The slopes of Ischgl in Austria are now adorned with Hollywood legends – Marilyn Monroe, King Kong, Cindy Crawford, Jaws and Moby Dick have been carved from huge mounds of snow in this high altitude resort in the Paznaun region of Austria’s Tirol.

Continue reading ‘Hollywood Comes To Ischgl’

Coca-Cola are sponsoring Snow Mountain, described as a “major new attraction” at Stone Mountain theme park in Georgia, the state’s most popular with four million visitors each year. The “family snow park” will open in November as part of Stone Mountain Christmas.

Continue reading ‘Coca Cola Brings Snow Back To Georgia’

Zermatt has introduced a six and a half day lift ticket, “to enable our guests to go skiing on the day of their arrival and departure.”

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The possibility of recreation in beautiful alpine surroundings, healthy air and a healing climate have attracted guests from around the globe to Davos for more than a century. Therefore, protecting the climate in the alpine metropolis is a special concern and Davos has committed itself to meeting the targets of the Kyoto Protocol.

Continue reading ‘Davos Committed to Protecting the Climate’

Work on a seventh British snowdome is expected to begin by early Spring following the official go ahead for Hemel Ski Centre at Hemel Hempstead to commence construction.

Continue reading ‘Seventh British Snowdome Given Go Ahead’

Dzhevded Chakarov, the Bulgarian Minister of Environment has insisted that sectors of the Natura 2000 nature project area in the country cannot be excluded from the high level of environmental protection the area enjoys.

Speaking at a meeting with the Mayor of the town of Razlog, near to the country’s main booming resort of Bansko, the issue was raised as to whether any development might be allowed in the Pirin National Park as the municipality has announced plans to build ski runs there.

The decision on which areas are included in the ecological network is not taken either by the regional governor, or the Minister. The criteria are scientific, depending on what king of species live in the region and what kind of land has been identified, the Minister said.

The spectacular beauty and wild nature of the Pirin Mountain has led to it being included on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage sites.

More information has been slowly emerging on the snowdome at Dubailand, originally called the Dubai Sunny Mountain Skidome and now simply ‘Snowdome.’

The project, from the 32Group, involves the world’s largest transparent dome structure supported by steel. It will have a 220m (722 foot) diameter and 75m (246 foot) in height containing a slowly rotating ski deck/slope that appears to be from the description of the type patented by Ski Trac of Australia (www.skitrac.com).

Snowdome’s entrance will be marked by two huge real-ice columns and in addition to the main ski run, will contain a training area, snow play area and toboggan run. It will contain 6,000 tons (5.5 million kilograms) of real snow and operate at +10 degrees Celcius.

Associated facilities will include an iceberg-shaped five-star deluxe hotel, pinguinarium, winter aquaria, snow castle, ice-rink, animal statues, four-season aquaria, sound and light effects, as well as cold and warm spas.

Snowdome will be just a part of the vast Dubailand Development that is scheduled for completion in 2015. It will be located within the Attraction and Experience World sector of Dubailand. The AED 3.7 billion (US$ 1 billion) development will cover an area of 1.4 million square feet (130 thousand square meters).

Snowdome will be surrounded by 9 Iceberg Residences towers and flanked by two Crystal Towers, all with winter themed architecture. The Iceberg Residence apartment buildings will screen the snowdome from the early morning sun. Real estate opportunities are being pre-sold through Emirates Star Properties.

Expected completion date of the Snowdome is the end of 2008.