Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
Zermatt is offering skiers and boarders in the famous Swiss resort the chance to be the first on the slopes on a Thursday morning each week. Known as the "First Track" package, participants are exclusively allowed to board the cable car up to Trockener Steg and have first dibs on the freshly groomed slopes back down to the valley before breakfast. The day begins at 7:40am at the valley station of the Matterhorn glacier paradise and the package includes a breakfast buffet between 8:30 and 10:30am in the ICE mountain restaurant at Trockener Steg. The package costs 30 Swiss francs in addition to the regular lift ticket price (lift pass must be shown when paying) and participants must buy tickets on the Wednesday, the day before in the Snow and Alpine Centre or at the valley station of the Matterhorn glacier paradise. Zermatt's slopes are open 365 days a year but the First Track package is available until 12th April. |
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Nice one! Well I nicked it off www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ "Record snow falls in Japan: Over two metres of snow fell on the Japanese island of Hokkaido on Monday, the most since records began in 1946." If you go there now a nice young lady will tell you all about it. |
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Be thee in California or Courchevel there is reported to be bad weather a'brewin out west that looks set to dump between one and two metres of snow by the end of the weekend. The most excited area is California which has seen the most dramatic switcheroo from last winter's epic falls with almost no natural snowfall this winter to date. That's about to change big time if the forecasters are right. "A storm is predicted to hit Tahoe late Wednesday, January 18 and continue through the weekend, dropping up to several feet of snow. Some forecasts calling for six feet!" said an excited Vail resorts statement – the company owns Heavenly and Northstar by Lake Tahoe. In Europe there's been a largely snowless seven days in the Alps after the first 10 days of 2012 brought some of the biggest January snowfalls ever seen in France, Austria and Switzerland. The snow is due to return in the next few days, with the northern Alps, particularly France forecast to receive the biggest falls – with some predicting as much as another metre of snow at the weekend. Elsewhere in the world weather extremes have been reported in recent days too. Calgary in Canada's Alberta is in the midst of an Arctic Blast that has taken temperatures down as low as -30C. Some resorts like Lake Louise have closed upper runs as a health and safety precaution. Others not much further away, like Fernie, have been seeing as much as 75cm of new snow in 24 hours. In Japan, the northerly island of Hokkaido, home to some of the famously snowy Japanese resorts like Niseko, has seen some record snowfalls (even by their standards) in the past few days too with one resort reporting 2m, of fresh snow in 48 hours. |
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Another one of those wonderful surveys has been published, this time by banking giants Santander in a bid to publicise their insurance products. A company called Opinium Research carried out the research that generated the results below on behalf of Santander by contacting over 9,000 adults between 14 – 18 March 2011 of whom over 750 turned out to be skiers or snowboarders. Among Opinium's findings were that: 17 per cent of Brits have hit the slopes for the first time having only practiced on a games console such as a Nintendo Wii. And less surpringly: "Skiing or snowboarding under the influence of alcohol is the most common cause of accidents." "One in seven didn't have travel insurance or didn't check to see if they were covered for accidents." "One in four (23 per cent) admits to having skied or boarded much faster than they should for their level of ability and having attempted to negotiate a piste that was too difficult for their level of skill." "A further 23 per cent admit to hitting the slopes without taking any lessons from a professional." Of those surveyed who had been skiing or snowboarding in the past five years, more than half (54 per cent) have been skiing or snowboarding without wearing a helmet, one in four (23 per cent) had been skiing while still under the influence of alcohol from the night before, and 17 per cent while under the influence from lunchtime drinking. The company warns that, "ski accidents can be costly," pointing out that air ambulances alone can cost up to £30,000 in North America. It also points out that skiers or snowboarders who take to the slopes while under the influence of alcohol or without wearing a helmet may find they are not covered for any accidents, so it is essential that people read their insurance policies closely. Moyra O'Doherty, Group Marketing Manager for Santander Insurance, said, "People can get a little over-excited when they are on skiing and snowboarding holidays, and while they should of course enjoy themselves, it is very easy to forget how easy and potentially costly it is to get injured on the mountain. The company is urging skiers and boarders to take adequate precautions on the slopes, as its findings reveal that one in five (20 per cent) skiers and boarders have had an accident that required professional medical treatment, but one in seven (14 per cent) of those going away either don't have travel insurance or bother to check whether they are covered for winter sports accidents. The most common injuries suffered were knee injuries, experienced by 18 per cent of all those who have had an accident, ligament or tendon damage in the wrist or arm (10 per cent), broken wrist (9 per cent), and broken arm (8 per cent), broken leg or ankle (8 per cent), or head injury (8 per cent). Santander, which offers winter sports cover as an option in its travel insurance policies, says that according to its claims data, medical expenses claims account for over 62 per cent of all snowsports claims received. The company estimates that there are around 212,000 skiers and snowboarders in the UK who have required professional medical treatment for an injury suffered but haven't been able to claim on a travel insurance policy because they weren't covered. |
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Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada has just got started on a month-long celebration of winter to compliment other famous fests in the region such as the long running Jasper in January to the north. The first-annual 'SnowDays' festival seeks to build on the traditions of past winter carnivals whilst establishing new events with a fun-filled month of weekday activities and weekend festivals which will add an extra dimension for anyone holidaying in the region any time from today January 14 through to the festival's finale on February 12, 2012. Some of the events on offer include ice climbing in central Banff, skating on the town's new ice rink and touring snow sculptures on display there too. "SnowDays is an exciting new festival that celebrates this extraordinary winter wonderland we have in Banff National Park," said Julie Canning, President and CEO of Banff Lake Louise Tourism. "We're welcoming people to come and enjoy one of Canada's great natural treasures while it is beautifully blanketed in powdery snow and has so much to offer outdoor and cultural enthusiasts alike." Additional festival activities throughout the month will include live theatre performances, a heritage geocache, photography exhibitions and "endless" winter sport opportunities featuring everything from cross-country skiing to curling and snowshoeing to skiing. Lake Louise will play host to 'Ice Magic' which sees a world-class ice carving competition over two weekends which is expected to be main event for SnowDays. The month of activities will be rounded off with Banff's first-ever 'Take It To The Street' ball hockey tournament, coinciding with the Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada in February. |
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Vail say that a new gondola they'll start work on as soon as their ski season ends in April will be the fastest of its type in the world. The lift, which will contain cabins capable of seating up to 10 people, will be completed in time for the resort's 50th anniversary in November. The new gondola will be a replacement for the Vista Bahn Express lift and have heated, cushioned seating in the cabins, which will also be wi-fi enabled. Manufactured by Leitner Poma, it will incrrease capacity on the route by 40% by carrying more people per cabin uphill faster. The new lift will make the ascent in 7.5 minutes, 90 seconds faster than the existing lift and its speed of 1200 feet per minute is the fastest yet for a lift of this type. |
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After France and Switzerland, Austria is the latest European country to report sensational snowfall. The famous ski nation had already been faring well with snowfall from mid-December but the accumulations seem to have stepped up another gear with several resorts in the Tirol reporting that January 2012 is the snowiest for 30 years. For the resorts of Nauders and Galtür the claim is the most January snow in 60 years. Some of the heaviest snowfall of the past 24 hours has been recorded at Berwang, in the Zugspitz Arena in the north of the country close to the German border, with up to 70cm (2.3 feet) falling. The famous Arlberg region – home to St Anton and Lech – has reported snow depths on the Galzig now at 550cm (18 feet) and on the Valluga at 585cm (six inches under 20 feet). It has been snowing over in the east of the Tirol region too, with the Skiwelt Wilder-Kaiser Brixental reporting 50cm, Kitzbühel 30cm and the Alpbach Valley reporting 40cm of fresh snow. Later this week the forecast suggests a little sunshine is on its way, which should create some of the most amazing skiing conditions once slopes are made avalanche safe and in some cases, villages that are currently cut off, have access rail and road routes dug out. The Tirol Tourist Board says that while it can be easy to get carried away with the excitement of fresh powder, heavy snowfall over a short period of time can also increase the risk of avalanche danger. "Understanding mountain safety is an absolute must both on- and off-piste." Said a statement from the tourist board, which recommends all skiers and boarders follow the following five basic safety tips to enjoy their holiday to the full: 1) Get informed: weather forecasts, snow reports and avalanche bulletins are widely available on the internet and through the local tourist offices. Conditions can change quickly in the mountains so always be prepared. Always carry a piste map and know how to get help if needed. 2) Signage: take notice of what's around you – make sure you know your location and take note of the difficulty level of the piste. Most importantly pay attention to signs, issuing warnings such as piste closed or to the flags notifying the avalanche danger level. Don't ignore the signs – they are there for a reason! 3) Protection: wear the right equipment and clothing. Protecting your head is vital – so make sure you wear a helmet. If you choose to go off-piste, always go with a certified guide and don't forget to carry a transceiver, probe and shovel. Having the correct safety equipment and more importantly, knowing how to use it, is fundamental. 4) Be responsible: check out the FIS (International Ski Federation) rules for ski and snowboard conduct – your Highway Code to the slopes! Always make sure the skier in front has priority and adapt the manner and speed of your skiing to your ability and the conditions on the mountain. 5) Learn from the experts: ski instructors and guides know the mountains better than anyone and booking a lesson or a few hours guiding can not only improve your skiing skills, but provide you with local knowledge about the mountains and resort. |
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Sorry, yes, Austria seems to be hitting the snowy headlines more in the past few days - I was trying to do a 'retrospective of the past month' Weird to think Ischgl was (allegedly) spending half a million Euros a day at the end of November on snowmaking so they could make their bit opening weekend...
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