Weekly Snow News Roundup – 19/10/2009
This week, resorts from all over the world are stepping up their game to entice skiers to their slopes for the 2009/10 ski season. Whatever your fancy, there really is something for everyone. Ambitious amateurs can race the professionals at the Metro ski show, nostalgic skiers can relive the 80s in Courchevel this February and old romantics can get free season passes when they marry at Keystone ski resort. There is all this and much more in this week’s snow news roundup.
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES
Ski Resorts Open (Very) Early Thanks To Heavy Snow And Low Temperatures
Masella Adds More Piste And Another Lift
Bulgarian Ski Resorts Fight Government, EC, National Parks, WWF, UNESCO
Improvements At Meribel
Nakiska Adds Quad And Plans To Open Earlier
SWISS Now Only Airline Offering Free Ski or Board Carriage
Try Salomon’s 2010-11 Season Skis, and 1980s Skis, In February 2010
Igloo Villages Go Greener
Keystone Giving Free Season Passes To Couples Who Wed At Resort
Race Against the British Ski and Snowboard Team At The London Ski Show
Ski Resorts Open (Very) Early Thanks To Heavy Snow And Low Temperatures
At least a dozen ski areas in at least six countries have opened earlier than expected because of heavy snow, or consistent low temperatures to allow snow making, or a combination of both.
Austria saw the most of the heavy snowfalls in the latter half of last week with the glacier ski area of Tux claiming the biggest accumulated snowfall of an incredible 1.8 metres (six feet) over the past week on its posted snow report at www.skiinfo.co.uk , with the Molltal glacier not far behind with 1.4m (nearly five feet).
Although many regular Austrian resorts have reported up to two feet (60cm) of snow on their slopes, only one is reported to have started running their lifts early as a result, the website www.welove2ski.com reported that the Planai above Schladming had its earliest ever opening this weekend.
Cross-country skiers as well as those prepared to hike up hill have been taking advantage of the snow though, the Austrian biathlon team were reported to be enjoying training on two feet of new snow at Seefeld in Tirol.
In Scandinavia resorts have opened in Finland, Norway and Sweden thanks to now and cold weather. Ruka in Finland claimed to be the first non-glacier resort in Europe to open for ‘winter’ 2009-10 last Wednesday. A number of resorts in Norway and Sweden opened today (Saturday 17th October) including Funadalen, one of Sweden’s leading resorts, according to www.skiinfo.se
Across the Atlantic at least five resorts have opened in the US on both East and west costs. Sunday River was the first to open on the East and Mammoth Mountain was the first of the big guns to open on the West, both offered free skiing on opening day. They join Loveland and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Donner Summit in California, which have been open a week now.
Elsewhere fresh snow has been reported in Japan, Canada and the Indian Himalayas. In Scotland temperatures have been dipping below zero in the Highlands with precipitation expected over the next few days.
Masella Adds More Piste And Another Lift
Masella, one of Spain’s leading ski areas, has announced a rare extension (these days) to the world’s groomed piste kilometres count.
The resort will add 4km of new runs this winter in the most easterly sector, Pia, of its ski area.
The new Leitner built “Pia Express” detachable six-seater chairlift will serve the new ski runs and provide access to the newly created Pia-1700m zone which can also be reached by road from the highway that links Masella to the neighbouring ski resort of La Molina at the Pla de Corda-2125m (the two resorts are also linked by skipiste).
The 4km of runs will be divided in to five new pistes which encompass all standards of skier and boarder (blue, red and black runs have been created). The north facing slopes are cut through the forests of the Pia and Estan areas.
The resort’ snowmaking has been extended to cover three quarters of the new runs with nearly 120km (75 miles) of runs served by around 30 lifts, including seven high-speed detachable chairs, three of them six-seaters.
Bulgarian Ski Resorts Fight Government, EC, National Parks, WWF, UNESCO
Several (possibly all) Bulgarian existing and proposed ski resorts are currently involved in multiple battles on multiple levels to allow for resort and ski area development at their locations.
In an unusual twist, Bansko, the country and one of Europe’s most successful resorts of the past decade, is fighting against its UNESCO world heritage site status as it believes this will hamper its expansion.
