J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

The organisers of the Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Shows this autumn in London and Manchester have announced that tickets will go on sale for the two shows next Friday 1st August at 9.30am from http://www.skiandsnowboard.co.uk.

The Manchester show will take place in Event City from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th October with the London event starting on Thursday 30th October and running for four days to the following Sunday, November 2nd. Around 45,000 people are expected to attend the two shows.

Full adult price will be £12 although there will be an 'apres ticket' for admission after 5.30pm on the Thursday and Friday only priced at £5. The show will be open to 9.30am on both those nights, but close at 6pm on the two weekend evenings.

Those aged 60 and over are £9 and children 11 to 16 £5. Younger children are admitted free of charge and there's a family ticket for two adults and up to two children at £25.

They promise "…there is something for everyone at The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Shows. With live freestyle demonstrations, après bars, live music, Animal Bike Tour, snowsport experts and over 250 top brands, tour operators and chalet companies showcasing the best in winter sports we are the perfect place to kick-start your season!"

There are rumours of a return of the Birmingham ski show this autumn too, presumably without the date clash with Manchester the scuppered the 2013 show if it does happen, while the Glasgow ski show which was 'postponed' in 2013 with the announcement that it would run in 2014 instead is currently not looking too promising with no updates in the past year and the site dead.

A new North American study that has looked at skiing and snowboarding fatalities in the USA over the past 15 years has found that there has been no measurable change to death rates, despite a huge jump in the number of helmet wearers.

However the number of non-fatal severe head injuries have decreased, the study found.

The findings of the study were laid out by Dr Irving Scher, speaking at the recent International Extreme Sports Medicine Annual Congress in Boulder, Colorado.

The report's author believes that the reason for this is that helmets provide inadequate protection in the commonest forms of death while skiing or snowboarding – hitting your head at speed on something hard like a rock or tree, or being buried in an avalanche.

Dr Schler said that while he was still in favour of people wearing helmets, he believed they were little help in an impact with a solid object, or made much difference in the case of a fall in soft snow.

"On hard, icy snow, a helmet helps; on soft snow, it may not be needed, but it's not a bad idea to use one," he said. "But for hitting a tree, a lift tower, a rock — something where you fall and come out of your skis and slide into a fixed object — it's not going to make too much of a difference."

He did not comment on another concern voiced over the years by people less keen on helmet wearing, that wearing helmets can make people feel 'invincible' and lead them to take dangerous risks.

The Austrian National Tourist Office is launching a campaign called 'Ski Again' this winter targeted at those who have not skied in a while, perhaps since the 2008 economic crash, to try to encourage more people to return to the slopes.

Working with Inghams as their exclusive travel partner the promotion delivers 'special offers' via the http://www.inghams.co.uk/skiagain link, with packages (due to be posted shortly) including half board hotel, flights, transfers and gear rentals but also includes a brief refresher course with local instructors to help participants get their ski legs back.

As an additional perk, Inghams are offering a free one hour session to the new Skiplex facilities at Reading, Basingstoke and Chiswick – conveyor dry slopes which give a continuous downhill skiing experience on which to perfect your position. The offer is for three people per booking with additional places available on a 2-for-1 deal. Bookings must be made by 31st October.

Overall Inghams say they are optimistic about the new season, and says that they're confident the ski market is poised to grow again as the economy continues to improve.

"We saw the first signs last winter of a recovery in the ski market sand as the economy continues to gather pace in our 80th birthday year, we're looking forwards to seeing a resurgence in the beginners' ski market and welcoming back many of our guests who have been forced to put their ski holiday plans on hold in recent years," said Hugh Walton, the company's Executive Director.

Tennis superstar Roger Federer was to be found playing a match on a specially created court at the unlikely location of the Jungfraujoch, high above Grindelwald and Wengen in Switzerland last week.

To make the scenario even more surreal, his opponent was the skiing superstar Lindsey Vonn, whose boyfriend Tiger Wood was also over in Europe at the time, playing golf at the British open.

