Big snow at Treble Cone in New Zealand as resort officially kicks off 2010 season

With good snowfall conditions in most of the southern hemisphere, the 2010 ski season officially kicked off last weekend with Coronet Peak New Zealand reporting a 50cm (20 inch) base including 15cm (six inches) of new snow.  Thousands of Queenslanders hit the piste to celebrate.

Continue reading ‘And they’rrreee off: Southern Hemisphere’s 2010 ski season underway’

Finish ski resort overhauls lifts for 2010 season

Finland’ Pyhä ski area is spending 8 million Euros ($9.8 million USD), only the second resort of this type to invest in high capacity lifts in the country. The high speed detachable six-seater chairlift with weather protection hood, only the second of this type of high capacity lift in the country.

Continue reading ‘Finish ski resort to spend 8 million euros on lift upgrade’

Loveland claims to be first resort to be open this year

Cold weather was a huge factor in Loveland in Colorado’s ability to offer skiing was the first ski area in North America to open for the 2009-2010 ski season when Chair 1 started turning at 9am on October 7th. The resort, one of the world’s highest ski areas, had started making snow on September 21, 2009.

“We took advantage of the cold temperatures and got an early start making snow this year. Those extra days paid off and we are opening a week earlier than last season,”

said Eric Johnstone, Snowmaking and Trail Maintenance Manager. “Now we can move some equipment to other trails and try to open more terrain as quickly as possible.”
This is the earliest opening day at Loveland Ski Area in 40 years.
“We are proud of our snowmaking crew and extremely excited to offer the first skiing and snowboarding in Colorado and North America,” said Rob Goodell, Director of Business Operations. “Skiers and riders have been waiting all summer for this day and we are anxious to fire up the lifts. We are opening a week earlier than last year but the coverage is great! We will open with an 18″ base and tree to tree coverage on our opening day run.”
For the first turns of the season, skiers and snowboarders had access to a top to bottom run consisting of 1,000 vertical feet via Chair 1. The trails Catwalk, Mambo and Homerun make up this opening day run which is over a mile in length.
Two more US ski areas – Loveland’s neighbour Arapahoe Basin and California’s Donner Summit have now opened too. www.skiloveland.com

Ski Resorts: Get all of the ski resort news by clicking here.

Guided scenic tours that make you live a real adventure are now possible in Vail

During a recent promotional visit in Montreal, Vail Resorts announced it was introducing a number of new offerings for the 2009-10 season including a new and exciting program called the ‘Value Adventure Sessions’.
Depending on the their individual ability’s visitors to the company’s five resorts of Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail in Colorado and Heavenly in California can now explore the mountain with their own expert guide. Skiers will be assembled in groups that are no larger than five for a full day session of mountain discovery.

It’s a great way for skiers to discover incredible mountains without spending so much time on technique, said May Lilley,”

the international public relations coordinator.
Skiers and riders will gain insider’s knowledge of each resort and receive tips to improve their skiing and riding throughout the day. The program is geared towards intermediate and expert level skiers and riders who are looking for more adventure with the locals’ view of the mountain and less of an instruction and class setting of a standard ski school class. The cost will be comparable to a ski school group lesson.
Guests will be teamed in small groups with other like-minded ski or ride enthusiasts who want to get the most out of their day. The group will receive special access to move to the front of the lift lines, go places they might not see on your own, enjoy the best terrain and conditions available, and pick up tips and technical information along the way from the Vail Resorts expert guides from its world class Ski & Ride Schools.
“Skiers and Riders are always looking for the inside information about our resorts and we wanted to create a program that provides our guests with an enhanced understanding of each of our resorts without a rigid ski school class structure,” said, Rob Katz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vail Resorts.
The groups will meet from 9:15am until 3pm at Vail’s Colorado resorts and start and end 15 minutes later at Heavenly.
www.snow.com

• Ski Resorts: Check out the latest resort news by clicking here.

• Vail: Read up about Vail news by clicking here.

Great Canadian Heli-Skiing (GCH), who in 1988 pioneered a boutique heli-skiing experience by exclusively operating with groups of four skiers (the smallest group size in the industry), is reintroducing what is sure to become a new trend in heli-skiing: All-inclusive powder holidays including unlimited vertical.

