Snow alert for Saas-Fee



***
US Ski Team News
Rains, High Temperatures Cancel Soelden SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 24) - Rain through the night and into mid-morning, coupled with a weather forecast for unseasonally warm temperatures, forced World Cup organizers Tuesday to cancel what had been scheduled as the season-opening alpine races next weekend. The women were to have raced giant slalom Saturday with 10 U.S. women scheduled to compete in the first race of the 41st alpine World Cup season; the men were to run GS Sunday with seven Americans entered. The next scheduled races are slaloms Nov. 11-12 in Levi, Finland, before the World Cup heads to North America. "They didn't have a chance. The organizers did everything they could from making snow and moving it onto the course, from scraping the glacier for more snow and from injecting [i.e., injecting water into the snow to make it more firm]," U.S. Women's Head Coach Patrick Riml said. "But it started to rain [Monday] over night and it rained all through the night and up to 10 or 11 o'clock. There wasn't a lot of snow to begin with, but the rain washed everything away." The short-range forecast predicted weather in the mid-to-upper 60s in the valleys of Austria and well into the 40s in the mountains. "There was no way the weather was going to cooperate, so they had to cancel," Riml said. The U.S. women will train another day or two, then fly home at the end of the week, while the U.S. men - who have been training an hour or so away on the Pitztal Glacier - will stick around for several days of additional training before flying to Colorado. The two teams will train in Colorado - the Ski Team has just announced an agreement with Keystone Resort for training on North Peak - and head to Finland in the first week of November. www.ussa.org


***
Val d'Isère France
NEWSLETTER Valley of Isere - October 2006
The next season of winter approaches. The marmots are turned over to hibernate in their burrows, the larches avoided gilded colors and chatoyantes, the skirts and other bathing suits are arranged with the wall cupboard. It any more but does not remain to wait than snow falls. And in one month, the opening of Valley of Isere! Opening: November 25 We await you as of on November 25. Come to make your first traces of the winter on our field. At the time of the opening, we propose to you in collaboration with Dynastar (the official partner of the Tourist bureau) to gain a week end in Val of Isere. Take part in the Play Dynastar contest It should be noted that this first week end of the season will be the occasion to benefit from many advantages. See the lodgings offers of this 1st week end. December: Offers & Critérium If you prefer to come to see us in December, not problem. In hotel or apartment, a few days or a complete week, we propose many packages lodging to you + fixed price of ski at unbeatable prices. See the offers of December. Without forgetting that in December, Val of Isere is also synonymous with World cup of Alpine skiing with Critérium of the 1st snow. The week end of the 9 & December 10, the races men will be placed under the sign of the performance, the festival and the young people. The week end of the 16 & December 17, the races women.

Women that Val of Isere puts at the honor by inviting them… Discover the offer: “Women, Val loves you” Events And to finish, small information on valdisere.com Indeed, Internet site of Valley of Isere evolves/moves and obtains new “a Home Page” as well as new part “To discover Valley of Isere”. These new pages (translated into 5 languages) will make it possible to the visitors to appreciate Val of Isere in images and “To discover” its history and its richnesses. One lets to you see. With very soon for the opening and while waiting prepare for one season of winter of anthology!

***
Bear Valley
Bear Valley's outside crews have been diligently working all summer long, prepping for the installation of the all-new Polar Express high-speed quad. The new towers were skillfully lowered into place by helicopter pilots, while ground crews, comprised of both Bear Valley staff and Leitner Poma, guided the towers in for the final bolt down. Mountain Manager, Sean Murphy claimed, "It was so exhilarating. The excitement level never dropped as we directed each tower into place.
Photo:Bear Valley
http://www.bearvalley.com/



***
Steam Boat
Season Opening Day - November 22, 2006! The first storm hit the Steamboat slopes on September 16, dropping nearly a foot of snow. Last week, a storm blew across Mt. Werner, leaving 15 inches of fresh snow at mid-mountain and 23 inches at the summit over a five-day span. The 2006/2007 Winter Press Kit is now online and available to download, so pick up your copy today! Events
Bust of Steamboat Oct. 27, 2006

Downtown Halloween Stroll Oct. 31, 2006

Steamboat Mountain Film Festival Nov. 10-12, 2006

8th Annual Backcountry Ball Nov. 18, 2006

Scholarship and 2006/2007 Season Opening Day at Steamboat Nov. 22, 2006

Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. 2305 Mt. Werner Circle Steamboat, CO 80487 www.steamboat.com


***
US Freestyle Team
Freestyle Team Set for 2007 Start
PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 23) - The customary post-Olympic retirements have taken a fistful of medal-winners from the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, but an equally big cluster of talent remains for the 2007 season, topped by moguls world champions Nate Roberts (Park City, UT) and Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT). Reigning world dual moguls champion Toby Dawson and former Olympic, Worlds and/or World Cup champions or medalists Eric Bergoust (aerials), Joe Park (aerials), Travis Cabral (moguls) and Travis Mayer (moguls) retired after last season while 2005 aerials World Cup champion Jeret "Speedy" Peterson (Boise, ID) is taking a year away from his sport. But Wintersteen said, "We still have some pretty outstanding athletes coming back.
"We have some serious talent among the moguls skiers and we're moving in the right direction as we rebuild aerials," he said. The moguls team remains one of the premier squads on the World Cup. Among the men, Roberts and Dave Babic (Washington, VT) are backed by David DiGravio (Farmington, ME), who - given a chance at the World Cup last season - produced his first podium in March. Up-and-comers Landon Gardner (Park City, UT), Tim Preston (Campton, NH) and Mike Morse (Duxbury, MA) are looking to make their breakthrough at the top level.
Kearney leads a women's delegation, which is at its strongest since Olympic and Worlds gold medalist (and five-time World Cup champion) Donna Weinbrecht, former Worlds and World Cup champion Ann Battelle and Olympic medalist Liz McIntyre competed in the mid-to-late Eighties. Former World Cup champion Shannon Bahrke (Tahoe City, CA) and Jillian Vogtli (Ellicotville, NY), a pair of two-time Olympians, plus Michelle Roark (Winter Park, CO), a former World Cup dual moguls champion who won two more World Cup moguls contests last season en route to her first Olympics. Add to that group NorAm champion (five wins) Heather McPhie (Bozeman, MT), veteran Shelly Robertson (Reno, NV) and two outstanding duals skiers - Kayla Snyderman (Winchester, MA), the '06 NorAm champ, and '05 NorAm champ McKenzy Golding (Reno, NV). The ranks are a bit thinner on the aerials side. Ryan St. Onge (Steamboat Springs, CO), who won two World Cup events a year ago, is the top men's aerialist, while Olympians Jana Lindsey (Black Hawk, SD) and Emily Cook (Belmont, MA) are joined by Lacy Schnoor (Draper, UT).
In addition, Scott Rawles has replaced Don St. Pierre as moguls head coach with former World Cup skier Garth Hager joining the moguls coaching staff; McIntyre, who turned to coaching after retiring from competition in 1998, also retired after eight years as moguls technical coach.
The World Cup aerials season opens Dec. 9-10 in Jilin Beida Lake, China, while the moguls schedule begins Dec. 14 in Tignes, France. The Freestyle World Ski Championships will be Jan. 23-28 in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy with the U.S. World Cups Jan. 11-13 at the Chevrolet Freestyle International at Deer Valley, Utah, and the Nature Valley Freestyle Cup Jan. 18-20 at Lake Placid, NY.
Alpine Team
PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 23) - U.S. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt sees plenty of good things as he looks at the 2007 World Cup season and the Alpine World Ski Championships. After all, Olympic champions Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) are back, along with reigning downhill and super G world champ Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH) and Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO) - a three-time World Cup winner last season. In addition, there are former Worlds medalists Erik Schlopy (Park City, UT) and Kirsten Clark (Raymond, ME) and a hefty handful of up-and-coming talent, headed by Megan McJames (also Park City), who won three NorAm titles a year ago and 2006 Junior World Championships downhill champion Chris Beckmann (Altamont, NY).
"I really like this mix of veterans and young guns pushing them. Nobody can sit back because everyone's pushing to succeed," Hunt said. "No question, this is one of our strongest teams in terms of talent and depth." The 2007 alpine squad includes 18 Olympians - 16 of them from the 2006 team in Torino.
One of the key elements to the optimistic outlook is continuity, which Hunt and his coaching staff have developed with veteran athletes sticking around. Schlopy, at 34, is in his 12th season on the Ski Team; Miller, who turned 29 in mid-October, is in his 11th season. Clark, also 29, is in her 13th year on the Ski Team. All are three-time Olympians. At the same time, Mancuso and Kildow are each 22 and in their seventh year of World Cup racing. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY), who turns 21 in November, is in her fifth season.
Miller, the 2005 World Cup overall champion and the winner of 21 World Cup races as this season opens, and Ligety, the Olympic combined champion who also won his first World Cup race in '06, head a men's squad, which Hunt feels could have someone on the podium (i.e., top-3 finish) in every race. On the speed side, Miller is joined by, among others, two-time Olympian Scott Macartney (Redmond, WA), Steve Nyman (Provo, UT), JJ Johnson (also Park City), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Beckmann and 2006 NorAm super G champion Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID), who had two SG victories and a downhill win plus a Europa Cup DH podium. Kevin Francis (Bend, OR) is knocking on the World Cup door, too.
http://www.usskiteam.com



***
SWISS BUDGET HOTELS

Your booking platform for low-priced and quality hotels!
200 low-priced hotels, all represented on www.rooms.ch. Your room in the hotel of your choice can be booked at any time, directly and easily! Our Swiss Budget Hotels are also listed in our highly appreciated hotel guide. On the last page of our brochure, you will find your personal HOPPER card - For 7 good night's sleep, you only pay for 6! Each time you stay in a Swiss Budget Hotels, ask the hotel to confirm your stay by putting the date and the hotel stamp on your card. Give your completed card with 6 stamps of at least 3 different hotels to the hotelier You will receive a free night's stay, including breakfast You can order our hotel guide FREE OF CHARGE at any time on www.rooms.ch or by phone at 0848 805 508.

***

Air France