J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

America's Vail Resorts have bought Perisher ski area in Australia, the continent's largest, making it the first ski resort operator in over a decade to run ski areas on two continents.

The company says the purchase fits with its strategic aims, hoping to take a greater share of the estimated one million Australians who head to Europe and North America skiing each year, and to build on its core 'Epic' season pass which allows pass holders based all around the world to ski at resorts on five continents, year round, with the one ticket.

Vail paid AU$176.6 million (approximately £91m) to buy 100 percent of the stock in the entities that operate Perisher including the lifts, ski school, lodging, food and beverage, retail/rental and transportation operations, which holds a long-term lease and license with the New South Wales Government under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, which expires in 2048 with a 20-year renewal option. The deal has to be approved by the New South Wales Government.

Vail is currently in a period of rapid expansion, having closed a slightly larger deal to purchase Park City Mountain Resort in Utah six months ago, which it is currently linking to the neighbouring ski area of Canyons, which it also operates, to create the new largest ski area in the US next season.

In recent years it has also purchased more ski areas in California and in the US Mid-West to help feed business to its Western US destination resorts – it now owns 11 resorts. Whether it is the world's largest ski resort operator is subject to debate – this title usually considered to be held by the French Compagnie des Alpes which runs many of the leading ski areas in France.

A dozen or so more leading US resorts have recently been put on the market by a large investment company which owns them all so it remains to be seen whether vail will further expand its empire during 2015.

Me :)

(Val Thorens this morning picture by Jane Cross)

Some of the biggest snowfalls in the Alps for a month have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Cervinia in Italy and Val Thorens in France have each reported 50cm/20 inch snow falls since yesterday on their higher slopes. St Anton in Austria has had a foot (30cm) of fresh snow and Val d'Isere 35cm.

Snow reports are still coming in as resorts post their overnight accumulations but the snowfall is fairly widespread across the Alps.

The snowfall is expected to continue through today at most areas with a return to clear skies from tomorrow onwards, giving the potential of great Easter holiday powder conditions.

(Pic Credit: Flo Hagena or Hannes Niederkofler)
The list of world records on skis it's possible to set keeps getting longer and two records were broken in the past few days.

In the sport of Speedriding – descending a steep slope wearing a small parachute on your back, Armin Senoner, has set a new world record at Königspitze in Solda in the Italian Ortler Alps at just over 95mph – or 152.9 km/h, not only breaking the existing world record but also passing the 150 km/h speed for the first time.

Then in Tignes, a more unusual record, in that it measures the distances skis travel upwards instead of downhill, has been set in the super pipe.

23-year-old Joffrey Pollet-Villard set a new world record for highest air in a superpipe on skis, launching 8.04 meters (26 ft, 3 in) above the deck and breaking the world record previously held by American Peter Olenick of 7.58 meters (24 ft, 11 in) set at the 2010 X Games in Aspen.

Armin Senoner's record broke the previous fastest set of 146.46km by Frenchman François Bon in 2006 and came after a year of intense preparations.

Armin's manager, Bartolomeus Kohl had to enlist the services of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale – World Air Sports Federation (FAI) who raitified that the slop[e and equipmernt used were all acceptable for a fair comparison in the record attempt.

FAI's experts were then present throughout the attempt and Armin's speed was followed by a special GPS device by www.digitalalps.it, which was recommended by the FAI and is used specially for aero sports activities.

The new world record trial took place according to all rules and regulations; furthermore the FAI observer confirmed that the previous world record held by Francois Bon at /h had been broken by Armin Senoner.

Chamonix's lift company has reduced the price of its Rapid Card lift ticket from 50 to 25 Euros for the rest of the season and is also offering the first day of skiing it using it for free, saving up to 19.50 Euros.

The Rapid Card is a kind of combination lift ticket and loyalty card. Users pay the up front fee to buy it then are sent special offers and also get their seventh day of skiing free – not so much use for people on the regular 6 day ski holiday, but anyone staying 7 days or more now get two days free on the ticket for the rest of the season – which runs to May 11th.

Having bought the Rapid Card, holders need to pay 44.5 Euros per day to ski at present, then from April 12th a 'Spring rate' kicks in of 35.60 Euros per day. The tickets are charged direct to your credit or debit card as soon as you go skiing – there's no need to go to a ticket office or activate the card once it is used. If you don't go skiing one day, you don't pay.

There are discounts for seniors aged 65 and over, children and full time students aged up to 30. Families with two children get a vewrsion in which one of the children skis free. A cheaper cersion for les Houches only is available.

