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The annual report on the state of the British ski holiday industry by the country's most popular tour operator, Crystal, has concluded that the ski market fell by 11% across all sectors last season, which on top of a decline of 13.3% the previous winter, meant the market has declined by nearly a quarter since winter 2007-8, and dipped below a million for the first time in a decade.

The Crystal Ski Industry Report 2010 amalgamates information from tour operators' own statistics, CAA published statistics, tourist office figures and travel agency feedback.

"The drop in numbers is in line with industry expectations as the ski industry reduced capacity for 2009/10, as reported widely in the press last summer. The capacity reduction followed the fall in demand for holidays the previous season which had left many unsold beds in the ski resorts." said a Crystal statement.

The schools market also experienced a reduction in volume for the first time since 1999/2000 with a fall of 9%, attributed largely to the economic climate.

The independent travel sector shrunk by 13% to 285,000 skiers with some low cost carriers reducing their flight capacity to ski destinations, passengers taking fewer second holidays or switching to cheaper all-inclusive packages.

The tour operator sector also saw the number decreasing by 10% to 534,600 skiers, predominantly as a result of planned capacity reductions leading to fewer holidays on sale and partly due to fewer multiple trips and fewer new skiers.

"Large-scale operators have re-gained some of the ground lost to DIY travellers as they used their buying-power to get lower prices and have passed these onto consumers as attractive packages." concludes the report.

The top seven operators' market share represents just over 84% of the total tour operator market. TUI owned Crystal Ski strengthened its market leadership last season to 28% despite significant reduction in chalet beds. TUI's other two main ski brands, First Choice and Thomson see market shares reduced as a result of aggressive capacity reductions, however, TUI Ski remains clear market leader with 37% share.

Hotelplan, which owns Inghams, grows for next winter following the acquisition of Ski Esprit and Ski Total. Thomas Cook with Neilson is in third place.

France continues to be the most popular country despite seeing the largest decline in UK visitor numbers of any destination losing almost 4% share last season.

Austria increased its market share to 25.5% and Italy to 14.1% due to good value in resort and excellent snow cover.

Andorra also increased its market share to 6% following some very active tour operator support from the regional government to halt previous years' decline.

Switzerland's 5.9% share is relatively steady and North America's 5.6% share has dropped slightly due to the lack of flight and accommodation availability during the Olympics, additional ski carriage costs and British Airways strikes.

Bulgaria also saw a small decrease to 3% and the small countries sector grew by 0.7% reflecting the rise in popularity of Spain and Slovenia.

"The 2010/11 season undoubtedly poses again challenges for an industry that is impacted by the effects of the recession, however, the strengthening sterling, the relatively gentle chancellor's budget and resorts working harder to attract business are all positive signs for ski holiday companies." said a Crystal statement.

The Crystal Ski Industry Report finds strong evidence of ski companies increasing the numbers of properties for next winter leading to more holidays on offer.

It predicts that next season skiers will continue to be price-sensitive and that all inclusive tour operator packages, such as Crystal Ski+ will do well because of perceived value and the security or booking through a travel agent following the high profile problems of independent travellers during incidents such as the Icelandic ash cloud.

Crystal's MD Mathew Prior said: "The ski industry has coped well with the challenges posed by the reduction in numbers during Winter 09/10, with most organisations correctly anticipating the fall and scaling down capacity. We predict that 2010/11 will be a turning point and firmly believe that growth will return to the market. However, conditions will remain tough and only those able to keep inspiring customers with new offers, create good value and compelling holidays, will see the benefit."

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Austria's SkiWelt region which links the skiing of eight resorts in the country's largest ski region, and is itself linked to neighbouring kitzbuhel's ski region, has announced its new projects for winter 2010-11.

In Scheffau the new Osthangbahn will be a family friendly eight-seater chairlift with child-proof lock for added safety and heated seats.
The region's snowmaking network, already Austria's largest, will be expanded once again.

Owners of iPhone and many other mobile phones will be able to download the region's new app at mobile.skiwelt.at

Up at Hochbrixen the Alpeniglu Village will feature an ice-restaurant, ice bar, ice-land with ice figures and exhibition and an ice hotel.

The SkiWelt will kick off its season on the weekend of 10 – 12. December with a big Winter Opening party in Söll.

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Hi John, welcome to J2Ski...

You've got a good choice of resorts within a couple of hours drive, albeit probably the best selection will need 2 to 3 hours each way.

Just for you - Ski Resorts near Milan Linate - 8)

Not sure about feasibility of trains but a hire car will give you more choice. Your journey times are going to be somewhat variable with snow, queues, etc. so you may be best to plan overnight stops rather than day trips (and ski 2 days instead of 1). Italy is blessed with many family-run small hotels, so it should be easy to find places to suit your plans and budget.

A couple of our regulars know the area quite well and should drop in when they get off the beach... you'll have a blast though.

tino_11 wrote:just let me know when you are all in town for the J2Ski Zermatt seasonal mass migration

Fixed that for you - just make sure you find a big place - cheers!

...excellent news! Well done! :D

The new Hollywood movie Inception was shot at the currently closed Canadian resort of Fortress Mountain last autumn, raising hopes among locals that the popular ski centre might be able to reopen for snowsports on the back of a presumed cash injection from the film company.

