J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Kind hearted folks at one Californian ski area have decided to open for skiing the day before the world ends on 21st December, and offer free skiing for the day to their possibly final customers.

"With the world all worked up over the Mayan doomsday catastrophe, we felt we had a duty to invite outdoor enthusiasts to celebrate on Dec. 20," Rosie Sundell, the senior marketing director for Bear Valley Resorts told media, "So turn that climate-apocalypse frown upside down!"

Tickets normally cost $62 so it's quite a saving.
Anyone planning to fly to California to take advantage of the free skiing and boarding could make a week of it and stay on for more events including Santa visiting the slopes on Xnas Eve and live music, a balloon drop and fireworks at the lodge in Bear Valley Village on New Years eve is the world doesn't end.

However the resort does warn that those events are potentially "subject to change"... "if world catastrophe occurs" on December 21st.

Engelberg's popular late night shuttle bus service from Zurich airport to the resort is back for 2012-13.

The idea is that you can work until 6pm; catch the flight around 8pm and take advantage of the late shuttle service provided by Engelberg Titlis Tourism at 11 pm and be the first on the slopes the next day. With a transfer time of less than 90 minutes.

Engelberg-Titlis is the closest snow sure ski resort to Zürich Airport and offers a late shuttle transfer each Thursday and Friday until 14th April 2013.

The service connects with Swiss flights including the 21.40 arrival from Birmingham, 21.45 from Manchester , the 22.30 from London City Airport and the 22.40 from London Heathrow as well as the British Airways 22.00 flight from London Heathrow.

www.engelberg.ch/airport_shuttle

Stylish Italian ski area Madonna di Campiglio is hosting the 'Wrooom' event next month. The gathering of Ferrari car drivers and Ducati bike riders to the prestigious little town in Val Rendena has been staged for 24 years now and remains ever popular for car/bike fans and participants who also enjoy snow sports.

This year's event runs from 14 to 19 January and includes a large number of events planned to show off the vehicles for the gently drooling audience.

Hot on the heels of the new Porsche designed chairlift at Laax in Switzerland comes the BMW gondola cabin in the Hochzillertal ski area of the Austrian Tirol.

Yes, this winter guests staying at the luxurious on-mountain ski lodges, the Wedelhuette or the Kristallhuette, in the Hochzillertal ski area can arrive in true VIP-style.
One of the Leitner designed gondola cabins has been transformed into the interior of a BMW 7-series limousine, including brown leather seats with massage and heating function, multimedia system and most importantly a champagne glass holder.

A ride on the 'BMW Individual for Leitner' gondola (www.vipgondel.at/en) starts from €25 per person for guests staying at the Wedelhuette or Kristallhuette or from €75 per person, including ski pass and lunch at one of the properties for non-residents.

It's not the first creative use of a gondola in recent years. Germany's Arber ski area's gondola operated both the 'Cuddle Cabin' with tinted glass windows (enough said...) and has been known to convert gondolas in to a fairy tale carriage designs for weddings. Yllas in Finland famously operates a wood clad sauna cabin which users cook in en route up before diving out to roll in the snow at the top.

CairnGorm Mountain (www.cairngormmountain.org) above Aviemore has just announced that Scotland's 2012-13 ski season will kick off tomorrow, Saturday 1st December, when skiing and boarding will be available on the upper part of the mountain. The Lecht is also opening.

At Cairngorm The Ciste and Polar Express tows will be operating and the funicular making middle station stops. About 30cm of snow has consolidated in the pistes with runs available in the Ciste fairway, on the traverse, the 105 and the zig-zags.

At the Lecht there are four runs with good cover on the upper and middle sections. Thin cover on the last section towards the lift access. Buzzard, Eagle1, Wren and Magic carpet has the best cover Grouse and Snowyowl thin cover on steep face.

Cairngorm has also been deploying the four snow guns it is trialling this year in these areas to build up a base in the areas which get the heaviest use.

Other Scottish areas seem to be close to opening. Nevis Range reports all slopes covered and one groomed but not quite enough snow yet to open. Glenshee and Glencoe are also looking white on the webcams but have not updated conditions reporting.

Last year Cairngorm opened 10 days later than this and two years ago it opened two weeks earlier so the resort's marketing manager Colin Kirkwood reckons this year they are bang on target.

Lifts will start running at 9am on Saturday and in view of the limited number of runs available special day ticket prices of £25 adult, £18 Student and Senior and £15 Junior will apply. Weather permitting the resort will remain open daily for snowsports from now on.

The funicular will also be running for visitors to CairnGorm Mountain's Christmas market in the Ptarmigan top station which has already attracted over 6000 visitors.

Cairngorm was included in a list of ski resorts in Europe published by Tripadvisor this week of the 15 resorts providing, "the best value for snowsports."

Anyone looking to get some snow time on the indoor snow slopes of North London can buy a limited edition indoor ski pass valid at The Snow Centre (0845 258 9000; www.thesnowcentre.com) at Hemel Hempstead valid for a special price of £60 for 12 hours, or £5 an hour.

The offer is available for recreational standard skiers and snowboarders between 1st and 21st December only. Children pay £48 for the same pass.

Most recreational skiers spend an hour or two on the slopes each time they visit an indoor snow centre, so the pass can be used for anything from one very long day on the slopes through to 12 one hour sessions, or any variant in between.

The Snow Centre is the closest real snow to the centre of London with 160m of piste, efficient drag lifts and the UK's largest indoor snow nursery slope.

"The Snow Centre is the perfect place to prepare for a snowsports holiday, remind your muscles how to ski or snowboard and improve your technique before you hit the mountains," said a statement on behalf of the centre.

"It's also great fun, a good place to socialise and at £5 an hour it's a snow-brainer!"

GoPro (gopro.com), manufacturers of those cool Hero cams that clip on helmets (and anywhere else you'd like) to shoot action footage of your time on the slopes have released a new version of the cool gizmo in a variety of models ranging from a £199.99 entry level White model to the sexy Hero3 Black edition weighing in at £359.99.

The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development the company says, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter and yet twice as powerful as previous models.

The new camera is wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197' (60m), capable of capturing ultra-wide angle HD video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second. It features GoPro App compatibility and includes the Wi-Fi Remote (normally a separate accessory at extra cost).

It may still only be November, and the first charter flights may not yet have taken off to the increasingly snowy Alpine slopes for the start of winter 2012-13 next month, but the country's largest ski holiday tour operator Crystal (0871 231 2256; www.crystalski.co.uk) have already released their first holiday packages for winter 2013-14.

One of the best deals is in fact for a week's self catering at the Residence Sunotel in Les Carroz, France, departing on 2 March 2014 from Gatwick including airport transfers for which prices start at £329 per person (based on four sharing). If you can't wait that long the same price is offered for 4 January 2014 departures.

No new destinations have been announced so far, but many of the old favourite early booking offers are back for 2013-14, and you have four months to book to take advantage of them – the cut off date to qualify is book by 31 March 2013.

They include a 2for1 ski/board hire offer, saving up to £89, to any European ski resort flying with Thomson Airways. You'd save £89 with this deal in Lech for example. There's also free ski equipment for children in over 60 resorts if an adult pre-books the same. Or take your own gear and get 2for1 ski carriage, saving up to £35.

Crystal Ski Plus packages will be back priced from £419 per person (based on Chamrousse Apartments, departure 11 Jan 2014, four sharing). The packages include flights, transfers, local lift pass, ski/board hire or ski carriage and a week's accommodation.