J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

(ESF picture by Paul Downey)

A brawl between a senior ESF (French Ski School) instructor and managers has made national media across the Channel with reports in newspaper France Bleu.

The fight apparently began after a discussion in a bar in Serre Chervalier on Friday April 17th got heated between the director of the ESF in Megève, along with another senior Megève ski school staff member, and a senior ski instructor and a 64-year-old former member of the French national ski team, according to France Bleu. The ESF were in Serre Chevalier for end of season races between ski school staff.

The fight was reported to be so violent that the 64 year old instructor has spent the past week in hospital, the newspaper says.

It reports that the argument is believed to have been over a rule that older ski instructors in the ESF are not allowed to teach as many hours as younger staff. Eighteen ski school staff had previously filed a complaint against the rule.

Megève is known as one of the most 'up market' ski resorts in France.

The Megève ESF is currently involved in a long running legal dispute against British ski instructor Simon Butler and the ski school her operates over whether his professional teaching qualifications are adequate or not to be able to legally teach in Megève under European law.

After a dry week in most of the world's ski areas, the snow has returned to the Alps, Scandinavia, Scotland and parts of North America over the last 48 hours.

One of the biggest snowfalls reported was 40cm in 24 hours on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier at Kaprun in Austria. Another Austrian glacier, Molltal (pictured above), reported 20cm of fresh snow at the same time.

In Scotland fresh snow has been reported at Glencoe, which along with Cairngorm is currently open, but plans to close for the season next weekend due to a lack of business.

The start of May is a big festival weekend at many Scandinavian ski areas, and Voss in Norway has reported 29cm (just under a foot) of fresh snow overnight.

Across the Atlantic there has been several inches of fresh snow in New England with Killington in Vermont and Sunday River in Maine both reporting a little bit of powder to end the week. On the other side of the continent Whistler too has had a few inches of new snow up top, it still has three weeks of its season left.

Most of the remaining areas that are still open in the northern hemisphere will end their seasons tomorrow, with only around 30 staying open in to May.

Larger snow showers are currently being forecast for the coming weeks in the Alps with some projecting more than two feet of snow may fall on higher slopes at resorts like Zermatt.

As the ski season winds down in Europe and North America, more resorts are announcing their big 2015 summer projects.

Laax is the latest resort to announce it will have a major new lift in place for winter 2015-16, a large gondola complete with cabins each capable of seating ten skiers or boarders.

The new lift, which has a 15 million Swiss franc (around £11.3m) price tag, will access the resort's La Siala sector from Sogn Martin.

The lift will climb 831 vertical metres over a 3.37km long length in nine minutes, 21 seconds on a slightly longer distance ascent than the lift it replaces. The resort says that this will mean a larger ski area will be opened up at La Siala.

The Leitner built lift, which replaces a much slower old triple chairlift, will initially carry 63 cabins and have an hourly uplift capacity of 1,800 people, but that will then be expanded to 70 cabins giving an increased limit of 2,000 skiers and boarders per hour.

It is a perfect weekend for skiing in Scotland at the three ski areas that remain open, with blue sky, cloudless days and no wind creating stunning sunny spring weather. But the ski centres may soon opt to close not due to a lack of snow, but a lack of skiers.

"It's so sad that at this time of year, few skiers and snowboarders seem to believe Scotland still has great snow at higher levels," said Ski-Scotland Chair Heather Negus.

"Skiers rightly rave about good overhead weather abroad but claim we never have that in Scotland, but that's just not true – we have it right now! Everyone seems to want to come early in the season when it's really cold, with high winds, yet when we do have good snow, blue skies and warm sun, they decide on other activities."

Three of Scotland's mountain resorts: CairnGorm Mountain, Glencoe Mountain and Nevis Range have great snow on mid and upper runs, where there are reports of skiers and boarders wearing bikini tops or going shirtless in the spring sunshine.

"As always, we advise everyone to check conditions on the official website www.ski-scotland.com before leaving home," continued Heather, "but with this amazing weather forecast to continue into the weekend, we're also advising that shades and suncream are a must! This may also be the last weekend of the season at some resorts, so it's a great opportunity to enjoy this brilliant snow and spring weather while it lasts."

Nevis range has indeed confirmed it will close at the end of the day tomorrow, but Cairngorm and Glencoe (pictured above) look set to continue operating later in to April. Glenshee and The Lecht have already closed for the season.

The ski resort with the world's greatest average annual snow depth is set to re-open today after fresh snow fall.

Mt Baker in Washington state in Northwest USA averages 641 inches (53.4ft; 16.3m) of snow each winter and also holds the record for the world's greatest recorded snowfall in one season, 1,140 inches (95ft; 29m), recorded during the 1998–99 season, but had to close just over a month ago in early March due to the catastrophic lack of snow in the region this season.

However fresh snow in the past week is allowing the area to finally re-open as most other US areas close for winter 14-15.

The snowfall has brought powder conditions to still-open areas across Western North America with Whistler reporting a footy of fresh snow (although that has fallen as rain at resort level) and Snowbird in Utah (pictured above) 25 inches (63cm) in the past 48 hours.

Zermatt has announced today that it will be building a second lift to the Klein Matterhorn, Europe's highest ski-lift served point at just under 3,900m, in time for the 2018/19 winter season.

The new lift will also be the world's highest 3S Gondola (similar to a 'Funitel') lift, carrying 25 giant cabins, each capable of carrying 28 people, on twin cables for added stability like a cable car, but operating on a continuous loop like a gondola or chairlift.

"The new lift to the Matterhorn glacier paradise (Klein Matterhorn) will be significantly quicker, and the modern cabins will ensure the ride is more comfortable than ever. The 3S gondola lift made by LEITNER ropeways will complement the existing cableway and increase the carrying capacity to Europe's highest cable-car station by 2000 passengers per hour," said a statement from Zermatt's Lift Company.

The lift will be built over three successive summer seasons, beginning this summer, with 100 working days per season. The 25 modern cabins, designed by Pininfarina, renowned for its work on marques such as Ferrari and Maserati, will be fitted with seats inspired by car manufacture and huge panoramic windows.

The lift, which will climb 900 vertical metres in nine minutes, will convey visitors to the Matterhorn glacier paradise in nine minutes. The new cableway is set to start operations in the winter of 2018/19, bringing a significant improvement to the connection between the skiing areas in Switzerland and Italy.

Two of the largest ski areas in the USA, Alpine meadows and Squaw Valley at lake Tahoe in California, have announced that a long standing plan to link the two area's ski slopes is finally set to move ahead.

The plan is for a base-to-base gondola link with no ski runs between the two resorts in the initioal proposal.

The two resorts have been jointly operated for several years with a joint lift pass but the stumbling block to the connection had been the land owner who controls the parcel of land between the two and had previously stated his own despite to create a small ski resorts there rather than allow it to be absorbed by his larger neighbours.

"For decades, skiers and riders have talked about connecting these two world-class resorts," said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, LLC. "The base-to-base gondola will offer our guests the ability to easily explore and experience the unique attributes of these two mountains via a brand new aerial connection, while simultaneously reducing vehicle traffic between them."

The combined area would be one of the largest in the US, with around 6,000 acres, if created today, but no timescale has been given for creating the lift as yet and Vail resorts are due to create an area with over 7,000 acres next winter by linking Park City mountain and Canyons ski areas in Utah. However the Alpine Meadows/Park City link, although not connected by ski runs, could be counted as top three in the US, top four in North America.

Squaw Valley Ski Holdings and Troy Caldwell, the owner of the land between the two areas, will now work with mountain planners at SE Group to design and construct the gondola connection. The estimated completion date of the project will be subject to Placer County and US Forest Service approvals once applications are submitted.

Can snow be ironic? Probably not but it's hard to describe the two feet of snow that has fallen in the past few days on ski slopes in California with any other term.

Most of the state's ski areas gave up battling to stay open by late March after the fourth, and most agree the worst yet winter drought with very little natural snowfall all season, and temperatures often too warm for snow on the rare occasions precipitation did make it up to the mountains.

The few ski areas that are still operational for winter 2014-15 in the golden state - most notably Mammoth Mountain and Squaw Valley - both famed for staying open to late spring and occasionally early summer in a 'normal' year, are wildly celebrating of course.

Temperatures remain below zero and the snowfall is currently ongoing. Vail's three Californian resorts, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood are also reported to be open, along with Bear Valley and Boreal. Kirkwood has reported the biggest fall to date with 61cm so far.