The tennis match was staged in front of a bank of journalists to promote the opening of an impressive new Lindt chocolate shop in the revamped Jungfraujoch buildings. Federer is described as a 'brand ambassador' for Lindt.

It has not been published how long the match went on for or what the score was, but a line of sunglass-wearing Lindt Master Choclatiers were assembled at one end of the court, so hopefully Mr Federer didn't serve with his usual force.



The Lindt shop, which includes a chocolate making demonstration area, is part of a multi-million redevelopment of the Jungfraujoch's buildings. The facility, located at nearly 3,500m and Europe's highest railway station, has year round snow cover and a short snow fun slope open in summer with a covered conveyor lift accessing it – although it does not seem that Lynsey or Roger took to the slope before or after their game.

"I never cease to be amazed by the great ideas LINDT comes up with. Today on the Jungfraujoch was a real highlight for me," said the tennis ace.

Federer was seen helicoptering off at the end of the match with a goody bad of chocs, possibly for his wife and two sets of twins.

One of Britain's remaining top ski racers has turned to crowdfunding in a bid to try to meet soe of her training costs for the coming World Cup season which will also see the bi-annual Alpine World Championships in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado next year, as well as looking further forward to the 2018 South Korean Winter Olympics.

Charlie Guest, Britain's number 1 women's slalom racer and potential future racing stars has issued an appeal to the public to assist her in her ambitious bid to make it right to the top of her sport in the world, by turning to crowdfunding to help make her dream come true.

Charlie is offering a whole range of funding opportunities from simple £5 donations, right up to more expensive and tailored corporate packages.

"To get to the top in any sport, you have to dedicate yourself to the training, 7 days a week, 12 months a year," said Charlie, "I've been skiing since I was three years old and I know I can reach the summit and become world number 1, I just need help with the necessary funding to get to the next stage."

"The average 'season" for me lasts from August pretty much all the way through until May and involves frequent travel to countries all over the world to make the most of the snow, wherever it is. It's expensive, but for local people and businesses to be part of my journey is incredibly important, and I feel that I have a lot to offer. I really appreciate every single donation – from the very small to the very large."

Charlie's move follows news that a funding package up to the 2018 Winter Olympics of around £4m will be targeted at park and pipe athletes following their success at Sochi and to capitalise on their 'podium potential.'

Traditional downhill ski racers will get little or no financial support leading some racers to retire early and the boss of British Alpine racing to leave the UK's governing body in acrimonious circumstances recently. The row has so far led to those interested in British Apine racing meeting separate to the UK's governing body to look at ways to move forward and fears from the park and pipe freestyle community that the controversy could scupper the funding they have secured. They are looking for more grass roots support.

Starting to ski when she was just three years old, Charlie was first British Girl to win an international children's race after making the British Children's team, and is now firmly on track to make the World Championships team for February having already met the qualification criteria.

Charlie has set up a crowdfunding page at www.makeachamp.com/charlieguest and members of the public and businesses are easily able to donate to her quest for the summit. She has just over 40 days to hit her fundraising target.

http://www.charlieguest.com/

A rift between the different lift operators in the Swiss 4 Valleys, the most famous resort member of which is Verbier, means that the 4 Valleys pass has been withdrawn for the coming season.

We have been here before. There have been long running revenue disputes between the lift operators of the different sectors which, around a decade ago, led to similar threats which dissolved before the ski season began and the 4 Valleys operated as normal.

It is so far unclear whether the situation this time is more serious, but local media have been reporting that no agreement has been reached on crucial decision days which have now passed. It may be a case of brinksmanship.

Although they have not been specified in detail, the disagreement seems to centre on revenue sharing between the different lift companies involved.

The demise of the 4 Valleys ticket will have implications for those who own property or holiday in Nendaz at a much lower cost than doing so in Verbier, while having access to Verbier's extensive off piste terrain.

Similarly those who stay in Verbier but prefer to ski on the more pisted terrain around Nendaz will be disadvantaged.

In either case it seems likely that anyone concerned will have to buy two passes, or possibly a daily extension, or drive to/from the other area before accessing the lifts.

