Stowe in Vermont is aiming to attract more skiers and snowboarders from North America’s most populated snowsports markets and is encouraging people to pack the car or board a train and come to the ski Vermont’s highest peak which opened for top-to-bottom skiing on Saturday, November 22.

Airline industry conditions and economic factors will likely preclude snowsports participants from taking distant trips this winter. People will continue to ski and snowboard however, they just might change where,”

said Jeff Wise, Stowe’s communications director.
Continue reading ‘Stowe recommends people ski local and travel by car or train’

Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, both in Colorado, had been in close competition for several weeks. Each resort was preparing to open their doors before the other.

And the North American Winner is On October 15, 2008 both resorts opened on the same date and time. Early in the week Arapahoe Basin stated they would open on October 15 at 9 a.m. Mountain time. Loveland was also prepared to open and stated they would continue the race and open 30 minutes earlier at 8:30 a.m. Mountain time. Both resorts decided to call it a tie and open at the same time.
Continue reading ‘Which North American ski resort was the first to open for the 2008-2009 ski season?’

The Swiss spa ski resort of Leukerbad, famous for its healing waters since roman times and the resort that brought us the cinema swimming pool, is adding the “Legendary Valais Sauna Night” from January.
The resort’s sauna village in the Lindner Alpentherme will host the new event with Andreas Weissen, a narrator of fables and legends who hails from the Upper Valais, who will recount tales from the mystic world of legend in the Valais.
Mt Weissen will be accompanied by Alpine horn blowers, culinary specialities from the Valais will be provided, and of course there’ll be a wide choice of different sauna experiences on offer.
The ‘Legendary Valais Sauna Night’ will take place every fourth Saturday evening from 8.30pm to 11.30pm.

The snow-covered Rocky Mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado draw flocks of thrill-seekers each winter for the challenge of skiing and boarding on the slopes.
If you’re an avid fan of skiing, then you are probably dying to get out and play this winter on some of the advanced sections of Breckenridge‘s Ten Mile Range. Continue reading ‘Guide to advanced skiing in Breckenridge’

When the 53rd edition of the “Critérium de la Première Neige” rolls into Val d’Isère next month and officially launches winter, many officials will be looking to see how their master plan comes together ahead of the World Championships planned at the resort next year.
This will be the final test event prior to the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, a warm up event for this Savoyard village on the eve of a great skiing extravaganza.
On December 12th, Val d’Isère will officially start the season with the “Critérium de la Première Neige” once again. The race has been run in Val d’Isère since 1955 and became an official FIS World Cup event in 1967/68.
Even though the traditionally sporting aspect of the event remains unchanged, the race route has been completely changed.
Traditionally organized on the slopes of La Daille, the World Cup is to be run this year on the Bellevarde “Face”. The “slope of our era” offers an ideal exposure and breathtakingly steep slopes. 90% of the slope is visible from the Finish Area.
The 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are to be held on this very same slope so the organizers are hoping to use this event as a final trial run prior to the February event.
Many aspects of the event will be put to the test such as the preparation of the slope, the smooth running of the races, the positioning of the various enclosures (Finish Area, media and athletes’ zones, official guests and VIP galleries) as well as the new traffic and parking plan.
Volunteer training and management, the accreditation process, telecommunications, the press and media unit as well as the WIFI service will also play an important role in this trial run: an impressive challenge for the Organising Committee.
www.valdisere2009.org

After some great skiing and snowboarding on the Austrian glacier resorts offering summer snow sports, now it is time for the real winter ski season 2008/2009 in Austria.

The travel planet may be going through a downward spiral, excluding European skiing in Austria. It embraces its own in the global market. The skiing crowd has evidently increased in Austria. Austria comes just subsequent to France in amass of fashionable European ski objectives. Austria is the number one target for pop idols and crowned heads, with its well-appointed choices and chocolate box scenery.

Continue reading ‘Austria ski holidays season 2008-2009: the Ice-Breaker’

Doppelmayr, the world’s leading ski lift builder, in common with several other of the world’s leading ski industry businesses, is continuing to post increased sales despite the global economic slowdown.
Doppelmayr reports sales revenues increase by 3.2% to EUR 680 million and more skiers and boarders than ever were riding on its lifts.
Continue reading ‘Business looking up again for Doppelmayr’