J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Saas Fee has re-named itself 'The Free Republic' following a public vote in the high Swiss village.

The full implications of that declaration of independence are yet to become clear, but the glacier village has at least decided to throw a carnival now the days are finally getting longer.

Carnival in Saas Fee means colourful Guggenmusik groups, the ghosts of carnivals past such as the scary tschäggätta and, the resort promises, "plenty more fun and craziness besides."

This year the village is also holding theirr first Nostalgia Day, featuring various vintage ski races. With these you can learn more about the history of skiing and experience a ride on a pair of retro skis. Or you could go even further back in time and try out plain wooden skis from the earliest days of the sport.

For something more exciting a 'fire and ice' evening with 'Snow & Style nights' are a sight to behold,

This year visitors can once again look forward to amazing stunts and performances!" says a statement from the resort.

The resort also promises that despite the high-riding Swiss Franc, in their self-styled 'Free Republic of Holidays Saas-Fee', your pound retains plenty of spending power thanks to a range of special deals.

There's also the resort's recently revamped Soul Kitchen, the highest revolving restaurant in the world to visit, or you can stop by the Spielboden mountain restaurant, which is under new management this season.

I've been a few times and like it a lot but wouldn't put it top of my list, top 20 maybe...

Lake Tahoe in California hasn't been as snowy as usual this winter so far, but it is big on love, at least at Alpine Meadows, which is laying on a swathe of Valentine's Day activities to enjoy.

There are plenty of more conventional (although very nice sounding) dinner and accommodation packages, but one of the more unusual ideas is being offered by the Wildflour Baking Company located at the resort's Olympic House which will be conducting a poetry contest with the best poet to be awarded a Wildflour cookie pass. Or if you lack inspiration yourself they will also be serving heart-shaped poem cookies with a Valentine's Day poem scripted on it for your sweetheart, available Feb 11-14.

If you have not currently got a true love and are looking to meet someone new on the mountain you can pick up an "I Love Squaw" pin badge at the base of the mountain on Saturday, Feb. 11, Sunday, Feb. 12 and Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Then simply line up in the singles line at the KT lift to find your like-minded match.

Or you can play a game of 'Meet your Match', Saturday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 12, for a chance to find love or at the very least win discounted drinks. To take part grab a numbered sticker from a guest services team member and if you find someone with that same number, bring them to the KT Base Bar to get two drinks for $2 each.

Those already 'in a relationship' can take a ride with their sweetheart up Squaw Valley's cable car to High Camp, elevation 8,200 feet and enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding snowcapped peaks of Squaw Valley while you dine.

The $99 dinner package includes a rose for the lady and sparkling cider on the cable car ride up the mountain. Once at High Camp, guests will enjoy a three-course meal complete with a glass of wine while a live pianist sets a romantic mood.

Indulge in the seared diver scallops or one of our other options for your main course. Top it off with a warm molten chocolate cake - the perfect Valentine's dessert. You can also buy two-for-one cable car tickets for $29.

Engelberg in Switzerland has increased the choice o things to do for families and children in particular on the slopes. There may be one of the world's biggest lift served verticals but you don't need to ski.

The resort's Starterland and Sliding Park below the sun terrace of Hotel Trübsee noew has a snow-tube run, an additional toboggan slope, a Zipfel Bob, Snake-Gliss (slide) and a beginners' slope. To help you to the top there's a 120 m long Magic Carpet. Depending on snow conditions, this
There's also an exciting snowXpark up at Lake Trübsee, a one-of-a-kind winter activity.

There are snowXbikes and recently added snowXmobile which are designed especially for budding snow motor racers aged 10 years old and up. The new electric snowmobile is the perfect vehicle for beginning snowmobile riders.

For younger children there's a new Childcare Centre, led by the Swiss Ski School of Engelberg-Titlis - located in the Titlis Rental Station at the valley base station.

The centre is designed for children two-years old and up and is open daily from 8:45 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Hourly arrangements and meal arrangements are also available.

Ski lessons and daycare for three year olds and up is offered, beginning at 9:15 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Western Canada has joined France is assaying its snowfall is at or near record levels for winter 20111-12 already.

Marmot Basin has received over 12 feet (372 cm) of snowfall so far this winter which is 93% of its annual average. If the next three months produce typical amounts of snowfall, Marmot Basin will exceed its all time snowfall record of 529 cm set way back in 1965.

Meanwhile over the border in British Columbia, January has gone down as one of the snowiest on record.

Fernie and Kicking Horse with total snowfall at both over 19 feet (nearly six metres) now.

Yesterday alone, Fernie recweived 30cm (a foot) overnight!
"A big plus for many is soft natural snow. Note from our Mountain Operations experts state that natural snow and lots of it makes the ski runs ski soft and supple, without any of that icy, hard-pack type experience that you may get at other ski resorts," said a statement from the resort, with a possible reference to the fact that many big resorts south of the border are still relying on machine made snow.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort located 2.5 hours west of Calgary and recently joined Fernie and a third BC resort, Kimberley, as parts of the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies group.

Back in Marmot Basin skiers and boarders are not only basking in near record snow conditions, they also have two new chairlifts to ride this winter including the new Paradise high speed quad chair. Marmot Basin has installed three new chairlifts in as many years and is leading all Canadian ski areas in ski lift development.

"Marmot Basin is not the same ski area it was three years ago. The three new chairlifts we have installed, along with all our other improvements, has really transformed the ski experience at Marmot", commented Brian Rode from the resort. "I've talked to people who have come back to Marmot after a few years away and they are blown away by how different and how much better the mountain is", he adds.

Marmot Basin will be open until May 6th this season thanks in part to all the snow Mother Nature has bestowed upon the area and also thanks to the state-of-the-art snowmaking system that was installed in 2006.

British ski racing star, and more recently Dancing on Ice star, Chemmy Alccott has become an official 'Brand Ambassador' for the hi-tec sports underwear company Mizuno.

Chemmy has been the most successful British ski racer for the past decade, representing her country in three Winter Olympic Games and six FIS World Championships and she is also a seven-time Overall Senior British National Champion.

But Chemmy has had to battle with injuries throughout her life including recovering from a broken neck when aged only 11 and most recently a seriously broken leg at the Lake Louise world cup in late 2010. Chemmy is now on the long comeback trail from that injury with the aim of competing for Britain in her fourth Olympics at Sochi in 2014.

"As a professional skier we try to tick every box regarding what we're wearing. You would not believe how much technology is involved," said the 29 year old explaining her new partnership with the sports underwear brand. "Mizuno are renowned for their ground-breaking technical innovations and their undergarments are products that I really believe in. Anything that keeps my muscles warm and prevents even an inkling of injury going into what I do is really important," said Alcott.

Mizuno's performance underwear is d packed full of technology and designed to accommodate the everyday demands of outdoor sport and activity right up to pro standard. Available as a full range of sports apparel and accessories, Mizuno's fabric technologies include Dynamic Plus to reduce the stress and friction of movement, Thermal Plus to maintain body heat and Protect Plus to keep the inside of the garment dry.

"A rehabbing athlete is one of the toughest lives you can lead," admitted Alcott. "When I finally return to racing there's a chance I will never better my all-time highest ranking of eighth in the world but there is no way I can retire from a crash. I know I've got more fight left in me to reach the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the self-belief to get there."

At the forefront of Mizuno's technologies is the newly introduced Breath Thermo, a revolutionary material which generates heat therefore sustaining body warmth for the wearer. It also acts to reduce the humidity between the skin and the fabric, allowing the wearer to enjoy outdoor winter sports while remaining warm, dry and comfortable.

"The unique thing about Breath Thermo and the other technologies is that they're relevant to a variety of different sportspeople tackling the colder climate conditions and this is why it so great to be joining with Chemmy," said Mizuno's UK Marketing Manager, Sarah Neal. "No matter the winter sport you choose, from golf or running to mountain sports, there's a Mizuno product to suit every active outdoor person out there."

To see exclusive behind the scenes footage from Chemmy Alcott's Breath Thermo photo-shoot visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCI531EZztE.

In an unusual new marketing development, Mountain High resort in California, the 'local' ski slope for LA has announced it has launched its own online snowboarding video game, the Cholula Triple Air, which will work on both PCs and Macs.

The free to play game gives players the chance to fly over 70 foot kickers and throw back to back switch Rodeo 900s or perhaps a few double back flips and triple cork 1260s before breakfast.

The Cholula Triple Air game is branded with the resort's signature graphics and competitors have the ability to customize their players; male or female, regular or goofy, pants, jackets, hats, goggles, and more.

There's a short tutorial that will help players get familiar with the controls and then it's on to the big event.

"Almost anything is possible and, once at the bottom, riders have the ability to replay their runs and take snapshots of their favourite tricks," said a resort statement.

To start playing now head to: http://mthigh.com/archive/pages/MyTP/index.html

Snowy Laax

It was possibly an unlucky decision that the 13th Burton European Open should be postponed – it was taken in early December when there had been almost no snowfall in the Alps and the organizers feared then there would not be enough to build the pipe and other elements required for the contest. The Open is normally staged in January each year.

With one of the snowiest Decembers and Januarys ever to follow, how wrong they were, but still the decision had been made and the Swiss resort of Laax is now gearing up for the revised dates for the event in a little over three week's time from 25th February - 3rd March 2012

The contest, one of the biggest in the Alps, brings together 400 amateur and pro snowboarders and it'll be the eight successive year it's been staged in Laax, which has built a reputation for itself for freestyle and boarders, with several world class terrain parks, an indoor Freestyle Academy training hall, and also host to our own BRITS national championships and festival later in the season.

The best snowboarders in the world will be in town, a list that currently includes Mark McMorris, Jamie Anderson and Kelly Clark competing on the slopes of Crap Soin Gion in disciplines including Halfpipe and Slopestyle with prize money worth over £80,000 to be won.

It's a fun week for all involved with amateurs down to junior level competing alongside their heroes and the local restaurants and bars putting on an array of side events.

Equally, visitors can hit the slopes between watching events and try out one of the resort's four snow parks and Europe's biggest half pipe.

Friday 2nd March will see the Riders Palace Lounge transformed into a Space themed party venue and artists Trouble Andrew and Reptile Youth will give live performances at the Open's finale on closing day.