Although the size of the 4 Valleys is disputed by some independent cartographers, its marketing department claim that with 400km of linked terrain, it is Switzerland's largest linked ski area, but in future you may need two lift passes to ski all of it.

Saalbach Hinterglemm, the Austrian ski resort with the highest visitor numbers (around two million) and which operates more gondolas and six-seater chairlifts than any other resort on the planet, is spending another €38.5 million this summer on yet another two cool lifts to take its total investment since 2000 past the €300 million mark.

The new Polten 8-seater chairlift by Doppelmayr (pictured above) will feature heated seats and pull-down bubble covers and replaces the old Polten quad chairlift at a cost of € 7 million.

Another ultra modern, 10 passenger cabin capacity gondola will also be added above Leogang, the second cable car from the valley up to the Saalbach Skicircus thanks to a € 17 million spend.

In addition there'll be a further expansion of the snowmaking system, including a new reservoir with a capacity of about 80,300 cubic meters. Being built over two years it will cost € 10.5 million.

The new investment takes Saalbach Hinterglemm's uplift capacity past the 100,000 mark to 103,000 people per hour and its 56 lifts include 18 gondolas, more than any other resort in the world, and most of its 19 chair lifts are 6 and 8 seaters – again world beating stats.

(pic credit: www.vanessafry.com)

The venerable Ski Club of Great Britain is the latest organisation to announce it will no longer be 'leading' its members on French ski slopes.

The move comes after one of its in-resort leaders was stopped in Val d'Isere at the end of last season. As a result a court case is now making its way through the French courts and is likely to be heard in late summer or early autumn.

It is one of three 'similar but different' cases against British organisations operating in France. The others are against tour operators employing 'ski hosts'; to provide their guests with orientation tours, with a test case against operator Le Ski leading to all operators suspending the service; and a case against tour operator Simon Butler for ski teaching in France with internationally recognised qualifications but not qualifications accepted by the French.

In the Ski Club's case, it's 'leader' service, which operates in 29 top resorts worldwide, the largest single nation where it runs being France with 11 resorts, it's leaders took guests all around the ski area, on and off piste. The leaders are 'kind of' volunteers which meant the practice is possibly legal but it's a grey area which the impending court case may clarify. The leaders receive various benefits which may be interpreted as payment.

A newly issued Ski Club statement reads:

A Ski Club Leader was stopped on the piste in Val d'Isere, France in April and questioned by gendarmes in relation to Art.L.212-1 of the French Code du Sport. Under this article it is a legal requirement to have the relevant and appropriate qualification(s) to instruct, lead or guide skiing (groups) if remuneration is received. Since then the Leader has been requested by the local authorities to attend a preliminary investigative hearing in Albertville. All Ski Club Leaders are non-remunerated volunteers. The Leader will be represented in court in September with the appropriate papers to prove his volunteer status.

The Ski Club say they are fully behind the Leader and have appointed a local lawyer who is apparently the same one currently representing UK tour operators in relation to the ski hosting ban.

It should be noted that the tour operators say their case differs from the Ski Club one in various respects, including that they do not take their clients on challenging terrain or off piste, but just travel around easy runs pointing out good restaurants, etc.

The Ski Club of Great Britain was founded more than 110 years ago, is a pioneer of downhill skiing, and has been running its current leading programme for more than 40 years.

However it is not just French resorts that are 'cracking down' and not just on British organisations. The Austrian Tirol have similar rules in place and ski hosting does not take place in St Anton. One Tirolean ski area recently took a Dutch ski club to court on similar "we're saying they're not really volunteers" grounds to the Val d'Isere/Ski Club case, the Dutch ski club won.

For next season the Ski Club have decided to do the same as several tour operators and switch from 'Leaders' to 'Ambassadors' in France. The statement continues:

Ski Club Ambassadors will continue to meet with members at designated meeting points, make introductions and outline possible routes and itineraries for the day. They will also help organise and meet with members for lunch and apres ski, provide the latest snow updates and book mountain guides and instructors for the group if required.