J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

In common with many resorts in the Alps, the huge snowfalls at La Plagne in France have transformed the resort for the start of the season with over three feet (90cm) of new snow falling since Monday and it is still snowing. 40cm (1.3 ft) of snow fell on Wednesday alone.

"La Plagne, part of Paradiski it shares with Les Arcs, one of the world's biggest ski regions, is expecting to have a very very white Christmas this year." Said a statement on behalf of the resort.

La Plagne is due to open high altitude villages this Saturday (10th Dec) with the full resort opening on Saturday 17th December as originally scheduled.

Snow levels so far are:

3250 meters high: 100cm (3.2 ft)
2700 meters high : 80cm (2.7 ft)
2000 meters high : 50cm (1.6 ft)

...and climbing.

La Plagne & Paradiski lift passes:

Along with downhill snow sports, La Plagne is promoting other things to do on the snow this wsinter.

These include ice climbing on what the resort says is the only artificial outdoor ice climbing structure in the world; bob sleigh, bob raft and skeleton on the resort's Olympic bobsleigh run; driv0ing a piste basher; snow body boarding and night skiing.

In another one of those surveys we all love, a PR company working for Sainsbury's Travel Money has discovered that, "skiers and snowboarders are slashing their holiday budgets this year."

They commissioned ICM to carry out an online survey between 23rd and 25th September 2011 of 2,024 British adults across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults and the results have just been published.

The findings revealed that only one in five people (20%) who have previously skied or snowboarded plan to go this winter and of those almost three quarters (73%) plan to reduce the cost of their holiday.

More than a quarter of those planning to hit the slopes this winter (28%) plan to take packed lunches instead of eating in mountain restaurants and 26% plan to stay in cheaper accommodation. Nearly one in four (23%) say they'll stay in a cheaper resort and almost one in five (19%) intend to go to a country where the cost of living and exchange rate lets their money go further.

Sainsbury's Travel Money's research also found that 16% of those planning to hit the slopes this winter will borrow ski clothes and equipment instead of buying or hiring it, and one in ten (9%) will purchase cheaper ski clothes from department stores or second-hand shops. Worryingly, 18% say they will not have ski lessons and 2% say they won't take out travel insurance in order to save money.

"In a time of financial uncertainty it seems that many enthusiasts are being forced to either forgo their holiday or try to find ways of reducing the cost of their trip. Looking beyond the traditional ski destinations can provide a way of saving significant sums on a ski holiday. Skiers and snowboarders should also look to reduce the cost in other ways such as shopping around for the most competitive rates on their travel money and arrange it as far in advance as they can," said David Barrett of Sainsbury's Travel Money.

In a bizarre twist in the surreal world of people trying to research a subject they don't seem to understand and have apparently not checked with anyone who knows anything about skiing or world travel before going public with a press release, Sainsbury's Travel Money go on to suggest the former world's highest slopes in Bolivia that closed five years ago, the war zone that is Afghanistan and has no ski lifts, the slopes of Mt Hermon in Israel, build on border ,lands taken from Syria with klift operators carrying automatic weapons or a small ski hill in Croatia might be good 'value' options for those seeking to save a few pounds,

"For those with more adventurous tastes, for around £1,345 two adults could visit Oukaimeden in Morocco, Africa's highest ski resort where donkeys rather than shuttle buses wander back and forth between lifts. A relative bargain can also be found at the Mount Hermon Range in Israel, at £2,218 for the week, or even Bamiyan in Afghanistan at £2,308."

Sainsbury's Travel Money's study of the cost of two adults going away for one week including flights, transfers, a three or four star hotel stay and lift passes, reveals that Bjelolasica in Croatia was the cheapest of the resorts studied at £1,024. This is closely followed by Kranjska Gora in Slovenia at £1,204 and Bansko in Bulgaria at £1,261.

By contrast, Sainsbury's say, Hokkaido in Japan in the most expensive of the destinations studied, at over £5,200 for a week's stay. This is followed by £4,224 at Faraya in Lebanon (which itself means 'snow') and the more traditional destinations of Whistler in Canada (£3,807) and Vail in the US (£3,735).

