J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Les Arcs has set a new world record for the number of people simultaneously participating in a torchlit descent.

2,887 people signed up at the French resort and skied-down the Vagère piste as dusk was falling yesterday.

The record seems to be a popular one for larger ski resorts around the world to tackle but apparently had been held for a decade by Fribourg ski resort in Switzerland where 2854 people took part.

Participants met up from 5.15pm at Arc 1800 yesterday taking the Vagère chairlift up the slope before the record attempt began at 6.30pm.

The successful record setting was recorded by a representative of the Guinness Book the resort says, and was followed by a fireworks display

More good points! I remember Lech has (or had) a daily limit on the number of people it would allow on its slopes. I wonder how that will work now if people can pour in by lift... (I'll ask them!)

I have mixed feelings too. When they happen, among the arguments in favour (beyond the questionable "This is progress!" and "We must compete on the international stage!"), are (1) cuts down road traffic/CO2 emissions (Although if more people visit from afar as a result doesn't that make it worse? er...) and (2) in some cases obscure villages brought in to a network by suddenly finding they're in a crucial location on the link get more daytime visitors/passing trade to give them a boost, perhaps helping a dying village (though probably not any of them in Arlberg) ...and you have the counter argument that it might drive up property prices and force out the less well heeled locals.

(Riksgransen's staff prepare the slopes for re-opening)

Riksgransen, Europe's most northerly ski area, set high within the Swedish arctic circle, has opened for its 2016 ski season this morning (February 19th).

The centre, which does not open until the second half of February because it is too cold and too dark at its latitude until now, reports a 120cm base, temperatures of -11C and that it's snowing.

The resort will be open for the next four months, with skiing under the midnight sun possible from early May. It does close for a period from late May to mid-June before re-opening for a final Midsummers Day weekend of on snow festivities around June 21st when it is normally booked out far in advance.

Normally empty apart from caretaker staff through mid-winter, this winter Riksgransen hit the headlines as around 600 mostly Syrian refugees were housed there during its closed period. The Swedish government said the centre could be kept warm and cosy although some media reports said refugees were unhappy to be 'marooned' in this isolated spot with near 24 hour darkness outside.

At the time – in late autumn last year – it was reported that although most refugees would be moved on before Riksgransen's ski season started, management hoped some would find employment at the centre.

St Anton and Lech have simultaneously announced plans to connect their two halves of the Arlberg ski region in time for the start of next winter

The €45m project will see four major new lifts installed and a 1.8km run created too, connecting the two halves of the area to create Austria's largest linked ski region by some margin, with 305km of piste and 87 ski lifts.



The new connection will be made between Zurs near Lech and Stuben on the St Anton side of the region. The main lift will be a 10 –passenger-cabin gondola with a journey time of just over six minutes and an hourly capacity of 2,800 people. It has already been given a name – the Flex Bahn, and its own website: www.flexenbahn.ski

It is currently possible to ski in one-direction, from Valuga above St Anton down to Zurs, but only for very good skiers accompanied by a guide – moist people get the bus.

The Arlberg has also announced that it will be creating a new circuit taking in all the corners of the huge region to highlight how quick and easy it will be to get from one side to another. The 'Run of Fame' (Which also already has its own website: www.run-of-fame.ski) will allow skiers to cover up to 65 piste kilometres (41 miles) around the huge circuit and descend 18,000 metres of vertical in the process.



The newly fully inter-connected ski region will be amongst the 10 largest lift-linked ski areas in the world, possibly the five largest by some measures.

Currently the 'largest ski area in Austria' title is disputed by the SkiWelt and the newly opened TirolS region linking Saalbach and Fieberbrunn.

An 11 year old boy was unharmed yesterday after he was caught in a safety net after a 'controlled fall' from a chairlift at whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada on Monday.

According to media reports the boy half fell beneath the safety bar of the chair when reaching down to try to grab a dropped ski pole on boarding the lift.

The adults on the quad chairlift seat with the boy held on to him but were unable to get him back on to the chairlift seat.

The lift operator quickly stopped the lift and organised with a group of bystanders to hold out a fireman's net which a resort spokesperson told media was standard kit held at each lift station and something that all lift attendants and trained in the use of.

Having spread the net, the boy was allowed to fall the distance of approximately 7 metres/20 feet and was caught safely.

The event was captured on video and posted on YouTube by American Christopher Sakai who had boarded the chair behind the one the boy was on.



Mr Sakai told media the boy looked calm and was smiling after the rescue.

