three-day glacier lift pass, breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner, and use of hotel facilities and test equipment. It does not include flights.
To book email chalet@skiandboardcamp.com or telephone Mountainsun on 07704 181351. Alternatively fill out the enquiry form on the test camp website.
www.skiandboardcamp.com / www.edge2edge.co.uk
Six International World Cup Teams To train at New Zealand’s Mt Hutt For 2010 Olympics
Visitors to Mt Hutt in New Zealand this winter will be rewarded with some spectacular skiing action as the “Capital of Speed” plays host to several World Cup Teams in training for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
From 20 July through to 20 September Mt Hutt’s International Race Training Arena will be set alight by athletes reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h in the Downhill training course. Teams this year include Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia as well as Olympic hosts Canada.
Paul Marks, Head of Race and Events, said the Arena was in superb condition and encouraged people to come and witness the world’s best alpine ski racers in action.
“We’re going to see some pretty intense training this year in the build up to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver next year,” he said. “It’s a privilege to host these world class teams on our slopes and we’ll be rewarded with some amazing ski racing. The speeds these athletes reach is unbelievable and incredible to watch.”
Mr Marks said the Australia New Zealand Cup Finals (ANC) and the National Championship Super G in early September (8 -11) promised to be another race event highlight this season.
“Athletes from all over the world will compete in this final race of the ANC series where an overall champion will be crowned,” he said. “It’s the biggest race competition in Australasia, and is just one step below the World Cup and a fantastic spectator event with lots going on both on and off the hill.”
Swiss Ski Resort Sold By Internet Auction
The Swiss ski area of Winterhorn looks to have been saved from bankruptcy after being put up for sale on an internet auction site.
Claus Dangel, director of the Winterhorn resort, told the Swiss News Agency that a buyer had been found although the deal was not yet fully completed.
The ski area above the village of Hospental in the Ursern Valley of Central Switzerland, close to better known Andermatt, operated two drag lifts and a double chair with 20km of piste and a 1,000m vertical. It is reported to be 150,000 Swiss Francs in debt.
The lifts and a restaurant, which didn’t open last winter, were put up for sale on the internet for 250,000 Swiss Francs ($232,000) attracting interest from Switzerland, Germany and Russia according to reports.
The sale comes 18 months after Bruno Prior, a British entrepreneur, paid a token one Swiss franc to buy another Swiss ski-lift company at Ernen. He bought four ski lifts, two trail groomers and a restaurant with 19 kilometres of ski slopes.
Las Lenas Invests In Water and Energy Independence
Las Lenas ski resort in Argentina has invested in electricity generators for this current southern hemisphere Winter, allowing the resort to be self sufficient in power production and not reliant on the Argentinian national grid.
The generators are part of a $50 million pesos investment which also includes spending on a magic carpet conveyor lift for children and beginners; additional snow making equipment, web site improvements with online purchasing of services available in English and Portugese, and a new water purification plant.
Las Lenas has also upgraded their terrain park with new attractions for freestylers and the resort will organise three major competitions this winter, with sponsorship from Rip Curl, attracting professional snowsportsmen and women.
CMH Heli-Skiing and K2 Skis Announce Ski Demo Trips for 2010
CMH Heli-Skiing has announced a new partnership with K2 Skis with the launch of two ultimate back-country CMH / K2 Ski Demo Trips for ski-gear junkies. The trips are Heli-Skiing from the Monashee Lodge, March 13 – 20, 2010, and Helicopter Assisted Ski Touring from the Adamants Lodge, April 10 – 17, 2010. In both cases guests get to test new gear and will receive a free pair of the perfected skis created as a result of the testing the following season.
The CMH / K2 Ski Demo Trips will provide guests the added experience of participating in the testing and design of K2 prototype backcountry skis that will be released to the general public for the 2010/11 winter season. Guests will have the opportunity to demo different skis throughout the trip; provide real-time and valuable feedback on the performance of the skis they have tested, and learn about the process of ski design from on-site K2 designers and engineers. In addition, once the skis are perfected and put into production for the 2010/11 season, participants will be the first to receive a free pair of these K2 Skis compliments of CMH.
The first week of helicopter assisted ski touring takes place in the Adamants from April 10 – 17, 2010. This seven day trip features a daily helicopter drop in the mountains for a full day of backcountry ski touring and K2 ski testing. Each evening guests will be picked up and flown back to the lodge for a relaxed dinner, soak in the hot tub, and drinks by the fire. Cost per person is $3,700 CAD based on twin occupancy.
The second option is a full-power seven day heli-ski trip takes place in the Monashess from March 13 – 20, 2010. This trip features a skiing guarantee of 30,500 vertical metres (100,000 vertical feet) and daily K2 ski testing. Cost per person is $10,440 CAD based on twin occupancy. The Monashee mountains are world renowned and admired for their long, consistently steep-pitched runs, offering some of the best tree skiing on earth.
Both CMH / K2 Demo ski trips include accommodation throughout at casually luxurious lodges (Monashees or Adamants), all meals, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, ground transportation from Calgary International Airport, Services of IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Association) and/or ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) certified ski guides, training in and use of avalanche transceivers, use powder skis and poles and helicopter transfers.
www.cmhski.com/k2
Ohau in New Zealand has picked up New Zealand’s Snow Sports’ supreme award for best large ski field service provider in New Zealand, as voted by the public through the www.snow.co.nz website.
The top ski field service award is the second for Ohau Snow Fields, the Neilsons and their field manager Craig Ovenden – they also won in 2004.
The award requires excellence in the areas of Best Staff, Best Access Road, Best Lift Department, Best Kept Toilets, Best Café Satisfaction, and Best Snowsports School.
Destination Mt Cook Mackenzie General Manager Phil Brownie is delighted with the Ohau team’s achievement and says it is well deserved.
“We pride ourselves on our high country hospitality in the Mackenzie region and firmly believe in delivering great service across the region so people will want to come back. The Ohau team really epitomise that philosophy. Owners Mike and Louise Neilson are fantastic hosts, understand their visitors’ needs and, after 24 years experience, have consistently great service down to a fine art,” he says.
Mike and Louise are proud of their team and say the award is especially meaningful because it was voted for by the public.
“It blows me away when you think of all the big ski resorts that we are up against,” says Mike.
Louise believes the secret to their success is the “Ohau family”.
“Our staff are like family. We’re very fortunate because most of them have been with us for a number of years and come back season after season. Their knowledge and passion is invaluable. They’re just as passionate as we are about the place and guests love it because they see that we genuinely believe this is the best place in the world to be,” she says.
The couple’s long love affair with Ohau started in 1985 when Mike bought the ski field with some friends. In 1990 Mike and Louise took sole charge of it and made it their home.
Ohau’s laid back, friendly atmosphere is particularly popular with southerners who often book dinner, bed and breakfast packages at Lake Ohau Lodge and enjoy a great social day up the mountain.
The slopes opened in 1956 when Harry Wigley (Mt Cook Company) installed a rope tow but now Ohau features a groomed basin of about 125ha with a chairlift, platter and a snow mat (magic carpet) and two progressive terrain parks. Its advanced backcountry skiing is legendary, with access to around 600ha of powder-bowl slopes. People come from near and far for the hiking opportunities and stunning views from Lake Ohau across to Aoraki Mount Cook.
The Neilsons believe continued investment in improving the ski area is very important to keep things “fresh” for their visitors.
Last year $2 million was spent on snowmaking, which resulted in 23 new snow guns being installed. The next two steps of the three-stage development will see an extra 55 snow guns and a second chairlift installed as well as a new three-storey base building and snow school.
www.ohau.co.nz.
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