J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

Ian Wickham wrote:That up hill stuff is too much like hard work :oops:

Now isn't that the truth... my 2-wheeled light vehicle and I have decided that, picturesque though it may be, there are far too many up-hills in Sussex, and not enough down ones.

Hmm, what we need is some kind of mechanical up-lift device... on every big b*****d hill in Sussex.

The German based Skiresort Service International has announced its three TOP-Resorts of the season 2008-9 in their annual Awards, staged since 1998/1999.

"It was a fantastic season, with a lot of snow, mostly good weather, a new world record and a lot of new test reports. We visited 70 different ski resorts in eight countries and a sand ski area in Doha/Qatar." said Oliver Kern of Skiresort Services International.

There are 15 categories in which a resort is graded. The maximum of stars a ski resort can achieve are five in each category, or a total maximum profit of 75 stars.

Skiresort Service International put SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental in the Austrian Tirol top with 71 stars, commenting,

"The SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental expanded and modernized the already perfect area every year with new trains, improvements to the slopes, and connections in the ski area. In the last season there were three new eight person gondolas and a new high speed six person chair lift in operation and Westendorf has been completely integrated into the SkiWelt."

In second place Italy's Val Gardena in the South Tirol region and included in the Dolomiti Superski pass, scored 69 stars.

"In Val Gardena you can ski or ride on endless slopes below the Sassolungo and thanks to the famous Sella Ronda in Val Gardena, you can also reach many other ski resorts of Dolomiti Superski around the Sella massif. Every year old lifts are modernized and slopes are improved." said the judges.

Ski-optimal Hochfügen-Hochzillertal was placed in joint second with 69 stars, "With the merger of the two areas Hochfügen and Hochzillertal in December 2004 and due to the modernization and world class mountain restaurants the resort can again be a TOP-Resort."

Seven other resorts in the top ten included five more Austrian Ski Resorts (Mayrhofen, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Hintertuxer Glacier, Warth-Schröcken and Großglockner Resort Kals-Matrei) as well as Mammoth Mountain in the US and Val d´Isère (Espace Killy) in France.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Salomon have become the first manufacturer to use a new polymer made with recyclable material from DuPont Engineering in a new ski boot.

"DuPont Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer provides all the performance characteristics of DuPont's traditional Hytrel materials, while offering a more environmentally friendly solution than products that are entirely petroleum-based." said Marsha Craig, global business director, renewably sourced materials, DuPont Performance Materials.

Hytrel RS has been developed using a renewably sourced polyol derived from corn sugar or other renewable sources. It contains between 20 and 60 percent renewably sourced material.
The performance of Hytrel® RS products allows customers to reduce the use of petroleum-based materials in their products while continuing to meet the needs of the most demanding applications.

The collar of the new Salomon 'Ghost' freerider alpine ski-boot constitutes one of the first commercial uses worldwide of DuPont™ Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomer. Providing all the traditional performance characteristics of Hytrel for such a demanding winter sports application - including impact resistance and flexibility at low temperatures.

The Salomon "Ghost" ski-boot was available solely to Salomon-sponsored freeriders during the past winter, with its general release to the public planned for the coming winter 2009/10.

The recent launch of renewably sourced grades of Hytrel® caught Salomon's attention as it sought to decrease the use of petroleum-based products in its latest alpine ski-boots.

"We already knew Hytrel could offer the required performance for the collar of our new 'Ghost' freerider boots as an alternative to polyurethane," confirmed Pascal Pallatin, alpine boot and advanced research project manager at Salomon (Annecy, France). "The fact that we could now access a grade of the high-performance material with a significant renewable content is an additional selling point for our boots."

Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Champoluc might also fit the bill. A good variety of Reds (and some relatively challenging Blues) with trees below (and above in parts) mid-station. Not much ski-in/ski-out but most of the accommodation is within a 5-minute walk of the lower lifts, with the edges of the village served by a regular ski-bus.

There are links over to Alagna and Gressoney, although they are prone to shutting if there are high winds.

