Gstaad, which has reported bumper summer visitors in recent years, has invested in more snow making this winter.

Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG, the area’s lift operating compant, has invested in snow making equipment to provide an extra 11.8km of additional snow-covered slopes, so long as the weather is cold enough for the machine to operate.

More than a fifth of the area of the Gstaad Mountain Rides ski region, which includes skiing above the famous resort and that of neighbouring villages, now has snowmaking cover, with machines supplying artificially made snow on 55km of the 250km ski area.

www.gstaad.ch

As our readers know, everyone at ski-buzz loves the London Freeze. And not just the music, snowboarders, skiers, people, tents and that noodle bar either. We love the londonfreeze.com website. That’s why we’re so excited that the new website for London Freeze 2010 will be launched on……………….

……………19th April 2010!

That’s right – just over a month away. And fans of the Freeze will know that the website brings with it all sorts of fun and games. Pictures, videos, competitions, news and so much more kept the Freeze 2009 site fresh so we’ll expect more of the same this year.

Most importantly though, we’ll be able to find out who’s going to be performing at London Freeze 2010, on stage and on the slope. We’ve already speculated a little on this in a previous post so we’ll be keeping tabs to see if any of our predicitons come true.

Feeling nostalgic for good old Freeze 2009? Check out what we said about it last year:
London Freeze – This Year’s Hottest Weekend?
Freeze 2009 – The Skiers
Freeze 2009 – The Snowboarders
London Freeze 2009 – The Results

The Cresta Run celebrates its 125th anniversary this winter. The famous toboggan run was first built by visiting British tourists in the mid-1880s, by experimenting with water and snow, in the world’s first winter sports holiday resort, several decades before downhill skiing took off as a winter sport.

Still rebuilt by hand each winter it is one of the world’s largest ice sculptures and is on a smaller scale, in terms of the size of the sides and width of the course.

The Cresta Run remains privately-operated by the British St. Moritz Tobogganing Club, which is based in the original St Moritz luxury hotel, The Kulm. The Club still only allows men to descend the run, except on the last day of its operation each winter, and the high speed run on a small metal sled is not for the faint-hearted. The ‘Cresta kiss’ impact injury is a common occurrence.

www.thecresta125.com

If you’re missing the Winter Olympics and find yourself sitting by the freezer with the door open, then Sega may have the solution to your problems. Say hello to Vancouver 2010 on the PS3.

Forget those late-night hours of TV coverage that the Winter Games receives in the UK. Now, you can immerse yourself in the all things Olympic as and when you want to. Simply put on your favourite ski attire and switch on your PlayStation 3.

Getting stuck in is a straightforward affair. You’re presented with training, Olympics games and challenges. Training contains tutorials, which actually let you take control of the athlete in between pop-up prompts. This is a nice touch as it shirks the standard show-and-repeat normally found in tutorials. They aren’t too in-depth, but then you want to get carving asap, don’t you. The menus are true to the Olympic branding, loading times are fast, but best of all, Winter Olympic fact boxes crop up inbetween loading screens – what a great way to educate gamers who aren’t in the know! Whoever said that videogames aren’t educational? See mum, I told you so.

Choosing Olympics allows you to create a playlist of the 14 events on offer, which seem to lack in diversity. There’s a wealth of downhill events in the skiing and snowboarding categories and you can go down a track (just the one) in the two-man bobsleigh, the skeleton and a luge. Not the best selection, but there’s speed skating (500m button bashing and 1500m), ladies’ aerials and ski jumping, to keeps things fresh-ish.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any ‘career’ mode. Oh how I wanted to compete as Team GB and bring home more than one paltry medal. But, the arcade nature of the game makes it more like a series of one-off games, failing to capture the essence of two weeks in Vancouver. This may alienate more serious gamers who revel in the competitive nature of sports games, but will appeal to casual players looking for a quick fix taking on friends.

Looking for more of a challenge, then the aptly named ‘challenges’ will give you that. They add a real competitive edge that the rest of the game is slightly lacking. Take your game up a level as you’re set a series of new targets that add urgency to the events, that feels missing from the ‘Olympic’ part of the game. The majority of the challenges involve tasks like perfecting your turns, which is a great way to master the complexities of the controls. The challenges are varied enough and the 30 on offer are great fun at times – a welcome break from the main game.

The multiplayer mode allows for online and offline gameplay for upto 4 players, which provides a decent amount of fun. However, it all feels so similar to the main game but with fewer courses, so the fun doesn’t last long.

Aesthetically, the game is a delight to look at. Visuals are crisp, textures are well detailed and there’s a nice use of motion-blur once you get going. However, on the flip-side, animations in the athletes are a bit rigid and the motion-blur (when you hold down R2) doesn’t really give a real sense of speed. It sometimes feels like you’re willing the athlete to go faster, but they never do. This lack of speed is a disappointment – most of the events in Winter Olympics are fast but I don’t think this is well represented in the game. The sound of your skis or snowboard carving up the snow are well reproduced, and these are accompanied by some gentle background rock. Not to everyone’s taste but you’ll probably find yourself humming along after 2 or 3 events.

Much of your enjoyment of this game will depend on how you approach it. If you’re looking for something with in-depth gameplay and customisation, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a game that’s easy to pick and play, and enjoy beating your old times, Vancouver 2010 may just fit the bill.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take part in Disability Snowsport UK’s National Skiathon 2010.

Ski or board 666 runs of your local ski slope with skiing celebrities, British Disabled Ski Team and sponsored skiers & boarders and raise money for skiers with disabilities.

National Skiathon 2010 – Tuesday 18th May 2010

Teams of 6 are invited to take on the challenge of skiing 666 runs in 6 hours taking place at 6 indoor ski slopes across the country. Can the North beat the South? Get involved at your nearest slope, choosing from:

Chill Factore Manchester
Tamworth Snow Dome
Hemel Snow Dome
SNO!zone Braehead
SNO!zone Castleford
SNO!zone Milton Keynes

The entry fee is a bargain at £66 per team plus we ask that participants raise at least £666 per team in sponsorship. For your entry fee you will receive entry to the slope, support from us in undertaking the challenge & fundraising, as well as an event t-shirt and goody bag.

There will be fun and frolics on the slope and prizes for the team who raise the most sponsorship money and for the team who skies the most amount of runs in the time given. You never know, there might be a celebrity or two taking some runs for the teams!

Tues 18th May National Skiathon – 666 The number of the piste
Register your team now!

Limited spaces are available so entries are on a first-come first-served basis, so don’t delay get your place today!

Enter online at regonline.activeeurope.com/skiathon20
Check out the National Skiathon 2010 on facebook

With the introduction of Ski Cross to the Olympics in Vancouver last month that talk of the Games, the next generation of ski cross racers will be tasking to the slopes of Les Arcs in the giant French Paradiski region for The GMX race on 28th March.

The Gavaggio Master Cross will in fact, the resort believes, be the first ever ski-cross event for youngsters aged 11 to 14. Enak Gavaggio, a multiple winner in the sport, will be spearheading the event and passing on his experience to the kids at this unprecedented contest.

More events follow in Paradiski including the return of the Winter Urban Plagne to la Plagne from 31 March to 2 April 2010. This unusual concept for a ski resort event mixes urban style with snow sports and includes an exhibitor village, ski testing, demos and a giant ice bar. You can bring your tired looking skis or snowboard and graphic artists will give them a full redesign. The event that mixes urban style with snow sports.

Then in Peisey-Vallandry, the traditional village between La Plagne and Les Arcs in Paradiski, stages an Agricultual Fair on 21 April 2010 to close the season.

The event will showcase the area’s local producers including animal breeders, farmers and craftsmen who will be exhibiting, selling and making local products at the event (with demonstrations in traditional dress.

www.paradiski.com

Photo: www.cairngormmountain.co.uk

235 skiers and snowboarders set a world record for the largest number of kilted skiers/snowboarders skiing down a piste at once on Saturday on the slopes of CairnGorm Mountain. All participants paid an entry fee of £5 to take part and all the funds will be split between Maggie’s Highland, a cancer hospice charity, and the Badenoch and Strathspey Schools Skiing Programme.

The record that was set for the largest number of kilted skiers and snowboarders skiing in a single consecutive line from the Ptarmigan Top Station at CairnGorm Mountain all the way down to car park level a run of 1.8 miles. It took participants in around 30 minutes to complete the event.

Ian Whitaker, Chief Executive at CairnGorm Mountain said:

“The weather was kind to us, no wind and although misty at the top, the atmosphere was fantastic. Four members of the Badenoch & Strathspey Pipe Band (3 pipers, Pipe Major Chris Thompson, Barry Walker, Sandy MacDonnel, Callum Smith, and 1 drummer – Ian Masson) piped the skiers and snowboarders down the mountain to the cheers and support of the skiing public. We even had ski coaches from Cairngorm Ski Club and ski patrol doing reels on skis as they came through the finish area. A great deal of fun for everyone and many participants are asking if we will repeat it as an annual event which we will certainly give serious consideration to.”

The participants were the star of the show. 262 registered to take part in the event and 235 officially passed both the start and finish gates. They skied and snowboarded slowly and steadily from the top station down the Traverse, Coire Cas, Zig Zags and the lower slopes in a single consecutive line. Ladies, gentlemen and children all showed off their tartan.

£1310 was raised just through registration for the event but the final fundraising effort is hoped to increase considerably with further publicity for the event.

Donations can still be made until the end of March by going to: www.justgiving.com/CairnGormMountain

Telluride ski resort in Colorado has airlifted a new bridge and staircase to the left shoulder of Palmyra Peak. Heliqwest, a helicopter company based in Canada, airlifted two steel staircases and bridge over the ski resort to its final resting place – the span between Gold Hill Chutes 8 and 9.

“This addition is a continuation of our efforts to provide ski experience which is ‘Unmatched in North America,’” said Dave Riley, CEO of the resort. “This project was extremely technical, and our in house staff has done a phenomenal job in both planning and execution. The Telluride Ski Resort is thrilled to once again expand easy access into epic inbounds terrain.”

The stairs and bridge were designed and fabricated by 12 year veteran and Lift Master Mechanic, Mark Bosse. With the company since 1997, Bosse custom created, constructed and brought the project to fruition over several months.

The two sets of stairs measure 48 and 54 feet, and weigh 3304 and 3324 pounds, respectively. The bridge measures 24 feet in length and weighs 2750 pounds. All three components measure 30 inches wide, feature hand railings on both sides and serrated grated steel walking surface. Together, the stairway and bridge combine make up 126 linear feet ascending Gold Hill.

www.tellurideskiresort.com

Vail Resorts have honoured Olympic Champion Lindsey Vonn, who moved to the resort in the late 1990s and has now won what the resort describes as, ‘Vail’s first ever gold medal’ by renaming a trail on Vail Mountain after Vonn.

The expert “International” trail on Vail Mountain was renamed “Lindsey’s” and the new trail sign is already up to greet skiers and snowboarders.

“This trail is a fitting choice as it was the site of the women’s speed events during the World Alpine Ski Championships at Vail and Beaver Creek in 1989 and 1999. Additionally, the central location of the trail gives all guests at Vail easy access to ski or ride it like a champion throughout the winter season.” said a Vail statement.

Vonn’s unprecedented success in the 2010 Olympic Games is one for the record books. Vonn was the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the Downhill and also took home a bronze in the Super G. Her feats in alpine skiing comprise an impressive list: Two consecutive Overall World Cup titles, four World Cup discipline titles, four World Championship medals (including two gold), 31 World Cup wins (11 so far this season), 60 World Cup podium finishes (17 so far this season), and she currently leads the Overall World Cup standings this year.

“We could not be prouder of Lindsey and her success at the Olympic Games.” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “‘Lindsey’s’ on Vail Mountain is a perfect location for her namesake trail. As a former race course for the best women ski racers in the world and a groomed black diamond favourite for our guests, it is where future champions and everyday skiers alike can be inspired by Lindsey’s success. We are excited to welcome Lindsey home to her new run.”

While she was born in Burnsville, Minn. in 1984 but spent her formative years on Vail Mountain, honing her racing skills in all alpine disciplines with the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, then went on to achieve success in major U.S. and international events such as the Junior Olympics, Junior Worlds, NorAms and Europa Cup before entering the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit.

When she’s not rigorously training or garnering medals, Vonn makes a beeline for Vail’s legendary Back Bowls to free ski. She and former teammate/Olympian Thomas Vonn married in September 2007. When they’re not travelling on the road, the Vonns make their home at the Arrabelle at Vail Square, A RockResort in Vail, Colo.

www.LindseyIsEpic.com

A new Facebook group has been created calling for the go ahead for a long-delayed new indoor ski facility at Wycombe summit near London to go ahead. The group has attracted several thousand supporters.

Founder Melanie Codling was surprised by just how popular her Facebook initiative is. She told local media, “The response has been amazing, it is growing by the day.”

The group calls on the local council, which has rejected the latest plans for the site’s redevelopment by owners the Snowdome Group, who own Europe’s oldest surviving indoor snow centre at Tamworth to the north, to, “do something positive for our community!”

“It is such a great opportunity. It is very frustrating and disappointing for people who would have utilised it.” the group says.

The original centre, which is home to a long dry ski slope, was destroyed by fire in 2005, and despite offering to support redevelopment initiatives the local council has rejected plans for a new indoor snow centre, ice rink and other facilities put forward by Snowdome in recent years. The company are currently appealing the latest rejection.

A spokesman for the Snowdome company told local media they were very pleased about the Facebook group but that even if permission was finally given, the current economic situation now means the development is likely to be further delayed.

www.wycombesnowdome.co.uk