J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

In their efforts to diversify, quite a few leading ski resorts in the Alps and Rockies have hit upon the idea of allowing visiting ski tourist to ride along in the cab of a piste basher when they're grooming the slopes of an evening.
The idea of actually letting ski tourists drive a groomer is less common however, but Canyons resort near Park City in Utah have decided to offer just that as a unique après ski experience.
It's not just a quick 10 metres across a flat meadow either, this activity is a full eight hour shift lasting in to the small hours of the following morning, the same 'Day one' induction course that new piste groomer drivers undergo, and you will have to part with 395 dollars to take part – although that does include a packed 'lunch.'
The induction course is conducted by one of Canyons most experienced operators and…
"Depending on how you progress, we'll have you driving, tilling, pushing snow and you might even get to groom out a full run. The Resort Operator is responsible for determine the amount of interaction the guest will be allowed." said a Canyons spokesperson.
But don't think about taking your mates along for cat calling or even encouragement from the back seat, only one person is allowed in the cab with the instructor.
Courses run from 5:30pm to 1am and participants must be 18 years of age or older and have a valid driver's license.

Mt Hutt in NZ is opening today (Mon 27 June) on a 'limited basis'

Copyright by Saas-Fee Tourism / http://swi?ss-image.c?h

The population of the iconic Swiss resort of Saas Fee have voted in a local referendum this week to extend their lift and run network over the next few years to access some of the highest slopes in the Alps yet to be reached by ski lifts.
Initially the resort's tourist office talked of the new lift ascending to 4,000m, which would make it the highest in Europe and one of the four highest ski areas in the world. However the resort's lift company has so far remained tight lipped on the exact details and a study of maps of the Längfluh gondola seem to indicate the highest accessible point in the area is about 3850m.
If the lift does go that high, it would still be one of the few highest in Europe. The only higher lifts are two drag lifts at neighbouring Zermatt which reach 3899m but only normally operate to serve summer skiers and boarders, not in winter.
The lift in question is a new 8 place gondola from Saas-Fee to Spielboden to Längfluh and a new restaurant at Längfluh are also planned. The base of the gondola would also be moved from its current location to closer to the resort's main car park. The original Längfluh cable-car was one of the first in Saas Fee and opened on 23rd December, 1959. It was last rebuilt in 1977.
The only ski areas higher than Zermatt are at Gulmarg in India and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in China. Highest ski lifts in the Andes that existed over the past 50 years are reported to have closed down.

Perisher

About a dozen well-known ski areas in Argentina, Chile and New Zealand have announced delayed openings for their winter 2011 due primarily to warm weather leading to inadequate natural snowfall and preventing snowmaking equipment from working at full throttle.
A fresh earthquake in New Zealand, strong Australian dollar and an eruption close to South America's largest ski resort haven't helped much either, nor has the financial collapse of South Africa's only ski area, Tiffindell, which awaits being auctioned off.
It is not all bad news however. Southern Africa's other ski area of Afriski in Lesotho has opened a kilometre long piste – one of its longest to date – on a 50cm base and roads to it which were blocked by snow last week have re-opened. In Australia too resorts opened on schedule or early, earlier this month. Although the snow there is not deep, it does not need to be for them to operate and more snow is forecast.
In New Zealand Treble Cone and the north island resort of Turoa are the latest to join the likes of Mt Hutt, Coronet Peak and the Remarkables in delaying their opening, probably in to July now. The mild June follows the country's warmest ever May.
The delayed openings in South America are less comprehensive. Portillo in Chile for example, has announced it will open after receiving 60cm of snow to date, but that the available terrain will be very limited. Valle Nevado however has delayed opening to July 1st so far.
In Argentina a volcanic ash cloud is threatening the continent's largest resort, Catedral by Bariloche, but it is again lack of snow that has led it to delay its planned opening this weekend, it hopes by only a week. Las Lenas remains unsure as to whether it will open this weekend as planned or not – it's expecting substantial snowfalls.

