"Endless Winter Snow"

Snow Alert - Crystal Mountain & White Pass- Wa
Storm Warnings for Great Lake Lakes region
Sun served up for California Sierras'

Photo: John N. slopeside in Nan Shan China

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Mammoth Mountian
Main Lodge it is 30 degrees with light winds around 12mph. Partly cloudy skies and a high in the low 40's is the story for today. At the top of the mountain it is 10 degrees.

All lifts are expected to open today (except for chairs 20 and 26). Chairlifts run from 8:30am to 4:00pm daily. Last night over 750 acres of terrain were groomed on 80 runs. Mammoth has a base depth of 8 to 10 feet.

The Roxy Chicken Jam
will be hitting Mammoth Mountain this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Come watch some of the best female snowboarders in the world compete for over $150,000 in cash and prizes. There will also be a free outdoor concert in the Village featuring the Silversun Pickups on Saturday, March 29.

Don't miss dragons back or the wipe out chutes !
www.MammothMountain.com

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Air France
Travel in April or May, from the U.S.A. to any Air France destination in Greece, Italy, or Spain, and save 10% on any Economy Class reservation over $1,000 (before taxes). Here are some of the beautiful cities you can fly to with this discount: : Athens, Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Vigo and many more! This discount applies to a reservation for one or several people, so take the whole family on an unforgettable vacation, and save big on airfare!

To redeem your discount, use the coupon code reference SPRING301

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Panorama Resort - Canada
Panorama Park Rider Sessions presented by Coca-Cola. The Big Air is on March 29th at 4pm and the Slush Cup is April 5th at 2pm.

photo: Taynton Bowl at Panorama Resort earlier this week

www.panoramaresort.com/

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Squaw Valley
Event
STANDARD FILMS AND SQUAW CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ROCK THE NIGHT AWAY (METAL STYLE) ON SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE HATCHETT BROS' 80'S METAL BASH BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE!

Tickets are going fast for the 2nd Annual Hatchett Brothers' 80's Metal Bash this Saturday night, March 29 at the Olympic Village Lodge at Squaw!

Squaw Valley Lift Tickets / Lessons
UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mar 29: Susi Bock Memorial
Mar 29: Free live music in the village 2-5pm
Mar 29-April 1: March Madness at Le Chamois
Mar 30: Billy Dutton Uphill

Photo: Granite Chief at Squaw Valley - Xmas tree chute on the summit and Butress ridge chutes to the left
and Kt-22 nose chutes or Olympic Lady Gully , a major event for those needing a thrill ride "E" ticket
www.squaw.com

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FIS SKI- SNOWBOARD
306 FIS World Cup events were carried out around the world in the six FIS Olympic disciplines. A total of 29 nations, representing four continents, made the podium with 22 of them taking the top spot at least once. During the 2006/07 season, 27 nations appeared on the podium.

The overall podium ranking across the six disciplines is led by Austria which gathered a total of 169 podium finishes. Norway ranked 2nd (101) and USA 3rd (92). Canada, Switzerland and Finland claimed the places from 4th – 6th. Compared with the 2006/07 season, USA rose from 4th to 3rd and Canada from 6th to 4th. At the same time, Switzerland fell from 3rd to 5th and Finland from 5th to 6th. Only four nations – Austria, Finland, Norway and Switzerland – achieved podium finishes in all Olympic disciplines

The FIS Snowboard Junior World Championships concluded last Friday in Valmalenco (ITA). In the concluding event, the men’s and ladies’ snowboard cross, David Durand (FRA) led the strong French team, as three Frenchmen finished in the top six with Durand taking the title. The ladies’ SBX gold also went to France as only 15-year-old Marion Perez claimed gold. In the men’s and ladies’ half-pipe on Thursday, both gold medals went to athletes with World Cup podium experience as Daniel Friberg of Switzerland and Sophie Rodriguez of France triumphed. The men’s big air was in Nordic hands as Petja Piiroinen (FIN) took the gold ahead of Roger-S Kleivdal of Norway and Piiroinen’s teammate Tero Manninen. The ladies’ big air title went to Sarka Pancochova of the Czech Republic.

Altogether 13 nations won medals in the ten medals events in Valmalenco. As many as eight nations won gold since only France was able to win more than once (three times). As a result France won the medals table with a total of four medals, followed by Norway with five (1-3-1) and Finland with three (1-0-2). The young Austrian riders went home with the most medals, six, but no victories. Team France won the coveted Marc Hodler Trophy for the best national team ahead of the USA.

SPEED SKIING
The FIS Speed Skiing World Cup will continue in Salla (FIN) this week. The first of the two World Cup races to be carried out in Eastern Finnish Lapland as of Wednesday 26th March will also be staged in honor of the 80th birthday of Kalevi ‘Häkä’ Häkkinen, the long-time Finnish chairman of the FIS Speed Skiing Committee. The official name of the event is Hakkinen 80 Years Jubilee Race. Häkkinen is also the name-giver for the new äTrophy for the downhill class where the racers compete using Alpine downhill equipment on the Speed Skiing course.

