J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Ski in two countries in a long weekend in the summer! Can't be bad can it?

The summer ski lifts on the Italian-side of the Zermatt-Cervinia ski area will add to the year-round ski area on the Swiss side from Saturday, 27th June.

The resulting summer ski area, one of the largest in Europe, extends to 23km (14 miles) of slopes served by 14 lifts, amongst them four cable cars, a gondola and quad and six-seater chairs.

There are 13 runs, most of them graded intermediate (red) but with three blues, however a major attraction is the Gravity Snowboard Park on plateau Rosa (3,480m), home to multiple summer camps.

The new IDE snowmaking system at the base of the ski runs ensure snow cover even if there are positive temperatures right down to Trockner Steg at 2939m, opening up the full 960m vertical, meaning that Cervinia/Zermatt's lift-served summer ski vertical is the biggest in the world, bigger than any in the southern hemisphere, even in July/August.

The ski area also includes Europe's highest lifts at 3899m, usually only open in summer.

The ski season on the Cervinia side lasts until September 6th, but continues year round on the larger Zermatt side.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

A Fortnight Early

Yet another 25cm (10 inches) of fresh snow yesterday (Sunday 24th) and temperatures hovering just below zero means that Mt Hutt is on course for it's first May opening this millennium with the New Zealand resort still reporting mid-winter conditions that have lasted throughout May and a base depth of one metre (40 inches).

It's the best early snow the ski area has had in decades, according to Dave Wilson, Ski Area Manager for Mt Hutt.

"We've got awesome snow conditions so have decided to open early for some May skiing. But it's been a big call to make," he said. "There are huge logistics involved in opening a ski area ahead of schedule. We need to ensure our suppliers can meet our deadlines, go through all of our health and safety checks and ensure we have enough staff to provide the best possible snow experience from opening day. A lot of staff have changed their plans to get here early which is humbling. We're also bringing in staff from our sister mountains (Coronet Peak and The Remarkables) in Queenstown to help us out."

Mt Hutt received more than 170cm (nearly six feet) of snow in the first fortnight of May and has had regular falls since. For non-New Zealanders there's an added benefit to heading south of the equator this year – the lowest prices for many years as well as the great snow, because the New Zealand dollar has fallen by more than a third against the Euro and the US Dollar and is even down against the British pound.

Mr Wilson said the Summit Six Chairlift, the Quad Chair and the Magic Carpet would be operating for the early opening and that the Triple Chair would open in the following weeks, snow dependant.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Lake Wanaka in New Zealand and its four international ski areas are enjoying a remarkable amount of early season snow with heavy falls reaching well below the base areas of all four resorts.

Treble Cone has over one metre at mid mountain and staff had to contend with thigh deep snow in the car park after the most recent storms. Groomers are starting to pack down the snow on trail and snowmaking will resume next week in preparation for the scheduled 27 June opening.

Cardrona Alpine Resort has also experienced heavy snowfalls over the last 48 hours with the estimated snowbase at just under a metre. Blizzard conditions and snowdrifts of up to two metres have made accessing Cardrona difficult for staff and avalanche risk is said to be extremely high. Cardrona hasn't experienced early snowfalls of this magnitude since 1995.

Sam Lee of Snow Park NZ said they have the biggest base they'd ever seen at this time of year.

"This give us a great head start and snow making will be even more effective allowing us to open all facilities as scheduled on 4 July."

Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager, James Helmore, said town was buzzing in anticipation of an excellent season.

"It looks like mid-winter now and it's only May," he said. "Having so much snow this early provides a hugely positive start to the season which helps everybody, from retailers to the ski fields themselves. There are lots of people just itching to get up the mountain and I'm sure there'll be plenty of keen skiers and riders getting in some early season touring over the next few days!"

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Glaswegians should prepare them selves for some very unseasonable weather this weekend when the local SNO!zone indoor snow centre at Braehead will dump more than 60 tonnes of snow on Kelvingrove Park in the centre of the city this Sunday, May 23rd, to create a real snow slope from noon to 6pm.

Professional snowboarders and skiers will show off their award winning freestyle skills and tricks throughout the day on the slope which will be covered with thrilling jumps and rails.

Young Katie Ormerod, a SNO!zone sponsored snowboarder from Brighouse, Yorkshire will be one of those taking part.

"I began snowboarding at the age of 4 and have been doing it for 7 years since I started on a family holiday and I hope to become the top female snowboarder in the UK." said Katie who this year was named overall champion of the Burton AM 2008/2009 snowboarding tour and achieved three first places at the BRITS in Laax, Switzerland when competing in the Quiksilver Big Air, Animal Slopestyle and SNO!zone Halfpipe Championships.

Danny McCormick, another SNO!zone sponsored snowboarder said,

"This Saturday I will be riding at the SNO!zone Kelvingrove Park Session where some of the top UK snowboarders and skiers will be there showing off the latest tricks on the 70m long snow slope. I am currently overall Scottish Freestyle Champion and came first in the Westbeach competition and 2nd in the Artifical Big Air comp! I have been snowboarding for four years and am 17 years old."

With an MC, DJs and family entertainment and the chance to win lots of prizes the day is set to have something for everyone, as well as a licensed bar so spectators can really take advantage of the après ski tradition.

Lisa Allan, SNO!zone's Brand Manager, said: "We are really looking forward to the park session this year. After the success of last year's event we are hoping that more people will come to see the fantastic snowboarders and skiers that the UK has and enjoy a fun day out with the second ever park session at Kelvingrove Park. There is no cost to watch the demonstrations and so we're urging everyone to come along and see it snow again in Kelvingrove this summer."
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

More fresh snow on Queenstown's ski areas over the last four days, on top of consistent snowfall throughout May, is delivering spectacular pre-season conditions.

Coronet Peak ski area, scheduled to open in less than three weeks (Saturday 6 June), has received 50 - 100cm of snow in the last four days resulting in an 80cm base at the top of the mountain and a 50cm base at the bottom.

Hamish McCrostie, Coronet Peak Ski Area Manager, said they couldn't have asked for a better build up to season opening.

"It's just fantastic. We've had consistent snow falls since early May which is unusual but very welcome," he said. "We've started packing the snow already which bodes well for a really good base for the season to come."

Mr McCrostie said the Peak's state-of-the-art snowmaking system was set up and nearly ready to go with final commissioning of the new pump-house almost complete.

"We intend to start snowmaking on 25 May but we could hit the button sooner if temperatures remain consistently cold," he said. "The system is designed so that without any natural snow the central core of the mountain can be opened within three days of continuous snowmaking conditions. Under optimum conditions, all trails, including those on Rocky Gully, could open within 10 days."

Across the valley at The Remarkables, the ski area has received 45cm of fresh snow in the last 48 hours and has received 150cm over the last two weeks, resulting in a solid 120cm base across the mountain.

The Remarkables Ski Area Manager Ross Lawrence said he was excited about current conditions stating "it is the best start to the season anybody can remember for many years."

"These are magic conditions for this time of year so we're all hyped up for some superb skiing and riding from opening day," he said.

More snow showers are forecast for Queenstown over the next few days with the weather expected to clear but be cold over the weekend.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

bandit wrote:as long as it is passed on

It makes sense to pass it on - there's no profit to be made from an empty restaurant! 8)

A six day lift ticket for the world's largest ski area, the Three Valleys, will increase by three percent from 225 Euros last season to 232 Euros in high season (151 Euros off-peak).

However if the pound continues to strengthen the costs for Brits is likely to be lower next winter – currently 232 Euros equals about 204 pounds, when at the pound's lowest point last winter 225 Euros equalled 215 pounds, or around six percent more than Brits would currently have to pay for next season's more expensive ticket.

This decreased cost scenario is likely to play out for Brits visiting ski resorts across Europe (except Iceland and Scotland) and North America next winter and apply to all purchases in resort, so long as the pound does not weaken again.

In France a dramatic decrease recently announced to VAT on restaurant bills – from around 20% to around 5%, should help bring costs down in resort too.

If there are signs of a falling pound in the autumn it may be possible, in some cases, to pre-purchase lift tickets online in advance at the better rate.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc