J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

The East Coast of North America has beaten the rest and opened first for winter 2010-11. Sunday River in Maine began top to bottom snowmaking several weeks ago and opened briefly on Friday and then all day today, Saturday 23rd.
Loveland in Colorado has announced it will open tomorrow, Sunday October 24th, the first resort in Colorado to open to the general public (Copper Mountain opened on Thursday for race-training team camps). Arapahoe Basin also looks likely to open soon but Loveland is claiming first blood.
Although Sunday River is announced as 'first in North America for winter 2010-11, Timberline ski field on Mt Hood in Oregon is open for around 49 weeks a year, subject to weather, and has been open for weekends since October following its usual annual September shut-down.
Along with the three Colorado resorts, which have ski areas among the 20 highest in the world, ski centres up near Banff in Canada are due to start opening by the end of the coming week.
Nakiska is planning to open on Friday 30th after receiving a foot of fresh snow and the low temperatures it needs to kick off its powerful snowmaking system. Mount Norquay, Banff's closest ski hill, will open for its 85th season the same day, all being well. Other Alberta resorts including Lake Louise, Marmot Basin and Sunshine will open in the first few weeks of November for their long seasons through to late April and in some cases in to May 2011.

The Brits Music & Winter Festival (www.the-brits.com) has announced its line up for 2011 when it returns to Laax in Switzerland.
The event, which this season takes place from 20th – 27th March, is one of the biggest and longest running in the Alps, but it seems to have ever more challengers, or at least complimentary events including Snowbombing in Mayrhofen, Altitude in Meribel and other end-of-season fests in Ischgl, Chamonix and Arinsal among others.
What makes The Brits different (or one of the things) is that it is also the venue for the highlight of the UK's annual snowsports contest for British athletes, as well as a great week-long party.
This season The BRITS headline act will be festival heavyweights Pendulum, and The Correspondence, who are "so hot right now" are also in the line up.
Many of the competitions are concentrated in Laax's four snow parks and two pipes with events including the Protest Slopestyle, SNO!zone sponsored half pipe competition, Giro Big Air and Trespass Snowboard and Skiercross Championships. These will see the likes of top British athletes including Olympians Ben Kilner, Zoe Gillings and three times X-Games Gold medallist, Jenny Jones take to the snow along with amateurs and rookies as everyone can take part in five age categories, Kids, Youth, Junior, Senior and Masters.

Considering the dire straits that the country is supposed to be in, it seems a little odd just how many new luxury chalets are opening across the Alps this winter, including in top notch destination Verbier. Tour operators like Crystal Finest have announced expanded programmes too, and report that while the big picture is of declining business across the UK as a whole, their turnover was up last season.

The biggest news in luxury lodging looks set to be the new 'No 14' chalet in Verbier which its owners Verbier Exclusive (+44 (0) 20 8871 0427; www.verbierexclusive.com) are promoting as, "arguably the most exciting new chalet to hit the Swiss Alps in four years."

Why so special? Well the new chalet has been built by the same team who were responsible for Richard Branson's 'The Lodge' in Verbier, one of the contenders for the 'world's most luxurious chalet' title with prices peaking at a few pennies under £100,000 ffor exclusive use over New Year's week.

No 14 is coming in at a rather more affordable £91,000 for that week this winter and points out it's even better value as you get more beds for your bucks with sleeping for up to 28 guests in 13 stylish en suite bedrooms,

Formerly known as Hotel Les Rois Mages, No.14 Verbier (the new name derives from its address, 14 Rue de la Velle) is currently completing its multi-million-pound renovation and facilities will include a 10-metre indoor pool, steam room, cold plunge pool, two treatment rooms, a large indoor Jacuzzi and 2 outdoor cedar hot tubs as well as leather-walled cinema and games room, library and bar.

No. 14 will have a staff of 14 dedicated professionals, including two highly experienced managers who know Verbier inside-out, a Michelin-trained head chef, an in-house masseuse and a team of drivers who will be on call 24-7 to take clients to and from the slopes, or out to sample some of Verbier's legendary nightlife.

No.14's owner, David Pearson is now a veteran of Verbier's ski industry, having founded chalet company Ski Verbier in 1992, building it up to a portfolio of 17 chalets which he subsequently bought in 2005 to CV Travel.

David then joined forces with polar explorer Tom Avery, with whom he worked alongside at Ski Verbier for three years, to create Verbier Exclusive. Tom is one of only 41 people in history to have reached both North and South Poles on foot and has scaled unclimbed Himalayan mountains and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for leading "the fastest surface journey to the North Pole".

(Picture shows Copper Mountain, Colorado's snow guns today)

The 2010-11 ski season is starting to take off on both sides of the Atlantic. Copper Mountain in Colorado has joined Arapahoe Basin and Loveland in starting snowmaking. On the East Coast of North America, Sunday River in Maine is snowmaking too.
Although there are still less than 20 ski areas open in the northern hemisphere, last weekend (October 9/10) saw the switch from there being MORE areas to ski in the northern than southern hemispheres as only three ski areas are now left operational in New Zealand.
Another big change is that the first non-glacier ski area in Europe will open this Friday – Ruka in Finland, which already has a 2km cross country track open, will start downhill ski operations this Friday, October 15th.
It joins Tignes in France, Passo Stelvio and Val Senales in Italy; Engelberg, Saas Fee and Zermatt in Switzerland and seven glacier ski areas in Austria – including Hintertux, olden, Pitztal and the Stubai – which are all open.
Another new opening this weekend will be the Diavolezza glacier near St Moritz.
Currently Passo Stelvio in Italy has the deepest snow of an open ski area with two metres lying. Hintertux has the most skiing available with 42km, and Zermatt the biggest lift served vertical with 900 metres.

The highly successful Austrian manufacturer of conveyor type lifts, SunKid, has completed the installation of one of its 'Wonder Carpet' lifts enclosed in a gallery enclosure at the Jungfraujoch above Wengen and Grindelwald, for more than a century Europe's highest railway station.
The Jungfraujoch is subject to winds gusting at up to 220km/h, extreme temperature fluctuations … and a location on the ice of a constantly shifting glacier at almost 3500 metres above sea level.
The new lift was needed for a 'snow fun arena' that has been operating in the area in the summer for many years using a simple rope tow drag lift. It was previously possible to ski and board up there in July but this was discontinued more than a decade ago, until the new 120-metre long lift was installed.
The technicians at SunKid-Borer had to face two difficult challenges in this project. First, the Wonder Carpet had to be firmly anchored to withstand peak gusts of over 220km/h. Second, the overall structure had to possess a certain degree of flexibility, because the conveyor lift would be subject to permanent movement on the shifting glacier ice.
Because the flow rate of the ice varies significantly in different places, a conventional anchoring would risk serious deformation and damage to the conveyor due to the immense forces at play. The technicians solved this problem by mounting the conveyor belt and gallery enclosure to wooden beams and guide rails.
After installation the gallery was quickly buried by snow, creating a tunnel through the snow which also got around the problem of the wind blowing it away. Although in warmer temperatures the top of the gallery became clear of snow, the angles were such that the wind could not get a purchase on the lift and damage it.
The conveyor lift will be completely disassembled this autumn and relocated for the winter months to the "Kleinen Scheidegg" ski area farther below. Once there, it is reconstructed with a length of 86 meters.
The owner, Jungfrau Lifts, and the operator, Grindelwald Sports report that the number of visitors to the snow arena has now tripled compared to the days of the older lift.

Italy's historic Madonna di Campiglio ski area is in the midst of a two year plan to dramatically expand its ski area.
The famous resort which has offered skiing for more than a century and has 120km of piste linked to neighbouring Marileva and Folgarida, will expand its terrain this winter, then exapand it further for 2011-12, creating a lift link to neighbouring Pinzolo, a connection planned for several decades.
The new slopes that will open this winter 2010-11 include a rare new black on the Pista Dolomitica, named 'The star'' and there'll be an alternative red route down, 'The touyr' served by a new gondola lift.
A second new gondola lift for winter 2011-12 will link Pinzolo to Madonna di Campiglio.

Once completed the 'new' area will have 32 lifts (seven gondolas, 19 chairlifts, five drags and a magic capet) and 51 slopes (21 blues, 22 reds and 8 blacks).

Santa Cristina, next to Selva in Italy's stunning Val Gardena area is opening a new 'Smart Hotel' this winter.
The idea is that you 'stay smart' with everything you need on your ski holiday easy to access, but much more affordable.
Opening on December 4, the new Saslong Smart Hotel has prices starting from 87 Euros in total for two people for three nights (so less than 14 Euros per person per day). The price is available up to December 23rd.
For this you receive a twin or double room inclusive of ski storage (and boot warmers) and daily continental breakfast saving guests €36 (dietary requests are available including gluton / lactose free) and food and beverage is available from 24-hours-a-day vending machines, and the hotel's Saslong Corner provides a comfortable area in which to relax.
The hotel is located 50m from the ski-shuttle bus-stop and 1km from the gateway to the famous Sella Ronda circuit. Booking is available online via the Val Gardena Tourist Board website (www.valgardena.it).