Photo:Kati on a track www.speedski.com
The two Salla World Cup races will be the third stop on this year’s World Cup calendar. The tour will then move to Saelen/Idre (SWE), before continuing in Breuil Cervinia (ITA). The season finals will be held in Verbier (SUI) from 14th-17th April 2008

www.fis-ski.com

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*** Whistler Blackcomb
TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival April 11 - 20, 2008 You are invited to the biggest annual celebration of music, arts, sports & culture on the planet. For 10 days and 10 nights, Whistler cranks up all the dials with 50 live concerts, major pro ski and snowboard comps, legendary arts events, endless nightlife and the best spring skiing & riding in the world. Bring your peeps, bring your mojo, bring your rage , and come to Whistler April 11 - 20, 2008

50 FREE Concerts, Legendary Arts & Nightlife, High Octane Sports
The action in Whistler is always hot. But every April, it gets even hotter during the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival. It is a celebration of snow culture and all the gravity-defying thrills and adrenaline-fueled excitement that come along with it. Big name concerts , jaw-dropping half-pipe and big air competitions, legendary parties and enough action-packed excitement to make this festival a must for anyone who pledges to love skiing or snowboarding.
www.whistlerblackcomb.com/twssf

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2008 Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series & Freeskiing World Tour Schedule

• Subaru Freeskiing World Championships and Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series Finals, Alyeska, AK, April 9-13 (World Tour #3)

For more information log onto www.usfreeskiing.com

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NorthFace Masters
With the induction of the The North Face Masters 2008 comes the gathering of the big mountain snowboarding tribe from all over the world. All male and female snowboarding competitors over the age of 18 are welcomed to participate.

The North Face
Chugach Mountains April 2-6, 2008. The two-stop tour is the first competitive snowboarding series specifically tailored to fill a competition gap in the sport of big mountain snowboarding. After a sold-out first stop at Snowbird, Utah, where nearly 100 male and female riders proved big mountain snowboarding is thriving, tour organizers, athletes, sponsors, and media look forward to the next progression of big mountain riding in Alaska. Complete, same-day coverage of The North Face Masters Alyeska competition will be broadcast on www.thenorthface.com/masters.

World-class big mountain snowboarders, including The North Face Masters Snowbird winners Clif Dimon and Susan Mol, both from Crested Butte, Colorado, will meet the challenges of Alyeska’s infamous Headwall for the three days of competition. Each day’s chosen section of the Headwall will get progressively steeper and longer, spanning from 1,200 to 1,800 vertical feet, with the finals venue accessed via helicopter courtesy of Chugach Powder Guides.

Big mountain snowboarding is a test of a snowboarder’s creativity, athleticism and ability to push their personal limits. A spectator-friendly sport, big mountain snowboarding includes the successful management of huge cliff jumps, tight chutes, steep powder stashes, and variable snow and weather conditions.

“Our terrain offerings for the event should truly meet the definition of big mountain freeriding – with more than 700 inches of snowfall this season we will be able to offer dozens of high angle ramps, super steep couloirs and really huge Alaskan faces which will allow the snowboard competitors to showcase their full arsenal of talents,” said Rich Eidem, Ski Area General Manager of Alyeska Resort.

“Today's riders are redefining what is possible—they're taking the tricks and skills learned in the terrain parks to the big mountain environment,” said Joe Flannery, Vice President of Marketing for The North Face. “As a company that was born in the mountains, we're excited to see today’s brightest snowboarding stars with a venue that celebrates what they do.”
Fans of big mountain snowboarding can also catch same-day live coverage of the Semi-Final and Final rounds on the event website, where there are complete videos, photos, athlete profiles, detailed event schedules, registration information and more.
Please visit www.thenorthface.com/masters

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Chamoinix - France
Excellent snow conditions and fine sunny weather !
Significant avalanche risk off-piste 3/5 on the European Scale.
33 km of cross country pistes open.

The Ski Areas Chamonix's skiing extends over 3 main areas : Brévent/Flégère, offering south-facing slopes and exceptional views of the Mont-Blanc chain, the Grands Montets, high altitude north-facing slopes which dominate the village of Argentière and the Balme area, wide open slopes at the top of the Chamonix valley, bordering on Switzerland. The sister resort of les Houches lies at the opposite end of the valley and is accessible with the Mont-Blanc Unlimited ski pass

Photo: Chamonix Resort archives
Aiguille du midi cable car
To the Top !
From the centre of Chamonix at 1035 m, the Aiguille du Midi cablecar carries you to 3842 m into the realm of high moutain peaks. A unique 360 degree panorama of the Mont-Blanc chain

• Off-piste skiing :
Vallée Blanche is a high mountain itinerary route on glacial terrain which is neither marked nor patrolled : it is strongly recommended to be accompagnied by a Mountain guide. For further information please contact the Office de Haute Montagne and consult their Vallée Blanche web page

Office de Tourisme
Chamonix Mont-Blanc
85, place du Triangle de l'Amitié
BP 25
F-74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
Tel +33 450 53 00 24
Fax +33 450 53 58 90
info@chamonix.com
www.chamonix.com

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Snow Fest - Canada