The Chamonix Valley Rapid Card covers the ski areas of Brevent-Flegere, Grands Montets (including the summit), Balme Tour Vallorcine, Les Houches and Aiguille du Midi as well as the Montenvers Mer de Glace train and the Tramway du Mont-Blanc.

The start of spring has seen fresh snow reported in parts of the Alps, Pyrenees and Scotland in the last 48 hours.

In Switzerland 15-20cm snow fell in 24 hours at the weekend at several resorts including Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt.

In Austria there were similar falls in resorts including Brand and in Germany at the Zugspitz glacier.

French areas reported 15-20cm at Chamonix and Tignes and in Italy, there was 20cm of new snow at Cervinia.

The Pyrenees has also had fresh snow with 12cm reported in Grandvalira, Andorra, and 20om at Cauterets on the French side of the mountains, which had already been reporting the deepest snow base in France, ahead of resorts in the Alps, for the past few months.

In Scandinavia there was a foot of snow up at the Swedish Arctic resort of Riksgransen, which still ghads three months of skiing ahead of it, and further south at Voss in Norway 20cm of new snow was reported yesterday.

In Scotland there was up to 10cm of Fresh snow on the western side of the Highlands, when Glencoe (pictured) and Nevis Range reporting powder conditions this morning.

It was less good news in the East of the country where a thaw means Glenshee and The Lecht have had to close with their runs broken up.

Across the Atlantic, Whistler, which in common with other Western North American areas has not had a memorable season for snowfall, has been reporting new snow today.

There have been larger falls in Utah where resorts have been reporting up to a foot of snow in the last 24 hours. However against that in Colorado Powderhorn ski area has closed early due to a lack of good cover.

A rapidly expanding accommodations listing company has offered people the chance to stay in a specially created bedroom at the top of Oslo's iconic Holmenkollen ski jump at the end of this month.

Describing the opportunity as, "the ultimate ski in ski out," Airbnb say the property offers, "spectacular views over Oslo" and describes the accommodation as, "a glass-walled penthouse apartment with private rooftop terrace decorated with Nordic contemporary design."

Although skiing out is not, in fact, an option (nor skiing in) guests do have the option to check out via zip wire if they wish.

It's the second unusual and 'one off' ski-related accommodation options in a month from Airbnb who hit the headlines last month by offering the chance to spend the night in a converted cable car above Courchevel.

The American company, founded way back in summer 2008, acts as a marketplace for unique accommodation and now lists more than 35,000 properties in 190 countries.

"This is a wonderfully quirky idea coming to life, and a perfect way to round off the ski jump season after the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup," said Jeanette Hansen, operations manager at Holmenkollen.

"This is a great way to showcase one of the top tourist destination in Norway to a world of travellers, and we can't wait to welcome the guests to arguably the penthouse with the best view of our city."

The property was listed at www.airbnb.com/rooms/5401060 and to win the chance to spend the night there entrants had to say why they'd want to do so, the short-run contest is now closed and two winners, who will stay on successive nights, each with a friend, have been selected.

Increasingly significant snowfalls are being reported after the dry week in most of the northern hemisphere's major ski regions last week.

Perhaps most welcome is the snow in Western Canada, where powder has been sadly lacking this season.

Kicking Horse in BC (pictured above this weekend) reported nearly a foot of snow on Sunday. Nearby Panorama also had a similar snowfall.

"You may have heard the sad news that some resorts have had to close early this season. We are happy to say that Panorama is not one of them! Actually, spring riding is in full swing out on the mountain and conditions are still good thanks to our excellent snowmaking and a storm currently dumping up to 30cms at the summit," said Panorama's Jennifer Moss, who added,

"In traditional spring fashion, the snow varies from top to bottom with some soft stuff, some sticky stuff, some hard stuff and some slush. With freezing levels predicted to drop back down to the valley bottom tomorrow and the snow continuing to fall, we are looking forward to snapping on our powder skirts and getting some fresh lines."

In Europe the snow is also back in the alps with the biggest snowfalls so far reported on the southern side of the mountains. Sauze d'Oulx on the fgrench/Italiuan border reported the biggest snowfall yesterday wiuth 20cm, Saas Fee had 7cm but this morning Italian resorts Obereggen and Alagna have reported 30 and 40cm of fresh snow respectively and there's been 25cm at Bonneval, the famed freeride centre behind Val d'Isere.

Smaller snowfalls have been reported in larger resorts including Chamonix (5cm) and Val d'Isere (12cm) and right down in southern Italy there's reported to have been 50cm in 24 hours on Mt Etna, Sicily.