J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

It has arrived too late for most resorts in the Alps, but heavy snowfall is blanketing much of the region this weekend with Austria and Switzerland reporting the biggest accumulations so far.

Webcam images show January like conditions with powdery pistes and Alpine rooftops once again covered with up to 20cm of snow – good news for late season skiers, probably less so for many of the locals who have moved on to mountain biking and gardening mode.

Of the still open ski centres, the Aletsch Arena in Switzerland (pictured above this morning) is one of the areas reporting the biggest snowfalls with 20cm in the last 24 hours. Kuhtai in Austria has reported a similar accumulation.

Of the bigger resorts, the Diablerets glacier near Gstaad, Chamonix and Crans Montana each report 12-15cm and there's been 10cm of fresh snow so far at year-round Zermatt.

Most of the other still open areas (many of them on their last day of the 2013-14 ski season today) report 3-10cm of fresh snow so far.

There's been heavy snow in California in the past 48 hours. More than 50cm fell at many resorts. There's some bitter irony to the fresh snow as most ski resorts in the state are now closed,, having had a poor ski season with little snow from November to February.

Today (Sunday 27th) is the last day of the season at Squaw Valley (pictured above on Friday), which reported 52cm of snow had accumulated yesterday, and said that the snow was still falling.

As of next week Alpine Meadows will be the only North Lake Tahoe area still open, and is scheduled to stay open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays into May. It has had a similar snowfall to Squaw.

The other Californian area still open is Mammoth Mountain to the south, which reports a metre of snow has fallen in the recent snow storms there – so probably the biggest single fall in the past six months. Mammoth has a 188cm base and says it will be open at least to the end of May.

As most ski areas in the Alps close by mid-May, one country will see more centres open than almost any other by the end of next month.

Northern Iceland, now easier and more affordable to reach than ever thanks to numerous routes offered by Easy Jet and others, is home to seven ski areas, most of which will be open in to June, with the midnight sun above from mid-May.

As part of a joint marketing effort the region has also announced a special discounted ticket allowing you to ski at up to five centres for less than £20 per day. The £99 pass is valid for five days at five centres – ski a different area each day, or one centre for all five, or any combination in between. The ticket can be bought on arrival at any participating resort.

For those that are new to the sport, some of North Iceland's slopes make for a great place to start learning, due to the excellent snow conditions, the shallow inclines and the distinct lack of trees.

More experienced skiers and boarders can also sign up for heli-skiing as well as snowcat-skiing and with ski touring its possible to descend from the highest peaks down to the fjords,

The five ski areas of North Iceland include Sauðárkrókur-Tindastóll ski area (tindastoll.is/skidi) is located slightly to the west of Akureyri, right by the town of Skagafjörður. Particularly well-suited to families, the slopes at Sauðárkrókur have been equipped with a state-of-the-art snow production system which has not only ensured better snow conditions for skiers, but also represents an exciting new innovation in Iceland´s winter sports programme. The Sauðárkrókur area also offers a number snowcat skiing, and has a special zone specifically reserved for snowboarders.

The second centre at Siglufjörður (www.skardsdalur.is) is part of a small fishing town in a narrow fjord on the northern coast of Iceland and its ski slopes are among the best in Iceland. Ski lifts reach over 650 meters above sea level, making for stunning views as skiers descend the beautiful slopes which look out over the Siglufjörður fjord.

A third are the Tindaöxl ski area is situated right next to Ólafsfjörður, which is a town in the northeast of Iceland located at the mouth of the beautiful fjord Eyjafjörður. With an undulating terrain, the Ólafsfjörður area offers ideal conditions for a variety of winter sports. Tindaöxl also boasts excellent slalom tracks and the Ólafsfjörður Skiing Association organises regular cross-country excursions. www.skiol.fjallabyggd.is/is/forsida

Dalvík is a small fishing town, located just a 35-minute drive from Iceland's second largest city, Akureyri. With a wide variety of runs which are suitable for all abilities, Dalvik is another resort that is highly popular with, but definitely not limited to, families. The main slope in the Dalvík ski area is floodlit and over 1,200m long. The Dalvík area has recently been equipped with a new snow production system. www.skidalvik.is

Finally the Hlíðarfjall ski area is located just a short drive from Akureyri and has been one of the prime skiing spots in Iceland for almost 40 years. The area is known for its high quality snow and exciting ski slopes, with breathtaking views of Eyjafjörður that extend as far as Mount Herðubreið. www.hlidarfjall.is
www.skiiceland.is

There are now three separate court cases due to be heard in the French Alps over the next five months as the French authorities endeavour to comprehensively clamp down on what have until now been 'grey areas' in what is and is not permitted on French ski slopes.

The latest case concerns the Ski Club of Great Britain which operates a kind of ski hosting service at ski resorts around the world, including in France. Unpaid volunteer Club 'Leaders' taker groups of skiers out on orientation tours of the resorts where they are based. Unlike with most tour operator ski hosting services, this can include black runs and frequently off piste slopes. The Ski Club say they have legal advice that this does meet French laws, but a Ski Club leader was stopped on the slopes of Val d'Isere earlier this month and a court will hold an enquiry in September.

The case is similar to that faced by tour operator Le Ski, which is backed by many other British tour operators including the UK's largest, following the arrest of its staff for 'ski hosting' during the winter of 2012-13. That case is due back in the courts next month. Ski hosts perform a similar role, with similar restrictions, to the Ski Club's leaders but they are paid employees of the tour operators …although they may not be specifically paid to ski host. The Ski Club's leaders receive help with accommodation, lift passes and travel but are not actually paid cash, which may, or may not, prove to be the crucial difference.

The third case, with a verdict due in June, is on the separate issue of teaching in France without the qualifications required by the French, but with high internationally recognised qualifications which the accused, Simon Butler, believes gives him the right to teach under European employment equality laws.

So by the start of next season we may know where Brits stand in terms of hosting, leading or teaching in France – or it may still be rumbling on.

As previously reported, the French embassy have issued a statement stressing that they love the Brits, the largest foreign group at several of their leading resorts, and that the legal crackdown is not due to a populist anti-British agenda, but to improve safety on the slopes. The laws, they say, apply equally to citizens of other nations and indeed French ski companies.

The issues raised in the legal cases have not caused problems in any other skiing nation J2ski is aware of.

(Picture from: www.simonbutlerskiing.com)

The British ski instructor Simon Butler will find out on June 16th if he is likely to face jail for ski teaching illegally in France.

At a court hearing last week the prosecutor in the case called for Mr Butler to be sentenced to a year in jail (with eight months suspended) and to pay a 10,000 Euro fine. The court will announce its verdict in June.

The case has sharply divided opinions with The French authorities accused of protectionism but arguing that the prosecution is about maintaining standards, and that the same rules apply to French instructors, and pointing out that many British instructors do meet the standard required.

Mr Butler runs a small tour operator business and has been teaching clients how to ski in the French Alps for more than 30 years, some of his staff also face fines. He has the highest British qualifications but does not hold the required Eurotest certification required for him to teach legally in France. Mr Butler argues that the requirement for him to have Eurotest qualification flouts EC equal opportunities laws, the French prosecutor says it does not.

Mr Butler has been arrested three times in the past 10 years over this issue and previously been fined. He was most recently arrested this season, but the current court case dates back to a previous arrest last season.

Mr Butler says if found guilty he will move his business, which is reported to employ around 20 people and claims a 91% return rate among its loyal client base, to Switzerland. It is unclear as yet if he willing or able to continue the case to a higher court to fully test his belief regarding his rights under European law if found guilty.

BASI, the British ski instructors association, have not backed Mr Butler.

In other developments in the ongoing string of legal cases regarding teaching, hosting and guiding by the British in France

There are also unconfirmed reported that a Ski Club of Great Britain Ski Leader, who perform similar 'hosting' duties in France to those offered by British tour operators which were curtailed at the end of last season with the arrest of tour operator Le Ski's staff, has been stopped and questioned at a French resort but these are as yet unconfirmed.

The Le Ski case is also due to be heard in the next month or so.

They've since discovered it isn't the highest in the world, and now say the Alps, probably...

French ski resort La Plagne will be setting a record on 13 and 14 April with the highest food truck in the world.

In conjunction with Pierre & Vacances – to launch the tour operator's new summer food truck – the Parisian burger restaurant Bar à Burger will open up a mobile kitchen in the mountains.

Transported on specially-constructed skis, the food truck will be pushed up the mountain by a piste basher to the top of the Arpette chairlift (2,385m)

Between midday and 3pm on 13 and 14 April, the van will be handing out free Plagnard burgers (with local Tomme de Savoie and Beaufort cheeses) to passing skiers.

She won - in a time of 2.02.04, about two seconds ahead of second placed racer.