J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Im off to see Eddie Izzard in May, although Aberdeen not the Alps. Last saw him in London two or three years back, he's brilliant methinks. The Altitude Fest in Mayrhofen is kind of hinting he might be going there, but not announcing the name of the "Comedy superstar who started filling stadiums in the 1990s" until a fortnight before its on so may be a wind up. Could be Stan in fact, has he filled many stadia?

Live stand-up comedy with top international comics is coming to Chamonix, Meribel, Verbier and Tignes over the coming few weeks.

Promoters Taking the Piste (takingthepiste.com) are bringing Irish comedy legend Ed Byrne along with Flight of the Concords Arj Barker (US), The Alps favourite Canadian comic - Craig Campbell and Canadian TV comic- Danny Quinn to perform in the French and Swiss Alps from 6th to 11th February.

"By day this band of ski brothers will ride hard and regale fellow skiers with chairlift banter to write home about, by night they will perform in the Alps hottest nightspots to thronging masses of the après ski set," say the promoters.

The list of venues is:

Wednesday 6th Feb Le Farinet at the Cinema, Verbier (laurentroyer@hotelfarinet.com)
Thursday 7th Feb Jacks bar at the Auditorium, Meribel (info@takingthepiste.com)
Friday 8th Feb Loop Bar, Tignes (loopbar@live.com)
Sunday 10th Feb Le Jekyll, Chamonix (stay@snostation.com)
Monday 11th Feb Le Jekyll, Chamonix

Sorry, that was a bit tenuous story with having to go to a German NETTO to buy the ticket, but too good to miss! Have been to Tropical Islands when it was new about 10 years back and it was a bit rubbish then as all the plants were stumpy little twigs (They're real not plastic) but it looks much more lush now (from the pics at least). Think it was a vast white elephant project to get airships going again during Gereman re-unificatoon era, they built this gi-normous hangar but never built an airship...

For the first time two German indoor holiday resorts are offering a joint ticket. Priced at 99 Euros the pass gives access to both the indoor ski centre Alpincenter Wittenburg near Hamburg (www.alpincenter.com) and the Tropical Islands indoor beach resort near Berlin (www.tropical-islands.de).

The 99 Euro pass, which can only be purchased through selected German NETTO stores and is valid to 10 March 2013 includes an overnight stay at the Alpincenter Wittenburg's on-site hotel with indoor buffet breakfast, a day pass for the slopes – which are among the world's most extensive indoors covering 30,000 square metres, and rentals as well as access to the centre's large adventure play area with quad bikes and high ropes course among its attractions.

At Tropical Islands, Europe's largest indoor tropical holiday world, 60km south of Berlin, which was built within a huge hangar originally constructed for a project to recommence building airships in the modern era, which then failed, the pass includes an overnight stay in a 2-person tent furnished with bed box with mattress, bed sheet, pillow and light blanket, buffet breakfast and a day on the beach with the option to wander through the tropical rain forest or visit the largest sauna landscape in Europe.

A ski touring contest is back in Alta Badia in the Italian Dolomites for the fifth time. The traditional 'Tour de Sas' (www.tourdesas.it) is part of the famous 'Dolomites Cup' circuit and the 'Italy Cup' and will be contested on 17th February in with the start and finish in the village of San Leonardo. The 18.5km route with a 2,358m height difference in ascent takes in several interesting first time sections towards the peak of Lavarella (3,055 m above sea level), running through the Fanes-Senes-Braies Natural Park, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, and will be contested by up to 150 pairs of male and female skiers seeking a share of a 4,000 Euro prize fund with the event streamed live online.

The British Association of Snowsport Instructors (BASI - www.basi.org.uk), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary year, recently staged an international reception at the Houses of Parliament attended by Olympic rowing legend and newly appointed BASI President, Sir Steve Redgrave along with distinguished invited guests from other European snowsports organisations, including; Karl Eggen - Switzerland, Luciano Magnani - Italy, and Presidents of Interski, Eric Melmer and Riet Campell of The International Ski Instructors Association as well as representatives from the UK snowsports industry and travel trade.

The event also marked the announcement of a new partnership with the University of Edinburgh where an agreement signed at the House of Commons which will see the alignment of BASI qualifications with the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF).

In future BASI members wishing to change career path or progress an additional qualification will have recognised credits that may be used to gain entry to other qualifications. This is due to a formal recognition of BASI's teaching system, training courses and manuals where learning and development are mapped against the internationally recognised SCQF by academic staff within the University's Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences.

We're not yet quite half way through winter 2012-13 but Whistler Blackcomb, which has not added any new lifts for a few years, has already announced plans for new 4 and 6 seater high speed chairlifts for NEXT winter, 2013-14.

Whistler Mountain's Harmony high-speed, quad chairlift will be replaced with a new Doppelmayr high-speed, detachable, six-seat chairlift and Blackcomb Mountain will see a high-speed quad chairlift going into a new area in the Crystal Zone, currently accessed by a fixed-grip triple chair.

The Harmony Six high-speed chairlift will replace one of Whistler Blackcomb's most popular lifts and will dramatically improve the uphill capacity by 50 per cent; going from 2,400 skiers per hour to 3,600.

The new high-speed quad chairlift in the Crystal Zone will be 1,708 metres (5,604ft) in length, with a vertical rise of 535 metres (1,755ft). Skier carrying capacity will increase by 65 per cent over the current lift to 2,400 skiers per hour.

"Each zone the new lifts will service is unique and much-loved by Whistler locals and destination guests alike. The capital we are investing to enhance our already amazing experiences will make Whistler Blackcomb even bette," said Dave Brownlie, President and Chief Executive Officer, Whistler Blackcomb.

Construction on the lifts will begin this spring and will continue through the summer and fall with an expected opening at the beginning of the 2013-2014 winter season.

Following the success of a South Tyrol Ski safari last winter in which a group of intermediate skiers, covered over 200 kilometres and 37,000 vertical metres in a week, the organisers are planning a repeat visit to the huge Dolomiti Superski this winter, staying in different mountain top refuges each evening, fresh tracks every morning and fine dining thrown in, for good measure.

For five days you carry your essentials in a small Deuter back pack, staying in 4 different refuges, from ensuite alpine luxury to traditional dormitory accommodation. Based in the Val Gardena in a 4 star hotel it's an accessible "soft" adventure for people who would like to explore the Dolomites from a different perspective.

The trip from March 2nd to 9th costs £1075 which includes a variety of accommodation, guiding and a back packs but excludes flights, transfers, rentals and lift pass.

Info and bookings: Louise Anderton lou@inspireditaly.com.