J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

Franz Klammer, also known as the "Ski Kaiser" and arguably the most famous ski racer of all time– celebrated his 70th birthday earlier this month with a race of ski legends in his home resort of Bad Kleinkirchheim in the Austrian province of Carinthia.

More than 50 former ski stars, friends and companions took part in the exciting event sporting a true World Cup vibe. The stars included Michaela Dorfmeister, Jure Kosir, Markus Wasmeier, Armin Assinger, Jimmy Steiner, Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Michael Veith.

The run by Bernhard Russi, Franz Klammer's biggest competitor in the Olympic downhill race on Innsbruck's Patscherkofel at the 1976 Olympics, was especially eagerly awaited.

"Back then I won gold. Today it's no longer about who gets the best time, but about fun and friendship that have lasted for decades," said Klammer.

The winner of the race in wintery Bad Kleinkirchheim wasn't the fastest one on the piste but the one who came closest to Klammer's time. Patrick Ortlieb, who was only 8 hundredths off, was first, Jurir Kosir and Armin Assinger second and third.

Peter Kaiser, provincial governor of Carinthia said, "Franz Klammer made history when he won the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck in 1976. Since then, his popularity has continued to grow, and he is still a popular figure around the world today. Thanks to his background and likeable, down-to-earth personality, he has been THE sporty international ambassador of Carinthia for decades."

Thousands of ski fans celebrated the legends and left the event with both long-lasting memories and their autographs.

Winter sports fans wanting to ski alongside the "Ski Kaiser" have a chance to do so at the Early Morning Skiing (9 January and 6, 13 and 20 February 2024) in Bad Kleinkirchheim.

alas today's slalom now cancelled.

Challenging conditions on the Face de Bellevarde above Val d'Isere on Saturday proved too much for some of the world's best skiers competing in the first World Cup Siant Slalom race of the season on Saturday.

However despite significant snowfall falling during the race, Swiss skier Marco Odermatt took his third consecutive victory on the Bellevarde (2"13'93), winning by almost a second (0.98') over Austria's Marco Scharz.

However one of the biggest cheers was for Andorra's Joan Verdu (+1.32), who took Andorra's first ever GS podium, from a start place of 19th. Despite facing a course cut up by previous racers in both of his runs, Verdu managed to hold his nerve ands avoid unforced errors to post the third best overall time.

The GS was actually only the second of nine Men's World Cup ski races to successfully be staged with previous competitions in Solden, Zermatt and Beaver Creek all cancelled due to various issues including too much snow, low visibility and/or strong winds.

Only one race had been successfully staged, a slalom at Obergurgl last month, with the second slalom of the season, on the second day at Val d'Isere, de to take place today, Sunday 10th December.

Robbie Williams staged two concerts on successive evenings officially open the season at Schladming-Dachstein (in fact the season had begun few weeks before thanks to great November snowfalls).

Set against a picturesque snowy backdrop, it was a sold-out stadium on Friday, with more than ten thousand guests there to ski and see the Thursday concert.

"In total, 25,000 music fans and ski enthusiasts rocked Ski Opening Schladming-Dachstein 2023. When superstar Robbie Williams visits Schladming, there's simply no holding back the celebrations," an excited resort spokesperson commented.

Williams reportedly charmed the audience, interacting with fans and always ready for a spot of fun.

"What is entertainment?" he asked the crowd, pointing to his chest. "The number one rule of entertaining is - you must love your audience. But instead of trying to explain what entertaining is - why don't I show you!?" With these words, he launched his show.

The unique stage in the Schladming Planai Stadium contributed to the vibe: 50 metres wide and constructed with about 500 tons of materials, the stage was a spectacle in its own right. 20 kilometres of cable, 300 spots, and over 150 square metres of LED screens added to Williams' abilities.

Austria's huge Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn ski area will host the Ski World Cup finals on the Zwölferkogel at the culmination of the 23-24 ski racing season on 16-24 March 2024.

With no Olympics or World Championships this winter it'll be the biggest Alpine racing event of the season, coming less than a year before the Austrian resort hosts the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships 2025.

