Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
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Miraculously, both are true as, although in one sense correct, I was a bit too general with 'The Alps' The heavier snowfall mentioned - which turned out less than expected, was mostly in the southern and western Alps, with little or nothing in the north and it is now getting warmer, yes. More snow expected, or hoped for, around next weekend.
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After a dry week for most areas of the Alps, with unseasonably warm temperatures towards the end of last week, the snow has returned this weekend across the region. Snow has also been reported in the Dolomites and Pyrenees. Resorts in Switzerland reported the most fresh snow, with Saas Fee (pictured above) reporting 45cm in the past few days, including 25cm in 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday. Grindelwald reported 30cm and Zermatt 20cm. In France so far the snowfalls have been smaller, with reports of 5-25cm over the past 48 hours – Flaine and Val Thorens are among those reporting the most new snow. In Italy Madonna di Campiglio reported 20cm of new snow in the last 24 hours, Cervinia 25cm over the weekend. There has not been much fresh snow reported in Austria since last weekend, but Obergurgl reported 11cm of fresh snow this weekend. In the Pyrenees, Grandvalira in Andorra has had a few inches of fresh snow. Most areas are expected to get moderate fresh snowfall over the next few days with the snowstorms continuing to Tuesday or Wednesday. |
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Yes I carried the 0, sorry, amateur mistake. only got CSE 2 maths :(
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At J2Ski's extensive news offices we receive press releases every day from PR companies hoping we'll just use their pieces verbatim – as indeed some lesser ski publications who do not benefit from our years of expertise will do. One press release arrived last week from a travel insurance company's PR scandalised that despite the injuries to Michael Schumacher, they has run a survey and found some people still weren't bothered about wearing helmets on the slopes. It was clear that the writer didn't realise that Mr Schumacher had been wearing a helmet when he was injured. Then yesterday another travel insurance company's PR outfit sent a release in which they had listed ski resorts according to the number of claims for broken limbs they had received. This was mildly interesting until you realised that had no measurement as to how many of their insurance policy holders were in each resort, so there was no context to the figures rendering them fairly meaningless, never mind. But at last there was light at the end of the PR tunnel when Allianz Global Assistance sent us their latest press release, at last something credible and worthy of a J2Ski news coverage, "As we enter the 'Year of the Goat' on 19th February, Allianz Global Assistance analysis reveals the most common claims made by the Chinese zodiac signs." The company looked at 13,000 past claims ad found that the 'calm and gentle' goat makes the most travel insurance claims with 'cancellation' accounting for 31% of claims. However the 'brave and powerful' tiger makes the least claims, but the average claims cost is the highest of all 12 Chinese Zodiac signs at £471 – 'accidental damage excess' to hire cars is the most common reason for Tigers to claim. Interestingly, Allianz Global Assistance found that rats make the highest number of claims in relation to 'accidental damage excess' to hire cars of all the zodiac signs, totalling more than 30% all their claims, "a case of their spirit and vitality perhaps getting the better of the," the company surmised. Barry Smith, UK Underwriting Manager for Allianz Global Assistance UK, comments, "Whilst we would never draw upon the conclusions of our analysis when underwriting insurance premiums for customers, the findings do reveal some interesting trends. That said, across all twelve Chinese Zodiac signs, either 'cancellation' (25%) or 'accidental damage excess' to hire cars' (22%) was the most common reason people were making a claim. With this in mind, it is vital that travellers consider protecting themselves against the unforeseeable when booking their holiday, as an unexpected change of plan or misfortune abroad could force them to miss out on their holiday or leave them financially out of pocket." |
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Les Arcs, La Plagne and Peisey-Vallandry which together make up the huge Paradiski area in France are getting excited about their Sky Diner event set to take place tomorrow, February 12th, in the recently 'made over' cabins of the famous Vanoise Express double decker cable car. This unique experience will see 36 holidaymakers be randomly selected, to share a feast of French cuisine in one of the two cabins of the cable car, suspended 380 vertical metres above the ground between the stations of Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry and la Plagne in Savoie, with the meals set to feature a "Cuisine de Montagne" with a modern twist. The fine weather of the past week that has brought brilliant ski conditions to the French Alps is set to continue tomorrow night. Chef for the evening is Stéphane Froidevaux, the Michelin starred chef of Le Fantin Latour in Grenoble who will create an imaginative menu for the occasion. Together with his sous chef they will rise to the challenge working in a 3x3m pop-up kitchen at the end of each cabin. The dinner guests will comprise people spending their holidays in Paradiski whose names have been selected at random. They will board the two Vanoise Express cabins – which will be styled like glamorous restaurants - at 8pm for an unforgettable hour-and-a-half voyage between the two stations above the Ponthurin Valley. The 36 participants don't know who they are yet but come tomorrow they will, if they wish, find themselves part of this unique experience in the skies above Paradiski |
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Alta Badia, the Italian ski area in the Dolomites which encompasses half a dozen villages including Corvara, Colfosco and La Villa, is to stage a 'retro style party' on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th April to round off its 2014-15 season. The South Tyrolean centre expects the snow will still be good and the sun shining for the festivities which will begin with participating restaurants - including La Bercia, Fornella and the Snack Bar Stadio - selecting a vintage period of their choice and recreating it with their music and décor. The old-fashioned skiing vibe will also be available at 2000m in the mountain restaurants, which will offer local traditional cuisine on their menus. On Sunday, skiers can take part in a vintage skiing competition with bamboo poles on the La Para slope, where one of the last of the old 'J-bar' lifts that is still operational. Everyone can take part in the competition, but only old skis are permitted, not modern carving skis. You can pre-register by e-mailing lavilla@altabadia.org, or sign up for the race on the day of the event. Awards will be handed out at after-skiing retreat L'Murin, where a "Style contest" (NOT a modern slopestyle contest) will also take place to celebrate the most original vintage clothing. Throughout the day, the Bioch, Boconara, Crëp de Munt, I Tablá, la Marmotta, La Para, Las Vegas and Moritzino restaurants will also provide music and entertainment centred on the vintage theme of the weekend. All participants will be asked to wear retro skiing clothing and use retro skiing equipment for the entire weekend with the aim of creating a "vintage" environment in the entire skiing complex. There are various package deals on offer at the time when you book direct via the resorts webpage. Dolomiti Super Sun offers seven nights' accommodation for the price of six, six days lift pass and rentals for the price of five and five days lesson for the price of four. Dolomiti Super Kids offers free accommodation for children up to 8 years of age. 50% discount for children up to 12 years of age at these conditions when they share a room with their parents. The offer is valid for a ratio of one paying adult = 1 child (max. 2 children per couple). The package includes similar deals of lift tickets, rentals and tuition. http://www.altabadia.org/en/hotel-alps/holiday-deals-alta-badia.html |
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Yes, I added my thoughts also.
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Tour operator Crystal have created a Calorie Counter program which is intended to tell you how much you can indulge on the après ski, safe in the knowledge that you'll burn off the calories you add the following day. The system works by providing a list of leading crystal ski destinations on the company's ski-buzz 'social site' Users choose their resort, note their age, gender, height and weight then tap in how long they plan to spend on the slopes and what they plan to do. "Snowboarding will burn calories at a different rate to skiing, or tobogganing or cross-country skiing," according to a company statement. The display will then tell the user how much partying they'll burn off after a hard day on the slopes - and how much refuelling they can do the next evening. http://www.ski-buzz.co.uk/ski-blog/guilt-free-apres/ |
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