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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ranked Vail's 25th in a list of top corporate green-energy purchasers in the country.
The company purchases wind power credits at its five resorts and head quarters building, helping to fund the expansion of wind farms across the United States. At the same time the company is trying to reduce its energy use by 10 percent over the next two years, by, amongst other things, using lower energy snowmaking. Vail has also installed an experimental solar panel array on the top of the Eagle's Nest building, and is reported by Vail Daily News to be considering using water power generated by mountain creeks to run a chairlift. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
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Snow enthusiasts dug out their snow gear and hiked up to the top of Canterbury in New Zealand's Mt Hutt over the weekend to enjoy 'first tracks' of the season.
Snowfall on Thursday and Friday last week and continued cold temperatures has resulted in a 45cm (18 inch) base at the high country ski resort. James McKenzie, Assistant Ski Area Manager for Mt Hutt, said there were a number of keen skiers making the most of the early snow over the weekend.
The ski area is officially scheduled to open and start running its lifts in just over five weeks on 13 June. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
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The launch of their new $31 million Aerial Tram and over 500 inches of snowfall helped Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) experience a higher level of skier visitation than forecasted, with over 438,000 riders on the mountain.
The launch of the new aerial tram at the start of the winter generated record season pass sales, as well as record passholder skier visits. "We can't thank our season passholders, local skiers and snowboarders enough for their continued support" said Jerry Blann, President. "The return of "Big Red" exceeded all of our expectations this past season." "While this was our third strongest season to date, it was not a typical one for Jackson Hole." said Jerry Blann, President. "The intense storm cycles in December surrounding the holiday period turned out to be unfavorable given the early season snowpack which had an unstable rain layer from mid-November. Christmas week is when we historically see our busiest business volumes, and due to the challenges bestowed to us by Mother Nature, we were not able to realize the full holiday season potential." Despite the loss in revenue over the December holiday season, JHMR business volumes were consistent throughout January and February. While lift revenues were stable our other profit centers experienced reduced sales due to the fact that discretionary spending amongst our guests decreased from years pasts. An aggressive effort by the community to provide value for guests through reduced lodging and air packages helped to generate reasonable business levels for the season. Over 98 inches of snow in March allowed JHMR to end the season strong. Seven feet of fresh powder blanketed the resort over the second half of the month and the season finished with an above average overall snowfall of over 500 inches. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
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Record online bookings, spectacular trans-Tasman airline tickets, a weak New Zealand dollar and significant marketing spend in Australia could deliver Queenstown its "best ever" winter ski season.
New Zealand's biggest ski area operator NZSki Ltd is anticipating a boom ski season based on current forecasts. Speaking at a Queenstown Chamber of Commerce event yesterday, NZSki Ltd CEO James Coddington said a number of positive indications suggested that "the winter of 2009 could be the best ever".
Mr Coddington said the weak New Zealand dollar provided another good reason for Aussie skiers and riders to choose New Zealand's slopes. "Unlike the Australian ski areas which have increased their prices this season, we've worked hard to hold our pricing at the same level as last year", he said. Of the 1.1 million Australians that actively ski or snowboard, only 60,000 to 80,000 of them visit New Zealand's slopes each year. Mr Coddington said he hoped to increase that number to 100,000 this season. He said the arrival of Jetstar in Queenstown in June, a cold forecast for winter by NIWA and unrest in Fiji and Thailand, making them less attractive holiday destinations, also contributed to a hugely positive outlook. NZSki Ltd, which owns and operates Coronet Peak and The Remarkables ski areas in Queenstown and Mt Hutt in Canterbury, has invested $78 million over the last six years aimed at delivering the best possible product for skiers and riders. A multi-million dollar investment last year including brand new base facilities and a fully automated snowmaking system has transformed Coronet Peak into a world-class winter destination. Meanwhile, continued investment at The Remarkables and Mt Hutt has improved guest facilities and the quality of surfaces for excellent skiing and riding. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
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Adelboden in Switzerland is the latest European ski resort to report business up for the past winter compared to the year before.