The Bansko campaign against UNESCO status comes at the same time as the giant Italian Dolomiti Superski region is promoting the Dolomites newly awarded UNESCO world heritage site status as a major sales and marketing tool.
In a separate development Bulgaria’s Environment minister has cancelled plans for the expansion of Vitosha’s ski area, which had previously been approved by a regional governmental body’s environmental assessment team, because the minister believes their remains doubt over the impact the ski slopes and lifts would have on environmentally protected land. Objections to the earlier approval of the plans by the regional body had come not only from the WWF, but also the State Forestry Agency, the director of the local National Park and even the local Vitosha Ski and Snowboard Schools.
Both the EC, which Bulgaria joined earlier this year, and UNESCO are currently inspecting, or are soon to inspect, the protected areas to check whether development that has already taken place, as well as future planned development, contravenes environmental protection laws.
“There are all too many cases, especially in Bulgaria, for example in the Pirin and Rila National Parks, or in Vitosha Nature Park near Sofia, where ski areas have been or are being constructed illegally, in violation of national and in many cases EU legislation,” a recent report from the WWF claimed.
The major of Bansko has written to Bulgaria’s prime minister saying that the UNESCO World heritage site has grown in size in recent years and that the restrictions that UNESCO status place on development threatens the economic success of the town.
Meribel in the French 3 Valleys, the world’s largest ski area, has announced a number of improvements to its giant ski area for the coming winter.
The slow, fixed Golf chairlift will be transformed into a fast, detachable chairlift which will halve journey times. This will allow Meribel Village residents much quicker access to the Altiport area.
Once they reach the summit they will benefit from a newly laid out area offering much more space. The departure point for the Altiport draglift will be relocated uphill to the position of the current first pylon and the poles will be replaced with retractable ones for improved safety. The current building will also be relocated to the higher point.
In addition, as usual, a great deal of work has been carried out on the ski slopes during the summer. On the Tougnète side, the bottom of the Faon piste has been reshaped, thus completing last summer’s work. The last bend at the bottom of the Lièvre will also be reworked so as to widen this piste at a point often found difficult by beginners.
The left hand side of the Moon Park will be made secure by the installation of netting. On the Burgin side, snow canons will be installed on the Hulotte piste to guarantee Morel residents can ski back home. Technical improvements will also continue to be made to Meribel’s Chaudanne snow-making facility.
Finally Meribel’s overhaul of piste signs is continuing with the installation of fixed chicanes at points where pistes converge and the installation of directional banners. These banners were used on a trial basis during the past winter and received a favourable reaction from skiers and boarders.
Nakiska Adds Quad And Plans To Open Earlier
Nakiska ski area in Alberta, the closest resort to provincial capital Calgary has undergone major enhancements ahead of the coming 2009-10 season.
Enhancements include a new, high speed Gold Chair Express quad, the second new quad in the province alongside the new lift at Marmot Basin near Jasper in a winter when very few North American resorts have added new lifts.
Nakiska’s new Leitner Poma built lift takes skiers up the slopes in just under five minutes, half the time of the lift it replaces and means the centre has high speed quads for all main lifts.
The lift replaces the original fixed grip, triple chair of same name built in 1986 and opened in 1987. It will have easier loading making the upper mountain accessible to all ability levels and an increased capacity.
There are also trail improvements including the new Monster Glades amp with more access points, wider trails, and increased runs in the trees. In addition, enhancements on existing runs compliment the skiing experience for guests and create vital conditions for race training. These include the widening of three runs to 60 metres and the extension of the core training run “Mapmaker” by 650 metres.
Nakiska has also added 15 more snow guns to the largest snowmaking system in Alberta, taking the tally past 160 and the centre aims to provide more snow coverage during early season than ever before.The arsenal includes 19 Fan guns including M18 models with high efficiency fan blades that use less energy to make the same amount of snow. The new snowmaking means Nakiska aims to open on November 7th
Nakiska Known as “Calgary’s Closest Mountain” was the site of the Alpine events at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games and is still famed for its training facilities.
SWISS Now Only Airline Offering Free Ski or Board Carriage
As unprecedented economic times have lead British Airways to axe its free ski and board allowance, Swiss International Air Lines claims it is now the only airline that will transport the first set of snowsport equipment free of charge on flights this winter, in addition to complimentary checked luggage on flights between the UK and the Alps.
Whilst the primary carriers serving ski destinations out of the UK, bmibaby, British Airways, easyJet, Flybe, Jet 2 and Ryanair amongst others, have various fees in place penalising travellers taking their ski and boards to their resorts this winter, SWISS has confirmed that it has no plans to add any charges.
Fees for carrying ski and board equipment with other airlines range from £17 to £50 each way per person, representing a potential additional £400 on a ski holiday for a family of four.
Gregor Koncilja, SWISS’s country manager for the UK and Ireland, said, “SWISS appreciates all its passengers, and during the winter our ski customers are especially important to us. We consider ourselves to be the ‘skiers’ airline’ offering 29 daily flights to Switzerland and it’s essential for us to be able to offer the very best service for our snowsport customers.”
“Our strapline this winter is that travellers should fly to their resort with the specialist, and by this we mean that we’re offering return flights to the Swiss Alps from the UK from just £77 all-inclusive. There aren’t any better values ways to reach the slopes than these sorts of fares. No hidden costs, extra taxes and fees or punitive checked luggage charges.
“We have always offered free transportation for one set of ski equipment, in addition to checked luggage allowance, and SWISS has no intention of changing this. It’s part of our company ethos to offer customers the very best product we can and to ensure they can experience Switzerland and the Alps thanks to a comprehensive timetable. We feel that free carriage of ski equipment is an integral part of this offering and, during these financially challenging times, we’re particularly keen to be able to offer any possible support for ski enthusiasts who are reluctant to abandon their winter holiday.”
SWISS’s six daily flights to Geneva will offer skiers access to resorts from Avoriaz through to Chamonix, Chatel, Les Gets, Megeve, Morzine, Verbier and Villars, whilst 19 daily Zurich-bound flights will offer the best value to Davos, Klosters, Lenzerheide, St Anton am Alberg, St Moritz and Wengen.
Try Salomon’s 2010-11 Season Skis, and 1980s Skis, In February 2010
Salomon will be running an all new technique and product test week in Courchevel this winter. The week, which runs from February 20 to 27, will give equipment fans the chance to try 2010-11 season’s Salomon skis, while having fun and improving their skiing at the same time.
Davee Mercer, Salomon’s UK technical expert, ex-British ski team member and Olympian, and Dave Beattie, will present this programme which is based around testing the latest ski technology in a coaching situation.
The focus will be on getting the best out of the gear combined with the opportunity to put the latest Salomon equipment through its paces.
The organisers plan to have three groups each day and they will have the opportunity to try either race skis, all mountain skis such as XWing or big mountain skis such as Lord/Shogun.
“Just for fun we will also have some skis from the 1980s to compare and contrast with modern equipment.” said a spokesperson.
Each evening Davee will give a short talk on Salomon’s range of skis/boots and bindings and there will also be an opportunity to test Salomon’s custom shell boots.
The course will run from 9am to 1pm daily over five days (excluding Wednesday). The Salomon team will be based in the Chalet Roger, but participants are welcome to stay in any chalet.
The seven day programme costs £799 (excluding flights).
Igloo Villages, the chain of six igloo resorts built each year above six key resorts in the Alps and Pyrenees (a seventh venue, new for 2009-10, is due to be announced shortly), have decided they will aim to be completely carbon neutral in future.
Already operating a pretty small carbon foot print, the Igloo Villages, for which 2009-10 bookings are now open with reservations available from Christmas Day, have announced plans to cut energy use still further and to buyt in green electricity for the remaining power still needed.
During last winter, energy provider BKW FMB Energie AG (BKW) toured the Igloo Villages and analyzed their CO2 emissions. The conclusion? “Compared to conventional hotels, the Igloo Villages are definitely very good in terms of energy efficiency and electricity consumption. But there’s still room for improvement,” says Bruno Spring, the product manager at BKW in charge of energy efficiency for nonresidential customers.
The Igloo Villages draw most of their energy from the local power supply and use hardly any fossil fuels. The sauna and the whirlpool use the most electricity, but these are key components of the romantic Igloo Villages.
“We are very aware of this,” explains Igloo Villages founder and CEO Adrian Günter , “This is why the company chose the most energy-efficient whirlpool with the least heat loss and also insulated it. Optimal insulation is a crucial factor in the design of the village’s saunas. Other measures are aimed at improving the smallest details.”
Iglu Dorf GmbH plans to reduce CO2 emissions by using green electricity and obtaining certificates from MyClimate, a climate protection organization. The company has not yet decided which projects it will support through these initiatives.
“We are considering becoming involved in the area of hydroelectric power. This would be a good fit for us since our starts out as water and then becomes water again in the spring,” Günter explains.
Igloo Villages operate at the six locations of Davos-Klosters, Engelberg, Gstaad, Zermatt, the Zugspitze in Germany and Grandvalira in Andorra.
Keystone Giving Free Season Passes To Couples Who Wed At Resort
“A marriage heading downhill doesn’t have to be a bad thing.” joked a Keystone spokesperson, announcing that couples who say “I do” at Keystone Resort between November 30, 2009 and November 30, 2010 will receive two complementary season Summit Passes good for skiing and riding at Keystone, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin for the 2010-2011 season through the new Wedding Pass Promotion.
“The couples who say their vows at Keystone often have strong ties to the area and to skiing,” says Paul Jeppson, Vice President of Hospitality at Keystone Resort. “The Keystone Wedding Pass Promotion is a special gift from us and what better way for newlyweds to spend time together than on the slopes at Keystone.”
The passes are valid during the ski season following the wedding. In addition to the passes, couples who marry at Keystone also receive a night of free lodging with champagne and strawberries, a dedicated catering manager to help plan their big day, discounted lodging rates for their guests, a complimentary six inch one year anniversary cake, and more.
Keystone now offers tiered pricing for mountain top weddings with packages starting at $75 a person.
Keystone Resort offers ten iconic Rocky Mountain wedding and reception venues including historic locations like the Keystone Ranch and Ski Tip Lodge as well as mountain-top venues including The Summit House, Timber Ridge and the Alpenglow Stube as well as other locations around the resort. Green weddings are also an option at the resort allowing couples to limit waste, compost, recycle, and provide sustainable and organic food if desired.
The bride and groom are privy to Keystone’s award-wining chefs including Executive Pastry Chef, Ned Archibald. Chef Archibald creates uniquely designed wedding cakes or desserts personalized to the bridge and groom. Ned listens to interests and hobbies, observes dress patterns and invitations, makes notes on life stories and adventures as he plans designs for special wedding cake.
Keystone also offers a plethora of seasonal activities for couples and their guests including ice skating, mountain-top snowcat rides, mountain-top tubing, snowshoeing and sleigh rides in the winter and golf, biking, horseback riding and hiking in the summer. The Spa at Keystone Lodge can provide a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for the bridal party with a full array of services.
Race Against the British Ski and Snowboard Team At The London Ski Show
This week’s Metro Ski & Snowboard Show at London Olympia will give visitors a unique opportunity – a chance to race against British Ski and Snowboard Team athletes from the past and present.
SnowsportGB has teamed up with the Ski Club of Great Britain, Metro Ski & Snowboard Show organisers and SEGA to bring the slopes to the show.
Show visitors will be given the opportunity to race against Olympic hopefuls Zoë Gillings and Ski Club of Great Britain sponsored Ed Drake plus many more from the British teams, as well as heroes from the past including Alain Baxter and Graham Bell.
The aim of the initiative is to raise funds for Britain’s future Olympians. Visitors will be asked to donate £3 for their chance to race against the stars, with the fastest time from each day winning either a Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS, plus a copy of the game “Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™”.
This is a fantastic opportunity to race against our wintersport heroes and, in doing so, support the British Ski and Snowboard Teams in their quest for success. To take part simply visit stand 417 – opposite the Ski Club of Great Britain stand.
www.snowsportgb.com / www.skiclub.co.uk
Image used courtesy of Leo-Satä.
Fitting update on Canada’s other Olympic Resort,Nakiska Ski Resort, site of the 1988 Olympics,in the Canadian Rockies, located close to Calgary and Banff, Alberta. Not only is there a New Lift, More Runs and increased Snow-making but there is also lots of natural snow that has fallen already this winter! Snowstorms have hammered Nakiska Ski Resort this Fall already. Nakiska Ski Resort will probably be the earliest mountain resort in Canada to open this winter!
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