J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

WORLDS FIRST EVER PRESTIGIOUS HELI-SKI SHOW – COMES TO LONDON



Winter sports company,Total Heliski, are hosting London's first ever dedicated heli-ski and cat-ski Show as an evening event at a fitting five star venue overlooking the London Heliport on October 26.

The London Total Heliski Show is a world first event designed to showcase the world's premier boutique heli-ski and catski operations with operators from all over the world attending. Powder skiing and boarding enthusiasts will be entertained and inspired to discover their ultimate ski holiday via animated talks, amazing footage, specific gear advice, and the chance to meet heliski and catski experts face to face.

View the Video Teaser (on totalheliski.com)

Attendees will discover the world's premier established boutique heli-ski locations such as Super Natural British Columbia®- who lead the way as the home of heli skiing with a sophisticated network of heli and catski operations alongside over 10 world class ski resorts.

Experienced heliskiers, will also learn about enchanting heliski hideaway destinations in Europe, and be taken on an exploration of new global frontiers in heli, cat and adventure skiing- making for an exciting and motivating evening.

However the event doesn't stop there, with guest speakers and appearances by leading UK winter sport athletes working with Total Heliski on a soon-to-be-announced program'. These include GB No. 1 skier Chemmy Alcott, Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell, world renowned adventure athlete Tim Emmett, and Kenton Cool, the UK's leading high alpine mountain guide. They will share their favourite heliski hideaways amongst the backdrop of their amazing life experiences over drinks, canapés, and Thames River and London Heliport views.

And all this couldn't be on offer in a more perfect venue, taking place at the newly-opened 5 star Hotel Verta overlooking the recently revamped London Heliport, Show attendees will have the additional opportunity to travel to the venue in style by helicopter or limousine, reflecting the exclusive nature of the sport of heli skiing.

The London Total Heliski Show partner, Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports will also be on hand in advance of the opening of their 7th London City Store at One New Exchange in St Pauls, to provide advice on equipment relevant to heli and back country skiing from brands they stock such as Salomon, Arc'teryx, and Black Diamond.

There will be raffle prizes drawn by Chemmy Alcott in aid of Snow Camp- the UK's only charity using skiing, snowboarding and life-skills to work with disadvantaged inner-city young people, supporting them to make more positive choices in their daily lives.

Total Heliski and their promotional partners including Ellis Brigham, Tourism BC, Salomon, Hotel Verta, Arc'teryx and Black Diamond have ensured it will be a night to remember.

Total Heliski CEO Hayley Melidonis is quick to insist The London Total Heliski Show is not like a regular ski show. She said: "Heli skiing is for people who have skied the rest and now want to ski the best. We are going to take you above and beyond at The London Total Heliski Show creating opportunities to meet the experts, and mingle with similar skiers and boarders in an exciting, yet intimate, luxury setting."

And former Olympian, Graham Bell of Ski Sunday said: " "I'm really looking forward to meeting like minded individuals who have a passion for heli skiing. The London Total Heliski Show is just the right place to find new locations to heliski and plan your next mountain adventure. There is no better feeling in the world, when the helicopter pulls away leaving you on top of powder field so fresh and deep you'll need a snorkel to breathe. Time to shred some lines and take some face shots."

About Total Heliski:

London's first heli-ski show will be hosted by Total Heliski – a winter sports company providing access to remote, barely-skied adventure destinations and premier boutique heli and catski operations all over the world.  They have the experience, knowledge, and worldwide contacts to offer their clients an unforgettable, luxury adventure winter sports holiday.

About heli skiing and cat skiing:

Heli skiing is a means of providing direct access to skiing and boarding the world's best peaks for the ultimate powder snow holiday. A typical experience involves transporting small groups of skiers and boarders in powerful helicopters to the top of majestic peaks which are outside the boundaries of ski resorts, to ski the highly sought after fresh powder snow. Cat skiing works off the same principles, except a snow cat is used as the transport instead. Total Heliski are specialists who work with the best operators in the world like Bella Coola Helisports in BC Canada, who boast a heliski area as vast as the Swiss Alps shared amongst only 16 clients.

For more information please visit www.heliskishow.com.

CairnGorm Mountain's head of ski patrol Colin Matthew is predicting another bumper year for snowsports at the resort this winter following the record-breaking season in 2009-10 when massive falls of snow encouraged 145,000 skiers to visit the resort. While there has been much meteorological speculation about jet streams and cyclical patterns of severe winters, Matthew's prediction is based on something much less scientific – the berries in his own garden a few miles below the resort.

Commented Colin Matthew who has skied at the resort for 45 years:
"In 2009 the snowberries in my garden appeared early, in August, and were particularly large. And then I noticed that they budded and flowered again two or three times during the season, on each occasion coinciding with the massive falls of snow we experienced last season. The berries are as big as ever this year, so if my theory is right we are in for another winter with a lot of snow."

Whichever signs they are reading, fans of the resort clearly believe it is going to be a good winter for snowsports enthusiasts as applications for season tickets are already well ahead of last year's. Over 750 applications have been received to date, around 50% more than at the same point last year and a further spate of applications is expected over the next 9 days before the lower price booking deadline of the end of September expires.
cS24

[er, what actually is a "snowberry"... and why don't more ski resorts grow them then? Admin]

During the summer, A-Basin Ski Area began construction on Black Mountain Express, a new detachable quad chairlift that is scheduled to be up and running for the 2010-11 ski season, which could start within the next month there.

The new $4 million lift will replace the Exhibition fixed grip triple chair located in the base area which was installed in 1978. Black Mountain Express will have a capacity of 2,000 people per hour, a length of 2,877 feet and have a vertical rise of 719 feet. The ride time will be just under three minutes, half the time of the current lift ride from base area to mid-mountain.

The top terminal of the new lift will be slightly realigned uphill and to the west away from Black Mountain Lodge. The lower terminal will remain in the same location.

Lift manufacturer Leitner-Poma, which has a base in Colorado, is contracted for the project. The new detachable lift will enable beginner and intermediate guests to load and unload more easily, resulting in fewer stops and starts on the ride to mid-mountain.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

A proposed law requiring under 18s on California's ski slopes to wear helmets has been passed by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger according to website www.firsttracksonline.com

However it transpires the new law was tied to a second proposed new law, requiring California's ski resorts to take additional steps to improve safety standards, including improved signage and padding of safety hazards etc which Governor Schwarzenegger said placed too many burdens on the state's ski areas and rejected. So the helmet law will not become law without the other succeeding.

"…While I am signing this (helmet) bill to demonstrate my support for this measure, I recognize that it will not take effect," Schwarzenegger said in a written statement.

Senator Leland Yee who brought forward the bill which had been approved by the senate and only needed Governor Shwarzenegger's full agreement to progress, said he would reintroduce it next year.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

A new product designed to block resorts from accessing personal data which it is possible for them to collect through ever more hi-tec lift tickets has been launched in Colorado.

The 'Ski Pass Defender' is a simple plastic folder that fits over credit-card sized lift tickets to stop them being read while you're skiing, but is designed to be easily opened for scanning when used to actually get on a lift.

The man behind Ski Defender, former ski instructor Jonathan Lawson, is concerned believes that while there are many advantages offered to the kind of tracking of skiers and boarders movements on the slopes that the new generation of lift tickets can provide, there may also be potential disadvantages which some skiers may wish to avoid by using his product.

The latest lift tickets use RFID technology to keep track of your day on the slopes and generating a lot of data on your travel around the slopes which skiers and boarders can usually download to view later. Some technologies also use the latest Facebook Apps ad similar to alert people to Facebook Friends in resort with them and so on.

However critics of the technology have voiced a variety of concerns including that some resorts may use the data for marketing purposes and others may enforce speed controls by using the tickets to track how fast a skier or boarder is going and potentially remotely deactivating their lift ticket if they knowingly or unknowingly ski or board too fast in a controlled area.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Mayrhofen will unveil the world's first lift combining eight seater chairs with 10 passenger gondola cabins on one lift line.

The new lift on the Austrian resort's main Penken mountain, dubbed a 'combi-lift' (Kombibahn) combines the advantages of a gondola and a chair lift, says the resort.

The new lift will link the top station of the Penkenbahn gondola lift up to Gschössberg. After every two 8-seater chairs (complete with padded seating) comes a spacious gondola lift with enough room to seat 10 people – all part of the same lift system, like the links in a chain.

Pedestrians and skiers each have a separate entrance and exit. So skiers can take the chair lift, meaning they don't have to unbuckle their equipment, while walkers, families and ski school groups with small children can ride in comfort in a gondola.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

bandit wrote:Yoo-hoo Admin it's Competition time :D

Wait for it... :wink:

Standby your Inboxes! 8) Well, actually not just yet but probably at the weekend!

This year, to coincide with the London "Ski and Snowboard Show" (formerly the Metro Ski Show, formerly the Daily Mail Ski Show, formerly something else probably), we do have some competitions lined up.

We'll have a few special deals, provided by our partners, that will only be available at the show - but all registered J2Skiers will be able to enter the competitions. :D

As you were. Go back to your webcams and prepare for winter!

Tignes all day long.

Both are great ski areas but if you don't need Blues/easy runs to get around on then IMHO Tignes has the edge and you have a huge and interesting ski area to play on.