HAPPY NEW SNOWFALL YEAR
Snow Alert - Lake Tahoe, Montana, Pacific Northwest


Avalanche Advisory - Jackson Hole Backcountry, Use Caution !
                  

High: Mostly unstable snow exists on a variety of aspects and slope angles.



THAT IS HOW TO LEAP INTO THE NEW YEAR ! !

Kirkwood - Ca

Powered Down at the moment
A fire has struck facility thst hosts the power transmission & transformer.
Check website or call for progress andscheduled reopening.
www.kirkwood.com

* White Pass - Washington
Weather: High overcast
Temp: 25F Summit/ 28F Base New Snow: 4" new past 24 hours
Base: 49" Base area / 68" Summit
Surface: Cords are fine & Ben's calling Mach to Hourglass
Hours: Open today from 8:45A - 4P
Lifts: Quad, Triple, #4, Platter & Carpet
www.skiwhitepass.com


* Big Sky Montana
Surface Conditions: Powder & Packed Powder Today's Word: 2010 has started with a bang!! We have received snow everyday in January so far. There is currently about an inch of snow on the ground and it is still lightly snowing. With all of our lifts running there's plenty of terrain for all skill levels to explore.
www.bigskyresort.com

* BRECKENRIDGE Report 24 Hours 7 Days Base Live Mountain Cam Elevation: 9,950 ft / 3,034 m Snow 5 " 11 " 39 "

VAIL current snow conditions as of 5:30 AM MST for Sunday, January 3, 2010 Wildwood Elevation: 10,981 ft / 3,347 m Snow 8 " 21 " 33 "

* Bob The Devil reports great things at Snowbird. More terrain is opening up. Regulator J is in ggod shape and for those willing to hike the chutes into Alta are good BEWARE OF dust over crust and or ROCKS. KNOW you own ability!


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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.”



Montafon - Austria
OPEN

New for last season Silvretta Nova
6-seater Sesselbahn Vermiel chairlift
The new fixed 6-seater Vermiel chairlift with conveyor belt entry and luxury upholstery replaces the three Vermiel drag lifts. With the new lift and the moving of the new mountain station to the mountain station of the Grandaubahn, this area is experiencing a substantial qualitative improvement.

Heated seating for the 6-seater Sesselbahn Nova chairlift The SB Nova, newly constructed last winter, is being equipped with heated seating


62 facilities covered by one regional ski pass:
4 Cable cars
10 Gondolas
1 Eight-seater chairlift (Bubble)
5 Six-seater chairlifts (Bubble)
6 Four-seater chairlifts
2 Three-seater chairlifts
10 Two-seater chairlifts
1 Single-seater chairlift
23 Drag, children’s and button lifts

www.montafon.at



Air France

Air France


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Frqnce
Office de Tourisme
Chamonix Mont-Blanc
85, place du Triangle de l'Amitié
BP 25
F-74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
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


Tel +33 450 53 00 24
Fax +33 450 53 58 90
info@chamonix.com
www.chamonix.com

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Switzerland
Glacier 3000 - Switzerland
The Glacier 3000 ski area includes 10 installations and 30 km of ski runs ranging from 1350 to 3000 m above sea level. It is a part of the ski area shared with Gstaad Mountain Rides (250 km of ski runs) and the Vaudoises Alps (225 km of ski runs) and is particularly attractive for Freestylers and Freeriders. With the 7km long Olden ski run, Glacier 3000 is able to offer one of the most challenging ski runs in the area - a challenge for any skier or snowboarder

For people who like to have unlimited fun in the snow, the 7 km long Olden ski run is just the right one. The black ski run is one of the longest of this difficulty level in the region


Lifts
Name - Length - Vert - Top Station
P1 Reusch – Oldenegg 1624 m 572 m 1922 m
P2 Oldenegg – Cabane 2270 m 601 m 2523 m
P3 Col du Pillon – Cabane 1960 m 979 m 2524 m
P5 Cabane – Sex Rouge 1551 m 406 m 2930 m
P6 Oldenalp – Oldenegg 797 m 81 m 1922 m

www.glacier3000
Saas- Fee

Great piste conditions are guaranteed until the end of the season .. And what's more: you can get warm, meet nice people, have fun, chatter, flirt and dance... Our spring package "Allalin weeks" can easily keep pace with the approaching spring feeling. 4 nights from only CHF 346.- / EUR 223.-. After the great (and full) winter there are still free rooms now in April. Thanks to the Easter snow, winter has just begun...
King of Popcorn
The world's best freestyle snowboard action". Exaggeration? Certainly not! The best boarders well ensure a great spectacle within the remit of the Swatch TTR Snowboard Tour, "SNICKERS Classic & POPCORN Wallride 08" in Saas-Fee, both on and near the piste. Famous names will show their respect for the freestyle event: for instance Gian Simmen and Iouri Podlatchikov. On Längfluh it's a question of higher, faster, further. And who will become king? Will it be Nicolas Müller again, "the King of Popcorn 2007"? www.saas-fee.ch
Saas- Fee

Verbier
Verbier

Zermat - Theodul glacier
Zermatt

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Information Please!
National Ski Areas Association
The National Ski Areas Association is the trade association for ski area owners and operators. It represents 326 alpine resorts that account for more than 90 percent of the skier/snowboarder visits nationwide. Additionally, it has 400 supplier members who provide equipment, goods and services to the mountain resort industry.