Sunny days were generally only interrupted by periods of intense snowfall, contributing to the perfect winter-sport conditions which have lasted right until the end of the season. The ski region generated a turnover of 37 million Swiss Francs in the winter season 2008/09, up two million Swiss Francs or about 5% in comparison with the previous season with sales of SFr 35 million. Adelboden hoteliers have also reported pleasing figures with over 110,000 overnight stays between November 2008 and April 2009. |
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WHERE + WHEN
The 9th annual British Freeskiing performance training Camps, in association with Freeski Britain, will be held this summer in Saas Fee, Switzerland on the following weeks: 11th - 18th July 18th - 25th July 25th July - 1st Aug 1st Aug - 8th Aug 
ABOUT THE CAMPS The British Freeski Camps 2009 (www.britishfreeskicamps.com ) will be focused once again on bringing the British freeskiing community closer together and building a basis for training riders to become top level New School Freestyle skiers, Big Mountain competitors and Moguls competition skiers. The camps are not elitist and also give less experienced skiers who have never had the chance to ride the park a unique learning and confidence building experience for freestyle skiing. Saas-Fee is currently the top summer skiing glacier due to the snow quality and the shaping in the Saas-Fee snowpark. Because of the terrain available in the summer in Saas-Fee, the camps also have the opportunity to test skiers on steeps, moguls and amazing well groomed pistes. Because of the amazing winter that we've just had in Europe the Saas-Fee glacier is the best it's been since 1999 so great conditions are guaranteed. During the camps you'll also get the chance to witness the Saas Fee Ride 09, an international level Freeski competition with some of Europe's top riders and also the best of British. See last year’s event live right now on www.saasfeeride.com . The date of this year’s Saas Fee Ride 09 is 18th July. THE COACHES The camp will feature an all-star line up of coaches and technical staff including: - Warren Smith - Freeride / Moguls / Biomechanics - Pat Sharples - Freestyle / Freeride / Trampoline - Andy Bennett - Freestyle / Moguls / World Cup Half Pipe - Dave Young - Freestyle / Filming Specialist - Nick Southwell - Freeride / Freestyle - Paddy Graham - Freestyle / Trampoline - Phil Hopper - Freeride / Freestyle / Personal Performance - Rob Taylor - Freestyle / Trampoline - James Woods - Freestyle / Trampoline - Joe Tyler - Freestyle / Trampoline 
WHO IS IT FOR The camps cater for the following levels of skier: - Pro Freeskiers / Pro Freestyle Skiers / Moguls Competitors - LEVEL 6 - Aspiring Pro's / Ski Instructors working on Freestyle Level / Expert Skiers - LEVEL 5 - Freestyle Ski Enthusiasts / Advanced Skiers with some park experience - LEVEL 4 - Recreational Skiers with confidence but no park experience - LEVEL 3 - Recreational Skier with no park experience - LEVEL 2 - Intermediate Skiers - LEVEL 1 COACHING - Skiing each day will start at approximately 8.30am and finish at 1pm - Coaching will cater for Half Pipe, Big Air, Rails, Big Mountain Freeride and Moguls. Also personal performance for each individual skier working on their own skiing technique. Wednesday is a day off coaching and a day to freeski - Trampoline training afternoons every other day - Off Piste awareness sessions - Video analysis of days activities at hotel video room - There will be several groups to cater for different ability levels from pro to first time park participant. Skier levels range from Intermediate to Expert. Please also note that there will be a group available to cater for parents wishing to receive coaching whilst in Saas-Fee. OTHER ACTIVITIES - Ski Biomechanics workshops - Advice forums on 'Getting Sponsored' for up and coming rippers - Chance to star in the latest British Freeride movies - Chance to feature in all the major British ski magazines in Autumn 2009 - Dry Land Training sessions - Other activities - golf, basketball, volleyball, swimming, archery, football, tennis (basically anything and everything!) ACCOMMODATION HOTEL: This option is 1/2 board at the Hotel Dom in the centre of Saas-Fee. All rooms have TV and en suite facilities. You will also have the use of the Hotel's Internet facilities, TV Room, Pool room, Bar and Restaurant. The hotel also