Alta in Utah is implementing a skier-friendly, web-friendly, hands-free ticketing system. All ski products will be loaded on the Alta Card, which will have an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip embedded in it to allow access through entry gates to the lifts.
The hands-free system means no more showing a pass at every lift. Skiers place the Alta Card inside a pocket by itself and leave it there for the day; antennas will do the rest. At the end of the day, skiers can visit alta.com and enter the Web ID on the Alta Card to personalize the card, track ski history and reload the card. On the next ski day, skiers can go straight to the lifts and skip the extra stop at the ticket office.
Alta Ski Area already partners with Rocky Mountain Power through the Blue Sky program. Alta’s commitment to clean, renewable wind energy is reflected in its promise to purchase 900,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) for the next twelve-month period, offsetting nearly a quarter of Alta’s traditional energy consumption. The environmental impact is equivalent to reducing the 3,600 tons of CO2 emissions per year the resort would otherwise produces by some 900 tonnes.
Winston-Salem, NC –Already gearing up for the winter ski season? Take it from the ski professionals –- wearing base layer is a must. In a recent survey, more than nine out of 10 ski instructors say they wear base layer to keep warm when temperatures start to drop. And, 14 percent of those surveyed report wearing base layer with its moisture-wicking characteristics as a year-round staple.
Heading into the winter season, Duofold, maker of performance base layer, polled more than 4,200 ski instructors in partnership with the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), about staying warm both on and off the slopes. Continue reading ‘Duofold Surveys Ski Experts on Staying Warm this Winter’
Gavarnie in the French Pyrenees is adding twelve new runs this winter and expanding its total pisted area from 40km (25 miles) to 52km (32 miles) in the process.
The resort, with skiing in a UNESCO World Heritage area is also creating a permanent Kid Park full of family snow fun attractions and a new school snow sports park, le BuzzPark, dedicated to new snow sports.
Gavarnie first opened its ski lifts in 1971. The village is a small traditional centre with skiing five kilometres from the village, beneath Pic Des Tentes. It is promoted jointly with Gèdre, further down the valley.
www.gavarnie.com
A whole new brand of SNO!show, presented by SNO!zone in association with Ellis Brigham will be staged on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th September 2007. Attracting over 50 stands, the weekend will be the biggest ever UK based ski and board demo with brand new 07/08 equipment.
Each day will feature on -slope coaching from RTM Snow Boarding, New Generation, Alpine Coaching and Method Snow Board School, as well as slope side demos from SNO!zone Instructors and Sponsored Riders from SNO!zone and Ellis Brigham. Continue reading ‘First ‘Real Snow Ski and Board Show’ in the UK This Weekend’
The giant cross –border Portes du Soleil ski area has announced it will sell a new ski type of ski ticket designed for the modern winter sports holiday-maker when its 2007-8 season kicks off on December 16th.
The ‘Lazybones Ski Pass’ is valid from 11am and costs 33 Euros, six Euros less than a full day ticket, valid from 9am.
The region, which offers 6509km (407 miles) of runs across the French – Swiss border says the new ticket is a response to a trend away from the desire to ski from 9am to 5pm each day. www.portesdusoleil.com
Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe in California will be making many new additions to its terrain parks in 2007/08 including a new trenched (in-ground) superpipe in Central Park at Riviera.
Equipped with lights, the new Riviera Superpipe will be the only night accessed superpipe in the Tahoe basin.
The addition of snowmaking in the Riviera terrain park, along with the trenching of the pipe, will give Squaw Valley skiers and snowboarders a superpipe starting at the very beginning of the season that’s also the only night-accessed halfpipe in the Tahoe basin. Continue reading ‘Squaw Doing Yet More With Its Terrain Parks and Pipes’