Heli-skiing companies generally charge guests based on a package with a set number of vertical feet of skiing included. Once the guest surpasses that amount, they are faced with the decision of paying more money to continue their ski vacation. Now, Great Canadian Heli-Skiing guests can conquer as many vertical feet possible without having to worry about extra charges. “Our guests are here to ski powder, not count it. Now from start to finish they can relax and enjoy the ultimate skiing experience without opening their wallet,” said Greg Porter, owner of Great Canadian Heli-Skiing.

The average ski day includes eight-12 runs, which on average accounts for 23,000 plus feet per day. As an industry standard, 100,000 vertical feet is included in the seven-day package and 50,000 vertical feet is included in the three-day package.

Continue reading ‘Great Canadian Heli-Skiing offers unlimited vertical skiing experiences’

Revelstoke Revolutionizes All-in-One: Can’t decide whether your winter escape means an opportunity to lift-ski, cat-ski or heli-ski? Plant your poles at Revelstoke Mountain Resort and set your sights on all three. Situated within BC’s snow-kissed Kootenay Rockies region, Revelstoke may be new to the ski scene with close to two seasons under its belt, but it’s certainly making one memorable impression. The resort’s slopes tempt even the most seasoned skier, while the Selkirk Mountains offer up alpine bowls, naturally gladed slopes and miles of untracked powder ideal for cat and heli adventures (Revelstoke Cat Skiing and Selkirk Tangiers Helicopter Skiing, both operated by Revelstoke Mountain Resort, are accessible from the village base). In fact, Revelstoke is the only resort in the world which offers all three from one location. In addition to the promise of adventure, times three, Revelstoke has seen quite a year: this season, the resort opened with the longest vertical lift-serviced skiing in North America – at a whopping 1,712 metres (5,620 feet) – thanks to an 885-foot extension to the Revelation Gondola from the village base up to the Day Lodge. Let’s not forget the resort’s new high speed quad chairlift, “The Ripper,” in the 1,240-acre North Bowl area, which has been extensively gladed and cut with new trails. Slopeside, the resort is ready to welcome its first guests to Nelsen Lodge in March. And growth won’t end there; The $1 billion, four-season Revelstoke Mountain Resort is expected to be completed over 15 years and will include over 5,000 new housing units comprising top-tier luxury hotels, townhomes, condominiums and single family homes, more than 300,000 square feet of commercial and retail space and a Nick Faldo golf course. www.revelstokemountainresort.com

For powder stashes, think three in Northern BC. Here you’ll find, you guessed it, three mountains stocked with plenty of the white stuff, not to mention ample incentive to pack up the gear and head north. At Powder King, it’s the blend of untouched snow and breathtaking drops that draw the masses to this Canadian Rockies destination, situated north of Prince George near Mackenzie.
Some stats: Powder King boasts a lift-accessed vertical rise of 640 metres (2,100 feet), an elevation at the summit of 1,829 metres (5,500 feet), an average snowfall of 12.6 metres (41 feet), plus 24 runs, one triple chair, one T-Bar, one handle tow, and a lounge, restaurant and café. Long live the King. Head west to Hudson Bay Mountain, formerly Ski and Ride Smithers, and you’ll find the largest ski area in Northern BC coupled with nature’s ultimate snow machine; here, the natural topography of the mountains come together with the northern Pacific weather systems to create a wondrously flurried backdrop. Also new this season, Hudson Bay Mountain boasts a continuous mountain vertical of 1,151 metres or 3,775 feet (an increase of 52 per cent) and also began the groundwork for what will be a multi-year expansion that promises the introduction of residential units to the slopeside scene in 2009.
At Shames Mountain, further west near Terrace, epic snowfalls draw skiers and boarders en masse; this Northern BC gem averages an impressive 12 metres (39 feet) annually. Expansive backcountry, spectacularly fluted ridges and peaks in every direction – plus 22 marked trails (over 133 acres) are accessed by one double chairlift, a T-bar and a handle tow. All the better to get to the snow. www.powderking.com; www.hudsonbaymountain.com; www.shamesmountain.com