J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

The European Union's plans to introducing a fingerprint and facial scan check for non-EU citizens arriving at all EU borders is to be delayed again, with no new date yet given.

The programme, known as EES, was due to be rolled out on 10 November, but has been delayed once more after Germany, France and the Netherlands all said their systems were not ready.

We reported on the plans here: https://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/0/21015/british-skiers-warned-aware-new-eu-entry-exit-ees.page

It is now unclear if the system will still go live before the main ski season begins, or during it, or after it.

"It's clear that we're not going to be ready for the 10 November," said the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, adding: "We will be going for a phased approach, step by step."

Luke Petherbridge, Director of Public Affairs at ABTA – The Travel Association said:

"It is good to know the full implementation of EES is no longer expected in November, as the industry had been left in limbo waiting for news on when it will start. We do still need urgent confirmation and clarification on the next steps of EES; it's difficult to talk to a customer about a new system without knowing if it will actually be in place for their trip. It is also really important the rollout, in whatever form it takes, avoids peak travel periods. ABTA will continue to help members prepare and we have advice for customers at https//www.abta.com/eesandetias."

The US is currently battling weather extremes with some unseasonably warm weather in the west and of course hurricanes hitting the south east of the country.

So far there's no clear sign of where might be the first in the country and North American continent, to kick off the 24-25 ski season.

However some high centres in Colorado, including Arapahoe Basin (pictured below) and Copper Mountain, decided it was cold enough overnight earlier this week to make a little snow, raising anticipation levels there, although we're still someway from it being cold enough long enough for an adequate base to be built.

Then yesterday ski areas in the Northeast reported a dusting of snowfall on high slopes, including at Stowe in Vermont, pictured top. There's also been snowfall on high slopes in the last few days in the Northwest, including Canadian provinces like Alberta and BC as well as American ones including Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

There remains no sign of prolonged cold weather or substantial snowfall anywhere yet to have a clue as to where could open first. The next region likely to see snowfall is Alaska, forecast to get a decent dump later this week.

It's only three weeks until the season is expected to start though with ski areas around Banff in Alberta, Canada expecting to start opening from November 1st.

With less than 500 days until the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, organisers are now allowing those wishing to attend in person the chance to register for the first of a series of tickets draws that will decide who actually gets tickets.

Ticket pricing for the Games has also been revealed with organisers saying they "aim to ensure accessibility for a wide range of spectators to all sports at the Games."

Ticket prices for the Olympic Games will start at EUR 30, with 22 per cent of all tickets under EUR 40, and more than half (57%) under EUR 100. Tickets for the Paralympics will start at EUR 10 for children under 14, with more than 200,000 tickets – accounting for nearly 90 per cent – available for less than EUR 35.

Fans have until January 2025 to register for the first ticketing draw on the official ticketing platform, tickets.milanocortina2026.org, for the next Olympic Winter Games, which return to Italy and the Alps after a 20-year absence.

The draw will allocate time slots for purchasing Olympic tickets in the first phase of sales. Registration is free and comes with no obligation to purchase. Registration also allows access to exclusive updates and insights through Fan26, the Organising Committee's digital community.

"It will be the opportunity of a lifetime for sports fans to see some of the world's top winter sports athletes compete in the Olympic Games against the stunning backdrop of the Italian Alps and territories of Milano Cortina 2026. They will be the first Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to be planned and delivered fully in line with the reforms of Olympic Agenda 2020, including being the most gender-balanced Winter Games in history, with a record 47 per cent female participation," a statement from the Milano Cortina 2026 explains.

The results of the first draw and ticket sales for the general public will start in February 2025, and in March 2025 for the Paralympic Winter Games, in each case one year before the respective Opening Ceremonies.

All tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be digital. As was the case with the Olympic Games Paris 2024, tickets will be sold exclusively on a single, centralised digital platform – the only official channel – which will be open to all fans from across the world at the same time. Visa is the official way to pay.

The Olympic Winter Game Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from 6 to 22 February 2026, followed by the Paralympic Games from 6 to 15 March 2026.

The southerly Swiss ski centre of San Bernardino has begun operating again after more than a decade out of action.

The re-opening of the ski resort is thanks to investor Stefano Artioli who reportedly plans to invest CHF300 million ($360 million) under the business name San Bernardino Swiss Alps, working with the local the Moesano Tourist Board and the Municipality of Mesocco.

Known as the Confin ski area, San Bernardino's slopes last fully operated in 2012, with only a few nursery slopes operating in the village in the interim. Now re-christened the San Bernardino Sport Arena, Mr Artioli's company is working to renovate the old lifts and bring them back into service, with the longer term view of replacing them with newer models.

Initially a gondola lift, a chairlift and a ski lift have been brought back to life, with the new operator intending to get at least two more of the centre's dozen mothballed lifts ready to operate before the season start in December 2024. The centre has 45km of slopes reaching up to 2515m and a strong snowfall record, but its not clear how many of these slopes will be open this winter.

Mr Artioli says his aim is to turn San Bernardino into a top year-round mountain resort, with a five-star hotel, public spa and wellness area. In addition, several existing hotels are being renovated and reopened.

The world-famous ski town of Jasper in Canada, which saw about a third of its properties destroyed in a huge and sudden forest fire in the summer, has begun re-opening and will be operational for the coming ski season, set to kick off next month.

The local ski centre of Marmot Basin escaped the fire but did see some services cut and only just got the first of its webcams back online this week, showing some of the first snowfalls of the autumn.

In an online update, Marmot Basin posted:

"We've been working hard behind the scenes in preparation for the upcoming season, and we can't wait to welcome everyone back to the hill in November! There have been a lot of questions about what services will be available in Jasper, and we know many of you are wondering what will be open this season. Despite a very challenging summer, our community has been hard at work, and we're thrilled to let everyone know that many businesses and hotels are already open, or will be re-opening in the coming weeks. For a full list of businesses that are open, or will be re-opening in advance of the ski season, please visit our website at www.skimarmot.com/new-updates/welcoming-you-back-jasper/ which will be updated as new opening information is confirmed. Jasper welcomes your support this winter, and we look forward to seeing the friendly faces of our skiers and snowboarders soon!"

Ski areas in the Alps are reporting another round of heavy snowfall in the last 24 hours, with some reporting as much as 50cm of fresh snowfall in the past 24 hours.

It's the second significant snowfall on high slopes in the past three weeks, with smaller accumulations reported in between.

Although it's too soon to say this means winter 24-25 is going to be a snowy one, with the main season start still 10-12 weeks away, the cold and snowy conditions are raising anticipation levels and are very good news for the glacier centres that have already opened for their 24-25 seasons.

10 glacier ski areas are expected to be open in the Austrian, Italian and Swiss Alps this weekend, weather permitting, with the six centres open in Austria already noticeably trying to outdo each other in terms of open terrain and extra attractions like terrain parks, free new season gear testing and October-fest style apres ski parties.

Finland's Levi and Ruka ski resorts have started their seven month long '24-'25 seasons, becoming the first centres outside the Alps in the northern hemisphere to open for skiing and snowboarding.

Both have opening weekend festivals underway that will include the use of about 2km of slopes each, plus terrain park features, new season gear tests and plenty of festivities. Both centres also create cross country trails using the same technique of storing large volumes of last season's snow through the summer then spreading it back out on the cooling landscape.



Finland becomes the fourth country in Europe and the northern hemisphere to start its 24-25 season, with Levi and Ruka now planning to open daily for the next seven months, and Levi staging World Cup races in November.

This weekend will see more than a dozen centres open in Europe for the first time since last spring with Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt open whilst Austria will be up to six centres operating already with the Kitzsteinhorn glacier (below) and Kaprun and the Kaunertal glacier joining the Stubai and Pitztal glaciers as well as Solden and Hintertux. Passo Stelvio and Val Senales in Italy are also already open.

Vail in Colorado has been one of the world's most successful resorts over the past 40 years, spawning an empire that now owns or operates nearly 50 ski centres on three continents.

Now the resort where it all began has grown so much that the Town of Vail, the Vail Resorts company and developers East West Partners have announced a joint plan to build a fourth base village at Vail Mountain.

Located in the West Lionshead area, The new base village, will reinforce Vail Mountain's status as a world-class destination, they say, and will offer the same access to the resort's 5,317 acres of terrain as the existing bases. It wuillk though bring new lodging, restaurants, boutiques, and skier services, as well as community benefits such as workforce housing, public spaces, transit, and parking.

"It is a shared goal of the Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, and East West Partners to ensure our town remains a top destination for guests and a vibrant community for the residents who create the welcoming and unique atmosphere Vail is known for," said Travis Coggin, Mayor of the Town of Vail. "We are in an era of renewed collaboration between the Town and Vail Resorts. The entire Vail Town Council and I are excited to partner with Vail Resorts and East West Partners in a process to enable this exciting new base village for Vail Mountain, which will bring significant benefits to our guests and community."

The development of the West Lionshead base village will now undergo a community engagement process starting in the next few months that will include open houses where community members can offer input on the initiative's vision, design, and planning. The initiative is also subject to all the normal entitlement and approval processes.