Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
The first recorded snowfall of 24-25 has been briefly spotted on the Divide slopes above Sunshine ski area near Banff in Alberta, Canada. The area is usually one of the first in North America to open for the season and is targeting November 8th for its opening day this season. Its neighbour and fellow member of the Banff Big 3 lift pass scheme. Mt Norquay, is aiming for November 1st, the earliest named season start date in North America, although others are hoping for October openings if conditions allow. Sunshine also relies on all natural snow, with no snowmaking, although it does farm snow from the previous winter to form a new season base. The cooler temperatures and snowfall in the area are welcome as the air still carries smoke from forest fires, with the major blaze in Jasper National Park, which devastated the resort town of Jasper although did not reach nearby Marmot Basin ski area to the north still very active. Snowfall is also forecast further south for high peaks in the US Rockies and West Coast Sierra Mountains. The last centre that had still been open in North America for 23-24, Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon, ended its season last Sunday. |
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24-25 season news has started arriving at J2Ski Towers and Les Menuires have announced that the cost of a 3 Vallées lift pass will actually be lower this winter (exchange rates permitting), at least if you're in a family of three or more buying the same pass (of at least six consecutive days duration) for the same duration at the same time. The deal is that families who buy the same passes together will get the sixth day of their six day passes free, this means the total cost will be around 9% less than in the 23-24 season. In another move, the child price upper age limit is increasing to 17 rather than the ski/airline/travel norm of 12.
Essentially this means that the pass is available for groups of 3 or more people (with a maximum of 2 adults) and allowing for single-parent families with two children. For example 2 adults + 1 child (15 years old) now costs €972 for 3 x 6 day passes, a saving of 8.76% (€93) on last year. It's the same price and saving for 2 adults + 1 child (15 years old). Or 2 seniors + 2 grandchildren (under 18 years old) would be €1295.60 for 4 x 6 day passes, saving 9.08% (€129.40) compared to the €1425 they'd have paid last winter. Image Credit Les Meuires Vincent Lottenberg |
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St Anton is the latest resort in the Alps to have been hit and damaged by violent storms, but the resort says the clear up is progressing well. The worst of the storms hit on Friday with land slips closing the Arlberg Pass and flash flooding in St Anton itself reported to have washed cars down streets and damaged many buildings. This morning though the resort's tourist office has been keen to stress that things are returning to normal, issuing this statement.
Last December the French ski resort of Risoul was severely damaged by flash floods and land slips which delayed its season start by several weeks and more recently Zermatt and a ski village near Les 2 Alpes were among ski resorts hit by similar weather events after the ski season has ended. 
You can find out more about the summer floods in Episode 218 of The Ski Podcast. |
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New Zealand ski areas have reported up to 50cm (20") of snowfall through the weekend resulting in some of the best conditions of the year to date today. However, there was so much snow many centres delayed opening, with others saying they could not open today at all until lifts are dug out and avalanche safety measures taken. Unlike most previous snowfalls this season to date, the snowfall was also heavy down to valleys in many areas, which has also caused issues with access road closures.
However, Porters, pictured below today, did manage to open by the afternoon and reported,
Most New Zealand ski areas were already posting their best conditions of the season to date, which is entering its final month for some, although several plan to stay open to the latter half of October. Most were already fully open with base depths in the 1m-2m bracket.  |
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As the last centre still operating in North America ends its 23-24 season, more and more Canadian and US resorts have been announcing their anticipated 24-25 season opening dates …with some possibly less than two months away. Although no ski area has as yet named an October opening date, a number of centres are hoping to open then, if conditions permit it. Those conditions are typically plenty of low temperatures to allow snowmaking with a big early snowfall a bonus. In past years resorts opening in October have included high altitude ski areas like Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, Wolf Creek and Silverton in Colorado as well as sometimes East coast and Midwest ski areas is early autumn temperatures are unusually cold. Colorado's Keystone have confirmed they do plan to open as soon as possible from mid-October on. In terms of set target season opening dates though we're into November Canada's Marmot Basin is looking to open November 8th, all being well with Lake Louise to the south going for the same date. Nearby Banff's Sunshine setting a "tentative" November 9th. Syun Peaks will be the first in BC to open a week later on the 16th and North America's biggest area Whistler Blackcomb will open a fortnight later on the 22nd. In the US Colorado's high-altitude Breckenridge is scheduled to open November 8th, Vail Mountain on the 15th, the same as Mammoth Mountain in California. Heavenly and Northstar in California and Park City Mountain in Utah, biggest in the US, on the 22nd. November 27 will see more Colorado areas Beaver Creek and Crested Butte as well as The Palisades in California opening just in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, with Aspen Snowmass also opening just in time on 28th November. Timberline on Mt Hood in Oregon is the last ski area open in North America, as usuakl, but winds up its 9-month plus 23-24 ski season later today, Sunday 18th, August. |
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Alas you know La Plagne better than I do, but I asked them so hopefully some of below answers question/helpful… Roche de Mio gondola project The Société d'Aménagement de La Plagne's aim is to facilitate visitor access to the highest area of the resort (3,080 m) in both summer and winter. The first step was Les Glaciers gondola which has been in operation since December 2023. The last chain in the whole project is the redevelopment of the Roche de Mio gondola. Opening planned for December 2025. What will change? - Removal of the existing Roche de Mio gondola from Belle Plagne to Roche de Mio, keeping just the section between Plagne Bellecôte and Belle Plagne. - Construction of a new gondola following a different line: starting from Plagne Bellecôte (1,930 m) passing through an intermediate station at Col de Forcle (2,273 m) and arriving at Roche de Mio (2,739 m). - Capacity: 10 seats (6 seats in the current gondola) - Skier flow: 3,140 people/hr (1,440 people/hr in the current gondola) - Journey time: 7 to 9 minutes (16 to 17 minutes in the current gondola) To reply specifically to: "So will this run along side the existing lift to increase capacity or will the old lift terminate at Belle Plagne?" The old lift will terminate at Belle Plagne. The video here shows the whole project: https://vimeo.com/960101558/03bf87bc9c |
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One of the world's original indoor snow centres, and one of the longest surviving, The SnowDome at Tamworth, is celebrating its 30th year of operations in 2024. The SnowDome is planning a 'Dirty 30 Party on 12th October to mark the occasion noting,
Indoor snow centres in various forms had been around since the 1920s and a modern revival had begun with centres opening in Australia, Belgium and Japan six years before the snowdome. However, the Tamworth facility claimed to be the first in the world to use real snow under a patented process from locally based snowmaking company Acer Snowmec. The company that operated the Tamworth facility, which at one point also operated one of the world's first indoor snow centres in Australia, also trademarked the name Snowdome. All earlier indoor snow centres used various chemical concoctions to make a snow like substance. Most of the predecessors have long since ceased trading but there are a few that date from the latge 80s/early 90s that switched to real snow later that predate The Snowdome. Over the years the centre has added two beginner areas below main slope and in late 2004 Tamworth added the world's first indoor snowmobile track. Other improvements at the time included a large new bar and dining complex overlooking the snow as well as new party and conference rooms. In 2016 The Snowdome announced a £400,000 extension with the centre's existing gym level completely redesigned. Through the past 30 years the Snowdome has withstood various challenges, including extreme weather and most recently its proximity to an attack on a nearby hotel by right wing thugs which led to The Snowdome being evacuated for public safety fears. Tamworth's slope was the longest in the UK for a decade or so. There is a ninety-degree bend on the run where the width is greater than its standard 30m. Slope gradients are 12 to 13 degrees. There's also be a real-snow play area for children aged two to eight, next to the SnowDome's current ice rink. A track for the Bond-style snow scooters runs around the outside, served by a fleet of 21 Polaris snow mobiles, adapted for safe use indoors. |
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Zell am See in the Austria's Salzburgerland is the latest to build a new high altitude year-round viewing platform. The new Kaiserblick viewing platform at the top station of the Schmittenhöhe cable car, located at an altitude of 2,000m provides stunning views out over the resort and lake as well as more than 30 3,000-metre peaks, which, a resort spokesperson said, "…you can get up close and personal with using a telescope." At its furthest extent the platform rises 30 metres above the mountainside below and some sections have a glass floor. Many mountain resorts have added viewing platforms in recebnt years to try to increase their year round appeal for non-skiers. The Zell am see-Kaprun resort already has another, higher platform at 3,029m on the Kitzsteinhorn which provides views of the glaciated flanks of the three thousand metre peaks of the Hohe Tauern National Park and looking south you can see Austria's highest mountain, the 3,798-metre Grossglockner. 
(construction work nearing completion in July) |
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