Ski and Snowboard News from j2ski.com

Go Ahead For UK’s Longest Indoor Snow Slope, Nearly

The Snoasis indoor snow centre planned for Great Blakenham, close to Ipswich in Suffolk has almost got the final go ahead after a long battle with local residents culminating with a lengthy public enquiry.

The government has given the go-ahead subject to certain environmental conditions. They have asked for more information on the centre’s carbon emissions. A final, final decision will be given by the Secretary of State for the environment by 17th September.

The Snoasis development will incorporate a 400m slope, about twice as long as the longest of the UK’s five existing, and two under construction indoor slopes. The slope will have a 100m vertical, making use of a disused quarry. Developers Onslow Suffolk say construction of the £350m ($700m US) project could now get underway this year, all being well, with completion possible by London Olympic Year, 2012.

The facility will also include an ice rink, hotels, as well as shops and apartments and create a main line railway station linking to London Liverpool Street and involve the construction of 120 affordable homes. 130,000 trees will be planted to enhance the environment in the area.

The development has been fiercely opposed by local residents close to the site and some environmental groups who say it will threaten bio diversity in the area. Suffolk council have backed Snoasis saying it will boost the
local and regional economy.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

This Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the Chamonix Freeride Days. It is hard to imagine that the season is nearly over. The freeride days will be held at Grands Montets. The organizers want to settle the question, who is the better skier, downhill or freerider? Now we know that downhill skiers have the technique but can they ski off the groomed corduroy? What about freeriders, all speed and no skill?
This Ski News Item courtesy of, and © PisteHors

The Warren Smith Ski Academy pulled off one of the biggest ever BASI Level 2 exam results this season

The Warren Smith Ski Academy’s GAP 2008 ski instructor + performance coaching course gained a 100% pass rate this season with not just one group of 10 students but incredibly with all 30 students from all 3 of their BASI Level 2 exam groups. This is one of the highest volume 100% pass rates in GAP year ski instructor course history.

The students themselves have written and talked about the whole course in detail. You can read the reviews and watch the video interviews with the students themselves right now on the Warren Smith Ski Academy website. Click here to see what the student’s themselves had to say about their amazing achievement! For more information, see the Warren Smith Ski Academy’s GAP Year Ski Instructor courses for 2009.

CairnGorm Mountain chief executive Bob Kinnaird has told the BBC that snow conditions for the season had been of a high quality. “We are becoming increasingly optimistic that we could be offering skiing on Cairngorm into May.” He said.

The resort, one of the largest of five in Scotland, hit its annual skier visit target of 51,000 last weekend. The tally is in line with the average over the past five seasons when the ski area’s totals have varied between 38,553 (last winter – when little snow arrived before March and almost all visits were made between March and May) and 58,500 in the winter of 2003-4.

This season has seen much more consistent snowfall right through the season, although along with it the usual challenges of extreme weather conditions on some days, along with perfect still, blue sky powder days on others that are the two normal extremes of Scottish skiing.

Another month of skiing could see Cairngorm pass the 2003-4 total and post their best skier visit results since 2001-2 when more than 80,000 skiers visited.

The season before and through most winters in previous decades it was more than 100,000, but today Cairngorm and several of the other Scottish ski areas have greatly increased their summer visitation.

The four other Scottish ski areas are all also reporting business well up this year.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc