J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by J2SkiNews

US ski areas on each side of the country have reported light and temporary dustings of snow on their highest slopes over the last few days.

In Oregon, Mt Hood Meadows posted the image above of some fresh snow there and in New Hampshire the ski touring destination of Mt Washington said it had snow few a few hours overnight to start September.

The latest snowfall follows similar brief snow coverings spotted over the past few weeks on high slopes in Utah and Idaho.

Other than the indoor Big SNOW ski area in New Jersey there's currently no ski areas open in North America. However Loveland and other ski areas with high slopes in Colorado expect to start snowmaking by the end of September with the target of opening as early as possible in October – depending on temperatures and any natural snowfall to help things along.

Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Wolf Creek have also opened in October in some recent years, as have some small centres, thanks to snowmaking, in the Midwest.

Very interesting, thanks as always. I've been to that one on the Jungfraujoch and I thought the same when I read about this one. That sad pic of the (lack of) snow cover is very different to the pristine images being posted of the new race course "with 75 days to race day" :)

Zermatt and Cervinia have unveiled a new year-round snow fun park located between the two resorts at Plateau Rosa.

The new SnowXperience Plateau Rosa beginner park, located on the Italian border next to the valley station of the new Matterhorn Glacier Ride II lift, which opened two months ago, will be partially operational from 1st September.

Aimed at beginners, the park will allow people to have their first ski or snowboarding lessons on snow.

Equipment rental is available on site at the Zermatters - Outdoor Experience for 79 Swiss Francs and the cost also includes the services of a ski school instructor based at the park to provide advice.

Entry to the park is automatically included with a Zermatt - Testa Grigia lift pass or the full Matterhorn Alpine Crossing Ticket over to Cervinia.

Later this autumn the new park will be enhanced with a new covered conveyor lift and from 2024 a snow-tubing facility will be added.

The old ski train service, now re-branded 'Eurostar Snow' is back this winter after the original service's pandemic cancellation.

The "prices from £99 one way" is the same as the old service, but the removal of a direct train from St Pancras to Moutiers or Bourg St Maurice is different, with all passengers needing to change at Lille Europe station in France.

Describing the Lille development as a "quick and easy connection" Eurostar argue this change makes it possible for a greater variety of routes and avoids the need to travel back overnight, on a non-sleeper train, as was previously the case.

"The direct ski route is operationally complex whilst requiring significant resources, including border, staff and fleet. It is important for us to provide our UK customers with a sustainable travel option so we are offering a new solution for customers to travel to the slopes with a connection in Lille. Having a connection in Lille will allow us to offer additional destinations to our ski customers travelling to the Alps, whilst keeping the same level of frequency on our core routes," explained a Eurostar spokesperson.

The Eurostar Snow service will bring travellers to stations below many famous French resorts, including Chambéry, Albertville, Moutiers and Aime-La Plagne before arriving in Bourg-Saint-Maurice below Les Arcs and la Rosiere, and the nearest station to Tignes and Val d'Isere as its final destination.

The first service will departing from London on Saturday 16th December at 9.01am and run for eight weekends through to early February. The journey back to London will depart Sunday morning, arriving at St Pancras International in the afternoon, giving 8 days of skiing. Tickets will go on sale 31st August and can be purchased via Eurostar.com. Fixed fares start from £99 one-way in Standard and £149 in Standard Premier. Passengers can bring two suitcases, one piece of hand luggage and skis or snowboard at no extra cost.

Passengers travelling from France back to the UK will go through check-in, security, and immigration on arrival to Lille Europe before continuing their journey to London.

Francois Le Doze, Chief Commercial Officer, Eurostar Group "We're proud to offer our customers a sustainable travel option to the Alps by launching our first connecting service as Eurostar Group. With a quick and easy connection, competitive pricing and five stops to choose from, passengers can enjoy a seamless experience with us from the city of London to the snowcapped mountains of France."

