Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
Two real-snow events on the streets of London are planned this weekend and next month. 'London Snow' including the Slide2Sochi Roadshow (www.slide2sochi.org.uk) hits Covent Garden less than four months before the 2014 Winter Olympics. It will aim to turn Covent Garden into a winter wonderland and gives people a chance to try skiing and snowboarding on a 5 metre by 10 metre real snow slope from Thursday 24th October to Sunday 27th October. Then four weeks later on Thursday 21st November 50 tonnes of snow will be dumped in one of the capitals coolest areas in EC2 at a yet to be disclosed location. Then the O'Neill Shoreditch Showdown (www.oneillshoreditchshowdown.com), open to 500 invited guests and competition winners, will throw in a sprinkling of iconic London street fixtures then invite 20 of the UK's best skiers and snowboarders to create an exclusive snow event. London Snow, sponsored by Austrian ski resort Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, The Snow Centre at Hemel Hempstead, Snow+Rock and Snowsport England; London Snow and the Slide2Sochi Roadshow will bring the ski slope, which is made up of 10 tonnes of real snow, into the centre of Covent Garden and give hundreds of people the chance to give skiing or snowboarding a go for the first time with a 15 minute TRY skiing or snowboarding session with fully qualified instructors. London Snow and the Slide2Sochi Roadshow is part of a drive by Snowsport England to give more people the chance to get into skiing and snowboarding as excitement builds around the Winter Olympics which take place in Sochi, Russia next February. The Slide2Sochi Roadshows are currently touring the country and have to date given hundreds of people the chance to try snowsports and once caught the bug, take up a GO SKI GO BOARD course which is a six hour all inclusive course which can be taken at any participating ski or snowboard centre in England. Great Britain's Halfpipe Snowboarder and Sochi 2014 hopeful Dom Harington will be opening London Snow including the Slide2Sochi Roadshow on Thursday as well as giving tips to the public alongside The Snow Centre's ski and snowboard instructors. All participants will be given a goody bag courtesy of Snow+Rock and the chance to have their say on what they think about trying skiing or snowboarding in the GO SKI GO BOARD video gondola. The event runs on Thursday 24th October from 11am to 7pm, Friday 25th October from 11am to 6pm, Saturday 26th October from 10.30am to 6pm and Sunday 27th October from 12 noon to 5pm. The O'Neill Shoreditch Showdown will take place in a location sandwiched between a selection of hip bars and late night cafes, creating a striking backdrop for a floodlit night of urban jibbing from our country's finest. Bringing mountain life to the streets, the inner-city playground will resemble a film set of an authentic snow-filled London street. Featuring an original double-decker bus, telephone kiosk, red pillar post box and a multitude of rails, the stage is set for next level creativity and progression. The exclusive street-lit contest will aim to show London's east side how world-class UK street riding is, while a live VJ set and on-site graffiti installation makes this event fresher than the hipster farmers' market down the road. |
|
Anyone who has taken the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi, located at 3842m, high above Chamonix, or even shuffled along the arête from there to the start of the Vallee Blanche run, will be all to aware of the long drop to the valley below. A glass balcony sticking out in to the void is now under construction and due to open this winter to provide a very visual reminder of just how big the world's largest lift-served vertical drop actually is. Work began in September to prepare for the installation of the glass structure that will allow Aiguille du Midi visitors to experience the sensations of having the huge void under their feet, all in complete safety. The Aiguille du Midi Skywalk is a first at this altitude, a first with the materials used, a first in the techniques used, a first in the extreme conditions that can it be exposed to all year round. The glass plates are made of 3 layers of tempered glass each 12 mm thick. A transparent film binds the layers optically together without any alteration of transparency. The design specification required the build to be transparent giving as clear a vision as possible, without visual obstruction. Facing Mont Blanc at 3842m, its design is unique and represents a true technological and architectural innovation using glass and steel, it can withstand winds of 220km per hour and a temperature range of about 60° The glass plates of the five faces of the structure are held together by mechanical fasteners which were specifically developed for this project. The unit is fixed to a vertical support structure for the suspension over the void. The overall design eliminates any metallic structure ensuring an untouched field of view for the visitor. This Skywalk is due to open from the 21st of December, the opening date of the Aiguille du Midi after its annual closure on the 4th of November. www.compagniedumontblanc.co.uk. |
|
The Jungfrau region in Switzerland have announced rock legends Deep Purple, who were formed in 1967 and whose hits include 'Smoke on the Water,' as the headline act of SnowpenAir, the country's biggest winter music event, on the 5th and 6th April 2014. This event 2000m above sea level in Kleine Scheidegg can only be reached by a journey up the spectacular mountain railway and from the venue there are spectacular views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Tickets, now on sale, cost 110 CHF (approx. £76) and the combi-ticket includes the return train ride from Interlaken Ost to Kleine Scheidegg (2nd class). Jungfrau Railways (www.jungfrau.ch) expects that approximately 9,000 people will attend the concert and it will quickly sell out. |
|
Tignes re-opened for its eight month long ski season last weekend with perfect timing as snow dumped down. It's the only French are open until mid-November, except that Les 2 Alpes, which just sent us some pictures of its slopes in pristine condition with fresh powder, is opening from 26 October to 3rd November for a special week of festivities and glacier ski gear testing, perfectly timed to coincide with the October school holidays. It then closes for the rest of November before re-opening for the winter season on 30 November, until 26 April 2014. The glacier between, 3,600m and 3,200m, is in excellent condition and the lift company is preparing the slopes for the opening on Saturday 26 October. During the opening weekend, on 26 and 27 October, Les 2 Alpes hosts two events: Ski, Tests & Rock'n Roll is an event for skiers. The resort's ski shops offer free ski tests. Skiers can also enjoy a free BBQ on the snowpark and take part in a ski contest. Enjoy the Glacier is an event for snowboarders, with contests on modules designed especially for the event, BBQ, films, concerts, meeting with pros and gear tests. Brands taking part include Apo, Burton, Electric, Nitro, Quicksilver, Furlan, Dupraz, Dinausaur will die, Flow, Santa Cruz, Oakley and Rome. 3,000 skiers and snowboaders came to Les 2 Alpes last year for the opening weekend. The resort is expecting another busy opening next week. Anyone wanting to get out there for that opening weekend receive a discounted lift-pass rate at €22 per day. From 28 October to 3 November, the day-pass rises a little to €27.50 per day. A special deal is also available of an apartment for 4 people for two nights (25 and 26 October) and two day lift pass each for €288 (€36 per person per day) – about £245 for four to ski and stay for the weekend. You just need to get there. www.les2alpes.com |
|
Since its creation in 2007, Ski Republic (www.ski-republic.com) has never stopped innovating to revolutionise the ski rental market. For 2013-14 In partnerships with ski brand Coreupt, Ski Republic is launching a new range of colour co-ordinated skis the 'UP & DOWN' range. "This woman's ski available in six different colours: pink, baby blue, grey, black, chocolate and green," said a statement on behalf of the company, "Ladies, this means you can match your skis to your outfit!" The skis are offered in The Performance Plus range with prices from €15 a day for a pack (skis + poles + boots + helmet). Ski Republic operate 60 stores, mostly in leading French resorts, but also in Pas de la Casa (Andorra) and new this winter, Verbier. All bookings made before 12 November 2013 get 5% discount on the total amount. |
|
The MS Trust's Monster Ski challenge is back this winter after taking 2013 off and will be taking place in Chamonix for the first time next March 16-20, 2014 The MS Trust fundraiser aims to raise money for the charity that trains specialist nurses and provides information for people living with multiple sclerosis. For each of the three days of the challenge, participants will attempt to ski 30,000 vertical feet – that's the equivalent of the height of Mount Everest every day! The charity is looking for 25 skiers and snowboarders to take part. To get involved you can register now for £150 but you must pledge to raise £1,500 in sponsorship. In exchange for the fund raising participants receive flights and transfers, accommodation (bed and breakfast), a three day lift pass and ski guides who will lead small groups during the challenge. The MS Trust will also provide lots of support and advice to help you raise your sponsorship, as well as putting you in touch with other Monster Skiers so you can share fundraising ideas. This will be the MS Trust's sixth Monster Ski challenge since the first staged in January 2008 in Colorado. The combined total income from the previous five events is over £385,000 to help fund the MS Trust's work. For more information visit www.mstrust.org.uk/monsterski or contact Laura Percival at the MS Trust on 01462 476707 or laura.percival@mstrust.org.uk |
|
Last weekend was the biggest yet for the promotion of skiing and snowboarding to the English public as Snowsport England's Slide2Sochi Winter Olympic road shows to place at multiple venues – including indoor snow slopes, dry slopes and even indoor revolving conveyor slopes. Nearly 3,500 people took part in events with nearly 500 of those taking a TRY ski or board taster session, part of the GO SKI GO BOARD campaign which launched last month. Four Slide2Sochi roadshows ran across the weekend at Snozone indoor snow centre in Milton Keynes, the revolving indoor Skiplex in Reading and the dry slopes of Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre and Pendle Ski Club. Snozone Milton Keynes welcomed three celebrities to excite the 2,500 strong crowd on Saturday – Sir Steve Redgrave, Iwan Thomas and Graham Bell. They did not disappoint as they got stuck in on the slopes. Sir Steve Redgrave, a qualified ski instructor, was giving out tips to beginners, Iwan Thomas was getting ski instruction after a 21 year break from the sport and Graham Bell strapped on a board and tested his skills on the timed run. On Sunday, under sunny skies, Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre was buzzing with activity as over 250 people descended on the slope for a real family day out. Over 80 people took part in TRY ski or board sessions with everyone else enjoying tobogganing, tubing, freestyle demonstrations, stalls and refreshments. The weather was equally impressive at Pendle Ski Club where they had a bumper attendance of 450 people with 200 people taking TRY ski or board sessions. Star attractions at Pendle were GB ski racer and Sochi 2014 hopeful Dave Ryding and Special Olympics hopeful David Corr. At Skiplex in Reading, the endless slope had never been so busy as over 100 people took TRY ski and board sessions throughout the day. In total 250 passed through the centre on Sunday as they came to meet GB ski star Chemmy Alcott and BBC Ski Sunday presenter Graham Bell. "This weekend has proved that people are already getting excited about the winter and it was so good to see hundreds of people being introduced to both skiing and snowboarding – and loving it. There was a real buzz at all of the roadshows with so much activity going on," said Tim Fawke, Chief Executive of Snowsports England, "Having our GB stars and the likes of Sir Steve Redgrave and Iwan Thomas at the events really added to the atmosphere, but the over-riding feeling from each of the roadshows is how much people seemed to catch the bug after their TRY sessions. We will continue to tour the country with our Slide2Sochi roadshow and get more people having a go at snowsports and excited about the upcoming Winter Olympic Games." GO SKI GO BOARD is the largest ever English snowsports participation campaign and is aimed and getting more people into and back into snowsports. Run by English governing body Snowsport England and supported by the Austrian Tirol as exclusive destination partner, it has brought together a network of the UK's indoor and artificial snow slopes aiming to offer value for money taster, beginner, improver and recreational sessions for people whose imagination has been captured by Britain's skiing and snowboarding stars. 23 Slide2Sochi roadshows are planned over the coming months, details of the full programme and events are at www.goskigoboard.org.uk and www.slide2sochi.org.uk |
|
|
Yes it is confusing of the Italians to have two resorts not too far from each other called Folgaria and Folgarida. You wouldn't catch the efficient Austrians calling two different ski villages St Johann. Oh wait...
|
|