It certainly used to be "relatively" good value - we spent a week there 4 years ago - and the food was excellent everywhere we ate.

It's not the place for wild night-life but the skiing's good and there's a friendly vibe.

The giant Italian Dolomiti Superski region is continuing to step up its safety campaign, 'Safer ski!' with the greatest onus on skier behaviour.

"The Dolomites Region does not generally have many avalanches and the lifts and cableways are among the safest in the world. Safety on the slopes usually depends on the skiers and their behaviour when coming downhill. Carelessness and high speed, as well as overestimation of their own capabilities are the most common causes of accidents." Said a company spokeserson.

Each person who buys a ski pass receives a brochure with tips and instructions how to plan your ski day efficiently, how to choose the right equipment, together with information on well-balanced nutrition and the 12 FIS-Rules for conduct of skiers and snowboarders.

However for the unconvinced, Italy has four different sets of safety personnel working on the slopes.

The Alpini Group, which are part of the military, belong to the mountain infantry and are good skiers. They have additionally completed a medical training at the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and have knowledge in legal issues. The Carabienieri are another army unit, whilst the Polizia (police) and the Finance police are units of the Ministry of the Interior. All have the duty to guarantee security on the slopes and have the power to fine skiers and boarders who break behaviour and thus safety rules.

Spot fines range from 30 euros for not stopping up to 92 euros for serious misbehavior.

"The number of accidents is higher in good weather as people ski more carefully in bad weather", explains Fabio, who works at the Kronplatz.
"The main cause is usually high speed. Alcohol generally is not the problem. If someone is just a little tipsy we don't do anything. But if the people are really drunk then we react. Luckily this happens very seldom."

Worst of all according to Fabio are those who ski in sites closed to the public.

"When they set off an avalanche/snowslide, they risk their own lives, those of others and those of their rescuers."

Some skiers and boarders try to out run the various piste police services. Fabio grins, "We are faster though. They bluster and we keep calm. Our main aim is to inform, not to punish."
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

The Big Spring Clean, a clean up initiative organised by the Ski Club of Great Britain, returns for its second year at Cairngorm Mountain and Nevis Range on Sunday 31st May 2009.

The event which attracted over 100 participants in 2008 is a chance for mountain users to do their bit by picking up litter left by a season's worth of visitors. The event raises awareness about responsible tourism and the seriousness of dropping litter.

Caroline Stuart Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club has welcomed the return of the event: "After such a successful Big Spring Clean event last year, we are delighted that we can again run another clean up day in two of the key Scottish ski areas. Last year we collected over 40 bags of litter at Nevis Range and Cairngorm, but maybe just as importantly we sent out a message to skiers, snowboarders and anyone who loves the mountains that they are the ones who can make a difference and can take responsibility for trying to preserve our mountains. We hope that even more people will put on their gloves for this year's Big Spring Clean."

Volunteers are asked to meet at 10am at the bottom of the gondola at Nevis Range or the Ranger Base at Coire Cas on Cairngorm Mountain. Gloves and bags are provided for all litter pickers and for everyone who brings back a bag of litter, tea and cakes will be provided.

The Big Spring Clean is another step forward in the Ski Club of Great Britain's Respect the Mountain campaign. The Respect the Mountain campaign aims to raise money, raise awareness and educate skiers and snowboarders about helping to safeguard the natural environment and the long-term future of snowsports.

The Big Spring Clean has this year become part of a wider clean up campaign. In 2009 the event is also being promoted by French eco-organisation Mountain Riders as part of their 'Ski Slopes Clean-up Sessions'. Over 50 French resorts are also hosting clean up days in May and June this year. Last year 17 tonnes of rubbish was collected across the resorts. Many other ski resorts around the world are also involved in post-season clean ups.
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc

Pablo Escobar wrote:You can get a flight going out tomorrow (from Glasgow)

Are you still there Pabs? Pabs? Oh, he's gone... south for the summer, er, winter...

ise wrote:isn't that odd?

Very. Can only be cost... unless they want to put beginners off using them... :?: