J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Yep, skiing with guns! Has to be done...

Seefeld is opening a new biathlon centre this winter, and it will be open to visiting skiers and noarders to try out the facilities.

For those not in the know, biathlon is one of the world's most exciting winter sports, with ceoss country skiers racing with rifles strapped to their backs, then stopping at a target range every few kilometres toi try to shoot five targets from a standing, or lying ("prone") position. The winner is rarely the fastest skier, but the skier who balances his speed with staying relaxed enough at the range to be able to hold the rifle steady and hit the targets.

The new facility at Seefeld will contain 10 of the most modern and newest shooting targets currently on the market.

Guests will be able to try biathlon on Fridays when the team from the Cross Country Academy at Seefeld led by Martin Tauber. Two hour lessons from noon to 2pm costs 50 Euros per person if you have your own cross country ski equipment, or 63 Euros if you require rental gear. Guests can shoot with original small-bore rifles or air pressure rifles.

The facility will be extended in Summer 2010 with the addition of a roller ski circuit.

www.xc-academy.com

cS24

Courchevel has announced a further upgrade to its extensive lift system for the coming winter.

The new Roc Mugnier high-speed six-seat detachable chairlift will; replace two old chairlifts: Prameruel and Roc Mugnier.

The lift will be the sixth to incorporate Courchevel's so far believed to be unique 'magnestick' system, which incorporates magnets in the back of chairlift seats which activate as the lift ascends, holding children who are wearing special body protection incorporating metal parts safely in place on the chair, with the magnetic force cut on arrival at the top so that children can disembark safely.

www.magnestick.net

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Austria's Gastein ski region will take the growing trend of 24 hour ski racing to a new level in February with the launch of a new of piste race on the Graukogel, which it dubs, Gastein's touring mountain.

The race, scheduled for February 27th and 28th, is open to singles as well as teams of men and women, it is also open to amateurs as well as experienced racers.

"At the Gasteiner 24 hour tour ski race it's not just a matter of overcoming a particular course in the shortest time, but to win you need to clock up as many vertical metres as possible too," said a race organiser.

Competitors can enter in one of several categories including singles, mens team and womens teams. The winners receive the Gasteiner "Tourenteufel" (touring devil) award.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Lenzerheide, one of Switzerland's largest ski areas, has announced that more of its ski slopes will be covered by snow making machinery for the coming season.

The new snowmaking equipment has been installed this summer in the Scalottas, Danis and Stätz region, which the resort believes will makes these zones snow-reliable from the start of the season on December 5th.

Snow can now be created on 55km (35 miles) of Lenzerheides 155 kilometres (97 miles) of slopes as soon as it is cold enough for the snowmaking system to operate.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

New Technology And Smart New Thinking Helps La Plagne Cut Power Use For Snow And Ice Fun

La Plagne, part of the giant French Paradiski region, has re-thought how much snow and ice it needs for three of the popular attractions that help to make it a world leader.

The resort is cutting in half the amount of snow it needs for its pre-formed halfpipe, as well as rethinking the ice needs of its Olympic bobsleigh run – now a very popular visitor attraction and the ice climbing tower at Champagny.

Situated in Plagne Bellecote, La Plagne's pre formed Half Pipe allows the resort to welcome world-renowned official recognized competitions and offers the tourists an astonishing show.

The fact that the shape of the p[ipe is already in place, coupled with snow making facilities, means the pipe can open early in the season and close later, but this season a re-design means it will require 15,000 cubic metres of artificial snow to operate half the 30,000 cubic metres required previously. A smaller pipe is available for members of the public to build up their skills.

At La Plagne's popular bobsleigh run, which will open from 12th December to 20th March offering taxi-bob rides behind a professional driver in a competition bob sleigh, or in a slightly slower 'bob raft' a new ecologically sound refrigeration liquid [water treated with glycol] has replaced ammonia, at a cost of several million euros, enabling this facility to be opened earlier for longer as well as in a far more eco friendly way.

Finally La Plagne's five year old Ice Tower in Champagny le Haut has been moved this winter to the riverbank close to the campsite where it can be integrated into the ecosystem. It has been converted to a climbing frame with several potential uses including free climbing [2 to 3 m without a rope], wall style climbing with a rope and a long abseil on a spider's line.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

A rare new funicular railway built especially for skiers, is currently under construction in Italy's Aosta Valley.

Although funicular railways were one of the original means for skiers to get uphill a century ago and earlier, new ones only appear very occasionally because of the high capital costs of construction with cable cars and gondola alternatives usually costing less and able to transport more passengers per hour.

The new Leitner built lift will replace the old Frachey-Alpe Ciarcerio double clairlift in the Monterosa area, which had been operational for the past 30 years and will open during the coming 2009-2010 winter season.

The new lift is publically financed at a cost 12.3 million Euros. It will allow for year round tourist use for all, not just skiers, and is planned it will operate at night for romantic evenings too.

The funicular will be equipped with two carriages that can each carry 110 people with an hourly capacity of 1500 people, travelling at a maximum speed of 8 metres per second. With a team of four staffing the funicular, including two cabmen, it will ascend from Frachey at 1617m to 1981m high Alpe Ciarcerio.

It will travel on a straight track with a length of 797 metres, with no intermediate stops and with a travelling time of about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

"We decided on installing this kind of lift due to the longevity of the lift itself and due to the large variety of people who can use it." Said a company Monterosa spokesperson.

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

The 18,000 year old glacier which was home for more than 60 years to the world's highest ski area, Chacaltaya in Bolivia, has now melted away completely due to global warming according to a report by Bloomberg.net.

The loss of the glacier has far greater significance than the end of skiing in Bolivia, the glaciers melt water helped power hydro-electric plants and provide water supplies to the 2 million residents of capital La Paz below,

The final parts of the glacier have melted away five years sooner than scientists had predicted.

"From the Andes to the Alps, glaciers have retreated twice as fast as a decade ago, says the University of Zurich's World Glacier Monitoring Service." report Bloomberg.

Chacaltaya lost 80% of its bulk over the past two decades and sold its last ski ticket in 2003 before melting caused a list tower to collapse.