Ski vacations remain popular escapes in the winter months, when you might live in a cold, but flat climate that does not offer you much in the way of ski mountain ranges. Ski vacations are also perfect for people who dwell in warmer climates and are tired of hanging Christmas ornaments on palm trees. Ski vacations can be a wonderful break from the norm in these cases, and afford the family a new way to enjoy the winter holidays.
Continue reading ‘Taking winter holidays on a ski mountain’
Archive for the 'SKI USA' Category
Forty of the world’s best skiers and snowboarders will descend on Squaw Valley USA this winter, where for the first time ever they’ll compete on a legendary section of the mountain during the Freeride World Tour Event: Nissan Tram Face, anticipated to take place February 28th, 2009.
The Freeride World Tour event at Squaw Valley USA, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, will help set a new standard for freeride competition, attracting some of the best in the sport. The Tour promises to be demanding for participants and exciting for spectators when for the first time the legendary Tram Face, closed since Squaw Valley opened in 1949, will be open for the pro event.
The Tram Face at Squaw Valley is legendary terrain that many have dreamed to ride but few have dared to,” said longtime Squaw Valley USA skier Cody Townsend, ranked 5th in the 2008 World Freeride Tour.
Having the first ever competition on Tram Face is like the first time Monaco was raced in Formula 1, Teahupoo was surfed and the Masters was played at Augusta. Opening up the off-limits terrain for the competition is a dream come true for anyone that’s driven into Squaw Valley and seen the amazing Face that dominates the mountain.”
Participants arrive at Squaw on February 26, opening ceremonies take place on Friday, February 27 and competition is scheduled for Saturday, February 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be postponed to an alternate date between February 28 and March 5. Spectators can enjoy the festive atmosphere with live music and ongoing events at The Village at Squaw Valley plus another village at Squaw Valley’s High Camp.
Riders participating in the Squaw event, which is the second leg of the Freeride World Tour, will arrive in California after showing their stuff in Sochi, Russia. After Squaw, the riders will travel to Tignes, France and Verbier, Switzerland. After this final event, the four Freeride World Champions (ski/snowboard/men/women) will be crowned.
An appeals court panel in the US has ruled that the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection behaved correctly and carried out a proper environmental review and permitting standards when allowing Xanadu to be built.
The case against the Commission and department had been brought by Hartz Mountain, which lost the bid to redevelop the site in 2004, and a number of environmental groups.
Their approach has obviously resulted in this appeal and is open to debate, but it is not arbitrary or capricious and, therefore, given our standard of review, it is not in error,”
said a statement from the court panel.
“We are pleased the decision upholds the process the State of New Jersey used to select a developer at the site,” New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Executive Director Robert Ceberio. “The NJMC is charged with several critical missions, including protecting the Meadowlands District environment while promoting reasonable development, and it is rewarding to see an outside review conclude that we have struck a reasonable balance with these important objectives.”
The environmental groups are now considering continuing their appeal to the US Supreme Court. Xanadu is due to begin opening next year.
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Xanadu controversy growing
Covered with specially made covers by Marmot, Jackson Hole’s first new tram car (cable car) was moved from the upper parking lot to 150 feet above the nearly completed lower terminal, where crews then attached the hangar to the top of the car and then lifted it up by crane 80 feet and placed it onto the track cables.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will begin operations on November 29th, and the new aerial tram will open on December 20th, following a special “Tram Unveiling Night Show” at 6pm on Friday, December 19th.
Jackson Hole’s new aerial tram will be twice the size of the original, carrying 100 passengers. The sleek, new cabins, and visually inspiring base terminal only add to the faster and more efficient “cable to the sky”.
As well as the journey, it is the destination that captures the spirit of the Jackson Hole Tram, soaring 4,139 vertical feet in nine minutes to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. The lift opens up a huge choice of ski routes below, not to mention incredible 360 views.
www.tram-formation.com
For the second consecutive year Sunday River ski resort in Maine, New England, opened for the season with skiing and riding in October thanks to cold temperatures and early season snowmaking. On Wednesday last week the resort was aiming to open on Friday for Halloween, but then moved opening day forward again to last Thursday.
Thanks to the hard work of Sunday River’s snowmaking team and $1.5 million in new snowmaking investment this season, including the addition of 70 new Boyne Low-E fan guns, we were able to make enough snow to open even sooner than expected,” said Brent Larson, Sunday River Mountain Manager.
All skiers and riders who arrived in costume on Halloween received free lift tickets, a promotion the resort introduced last season. Otherwise lift tickets on Halloween will be $25 for all ages.
“We have been adding new snowmaking technologies including tower guns and fan guns which help us make more snow early in the season,” said Dana Bullen, Sunday River General Manager.
The resort remained open over the weekend before temporarily closing for the following midweek period.
Open terrain inirtially was on the upper mountain and for advanced skiers and riders only. The T2, Upper Sunday Punch and Jim’s Whim trails were open, with a small terrain park built on T2. Continuing cold weather allowed for more terrain to open further down the mountain.
More than a dozen of the world’s top resorts have now opened for the winter – in most cases thanks to heavy snowfall which has brought several feet (60cm+) of fresh snow to some resorts in the Alps, as well as big falls in the Pyrenees and at least a foot (30cm) to most.
Continue reading ‘World’s biggest ski resorts kick off season’
Western ski resorts opening; look for bargains
Colorado’s Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Keystone and Wolf Creek ski resorts were scheduled to open this weekend, following in the footsteps of Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, which began limited operations in mid-October.
Quebec’s Mont Tremblant earns Ski mag’s top rating
In the notoriously fickle realm of popularity, a year can be a lifetime. Which is why it is positively astounding that for the past 12 years a single resort - Quebec’s Mont Tremblant - has been rated No. 1 overall in Eastern North America by the readers of Ski Magazine. Tremblant garnered top honors again for 2008-09 in the individual categories of lodging, on-mountain food, dining and service.