Visitors have a new 8-seater chairlift on the Schattberg to enjoy when visiting Saalbach Hinterglemm, which opened for its 23-24 season last weekend too, replacing the area's Limberg quad chair.

The old quad chairlift has been operating for 29 years and has provided uplift for 15 million skiers and boarders since 1994.

The new lift is one of the fastest in the world, travelling at 6 metres per second, and has one of the biggest uplift capacities at 3,600 people per hour, taking just over four minutes to make the ascent.

Saalbach previously hosted the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in 1991.

Les Deux Alpes has opened for the season, one of the first French resorts to do so, and is reporting great conditions for early December with 50cm of snow at village level and the snow nearly 2 metres deep up high. The snow and early opening is thanks to 70% of the ski area being above 2,100m and climbing as high as the glacier-slopes at 3,600m.

Winter 23-24 started with the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup launching the World Cup season with the world's best athletes competing on the resort's Snowboard cross course, located between 3,400m and 3,200m.

Then this coming weekend the famous Rise music festival is back for its 9th edition. Run by British organisers (Ibiza Rocks, Wasteland Ski and Rough Hill), the festival combines a week of snowsports and mountain activities with 100% British gigs throughout the resort (Les 2 Alpes main square, Palais des sports, slopeside bars, resort bars). It will be on from this Saturday 9th to 16th December. The festival is unusual coming so early in the season, most of the others in the Alps take place in the spring.

Early season Les 2 Alpes offers a discounted lift pass (until 22 December) A 6-day adult pass costs €252 instead of €296, and a 6-day child pass is at €201.50 instead of €237.

The Dolomiti Superski area will fully open for the season this Friday, 8 December, saying it will have over 320 lifts running and around two thirds of its 1,200 piste kilometres available in all 12 of its ski resorts.

Parts of the huge Italian ski area began opening on 25 November in the Kronplatz and Obereggen/Pampeago ski resorts and already set higher visitor numbers than for the same period a year ago, with skier numbers reported up 15%.

"Our investments in the latest technologies, which are more efficient and therefore more sustainable, enable us to start the season on time. This benefits the entire winter tourism industry, as it allows everyone to plan their activities and, above all, guests who spend their holidays in our mountains can rely on services being available on time" said Andy Varallo, President of Dolomiti Superski, lift operator and hotelier from Corvara.

Dolomiti Superski also report season pass sales up 19% and for individual valley passes up 14%.

"As lift operators in Dolomiti Superski, we can only be satisfied with this start to the season. The conditions are very good and the fact that ski enthusiasts are once again appreciating our commitment and our products makes us very confident about the future" Mr Varallo added.

Dolomiti Superski is believed to be the first ski pass in Europe, outside Switzerland at least, to break through the 400 Euros mark for a 6 day full area pass in high season, a period starting on Christmas Eve. A 6-day adult ticket is 363.00 euros outside high season this winter, 404.00 euros high season

Regular season runs 23 December 2023 and from 7 to 27 January 2024 and from 2 April to the end of the 2024 season with high season from 24.12.2023-06.01.2024 and from 28.01.-01.04.2024.

In addition, this year too, those who buy their ski pass at least two days in advance via the Dolomiti Superski online shop will receive an instant discount of 5%.

French ski resort Risoul has been cut off from the outside world and severely damaged by a weather event which brought a torrent of water, snow, ice, mud and rocks down the mountain side.

The ski area, in the southern French Alps, had not fully opened for the season and there were only about 100 people there at the time. So far no one has been reported hurt.

The event, described in French media as a 'torrent' followed heavy snowfall then a period of heavy rain to high altitudes. The event is reported to have damaged buildings, smashing windows, with one report noting a boulder of about 1 metre diameter left in one building.

The weather event also opened up a two metre wide 'crevasse' in the resort's access road which has left it cut off for the 48 hours since, with power supplies also cut. although police organised a rescue of everyone wanting to leave on Sunday evening.

Many ski areas in the Alps were fully or partially closed on Saturday due to the stormy weather although most re-opened with fresh snow and blue skies on Sunday.

Risoul had planned to start its season next weekend and resort managers say they hope this will still be possible, although some local residents interviewed by French media expressed their doubts.