has the town's most kicking bar, the Popcorn, on site. The Hotel package is £599 (Accommodation, Coaching + Lift Pass) TRAVEL Book one of www.swiss.com , www.easyjet.com , www.britishairways.com to Geneva. Once you get to Geneva airport there will be transfer coaches organised to pick you up and drive you direct to Saas-Fee. The transfer cost is £90 return. The transfer coaches will be leaving Geneva Airport at 1pm and 5.30pm so please book flights accordingly. The coach will return to Geneva at 9.30am and 1pm on the following Saturday. INSURANCE Please make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance that covers winter sports. PRICE - HOTEL PACKAGE 1 Week - £599 2 Weeks - £1149 (£50 reduction) 3 Weeks - £1699 (£100 reduction) 4 Weeks - £2249 (£150 reduction) INCLUDES Coaching fees, Accommodation, 6 Day Lift Pass, Ski Biomechanics Assessment, Video Analysis, Trampoline Training, Ski Fitness Training. DOES NOT INCLUDE Travel, Transfer to resort, Insurance, Equipment Hire. TO BOOK All bookings for the British Freeski Camps 2009 need to be made through the website, www.britishfreeskicamps.com. On the site you will see a green 'Book a Course'‚ tab. Click here for the booking page. Once you have booked online you will be emailed an invoice and payment plan for the camps. An initial £50 deposit is required to secure your place. All other questions that need answering please email us through the Contact page of the British Freeski Camps website. |
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Over half-a-metre (20 inches) of snow has been falling on Australia's ski slopes over the past 48 hours, with most still not expecting to open for nearly six weeks or more.
Snow continues to fall at Perisher in New South Wales. From the peaks to the valleys, a thick layer of snow can be found, making the resort look more like July than April. Another 25cm (10 inches) of snow settled across the upper elevations on Monday night, April 27th. Overnight temperatures dropped to -5 degrees Celsius and it is currently 0 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the Forester Quad Express. Weather forecasters have predicted that overnight temperatures will stay nice and cool with more snow showers expected in early May. Cold temperatures will also allow Perisher to commence its snowmaking operations earlier as well. Wind-drifts of over two metres (seven feet) can be found in places giving visitors an early taste of winter and the chance to have some cold play fun. Light falls are expected to continue throughout today. Mt Hotham has had a similar snowfall. From 11pm on Saturday night a snow blizzard has captured the resort leaving nothing uncovered. Although the start of the season is more than six weeks away locals hiked up to get the very first tracks of 2009 in the southern hemisphere. Meanwhile Mt Buller has announced plans to open five weeks early, this weekend, because of the early snow. Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc |
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Compagnie des Alpes expects business up 2 percent on previous season
Started by User in Ski News, 10 Replies |
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Compagnie des Alpes, the world's leading ski resort operator, has announced a small fall in sales to the end of March, but expects full season figures to show an improvement of around 2 percent (compared to the record numbers of the previous season. The company operates 17 leading ski areas in the French Alps (including Tignes, Val d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Plagne, Les Menuires, Méribel and Chamonix).
Good snow conditions and Easter falling in April resulted in good business for the 2009 spring season. Compagnie des Alpes Chairman and CEO Dominique Marcel commented, "the attractiveness of our sites and quality of our services showed through in the resilience of Compagnie des Alpes Ski Areas, which weathered a difficult economic climate." The company believes that two economic factors explain the slight decline in sales to March 31st. This year, the Easter weekend and vacations, especially for foreign visitors, were in April. Also the world ski championships, held in February, at a peak time of the season, adversely affected business for the companies of Espace Killy (Tignes and Val d'Isère). According to a company statement :-
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