Those who prefer staying closer to home could visit Aviemore, one of the first ski resorts to be established in Scotland, though it could still cost upward of £2,100 for two people for a week for those flying from London say Sainsburys, failing to note overnight train travel there is possible for £19 each way from London or that most people living north of Watford Gap could drive for a fraction of that or get a far cheaper flight than the ones they managed to find if they shop around a bit.

Ski destinations across the globe this Christmas

Guide price for 2 adults including flights, transfers, 3 or 4 star hotel and 6-day lift passes, between Christmas and New Year

Japan - Kiroro Hokkaido £5,271.55
Lebanon - Faraya £4,223.93
Canada - Whistler £3,807.10
USA - Vail £3,734.70
Norway - Voss £3,508.31
Bolivia - Chacaltaya Glacier £3,002.11
UAE - Ski-Dubai £2,552.20
Switzerland - Verbier £2,527.71
Austria - St Anton £2,311.77
Afghanistan - Bamiyan £2,308.04
Italy – Cortina £2,301.92
Israel - Mount Hermon Range £2,218.04
France - Val d'Isere £2,186.44
Scotland – Aviemore £2,155.63
Morocco - Oukaimeden £1,345.31
Bulgaria – Bansko £1,260.55
Slovenia - Kranjska Gora £1,203.50
Croatia – Bjelolasica £1,024.36
Source: Sainsbury's Travel Money


Cost-cutting measures being employed by skiers and snowboarders this winter

(Cost-cutting measure/Percentage of skiers planning to do this)

Take packed lunches on the slopes instead of eating in mountain restaurants 28%
Stay in cheaper accommodation 26%
Go to a cheaper resort 23%
Go to a country where your money goes further 19%
Not have ski lessons 18%
Borrow ski clothes/equipment instead of hiring or buying it 16%
Go for a shorter holiday 14%
Use a friend / family's accommodation 11%
Buy cheaper ski clothes from department stores or second hand shops 9%
Leave the kids at home or with a family member 3%
Not take out travel insurance 2%
Other 3%

Source: Sainsbury's Travel Money

The government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia has announced that from winter 2012-13, everyone skiing or boarding at one of their four ski areas will be required to wear a helmet.

It's believed to be the first time that a region anywhere in the world has insisted that adults wear helmets for snowsports, although some ski resorts require their employees on the slopes to wear them and/or people taking lessons with their snowsports school.

France, Italy and New Jersey in the USA all require children up to certain ages to wear helmets, but not adults.

Nova Scotia will require ski areas to display notices warning people that they must wear helmets on the slopes or face a fine, but currently there are no plans to fine ski areas if people are seen using their slopes without helmets (as can be the case where children are spotted at some French and Italian resorts).

Provincial inspectors will be employed to visit ski areas and enforce compliance with the new rule, with fines of up to 250 Canadian Dollars for transgressors.

Since 2000, there have been 11 traumatic brain injuries attributed to people skiing or snowboarding without a helmet in Nova Scotia, said Health and Wellness Minister Maureen MacDonald who said it costs the health system about $400,000 per year to care for people with a brain injury.

Snow in Scotland over the past 48 hours looks to have brought about a foot of snow to the slopes (no official figures)in places. Snow depths in the valleys below were at 15cm in places and the road over to The Lecht was closed by snow today, however none of the five centres have yet indicated the liklihood of opening in the near future. Forecasts are for more wintery weather and snow in the next few days.

At Nevis Range the good news is that the centre's new piste basher was finally unloaded at the centre yesterday, in the middle of blizzard like conditions in the car park, fitting for a PistenBully 300 Polar. Coming from a resort in Switzerland, via the the PistenBully factory in Germany where is was reconditioned, it's 'new to Nevis' with just some 3,300 hours on the clock.

We're looking forward to getting it up and out on the slopes as soon as possible. Its blade is significantly larger than any of the existing groomers, so will be able to quickly shift hundreds of tonnes of snow around the pistes making it particularly useful for building jumps and shifting snow in the summit terrain park. It's also got a flex-tiller which will leave a cleaner and much better prepared piste than before.

"Now we just have to wait for enough snow to open!" said Heather Negus from Nevis Range.

After a spate of "No snow in the Alps" stories became increasingly prominent in the world's media thanks to reports on the BBC's website and syndicated pieces from the Associated Press and Reuters (oddly all three focusing solely on Switzerland and ignoring the rest of the Alps with identical or worse problems) – there are at last reports of healthy snowfalls across Europe over the past 48 hours, with accumulations rapidly gathering pace.

Obviously having failed to check their webcams yesterday, today the Daily Mail and Metro both released rather damning reports about the state of the snow in the Alps.

Ski travel agency www.PowderBeds.com totted up the local accumulations and sent out an excited email,

"It's all white, snow has arrived across Europe! Heavy snow fell across the Alps last night, with snow forecasted throughout the remainder of this week," said a company spokesman.

Report from the slopes:

Chamonix: considerable snowfall this weekend with another 50cm forecasted over the remainder of this week. The Grands Montets cable car is due to open as planned on the 17th December 2011 (provided by Chamonix Tourist Office).

Meribel: 40cm of snow this weekend with another 40cm on its way this week. They have confirmed the slopes are in great shape and that lifts will open as planned on the 10th December. (provided by Meribel Tourist Office).

Klosters: 10cm fell last night with 50cm to 70cm snow forecast for the rest of the week. (provided by Markus Unterfinger Head of Communication, Destination Davos Klosters).

St Gervais: snow fell over the weekend, with good coverage above 1600m. Heavy snowfalls at altitude on Sunday night (provided by Chris Barrow, owner Chalet La Charme).

Chamonix and Les Contamines: snow has fallen right to the villages of Chamonix and Les Contamines at only 1000m. Cold weather will consolidate recent snow falls (provided by Chris Barrow, owner Chalet La Charme).

The Ski Utah Interconnect Adventure Tour is back for 2011-12 offering a unique way to experience the Wasatch mountain backcountry of Utah via routes in and out of up to six different ski resorts.

Tours depart daily from Deer Valley or Snowbird (on alternating days), and are head via the slopes of Park City Mountain Resort, Solitude, Brighton and Alta with seasoned guides leading the way via off-piste routes between the neighbouring areas.

The Interconnect Adventure Tour is open to anyone aged 16 and over (16 and 17 year olds must be accompanied by an adult) who is physically fit and competent to ski advanced and off piste back country terrain. The route covers around 25 miles and tour guides are trained in snow safety and backcountry etiquette.

The tours operate seven days a week, subject to snow and weather conditions, and costs $295 (around £180) per person and includes guide service, lunch, lift access, transportation back to point of origin and a finisher's pin (tips not included). www.skiutah.com/winter/adventures/interconnect

I know, you half wonder why a lot of resorts commit to opening dates in late Nov/early Dec when it's bound to be problematic say one year in four. Suppose it's all down to business and they have to give a date for people to make advance bookings, but even if they said, "We hope to run our lifts by date X but our official opening date will be date X' - somewhere nearer to Christmasm, that would be better. Maybe...

The first ski areas have opened in the Pyrenees today – a small French resort of Puigmal has opened according to local media reports.

The big names in the region are still holding back but the biggest, Grandvalira, says it will open this Tuesday 6th December.

Having already delayed the planned opening date in late November by a week, the latest statement from the resort says,

"Grandvalira has postponed its opening to guarantee optimum conditions for the start of the season. Grandvalira has postponed the start of the season due to the lack of snowfall."

The lack of snowfall is due to an anticyclone combined with a rising temperatures which, the resort says, "has further hampered snow production."

The current expectation is that temperatures in the Pyrenees as in the Alps will fall over the next few days, with snowfall expected above 1600m.

Temperatures will also be low enough for the snow cannons, which cover close to 60% of the newly extended 205 kilometres of piste at Grandvalira to operate again.