J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

A new six-seater detachable chairlift with easy access is being installed to upgrade the existing quad in the Reberty-Les Bruyeres sector of the Belleville Valley, shared by Les Menuires and St Martin de Belleville and part of the world's largest lift-linked ski area, the Three Valleys in France.

The new lift is part of a widespread investment in the sector which will also see piste improvements and upgraded snowmaking.

The Three Valley will open on 5th December with ticket prices discounted by a third during opening week.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

A new international ski body, the European Ski Federation, has been established by the Austrian, French, Italian, and Swiss ski federations. They say they do not intend to compete with the International Ski Federation, but that the Alpine nations of central Europe planned to stand together in the face of the current economic crisis.

The organisation intends to monitor and promote the development of European ski and snowboard sport and to organize and implement international ski and snowboard competitions at all levels

The European Ski Federation's first event, at the Amneville Indoor Snow Hall in Northern France this autumn, is being portrayed as a promotional event for snow sports in general.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

At the risk of getting a few slaps from our Tour Operator partners... :lol: ... this looks like spin to ramp early bookings and improve cash-flow. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, and you should probably take notice if you really are restricted to package holidays in peak weeks.

However...

Yes, definitely, the TOs are dropping accommodation and pulling out of resorts to a significant degree.

But that accommodation isn't going to be demolished, any more than those resorts will disappear. On the contrary, they represent opportunity for some great deals. In many cases the affected accommodation owners (and resorts) will have previously been giving the TOs good margins in return for the TOs doing the leg-work of bringing in the customers. Now, with a little bit more effort, those owners and resorts have that TO margin to discount by...

There will be some resorts almost abandoned by the TOs - so expect to see great deals on lift passes (and quite possibly transport).

Seriously, go flexible, go DIY; drive out or fly mid-week in the off-peak weeks and you've got a very good chance of skiing very quiet pistes at bargain prices.

But DON'T PANIC! 8) You will be skiing next winter.

Ian Wickham wrote:mountains are as beautiful in the summer as they are in the winter

Oh yes... here's the Stelvio Pass, shere beauty...


And some typical summer sports...


8)

Timeforabeer wrote:they feel fantastic, and I saved 80 quid. Woo hoo.

Sounds like time for a beer then! Glad you got a result - gonna take them to a snowdome?

Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand is gearing up for the 2009 ski season, a little over three weeks away, with the best pre-season snow base levels in over a decade, 120cm on the upper mountain and 80cm in the base area.

"We've had some pretty extreme weather in May bringing heavy snow falls, the mountain is looking amazing, from top to bottom. It's been great to get such a solid snow base but I know our operations team is grateful this week has brought some settled weather to continue with pre-season preparations," said Nadia Ellis, sales and marketing manager.

The fine and frosty conditions this week will provide perfect snowmaking conditions. Cardrona invested $1 million dollars on extending its snowmaking system for 2009 which now provides cover across all three of the resort's main basins. The guns are scheduled to be switched on today to consolidate existing natural snowfall while snow groomers are working hard moving snow around, packing and building the runs to create a solid foundation for the season ahead.

"If these pre-season conditions are anything to go by then winter 2009 is going to be one for the record books. It certainly looks like we're in for some great skiing and snowboarding from the outset, so long as the cold conditions hold," said Ellis.

The next few weeks will be spent training the 400 staff and ensuring the on-mountain and base building facilities are ready to welcome the season's first clients.

Cardrona Alpine Resort has expanded its terrain for the 2009 season creating a new trail down Arcadia Basin for more advanced skiers and boarders. The new trail is FIS certified allowing sanctioned slalom and GS races to be held and providing an early morning training area for international race teams.

Cardrona is scheduled to open Friday 26 June.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Whistler.com reports steady bookings at average $600 Nightly Room Rate

"Whistler.com is seeing between 100 to 200 enquiries per day for accommodation, and we've been able to connect many Games-time visitors with accommodation providers at prices that are acceptable to both. We've become the 'go-to' site for people seeking accommodation in Whistler during Games time," says Diana Lyons, vice-president of operations for Tourism Whistler, which co-owns and operates whistler.com.

The average daily rate per bedroom for Games-time accommodation booked through whistler.com is $600 per bedroom per night. This represents the usual peak period rate in Whistler plus a premium of 25 to 50 per cent. Tourism Whistler's research with its current 2010 Winter Games contact list shows that many people are willing to pay this premium, but most are not willing to pay more. Lyons says most accommodation members of Tourism Whistler who have offered properties for rent during the 2010 Winter Games have been reasonable in terms of the prices they've asked for.

"Whistler.com supports fair and competitive accommodation rates to ensure that visitors to our Resort during the 2010 Winter Games have an enjoyable and memorable experience," she says. "Our research indicates that full occupancy has not been achieved in recent host cities. In Salt Lake City, reports indicate occupancy ranged between 84-90% at Games time. We want to avoid a situation where Whistler properties sit empty during the Games. Fair pricing supports our goal of leveraging the Games into long-term repeat visitation. Unfair pricing could prevent us from achieving the goal of maximizing our occupancy during the Games."

To facilitate credible baseline prices and appropriate premiums for spectator accommodation for Games time, Tourism Whistler carried out an extensive survey of whistler.com's 2010 Winter Games customer contact list. This list of people who indicated they wish to book during 2010 Games time provided strong data from an extremely credible source specific to Whistler and the 2010 Winter Games. 1,577 people were surveyed, and 607 responded. The key findings were as follows:

- Up to a 30 per cent increase at Games time over usual peak period rates: the largest two sets of responders (70 per cent) would stay for the same or beyond the number of nights required to participate in the events they plan to attend.
- Up to 50 per cent increase: the largest two sets of responders (58.4 per cent) would stay for the same number of nights or try to stay as few nights as possible to participate in the events they plan to attend.[/list]
- More than 50 per cent increase: the largest two sets of responders (76 per cent) would try to stay as few nights as possible or not attend the events they are currently planning to attend.

Branded hotels, boutique hotels, and privately-owned condominiums rarely make their inventory available a year prior to any event, and the 2010 Winter Games are no exception. This is why some people seeking Whistler accommodation haven't found a wide range of accommodation choices in recent months. However, Lyons says whistler.com has been urging providers to make inventory available earlier than normal, and the number of rooms offered and booked through whistler.com has been steadily increasing as more providers are making their rooms available. "This month, whistler.com surpassed $1 million in sales of accommodation and packages for February 2010; in a typical month of May, sales for the following February would only be about seven per cent of that total," Lyons notes.

Lyons says that, as well as spectators, many accommodation providers have been extremely pleased with the bookings whistler.com has delivered.

"They are delighted to be booked for the Games and are now able to focus their efforts on filling their properties for the rest of the 2009/2010 winter season," she says. "We are pleased that many accommodation providers are choosing to list their properties now. There is demand from spectators at the moment, but traffic at whistler.com suggests that the number of queries may have peaked, and demand could start to decrease soon as people finalize their plans for Games time."

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Ski Business Down, But Still Second Best Season Ever

The world's largest ski lift operator, the French-based Compagnie des Alpes, has reported that throughout the 2008-2009 winter season, which ended May 10, 2009, the Group's French ski areas had what it describes in a statement as, "very satisfactory business, reflecting the quality of the sites and the strength of the ski market."

Compared with the record season in 2008, visitor numbers at CDA ski areas—13.4 million skier days, a decline of 2.3%—held up better than those of major competitors, and improved slightly on the average of the last three seasons. This performance, the second-best visitor numbers in the Group's history, came about despite the Alpine World Ski Championships, held at Val d'Isère during peak season, and despite the effects of the poor economy on the group's British clientele, who account for 20% of the total Group ski-area customers.

Consolidated sales came to 324.9 million Euros over the winter, slightly down (-1.7%) from the first half of the previous year. This change can be explained mainly by the shift of Easter weekend to the second half (Easter was in March in 2008) and by related holidays in numerous European countries.

As a result, ski-area sales were down 2.3%, but despite the drop in sales, and because of a limited (+2%) rise in operating costs, Group operating margins were better than those of H1 2007. Compared with H1 2008, which had record business and benefited from Easter weekend's falling in the month of March, operating income declined by 14.4%.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc