"Endless Winter Snow"

Snow Alert - Alyeska - Alaska

***
Verbier - Switzerland

This weekend the Verbier Ride starts with on January 18th the Big Air and Rail Jam at the 1936 Neipark at La Chaux, for the complete programme check on www.verbierride.com

The 1st placed male and 1st place female athletes will automatically gain a spot in Europe’s pinnacle event. The Verbier Ride 08 is the first stage in the newly formed ‘Road to the Open’ and will showcase pro riders and up and coming grass roots talent. The event runs from the 18th-20th January, 18th being practice day, 19th Qualification day and 20th the grand final.

www.verbierride.com
...and speed on the mountain
Piste du Mont-Fort Verbier 12.04.2008 - 13.04.2008

Once again, the breathtaking slopes of Mont-Fort, where the 200km/h speed barrier was broken for the first time in Switzerland, will be the venue for the XspeedSki Open race. www.xspeedski.net/2008/index_E.php

***

***
Steamboat
New Snow last 24 hrs mid-mountain: 2"
New Snow last 24 hrs summit: 2"
New Snow last 48 hrs mid-mountain: 3"
New Snow last 72 hrs mid-mountain: 3"
Snow Depth Base mid-mountain: 60"
Snow Depth Base summit: 74"
Cumulative: 243"

Weather: Snowing www.steamboat.com

***
Big White Canada
It's that time again! Ski Canada magazine has just announced its annual "Best of Skiing in Canada" Awards, and both Big White and Silver Star are multiple winners. Big White and Silver Star were cited for six awards each and both were in the "Top 10 for Best Powder" list. The Kelowna International Airport was recommended as "Best Tickets to Ride" for its great direct access from major cities for vacationers heading for either Big White or Silver Star. Both resorts were cited in the "Best Tree Huggers' Targets" category for top glade skiing in Canada. Finally, both resorts took honours in "Best Choice for Lazybones Who Like to Ski Straight From Their Doors" – in other words, best slope side accommodation. Silver Star Mountain Resort's new Snowbird Lodge took home the prestigious "Best New Slopeside Accommodation" that is so close to the slopes that you can "ski right into the ski room (if you're on rentals…)." The Ski Canada Awards also recognized Jon Rescorla, head of the Big White Powderhounds Adaptive Ski Club, for his tireless volunteerism in the cause of adaptive/disabled skiing. "These people are total stars and deserve far greater recognition than they currently receive," wrote Jenny George, a Ski Canada reader from the United Kingdom. On a lighter note, Silver Star Snowsport School director Norman Kreutz officially displaced Ken Read as having the 'most reliable hairdo' of anyone in the Canadian ski industry.
Half Pipe Comp Jan 19 - Jan 20
www.bigwhite.com

***
Kirkwood - Ca
Currently sitting on the most snow in the Lake Tahoe region, Kirkwood will be showcasing its high angle grooming capabilities this upcoming weekend with the forecast calling for sunshine and moderate temperatures. In addition to its legendary natural terrain, Kirkwood will be opening its new halfpipe, three terrain parks and skier/boarder X course for the jibbers in the crew. With live music and family events scheduled for both days, take advantage of our last minute lodging deals and discover the convenience of the Mountain Village being only a few footsteps away!

The Kirkwood Cup is a series of seven events designed to determine the best all around skiers and riders in the area. Athletes will accumulate points over the course of the season in disciplines such as slopestyle, skier/boarder X, halfpipe, banked slalom and big mountain freeride competitions. When it is all said and done, the men and women who accumulate the most points over the series will be crowned Kirkwood Cup Champions! Sunday's Giant Slalom promises to be a thrilling event for competitors and spectators alike.

www.kirkwood.com

Austrian Air

***

Zermatt
From Switzerland's longest ski run (22 km) and wide carving runs to mogul fields galore. And: Our skiing area reaches as far as Bella Italia (313 km)! Including an excellent meal in a piste restaurant with its romantic chalet atmosphere and live music. Enjoy the varied offer of the snowpackage, the fantastic mountain world of Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

Photo: Zermatt tourism
www.zermatt.ch

***
Laax - Switzerland
Flims Laax Falera are over 2,000 m. At 3,018 m, the Vorab Glacier is the highest point in this huge ski area

Has snow-sure pistes from October to April in a fantastic setting between 1,100 and 3,018 m above sea level. Whether beginner or crazy carver, family or a fun-loving snowboarder, there is fun to be had by all on the 220 km of pistes.
SkiDirect
Use a SkiDirect card and avoid the queues. Load the lift pass of your choice via the Internet at home, and your SkiDirect card will provide you with automatic access to all the lifts once in the ski resort.
***
LAAX, Switzerland
LAAX, Switzerland (Jan 2008) – Fifteen-year-old Canadian rider Sébastien Toutant, who also won the BEO junior slopestyle event this weekend, had the highest score in today’s men’s slopestyle qualifications. 2007 Air & Style Rookie Session winner Tim Humphreys qualified in second place. And 16-year-old Zak Stone, who won the BEO junior halfpipe competition this weekend, just made it into the semifinals, taking 10th in today’s qualification runs.
After nearly a meter of snow fell in Laax yesterday, the clouds parted just 15 minutes before the start of today’s men’s slopestyle pre-qualification runs, unveiling a perfectly groomed course and untouched powder on the surrounding slopes. The bluebird skies were ideal for a busy competition day, in which the judges had to score a total of 330 runs with 125 men getting two runs each in the pre-qualifications and 40 men completing two runs each in the qualification rounds.
Several of the young junior riders beat out the more seasoned pros and made it through the pre-qualification rounds, including thirteen-year-old Scott James (AUS), who won both the BEO slopestyle and halfpipe youth competitions this past weekend. In the end, only 10 riders from today’s qualification competition could advance to Tuesday’s semifinals competition where they will take on world-renowned slopestyle stars like Shaun White (USA), Danny Davis (USA), Mason Aguirre (USA), Heikki Sorsa (FIN), Antti Autti (FIN) and Marko Grilc (SLO), among others.
The Burton European Open will continue tomorrow with men’s and women’s halfpipe pre-qualification and qualification competitions. Be sure to check out the BEO website at www.opensnowboarding.com.

Men’s Slopestyle Qualification Results
Name Nationality Sponsor Points
1. Sébastien Toutant CAN O’NEILL 67.67
2. Tim Humphreys USA FLOW 66.67
3. Joel Lahti FIN FTWO 63.50
4. Jaakko Ruha FIN KISSMARK 63.33
5. Roger Kleivdal NOR K2 63.00
6. Tore Holvik NOR BATALEON 62.83
7. Jason Dubois CAN O'NEILL 60.67
8. Ville Uotila FIN ATOMIC 60.33
9. Kim Andre Eliassen NOR K2 59.00
10. Zak Stone CAN VOLCOM 55

About the Burton Global Open Series
The Burton Global Open Series events are the pinnacle snowboarding events of the season. Founded by Jake Burton, the Opens have grown from grassroots events to global spectacles attracting tens of thousands of spectators and riders from around the world. Since the beginning, the Opens have been driven by riders, for riders evolving with snowboarding and riders’ needs over the years. With events held in Canada, Europe, Japan, the United States, New Zealand and Australia, the Opens set the standard for snowboarding events around the globe.

About the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour
The Burton Global Open Series is part of the Swatch Ticket To Ride (TTR) World Snowboard Tour, the largest group of independent freestyle snowboard events in the world. TTR ranks riders based on their results at participating competitions and crowns a Swatch TTR World Champion at the US Open. The Burton European Open are a 6Start TTR Event and are therefore ranked at the highest possible Star level. For more information,
visit www.ttrworldtour.com , www.laax.com

***