The Davos Klosters ski region has launched a new cash back offer if the sun does not shine for at least three hours per day between 29 February 2016 and 28 March 2016, and then again between 04 April 2016 and 17 April 2016.

The famous Swiss resort is marketing the offer as a guarantee against bad weather.

The "Money Back Deal" in the case of bad weather has a list of T&Cs, key of which are:

• The CHF 100.00 is per room booked under the 'Money Back Deal' and is in the form of a voucher redeemable at all service providers in Davos Klosters (e.g. hotels, restaurants, cable cars, shops).
• The "Money Back Deal" is valid on weekdays (Sunday to Friday) and includes room, breakfast and ski pass at a 30% diuscount.
• The "Money Back Deal" must be purchased at least 14 days before the start of your holiday through Davos Klosters website, with the "Money Back Deal" selected.
• Vouchers are issued (if less than 3 hours of sunshine on any one day) 14 days after the end of the holiday and sent by post.

Interestingly, the resort is saying that the rebate idea is the first to come from a venture they made in to idea crowd-sourcing on an 'innovation platform' called "Atizo" last year.

The resort says they were looking for novel ideas for new offers, and a spokesperson commented,

"Since then, many proposals have been developed further and perfected. This first "Money Back Deal" based on the daily sunshine hours and rewarding early bird bookers has been created in close collaboration with the CelsiusPro company from Zurich."

The sunshine hours are measured at the official MeteoSchweiz measuring station Weissfluhjoch (skiing resort Parsenn Gotschna).

The decision of whether refund vouchers will be given is based on these measurements.

"With the "Money Back Deal", we have created a highly attractive incentive for people to choose us as their holiday destination. The product is an innovative approach to avoid last-minute bookings. We believe we will be able to launch the deal successfully – nonetheless, we are of course hoping the weather gods will favour us with clear skies," said Roger Manser, Head of Marketing and Communications at Destination Davos Klosters.

www.davos.ch/moneybackdeal

There's also a "Money Back Deal" promotion film: https://vimeo.com/154964165

Britain got its first ever Olympic Gold medal in snowsports on Sunday – but not many people heard about it because our winner was just 15 years old and was competing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Norway.

GB Park and Pipe skier Madi Rowlands (Maidstone) made history as she became the first ever Team GB athlete to win a Youth Olympic medal, taking gold in the Ski Halfpipe at Lillehammer 2016.

The second ever Winter Youth Olympic Games have had littler publicity in mainstream media, they follow the inaugural Games in Innsbruck in 2012.

Rowlands dominated the field throughout and put down the best two runs of the competition at Oslo's Vinterpark, notching up a score of 88.60 in her second run.

"I couldn't be happier. It's just so overwhelming," said Rowlands. "It was nerve-wracking to wait for the others to finish but I felt like I had done enough. I was so stoked with that first run and to land it like I did meant I was able to relax more and not be so nervous in the second and third. There are two main competitions I ultimately want to get to, the X Games and then the Olympics. This is a great step towards that and I'm just so stoked to win."

In the senior competition, a day earlier and across the Atlantic, 18-year old Katie Ormerod had a huge result in Quebec, Canada, taking second at the FIS World Cup Big Air. Beating all but one other (American Jamie Anderson) in a world class field, she took second spot with a backside 7 and backflip.

"So excited to be on my first World Cup podium here in Quebec City for the Big Air! Stoked on 2nd place," posted Katie.

She is now in Korea along with her GB Park and Pipe teammates for the PyeongChang FIS Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup this coming weekend, which is also a test event for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Back in Scandinavia Aimee Fuller made it a triple success with her second place finish at the Ale Invite Big Air event in Sweden.

At the World Snowboard Tour event, which takes place in Alebacken, Fuller was on form, beating a strong field, but sitting just behind Klaudia Medlova from Slovakia.

Other Brits competing in the Winter Youth Olympic Games included Yasmin Cooper and Iain Innes who had their first taste of Youth Olympic competition in the Super-G event.

Cooper finished the Super-G in 19th and came down the slalom 16th quickest to finish 13th overall, while 17-year-old Innes from Edinburgh finished 32nd.

"I thought it went really well today. I made a bit of a mistake coming into the finish and probably lost a second or so but overall really happy," said Innes.

Madi Rowlands will go again to compete in the Ski Slopestyle on Friday. Cal Sandieson (17, Glasgow) competes in the Ski Slopestyle on Saturday.