J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Val Thorens - maybe not now quite so snowy as this, but still open

It's the last weekend of the ski season in France with the two 'still open' resorts, Tignes and Val Thorens, ending their seasons at the end of the day on Sunday.

There's been little or no fresh snow for over a week and temperatures have been reaching double digits above freezing at times, but the snow is still seven to nine feet deep or more on the glaciers (Tignes 275cm, Val Thorens 220cm ) so there's plenty to slide on. Snow is forecast for Val Thorens tomorrow.

Val Thorens, Europe's highest major resorts and one of the first to open in France (after Tignes) in late November last autumn, has been maintaining a party mood through May with free concerts in the sports hall every night at 9pm in their Apotheose Days promotion.

Tignes has also been throwing on the festivities and running a promotion offering free accommodation with your lift pass.

Unlike the other major Alpine nations France has no late spring glacier skiing and French skiers will need to hike up, go over the border in to Switzerland, Italy or Austria, or ski indoors on the world's second longest indoor slope (620m) at Amneville in the North East of the country if they want to ski snow again before Tignes re-opens for summer skiing in five weeks on June 15th.

The intriguing prospect of a US ski resort season pass offering cheaper skiing in the Alps than if you buy your ticket in Europe has come a step closer (although we're not quite there yet) with the news that the 'Epic Pass' which covers 9 Californian and Colorado ski areas as well as including five days skiing in Verbier in Switzerland, will be extended to also offer five days skiing in the Austrian Arlberg for the coming winter 2013-14.

That 10 days of skiing in the Alps has a combined value or around £360, while the Epic Pass costs the equivalent of around £445 so it's not quite there yet, but if you do want to ski in the Alps before the Colorado Rockies or at Lake Tahoe in California, Vail Resorts, which issue the Epic Pass, will send it to you in the post from the US.

Most Brits who do buy an Epic Pass do so not for the skiing in the Alps – although that's a very nice bonus if you can make multiple trips – but because, unless you have a lift pass included in your package price, the cost of a Colorado lift pass can be among the world's most expensive at peak times and this season ticket can cost less than buying a 6 or 7 day pass in resort on arrival. If you are planning to ski for more than a week and visit multiple resorts it's even better value.

The pass is valid at Breckenridge, Beaver creek, Keystone and Vail in Colorado as well as two areas not owned by Vail Resorts – Arapahoe Basin and Eldora. In California it's valid at Kirkwood, Northstar and Heavenly.

Cheaper versions off the pass, with restrictions on use, may suit some skiers and can pay for themselves in 4 days compared to a ticket bought in resort – they are the Epic Local and Epic 7 Day.

For the lowest prices the passes need to be purchased by May 27th via http://www.epicpass.com or a tour operator to a Vail resort.

Disability Snowsport are organising a five-a-side football tournament next autumn, with the prize of a week's ski holiday for the winning team of seven players to enjoy together.

The contest, which will take place at Goals in Wembley, London, on 8 October 2013, is open to anyone who can get a team of seven together, with a maximum of 24 teams allowed to take part.

Crystal Ski, a long time supporter of Disability Snowsport UK, is providing a group ski holiday to the Alps to the winning team and additional prizes will be up for grabs throughout the event.

Teams are expected to provide their own kit, donate £350 per team to Disability Snowsports, and organise their own refreshments and transport to the event which will kick-off at 6.30pm and should be finished by 10.30pm.

To confirm your team's place, download the registration form at: www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk/events/football and send the completed version along with a cheque for £350 made payable to Disability Snowsport UK to Lynne Wiseman, Disability Snowsport UK, Glenmore Lodge, Grounds Glenmore, PH22 1QU. Email fundraising@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Tel: +44 1479 861272

PS Cairngorm is STILL open! http://ski.visitscotland.com/conditions/cairngorm/

The good thing about the drive is once you're north of Newcastle, or Manchester on the East, it starts to feel more like the roads in the TV car ads and you can actually enjoy it a bit ...though watch out for the speed cameras...

Pakistan will have a new destination for skiers next winter when a chairlift is installed at Naltar ski area, formerly a preserve of the Pakistan Airforce (PAF).

Pakistan's only commercial ski area open to the public, Malam Jabba, was opened in the late 1990s after around 10 years of on/off construction with a hotel and a chairlift donated by Austria but the Swat Valley where it is located was taken over by the Taliban in 2009 who destroyed the lift and other resort infrastructure.

There has been a small ski area at Naltar for many years with a primitive drag lift, but a new chairlift donated by the Swiss ski resort of Villars will greatly enhance the area from next winter, with the main ski run extended to a mile long and uplift capacity multiplied teen fold from 50 to 500 skiers per hour.

There was a ground breaking ceremony at the weekend at which the President of the Ski Federation of Pakistan declared the project as being "… of strategic importance for development and promotion of skiing in the country," according to local media reports.

Air Marshal Khan said that the project would mean Naltar would become an international standard ski facility and help attract national and international tourism, helping the area's economy.

He said that Pakistan Air Force would continue to support the Federation to promote ski sport in Pakistan.

Following a remarkable 15m of snowfall this winter (that's comparable to the world's snowiest resorts like Mt Baker in Washington State and Niseko in Japan), the French Pyrenees will see its first ever lift operations in May next week when the Pic du Midi lift runs for the use of off piste skiers and snowboarders next week.

Although all the ski resorts I the French Pyrenees are now closed, the Pic du Midi is to re-open from Monday, May 6th to Sunday 12th to allow experienced off-piste skiers and snowboarders who want to use the cable car lift which serves the observatory here to access the 1000 metres of vertical still open and powdery. It's the first time the lift has opened for snowsports in May.

The Pic du Midi is not however a conventional ski area and has no groomed pistes or ski lifts other than the cable car so anyone ski here should have good off piste ski or boarding ability and avalanche danger awareness as well as carrying suitable equipment including a beacon, shovel, probe and so on. It's recommended to ski with a guide also.

Ponce on the lift up all skiers and boarders will be required to sign a disclaimer to say they understand the scenario they are entering once they head down. Children can only ski or board when accompanied by an adult.

It's still snowing in the Pyrenees although the only ski area still open for one final weekend (probably) is Baqueira Beret in Spain.

Pic du Midi reported another 30cm (a foot) of fresh snow in the final 48 hours of April.

The little known record for getting from the summit of Mont Blanc to the centre of Chamonix has just been broken with a new records time set of only 32 minutes!

The descent from the 4,810m (15,781 feet) summit of western Europe's highest peak to the centre of Chamonix at 995m is a remarkable 14km (nine miles) and some 3,815 vertical metres.

This descent was completed in a new record time of 32 minutes by French skiers Antoine Montegani and Nicolas Anthonioz who had planned their attempt for three years.

Having waited for good weather and a reduced avalanche risk, they skied past glacial crevasses over hard, obviously ungroomed snow to the snowline, then ran through woods and finally rode on bikes the final stretch in to the town – all while still wearing ski boots. The pair ran the last section to Chamonix church, passing surprised tourists.

But the Chamonix record-setting season is not yet over. Two ski mountaineers now plan to break a 10 year old record for the time taken to climb up then ski back down Mont Blanc. That currently stands at 5 hours, 15 minutes.