Fortress, located in the Kananaskis valley about an hour west of Calgary in Alberta was formerly operated by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies group which also runs Fernie, Kimberley, Mont Ste Anne and the nearby resort of Nakiska, but was sold to the Banff Rail Company in 2005. However it has not operated for the past few seasons due to financial problems associated with unpaid fees and taxes.

Parts of the $200m Inception film, starring Leonardo di Caprio and made by Christopher Nolan, who made the last Batman film, were shot at Fortress which local reports say involved the construction of a large set, the employment of a small army of extras and the shooting of on-snow scenes using snowmobiles.

There is no news as yet as to whether Fortress may be able to re-open in 2010-11 as a result of the film company's presence at the area. The locals may be hoping for a repeat of events 40 years ago when a then incomplete revolving-restaurant, the world's first at altitude, built above Murren in the Swiss Jungfrau, which had run out of development cash, was used in the James Bond movie 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service.'
Money from the film company was used to complete construction of the Piz Gloria restaurant (the name taken from Ian Fleming's original 1963 novel) after filming was completed, and it is still operational today.

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Cranmore ski area in New Hampshire is spending approximately $6 million on major improvements to the resort.

The South Peak double chair will be replaced with a Doppelmayr eco-Drive, energy-efficient, fixed-grip quad chairlift.

The existing South Peak double chair will be relocated near the Beginner Basin. Terrain in Beginner Basin will be altered to make room for the chair as well as provide additional beginner terrain.
In addition the tubing park will be relocated and expanded from seven to ten lanes along with a new surface conveyor lift in addition to the existing handle-tow.

A year-round Mountain Coaster is also being installed that will allow guests to ride up the mountain and then descend at rider-controlled speeds.

Other improvements include the installation of 70 new energy-efficient tower guns that will increase the quality and quantity of snowmaking, especially during early season periods.

At the base of the area, the Arlberg Lodge is being converted into a state-of-the-art children's centre, a new ticketing system will make for smoother transactions for guests, and many other buildings will be upgraded to improve guests' experiences.

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Valle Nevado in Chile has fully opened after fresh storms brought 2.1m (7 feet) of new snow to the centre, only 60km (37 miles) from the capital, Santiago.

This season the resort has renovated its five star Hotel Valle Nevado, following the renovations of its four star Hotel Puerta del Sol and three-star Hotel Tres Puntas in 2009.

On the mountain the resort has added two new lifts and five new runs.

The improvements are all part of a $150 million in upgrades planned through the next decade according to the resort's ambitious Master plan.

Valle Nevado currently off­ers access to 7,000 acres of skiing and in 2012 the resort plans to install the first ski centre gondola in Chile, with access to a newly developed day visitor parking lot that will feature shops, ski rental, a ticket booth and restaurants.

www.vallenevado.com

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

This summer will once again see many of Europe's top freeskiers compete in the Allalin Snow Park on the Saas-Fee glacier at the Saas-Fee Ride 2010. Since 2003 the Saas-Fee Ride summer freeski events have been seen across the globe demonstrating just how good summer glacier skiing can be. The event has clocked up over 2000 hours of television airtime and has earned many athletes at the comp some much deserved publicity. You can watch it now by clicking here.


© Saas-Fee Ride. All Rights Reserved.

On the day you can expect to see International and National team riders, aspiring pro's and many people from the freestyle skiing community getting involved to make it a day to remember. Check out the latest event schedule by clicking here.

Saas-Fee is the perfect location for the comp due to the north facing glacier, which keeps the snow in great condition and the safety standards high.


TEAM MANAGER + RIDER INFORMATION
This year's main discipline is Big Air. There will also be a Rail Jam session for athletes to show their style for the TV crews.

To submit an entry please save the PDF or Word Document from the COMPETITION page of the website and email it to events@ridefreesport.com . You can also print and send it to Ride Freesport, Hotel Dom, 3906 Saas-Fee, Switzerland. The final start list will be made on the 16th July and displayed on the competition page of the website.

Most athletes will have the opportunity to appear in the 26 minute TV programme that will gain over 500 hours of television airtime across the globe. Athletes will also have access to the photography taken of themselves featured in the results pages of the website.


FREESKI CAMPS IN SAAS-FEE
The British Freeski Camps 2010, in association with Freeski Britain, are running from the 10th July to 7th August in Saas Fee. The camps will be focused on bringing the British freeskiing community closer together and building a basis for training riders to become top level freestyle skiers. Moguls and Big Mountain skiing are also looked at on the camps. For more info check out www.britishfreeskicamps.com. This years camps will also be supporting British Team World Cup freestyle athletes and helping them to prepare for Half Pipe and Mogul competitions in Winter 2010/11.


PLACES TO BE IN SAAS-FEE
Saas-Fee is famous for being car free and having the best snowpark conditions for summer riding in Europe. Official event partner and long term supporter of Ride Freesport events, the Unique Hotel Dom and Popcorn Shop + Bar is a location where you will find many of the athletes from the event either staying in the Hotel Dom, chillin out in the Living Room Bar or partying in Popcorn Bar. The location also has the Popcorn and P2 Shop. Check out www.uniquedom.com and www.popcorn.ch.

www.saasfeeride.com