Messages posted by : J2SkiNews
Snowbird ski resort in Utah will today begin running its iconic red tram cable car cabin and its all-new blue cable car cabin on the same lift. The famous American resort was due to unveil its all new blue tram cabins ahead of winter 22-23, replacing its signature red cabins which had been operating for over 50 years and the resort says had travelled about 794,994 miles up and down their cables. But it was the latest resort to suffer an issue when installing new cabins, requiring it to be rebuilt. Reports indicate a new cabin was dropped from a crane due to an 'equipment malfunction' before it actually made it onto the cables. So for the time being the resort is keeping one of the old red cabins on the lift to act as a counter-balance to the surviving new blue one. 
The cabin's manufacturer Doppelmayr says a replacement second blue cabin will be built and installed in time for the start of next winter in November. The new cabins have floor-to-ceiling glass, glass panels in the floor to view below and a viewing platform on the roof. These have been installed in Europe at ski areas including the Dachstein Glacier in Austria and at Tignes but is a first for North American ski area. 
Snowbird is the latest resort to have built up an image centred on an iconic lift. Jackson Hole faced a similar dilemma a few years ago, but it decided to keep its new tram red, like the famous old one, which claimed the largest vertical rise in the US. Other resorts to have suffered major damage in recent years included a new cabin at the Zugspitze glacier in Germany and the Saulire cable car in Courchevel France, which required €9m in repairs after both cabins were damaged during pre-season testing. Nobody was injured in the accidents.  |
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A number of significant lift upgrades are underway in the 4 Valleys, Switzerland's largest lift-linked ski area which includes the world-famous resort of Verbier. The biggest project is a combined gondola and chairlift (or so-called "chondola") which will carry six-seat chairs and 10-seat gondola cabins on the same cable. The new Collons lift will replace the old Matze T-bar and Theytaz 1 drag lifts and will take just over three minutes to make the ascent with a capacity of 2000 people per hour. The 32-year old La Pasay fixed-grip triple is also in line for a major upgrade with a new high-speed six-seater with weather-protection hood (of the type pictured above) due to go into service on the route. The fast new lift will cut the ascent time to five minutes while increasing capacity to 2000 people per hour. |
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After a rollercoaster week of mountain weather, many ski areas in New Zealand are currently seeing a major storm hit bringing at least half-a-metre (20 inches) of snow so far, with more to come. Many ski area closed on Tuesday ahead of the forecast storm, with others opting to open in the morning but closing at lunchtime. The snow is still coming down but the first rough assessments are of 40-60cm so far for many. New Zealand's ski season got off to a slightly less promising start than Australia's a month ago when the first season for three years when travel was relatively straight forward again between the two countries began. Australian ski areas saw huge snowfalls perfectly timed for the season start with many like Perisher opening a week early. Since then it has been fairly plain sailing with no more huge falls but good cover and everything open now at leading resorts like Falls Creek, Mt Buller and Thredbo as we're in peak season. New Zealand has seen more weather extremes with periods when it has been too warm and periods of heavy snowfall right through autumn and the start of winter. The end of last week saw warm, wet weather close some centres and this has also delayed the full opening of the country's largest resorts. Mt Ruapehu on the north Island. However its dumping now here too. Several of the country's centre's are also starting to post very healthy snow depths to see out the season, lower base nearing a metre, upper nearing two metres at Treble Cone for example, among the five best in the world right now. |
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Europe's highest altitude major ski resort, Val Thorens, will unveil its new €40m indoor sports centre, christened 'Le Board' this December. The facility, which will feature an aqua wellness centre and gym is located in the heart of the village, connected to the Caron commercial centre. The complex will boast a rooftop event space for 3,000 people, a multi-purpose interior space for concerts and sporting events, exhibitions, conferences and so on. It has an auditorium seating 448 people, along with 12 breakout rooms, a lounge and chillout zones. The huge development also includes a new bus station, baggage storage and welcome centre – on Place des Arolles. The first lift opened in Val Thornes on Dec 18, 1971 so this December marks the conclusion of the resort's 50th anniversary celebrations.  |
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Alpine glaciers are having what several glaciologists are saying is their worst summer yet in terms of rapid thawing due to unprecedented heat. However there is a small amount of respite today with two to six inches (5-15cm) of snowfall reported on many glaciers after temperatures finally dropped from their recent highs. The Dachstein glacier in Austria is pictured this morning. These have seen double digit plus temperatures at 3,000m and the 'freezing point' going above the highest peaks for prolonged periods on numerous occasions since May. The most catastrophic result of these conditions in the short term was the collapse of part of the Marmolada glacier, a former summer skiing area, in Italy last weekend leading to a number of deaths among climbers in the area at the time. Now the only French glacier ski area still open, Les 2 Alps, has announced it is ending kts summer ski season before its half way point following Tignes which closed less than two weeks after opening and Val d'Isere which decided not to open at all. It means only three glacier ski areas will be open in the Alps next week – the lowest number since summer skiing gained popularity 50 or so years ago – Hintertux, Zermatt and Passo Stelvio.  |
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Tignes has now closed and Les 2 Alpes say they'll close this weekend.
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The Austrian ski resort of Alpbach has announced a new six-seater high-speed lift will replace a former quad. Work on the new the new Hornbahn 2000 is underway and the lift is expected to open next season. However the lift company appears more excited about the new summit building that's being created along with the new lift.
The new six-seater high-speed detachable chairlift with bubble hood will take four minutes to make the ascent to its 2,025m top station and carry up to 2,400 people per hour – increasing speed and capacity on the former lift. Alpbach say the old fixed-grip quad clocked up 16.567 operating hours and carried 7,129,813 people over its 23 years of operations. |
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The annual 'Golf the Streif' competition has taken place down the famous Streif racecourse where the Hahnenkamm World Cup Downhill races are staged each year. This year's event took place on the day that French racers Jean-Baptiste Grange and Julien Lizeroux had a Hahnenkamm gondola cabins dedicated to them. Tessa Worley, along with other prominent ski stars, footballers, bobsleigh world champions and passionate golfers joined in the annual one-of-a-kind annual tournament. Formally known as 'Streif Attack', the event was renamed as 'Golf the Streif' this year. The event begins after breakfast at the race start house where groups of four play 12-holes along the downhill racecourse. The best-placed ball serves as a reference for the next shot. A short stop at the Seidlalm provides a breather before the challenging traverse to the finish. The winner is the team with the fewest strokes. It is worth noting this is not a harmless undertaking for the caddies, which is why they are equipped with helmets along the course. Players who achieve a Hole in One, longest drive, or get their ball nearest to the Pin are also rewarded with special prizes. 
Pics credit: Julien Lizeroux |
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