Mammoth's Season Began More than Seven Months Ago...

A record number of US ski areas are planning to open for snow sports on the American Independence Day holiday of July 4th.
Squaw Valley by Lake Tahoe in California is the latest resort to open it will re-open for skiing and riding from Saturday, July 2 – Monday, July 4 for the US Independence Day holiday weekend. It will run five major lifts including the Funitel and Gold Coast Express following record-breaking snowfall totals reaching nearly 800 inches.
The news follows record snowfall for many ski areas on North America's West Coast last winter.
Other Californian resorts planning to open that weekend include Mammoth Mountain, which is still open daily, and another Tahoe resort, Alpine Meadows, which plans to re-open like Squaw,
In addition Crystal Mountain in Washington State, Snowbird in Utah and Timberline in Oregon are all still open and expect to stay open to Independence day. Other possibilities are Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Snowbasin in Utah which are still open but have not yet announced if they'll continue to be so past the end of June.
"It is certainly uncommon to be able ski July but it is truly unheard of to be operating at the capacity that we will be operating on July 4th Weekend," said Andy Wirth, Squaw Valley's Chief Executive Officer. "With five lifts including the Funitel and Gold Coast Express, pool parties, live music and the Lake Cushing Crossing, this will be the Ultimate Independence Day Weekend."
"Most people who have seen how much snow is still up here know this was an easy call, but it's still very exciting for our guests who started skiing in November and will still be on the slopes in July," said Snowbird's Dave Fields, Vice President of Resort Operations.

Long standing plans for Colorado's Breckenridge ski area to expand on to a fifth peak have moved forward with the US Forest Service which controls the land giving the preliminary go ahead for the plans. These would add 550 new acres of newly accessible terrain, about 75% of which would be accessed by a new six-seater chairlift, the remainder hike-to, and increase the ski area's capacity by 1,100 skiers a day.
Breckenridge is one of the most popular resorts in the US and frequently hits its ski slope capacity of 15,000 skiers and boarders per day. The new terrain would divide up as approximately 40% intermediate, 20% advanced-intermediate and 40% expert skiing.
The proposals will be open for public comment until mid-July and a final decision on the plan is expected in early 2012.
www.breckenridgepeak6.com

The southern hemisphere's 2011 ski season kind of started a month early, in mid-May, when 'historic' early snowfall and low temperatures allowed Australia's Perisher to open five weeks early, for one weekend only though.
Since then it has been all quiet. Tiffindell in South Africa was often the first to open, in late May each year, but since it went bankrupt last year that's off the annual calendar. However it's southern African neighbour Afriski is scheduled to open June 9th, which would make it first this year if it manages it – so far there's no word on conditions.
New Zealand's ski season was due to have started last weekend with Coronet Peak due to have been first in the Southern Hemisphere, but the warmest May on record in the country scuppered that plan, and now Mt Hutt, which was due to have been second this weekend, has also postponed its opening as temperatures remain above zero with no natural snowfall and temperatures too warm for snowmaking.
In Australia things are looking more promising. If Afriski doesn't make it on the 9th, Mt Hotham should be among the first on the 11th as low temperatures for snowmaking and fresh natural snow falling have allowed the resort to say it will offer snowsports this weekend. This season Australia's ski resorts are celebrating 150 years since the country's first ski club, which they believe was the world's first, was established. They're not celebrating reports that thanks to the strong Aussie dollar, lift tickets there are also the most expensive in the world at present.
Things are also looking promising in South America despite a volcanic eruption coating the slopes of the continent's largest resort, Cerro Cathedral in Argentina, with black ash on top of the white snow. The volcanic ash also kept flights grounded and led to the ski area initially advising people not to come visit, but they're now planning to open for the season as planned on the 17th.
More northerly ski areas are less affected in any case with Valle Nevado in Chile also planning to open the weekend after next and reporting 15cm of snow in the past 48 hours.