After the cancellation of the direct rail service to the Alps, a company called Travelski Express began offering ski holiday packages by rail with a chartered direct service in the winter of 21-22. It includes transfer from station to resort and back, lift pass and accommodation at a choice of 10 leading French resorts. This service will enter its third winter this season but will also no longer offer a direct service.

A number of other holiday companies including Inghams are launching or improving their own ski holiday by rail packages this coming winter.

iainm wrote:Essentially the same idea that Val Thorens has been running for several years:
https://www.valthorens.com/en/pages/club-val-thorens

Yes and now I think about it haven't Austrian/Swiss resorts been doing same for decades? I remember places like Zermatt handing out bronze/silver/gold badges for skiers who have kept coming back each winter for decades?

The world famous French ski resort of Val d'Isère has launched its own loyalty club for avid fans and frequent visitors to the resort.

Describing 'Val d'Isère Le Club', as "…a way of giving back to our most loyal ambassadors," a resort spokesperson said that the new club "…offers taster sessions, exclusive events, behind-the-scenes adventures and plenty more."

Members will also be rewarded for their loyalty with "medals", which are eligible after 10 years of holidays in Val d'Isère. Medal-holding grants access to even more exclusive privileges across the resort.

Guests can register to be part of the club via the Val d'Isere website.

Les 2 Alpes say they plan to open their glacier ski slopes for two weeks in the autumn, from Saturday 21 October to Sunday 5 November 2023, conditions permitting.

The highest part of the ski area (3,200m to 3,600m – the highest lift-served ski area in France) will be open for skiers and boarders, conditions permitting as well as to pedestrian visitors. International athletes will also be there to train for the 2023–24 season, with uplift improved by a new ski lift: Le Dôme Sud which replaces the old Le Soreiller lift.

Les 2 Alpes will also welcome Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross teams and host the first FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup of the season on 1 and 2 December 2023.

For the first time, the bike park will also be open at the same time. Downhill mountain biking enthusiasts will be able to enjoy their final runs of the season. The Diable and Venosc areas will be open and, depending on the snow conditions, the resort's Vallée Blanche area will be too.

The resort looks set to overtake Tignes as having the longest ski season in France, having moved its summer ski season to take place in May and June after a few days closure at the end of the winter season. It means that the resort is open for about 7 months from early December, plus the autumn fortnight.

By contrast Tignes, which used to open year round, then for at least a day each month, appears to have given up on autumn skiing while its summer ski season has been shortened to just over a month. It's open for over five months from late November to early May, for a total of about 6.5 months.

"Les 2 Alpes attracts skiers from around the world thanks to its high-altitude ski area (at 3,600m, it is France's highest ski area), its events, and its friendly atmosphere. It is a big resort that doesn't take itself too seriously!" a statement from the resort explained.

The resort though does keeps evolving and innovating to become a four-season destination, and ski lift operators SATA have a 50 year plan designed to make the resort welcoming to all mountain users including hikers, bikers and pedestrians as climate change continues to impact the mountains.

The plan made by SATA is based on modernity, flows, accessibility, comfort and respect for the environment. It is a plan designed with aims for the long term, both in terms of local life and the changing needs of the visitors.

The recent weeks of very hot weather in the Alps have come to an end with snowfall reported on glaciers for the final few days of meteorological summertime.

Freezing point reached a record high 5,300m in the Swiss Alps a few weeks ago and double digit plus temperatures were reported on glaciers but there's been a dramatic drop in temperatures back below freezing over the past few days.

Some forecasting models are predicting up to 60cm (two feet) of snowfall possible on glaciers over the next few days, with heavy rain at lower elevations.

The stormy conditions have already impacted summer operations at Alpine ski areas and the four glacier areas currently open for snowsports at Hintertux in Austria, Passo Stelvio in Italy, and Switzerland's Saas Fee and Zermatt.

Passo Stelvio announced last week that it was closing temporarily because of the heat impact on its snowpack, but hopes to reopen this week if there has been enough fresh snowfall. A decision will be made on Tuesday.

At least three Austrian glacier ski areas plan to open for their 23-24 seasons in September.