Cardrona - New Zealand

spring conditions

Photo Courtesy of Cardrona Marketing
A new express chairlift, snowmaking and cafe at Captain's Basin. A new half pipe (22ft walls), expert big air, and triple jump Cardrona closes on 12th October 2008.
The Mountain
Base Elevation: 1670m
Highest Lifted Point: 1894m
Vertical Rise: 390m
Terrain: 320 hectares

Lifts
1 quad fixed chairlift
1 quad express chairlifts
3 magic learner lifts
1 platter beginner lift
Lift capacity 7800 people per hour


www.cardrona.com

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Heavenly Mountain Resort
$369 heavenly season pass DEAL ends labor day weekend

Purchase a Season Pass Labor Day Weekend at Bay Area Any Mountain Stores or the 22nd Annual Heavenly Sports Tent Sale and Receive a $25 Voucher for Immediate Savings on In-Stock Gear Heavenly Mountain Resort, Calif./ Nev. – August 22, 2008 – Heavenly Mountain Resort announced today that Labor Day, September 1, 2008 will be the last day to purchase or renew a 2008 – 2009 Heavenly season pass for just $369, a $130 savings from the $499 price.
Heavenly pass holders get access to Lake Tahoe ’s best resort as ranked by SKI and Skiing Magazine readers. With the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system, the highest elevation of any Tahoe resort and the largest fleet of Prinoth350 grooming machines in North America , Heavenly is known to consistently provide the best snow conditions in the Tahoe basin. Now, with the new Olympic Express high-speed lift and several new trails, Heavenly skiers and riders will experience those surface conditions over more terrain in less time.

Heavenly is celebrating Labor Day by offering an extra incentive to prospective pass buyers. Individuals who purchase a Heavenly pass at Any Mountain stores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area during the Labor Day Super Sale or at the 22nd Annual Heavenly Sports Tent Sale at Heavenly’s California Lodge, will receive a $25 voucher to be used with any purchase of $250 or more. The voucher is only valid the day the pass is purchased and may not be combined with any other offer. The hours for the tent sale are Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ; and Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The hours for the Gondola season pass office during the holiday weekend are Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“At $369, the Heavenly pass is a phenomenal deal for Lake Tahoe ’s top resort,” said John Wagnon, Heavenly vice president of Marketing and Sales. “Combining that price with all our improvements and the instant $25 savings makes it a virtual steal and a great way to start the ski or ride season, which will be here sooner than we think.”

Those purchasing a Heavenly pass also receive unlimited half-price tickets at any of Vail’s Colorado resorts including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone. Pass holders also have the opportunity to receive the best travel deals through Heavenly Tahoe Vacations, as well as the option to become a member of the Heavenly Pass Holders Club which offers exclusive tickets to concerts and deals at South Lake Tahoe businesses. New passes can also be purchased or renewed online at www.heavenlypass.com or in-person seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Heavenly season pass office located at the Gondola.
For the 2008 – 09 season Heavenly will unveil many new improvements under the 10 year master plan. Skyline Trail from the top of Sky Express leading to Nevada has been re-graded allowing for a faster and easier traverse. East Peak Lodge’s upper deck has been enclosed adding 90 – 100 more indoor seats. Three new gladed trails have been added, two in Ski Ways glades and one in Powderbowl Woods. On the side of transportation, two new bio-diesel buses and two new compressed natural gas buses have been added to the Heavenly fleet; bringing the total to 10 environmentally friendly buses. Recently named a “World Saver” by Condé Nast Traveler in the category of leadership in environmental protection, Vail Resorts is committed to providing an exceptional experience while acting as a leader in energy conservation. Heavenly is ranked among OnTheSnow.com’s top ten “no-car needed” resorts and therefore an outstanding choice for those who wish to conserve gas and support the environmental movement.

With just a little over eight weeks remaining before Heavenly starts making snow in preparation for the coming season, skiers and riders can save money on the winter gear and apparel they need, as well as a Heavenly pass, at Labor Day Sales across Northern California. In South Lake Tahoe , Heavenly Sports will be hosting the 22nd Annual Labor Day Tent Sale at Heavenly’s California Lodge parking lot. Overstock of hard and soft goods will be available at drastically reduced prices. Bay Area skiers and riders can take advantage of savings on winter gear and clothing at Any Mountain Stores in Berkeley , Concord , Dublin , San Jose , Redwood City and Corte Madera.
At the Heavenly Tent Sale there will be a raffle hosted by KRLT radio featuring Curtis Fong, “The Guy from Tahoe”. Raffle prizes will be announced at the sale, but will include ski boots, snowboards, skis, helmets and more!

About Heavenly
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a world-class destination offering guests a one-of-a-kind combination of scenic beauty and exhilarating on-snow experience. Heavenly is a subsidiary of
Vail Resorts, Inc., the leading mountain resort operator in the United States . In addition to Heavenly, Vail Resorts, Inc. owns and operates the Colorado mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole , Wyoming . The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN ). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

For more information on Heavenly Mountain Resort, please visit www.skiheavenly.com or call 1-800-HEAVENLY.

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Falls Creek - Australia

In eight sleeps time the eyes and lenses of the world cross country fraternity focus upon Falls Creek. Already the course has been set, the flags are out in Mt Beauty, and the international entrants are beginning to roll into town.
This weekend will see the Australian Nordic Championships being held at Falls Creek (part of the Australia – New Zealand Continental Cup Series) in the Nordic Bowl over 5km for women and 10km for men, with one day of ‘skating’ and one day of ‘classic’ competition battling it out for FISS points.
Following this weekend’s races will be the Hoppet Night Sprints on Thursday evening in the Falls Creek Village Bowl, tying in with a Falls Creek Night Show Spectacular and fireworks display, to provide an awesome evenings entertainment.


Then Saturday is the big day, the 2008 Kangaroo Hoppet. With entrants from 22 different nations converging on Falls Creek to compete the racing is forecast to be incredible. Winner of the American Berkebeiner 55km race, Evelyn Dong of the USA will be challengine local Australian Champion, Aimee Watson.
Meanwhile in the men’s event, multiple Hoppet winning local talent Ben Sim will be challenged by the likes of Viktor Novotny of Czech, Zach Violett of the USA, and Geoffrey Pais of France.

The Kangaroo Hoppet is pleased to announce the introduction of AGL Energy as a major sponsor of the Hoppet, alongside existing sponsors; Falls Creek, Tourism Victoria, and Keep Winter Cool.
http://www.fallscreek.com.au/kangaroohoppet

Purchase Squaw Valley Lift Tickets & Lessons

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Snowbird, Utah – Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort President Bob Bonar has named Jared Ishkanian Public Relations Director at the Utah resort.
Ishkanian comes to Snowbird with more than four years of public relations and customer service experience, most recently with Park City, Utah-based Backcountry.com. A Maine native and lifelong skier, Ishkanian relocated to Salt Lake City last October to enjoy “The Greatest Snow on Earth.”
“We’re excited to be bringing Jared onboard as we continue to increase Snowbird’s visibility around the world,” said Bonar. “His communication skills and passion for skiing make him a great fit for this position.”
Ishkanian succeeds Laura Schaffer, who served Snowbird since 2002 as the Assistant Director of Public Relations and Public Relations Director.
“Working with Laura has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Director of Marketing Dave Fields. “We’re thrilled to welcome Jared to our team as we spread the word about Snowbird to the local, national and international media.”
Located 29 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort is North America’s most accessible year-round resort. For more information about the resort’s ongoing summer activities,
visit www.snowbird.com.

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From Patrick Thorne of Snow365.com
Neveplast Installs All-Weather Tubby and Ski Slopes At Italian Resort
Neveplast has installed two Tubby slopes for year-round tubing at the Italian ski resort of Mottarone. One of the slopes runs straight and is 90 metres long, the other is 100 metres long and contains multuiple turns.
The straight run includes a launching ramp, and is covered by the Np30, the Neveplast material certified by Italian government tests as having the same slipperiness as real snow.
The turns on the 100 meters long slope are made of metal and also covered with Np30. The adjustable angles of the structure enable a perfect entry trajectory and directs the snow-tube in the best way at the end of the curve. The top part of the metal structure is covered by protective padding.
Most recently Neveplast has installed an artificial downhill ski slope 100 metres long and 10 metres wide at the resort. The slope has an average incline of 18% and again uses Np30 surface material.
Neveplast Np30 surface allow for easy turning of the ski as on snow. This has been obtained thanks to the low coefficient of friction between Np30/ski that allows the ski to maintain speed even when turning on its edge. The correct ratio between stiffness and concentration of the bristles allows an easy movement of the matting as if on snow allowing for “carved” skiing.
The slope also makes it possible for beginners to snow plough (wedge) their skis on gentle gradients and still move forwards.
Another Neveplast advantage is that it does not damage the skis at all as the very low friction of the surface avoids the generation of high temperature between ski base and the slope, so that the base does not wear over time.
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Burton Sponsor Indoor Terrain Park in Beijing
Burton has become the main sponsor of China’s first indoor terrain park which opened at the capital’s Qiaobo indoor snow centre a few weeks ago.
The Chinese Olympic Committee had already said they wanted a year round training facility for their athletes ahead of the 2010 Games, but this facility is open to all.
“The drive behind the project is to get more people on the snow riding and having fun,” commented Steve Zdarsky,” Mellow CEO, who shares a surname with Mathias Zdarsky, the man who invented modern downhill skiing a little over a century ago in Austria. “With Burton as our partner and their LTR program in effect, the new park is really going to draw the crowds. Besides we are all just super stoked we can now ride in Beijing year-round!”
Indoor facilities are becoming more accessible in non-winter friendly environments around the world. The park, located just outside the city centre, boasts a kicker line, wallride as well as rail and box combinations. “The park will be as sick as we can make it,” explains Marco Huang, Park Designer ahead of its opening. “The snow in Qiaobo is surprisingly good, and the management is stoked to have a new Mellow Park, so it’s going to be a fun area for all levels of riding”.

From Patrick Thorne of Snow365.com


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Mt Bueller - Australia
Blue Bullet Open
Boggy Creek Open
Bourke Street Carpet Open
Bull Run Open
Burnt Hut Open
Canyon Tows Open
Cattleman's Carpet 1 Open
Cattleman's Carpet 2 Open
Chamois Open
Dam Rope Tow Open
Emirates Discovery Open
Federation Open
Grimus Open
Holden Express Open


Olympic Bar
There are only 2 days left until the closing ceremony. Catch all the action at “Olympic Bar.”

Victorian Interschools
The largest snowsports event in the Southern hemisphere, the Victorian Interschools, will be held on Mt Buller from August 24 – 29. Good luck to our awesome local schools!! Have you always wanted to be an instructor? With the great conditions looking to go all the way through to October, Mt Buller Ski & Snowboard School will be looking to recruit new instructors for 2009 season. The five-day course will start on the 15th September, with successful candidates being offered work for 2009. www.mtbuller.com.au

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Catedral alta Patagonia
Base Elevation: 3,380 ft. /1,030 m
Summit Elevation: 7, 837 ft./ 2,388 m
Runs Maximum Elevation: 6,892 ft. / 2,100 m
Vertical Rise: 3,512 ft. / 1,070 m
Terrain: 1,482 acres / 600 hectares


New Lift Systems
Three new lift systems will make up a total of 40 available lifts for all-level skiers:
Combi Lynch Quad + Double Chairlift (1,800 pax/h. capacity), located where Sextuple chairlift ends, will alternate quadruple chairs –for skiers- with double chairs for non-skiing tourists.

Nubes Quadruple Chairlift (2,200 pax/h. capacity), located where former Conexión Teleski was, it’ll be a high speed chairlift (5 m/sec) due to it disengagable system.

2000 Double Chairlift (1,200 pax/h. capacity), located near La Hoyita, one of the best areas for beginners.

www.catedralaltapatagonia.com
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Valle Nevado
For those look for excitement where only the sky is the limit, we offer heliskiing. Skiers and snowboarders get on board an AS 350 B3 helicopter that leaves them more than 4,200 meters high on virgin snow.

With unbelievable snow quality and easy access, the Valle Nevado heli-skiing operation provides riders with the best skiing and boarding days of their lives. Expert mountain guides use state-of-the-art safety equipment, as they escort clients into 6,000 vertical foot runs of Andean powder



www.vallenevado.com/
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Treble Cone - New Zealand
Summit Elevation: 2088m (6,850 ft)
Lift Serviced Vertical Rise: 700m
Elevation: 828m (base to summit)
Types Of Lifts: 6 Seater express chairlift
Saddle quad chairlift
Nice & Easy Platter
www.treblecone.com/
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Macys



WWW.FIS-SKI.COM Edition 193 - August 2008

News from the World of Skiing
Time start thinking tickets: Vancouver 2010 ... more
Right in time for the Beijing Olympic Summer Games, VANOC, the organizer of the next Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver (CAN) in 2010, released its detailed competition schedules which were approved by the IOC Executive Board. The tickets to 2010 Games will go on sale on 3rd October 2008.


With nine competition venues, 12 stadiums, seven sports, 15 disciplines and 86 medal events, producing the hourly competition schedules was a highly complex endeavor. Contingency plans for adverse weather conditions, event sequencing (to allow recovery time for athletes in more than one event), venue operational considerations and complex broadcast logistics (including balancing live global coverage of simultaneous events at different venues) all had to be built into the schedules.
The Opening Ceremony will be held on 12th February 2010 while the final sport event will be the men’s gold medal hockey game on 28th February. For detailed schedules of each of the FIS disciplines which is a total of 40 medal events

The way to Sochi 2014:


Just a few days ago, Sochi 2014 - the host of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games - celebrated a special milestone of 2014 days to go until the event. A few days thereafter, its leadership delivered the first official progress report to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 120th IOC Session in Beijing (CHN), outlining the team’s achievements during the first year since Sochi’s election.
During the Sochi Games, to be held from 7th to 23rd February, the skiing events will be staged around the village of Krasnaya Polyana some 45 minutes away from the city of Sochi proper. As per the bid book, the Nordic Skiing events are planned to be carried out at the brand new facilities at Psekhako Ridge, which is set to host the Cross-Country and Nordic Combined Cross-Country competitions in 2014.
Initiated in 2002 and opened for the 2005/2006 season, Psekhako Ridge is a new resort owned by Gazprom. It currently consists of 18 trails and six lifts including a gondola, as well as accommodation for more than 8,000 people. The second construction phase is now underway and will include additional pistes, a ski stadium and other facilities to be used during the 2014 Games. Construction of the Olympic Ski Stadium with its facilities at around 1450 m of altitude is scheduled to be finished in 2010. The first official test events as part of the FIS World Cup will in principle be held during the 2011/2012 season.
The second construction stage at the resort also includes four ropeways, ski lifts, summer sports facilities, a multi-level car parking, 300 and 180-room hotels, a cultural center with a water park, conference halls, restaurants, cafes and a business area. Gazprom’s investment in Psekhako Ridge is estimated to amount to a total of Euro 300 million. Psekhako Ridge is intended to become the Russian National Training Center after the Games. A delicate balance with the surrounding nature remains a challenge because Psekhako Ridge is adjacent to the highly valuable Caucasus Nature Reserve and the Western Caucasus World Heritage Site.
“The Psekhako Ridge ski area offers great promise for the Cross-Country Skiing events at the 2014 Games. While significant work remains to be done, including the construction of required accommodation facilities and major transportation infrastructure such as a highway from Sochi, the basis for an excellent Cross-Country venue is surely there,” commented Jürg Capol, FIS Race Director following his recent site inspection. “Russia is historically one of the major Cross-Country Skiing nations and given the experience at our recent FIS World Cup events in Rybinsk, we can look forward to great Cross-Country competitions in an outstanding atmosphere at the Sochi Games,” he added.
WWW.FIS-SKI.COM

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White Wolf at Lake Tahoe -By Joanna Hartman
For nearly 16 years Troy Caldwell has been working on a chairlift that would connect uncharted terrain of two of the most challenging ski resorts in North Tahoe.

And it looks like he’ll have to wait another year to ski his Alpine Meadows property from the comfort of a private chairlift.

“We certainly would like to have been further along,” Caldwell said, “but we’re still having a good old time doing it. We’re living a dream.”

The lift, as well as the 460-acre property, is known as White Wolf. And if the powers that be at Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley USA could agree, the lift could connect the two resorts.

But that is for the resorts to haggle over. Until then, Troy and his wife, Sue, will continue their 37 years living in the Tahoe area and push forward with the chairlift.

