SEATTLE — Ski Washington, the consortium of all Washington ski areas, is pleased to announce the launch of the official “Ski & Ride Washington” license plates. The “Ski & Ride Washington” license plate design will be unveiled at a press conference Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 11:30 a.m. at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle at an event that is open to the public.

Famed ski film director Warren Miller and former Washington Gov. Gary Locke will be on hand for a short presentation as well as representatives from all 10 Washington ski areas. The license plates will be available to the public and issued by the Washington Department of Licensing beginning Tuesday, January 3, 2006.

Snow Alert: 42 Inches at Vail

Alpine Meadows
Stay & Ski Free for as little as $59. Includes room, lift ticket and free shuttle to Alpine Meadows. Book yours today at 800–949-3296.

Sugar Bowl
Christmas Tree Lift is being upgraded to a new High Speed Quad with a little help from our friends in the Chopper and the Mt. Judah Day Lodge expansion is out of the dirt. We're building as fast as we can so the 12,000 square foot addition with its new bar, restaurant, family area and private meeting space will be ready in time for the season.



Bear Valley
Bear Valley's new partnership effectively merges accommodations, real estate and the ski area (previously disjointed entities), which will result in positive changes for the Mountain Resort and Village. The vision for Bear Valley is clear: improve and redevelop the ski area, build a lift that connects the Village to the Mountain and construct new condominiums and retail space in the village at the base of the lift. Bear Valley Mountain Resort’s new COO, Jim Gentling, says revitalization plans are underway. "In just 90 days we've spent over a half-million dollars on the sunroom remodel, new snow cats, new buses and other maintenance programs." Gentling noted. "In addition, ski area departments managers are participating in intensive training and orientation programs to lead a seasonal staff with a fresh commitment to superior customer service."
These initial upgrades are just the beginning of a broad master plan to redevelop the area, with a clear focus on maintaining Bear Valley’s unspoiled beauty and family-friendly appeal. If you would like to be kept informed on the redevelopment plans and future real estate ventures in Bear Valley Village



Whistler Blackcomb
For those of you who ski and ride Whistler Blackcomb on a regular basis, you'll be thrilled to see some of the changes we've made to terrain this year. Moving thousands of cubic metres of materials around the mountains – taking material to create better fall lines through some zones, and adding that material to other sites to widen runs and gathering zones – is what our expert crews have spent the summer doing. When the mountains open, these improvements will help you navigate more efficiently and enjoyably through some of the more popular spots on the mountains.
For those of you who'll be visiting Whistler Blackcomb for the first time this winter, then enjoy! We've been working hard to ensure your experience here is world class, in every way.
BIGGER AND BETTER FAMILY ZONE. BETTER FAMILY ZONE. With its increase in size and move to Ego Bowl, it's creating a better experience for families and beginners . Plus traffic flow will be better this year as access to the terrain park and the Family Zone has been separated, ensuring that everyone can head to their own favourite spots safely.

TUBE PARK.
Get ready to have a blast - day or night - in Blackcomb's new TUBE PARK, opening December 16, 2005. Complete with 6-8 lanes rated from green to black diamond, and accessed via a new tube-friendly, carpet-style lift, the TUBE PARK is expected to go off this winter! It'll offer family fun for all ages – whether young or simply young at heart – and will include a concession stand and fire pits to warm cold fingers and toes. It's located just above Base II by Parking Lot 8, and will be accessible via the Excalibur Gondola long after the lifts close to skiing and riding.
MAINLINE

Everyone will enjoy the IMPROVED SKI-OUTS on Blackcomb Mountain with wider runs and more gradual slopes that will help to ease end-of-day traffic. For example, 60,000 cubic metres/2.1 million cubic feet of earth, plus 20,000 cubic metres/706,000 cubic feet of rock has been moved from MAINLINE to widen and grade. Plus, major work has taken place on EASY OUT to improve the terrain for Ski and Snowboard School and beginners. HARMONY RIDGE
HARMONY RIDGE has been widened and graded, the landing zone (gathering area) at the top of the JERSEY CREAM lift has quadrupled in size, and the bottom of the BLACKCOMB GLACIER (before you reach the Blackcomb Glacier Road – don't get too excited), has been smoothed out and widened to create a much better experience.
JERSEY CREAM

NINTENDO TERRAIN PARK riders will be stoked to find out that this zone will open way earlier this year. The material removed from EASY OUT has been moved to this zone and dirt table tops and various other features have been built already. According to Blackcomb's Grooming Manager, this zone will open with just a foot of snow on it!
TERRAIN PARK

Over on Whistler Mountain, the top of the RED CHAIR gathering zone has been expanded in size and is four times the width that it was, plus skiers/riders will be encouraged to ski off the right side from the top of the chair directly down to the PEAK CHAIR. UPPER WHISKEY JACK is wider this year and is now 35 metres/115 feet wide from just 12 metres/39 feet wide, and we've already told you about the great improvements to the Family Zone.
UPPER WHISKEY JACK
All these improvements will benefit all ability levels of skiers and riders as they explore our mountains. For those craving more extreme adventures, don't worry, we haven't taken away any of your fun. There are still dozens of steep, tight chutes to navigate down, cornices to launch off, tree glades to explore, and natural features to hit to your heart's content.
ADVANCED SNOWMAKING
To improve your early and late season mountain experience, ADVANCED SNOWMAKING technology as well as increased capacity will be in place on Whistler Mountain by November, including the addition of automatic guns to improve snowmaking efficiency. Whistler Blackcomb purchased 10 new automated snow guns, the latest in snowmaking technology.