In 1990 they tried to buy a 40-acre parcel near the base of Alpine Meadows to open a lodge and bed and breakfast, but the real estate company said it couldn’t divide the 460-acre property.

That’s when the vision was born: Almost 400 acres in Alpine Meadows and 75 acres in Squaw Valley where Caldwell wanted to construct a chairlift to connect the two resorts.

However, Alpine and Squaw could not reach an agreement for the interconnect, Caldwell said. That’s when he had another vision — private skiing.

Five years ago Placer County issued Caldwell a permit for private use of the chairlift allowing up to 25 “qualified” friends and family per day. Placer requested the skiers and boarders using White Wolf do so in a safe fashion, so those who plan to ski the terrain are taking avalanche safety classes.

The Caldwells are prohibited from selling tickets to access the lift. If later Caldwell wanted to sell the chairlift to the resorts as a way to connect the two, a new permitting process will apply, said Placer County principal planner Bill Combs. “It’s a one-of-a-kind situation, obviously. He’s really constructing it in a non-impactful way,” Combs said.

Numerous legal issues have impeded the speed of the lift’s construction. A local homeowners group sued Placer County for issuing the permit and the Caldwells are currently tied up in a lawsuit with Squaw Valley regarding a “contract dispute.”

“I can’t afford to do lawsuits and the chair at the same time,” Caldwell said.

Squaw Valley USA leases part of Caldwell’s property, including the top of KT-22, for $15,000 per year.

But Caldwell has managed to keep the cost of the actual project down because so many people have volunteered their time to help with construction. The only overhead cost is materials. Caldwell estimates the total cost of the chairlift at near $500,000.

While the politics and regulating agencies make the project increasingly expensive and difficult, local help keeps it enjoyable, Caldwell said. “The locals are really, really supportive of the whole thing. They’re part of the inspiration,” he said. Both Troy and Sue have been part of the ski world for decades. Troy competed on the US Freestyle Team and Sue worked at Alpine Meadows for roughly 30 years as the special tickets manager. Rachael Woods, public relations at Alpine Meadows, has worked closely with the Caldwells.

“I think it’s a really great, interesting, inspiring project,” Woods said of White Wolf. “Their goals and ambitions are quite simple; they want to play outside.”

90 percent there Caldwell said he has completed about 90 percent of the overall project, including the paperwork and legal issues. The lift is still waiting for its bottom terminal, cable and chairs, and Caldwell will need another full summer of work to finish the lift. He hopes to have it ready for next season.

If the two resorts never come to terms on a resort interconnect, Caldwell would like to divide and sell the White Wolf parcel to people who want to buy a stake in the private ski area. The resort would be funded and run by the private community.

“We anticipate that we are going to make our living on this,” Caldwell said.

While Caldwell is more than a year away from his dream of making turns on his own turf, he said he is enjoying the process.
“It’s cool to fulfill a dream like this in the mountains,” he said. “It’s cool to make your contribution to the mountains — especially from the local folks.”


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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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OPEN THIS WEEKEND North America
Mt. Hood Timberline Lodge
Palmer Lift - Race lanes upper Palmer- pipe & park lower Palmer
Timberlone Lodge



Europe

Austria
Kaprun
Zell am See-Kaprun

Moelltaler Glacier
Moelltaler Glacier

Hintertuxer Glacier
Hintertux Glacier

Stubai Glacier
Stubai Glacier



France
Les 2 Alpes
Les 2 Alpes

Tignes - The Grande Motte glacier
Tignes



Switzerland
Engelberg - Ice Flyer Lift
Engelberg

Saas- Fee
Closed
Saas- Fee

Verbier
Verbier

Zermat - Theodul glacier


Zermatt



South America

Argentina
Catedral
Catedral Alta Patagonia

Chapelco
Chapelco

Las Lenas
Las Lenas



Chile

La Parva
La Parva

Portillo
Portillo

Termas Chillan
Termas Chillan

Valle Nevado
Valle Nevado



Australia
Falls Creek
Falls Creek



New Zealand

Cardrona
Cardrona

Coronet Peak
Coronet Peak

Treble Cone
Treble Cone





Air France

Air France







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