NSAA analyzes and distributes ski industry statistics; produces annual conferences and trade shows; produces a bimonthly industry publication and is active in state and federal government affairs. The association also provides educational programs and employee training materials on industry issues including OSHA, ADA and NEPA regulations and compliance; environmental laws and regulations; state regulatory requirements; aerial tramway safety; and resort operations and guest service.

NSAA was established in 1962 and was headquartered in Springfield, Mass. In 1989 NSAA merged with SIA (SnowSports Industries America) and moved to McLean, Va. The merger was dissolved in 1992 and NSAA was relocated to Lakewood, Colo., because of its central geographic location. NSAA is located in the same office building as the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the National Ski Patrol in Lakewood, Colo., a suburb west of Denver.

www.nsaa.org/

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Kvitfjell- Norway
Kvitfjell
Kvitfjell is not the largest ski destination in the world, but many people declare that it is one of the best. The reason is probably the variation of the slopes skiers will find here. For the youngest as well as for beginners we have small bunny hills and for the more advanced skiers we can offer steeper slopes where the skies really catches wind. Skiers at all levels will find their own challenge in Kvitfjell that is why so many ski enthusiasts return to our destination.
Quality is our motto. Everything that has been and is being build here in Kvitfjell is of the highest quality, and that includes the destination as a whole. More than NOK 200 millions has been invested into different projects, which results in that Kvitfjell is one of the most modern state-of-the-arch destinations in Norway. Kvitfjell is able to cover approximately 80% of all slopes with artificial snow and due to this we are one of the first destinations to open every year. Number of lifts: 7
Lift capacity: 8100 p/h
Longest run: 3500 m
Vertical drop: 840 m
Highest mountain: 1044m

There are many reasons why you should visit us in Kvitfjell this winter. From Kvitfjell you have access to more than 600 km of cross-country trails, a snowboard/terrain park, great ski instructors who will teach you to enjoy skiing, one of Norway’s most luxurious hotels in the mountains, etc. Kvitfjell

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The 29th Annual Snowfest takes place March 5-14, 2010.
Plans are underway for another huge celebration.


Every spring since 1982, North Lake Tahoe comes alive with ten fun-filled days and nights, jam packed with events and activities for all ages. This year, the annual favorites will be back, along with a host of great new ones! On and off the mountain, at North Tahoe's numerous resorts, and vibrant lakeside neighborhoods, there's something for everyone. Enjoy on-snow events at resorts like Squaw Valley USA, Alpine Meadows, Homewood, Diamond Peak, and Northstar-at-Tahoe; Participate in special events, parades, races, parties, concerts, theater; and of course, there's plenty of wining and dining to be had at North Lake Tahoe's fine restaurants and lively establishments.

http://www.tahoesnowfestival.com/

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Sierra Stories:; Alex Cushing: An Unusual Ski Pioneer
By Mark McLaughlin

When Alexander C. Cushing, president of Squaw Valley Development Corp., came out of nowhere to boldly snatch the 1960 Winter Olympics away from Innsbruck, Austria, the news generated shock and disbelief. Cushing had employed savvy marketing tools and marshaled strong public and political support to perform a minor miracle that steered the VIII Winter Games to a little known alpine valley near Lake Tahoe, Calif. READ the entire story by. Mark McLaughlin On Tahoe This Week.com


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The 70th Hahnenkamm races will be held in Kitzbühel from January 22 to 24, 2010. Even at this early stage, we would like to welcome all of the spectators, athletes, media representatives and staff.
We wish all of our participating friends boundless fun, joy and outstanding sporting competition. As organizers of the Hahnenkamm races, we put every effort into ensuring that the event is once again a successful celebration of sports www.hahnenkamm.com/en/

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Killington- Vermont
Killington has received 33 inches of snow in the last seven days, including 11 inches overnight. Cap off the first weekend of 2010 with the first Powder Day of 2010. We now have more than 120 open trails – the most in the East! Now is the time to make tracks to Killington. Our signature trails such as Ovation, Outer Limits and Superstar are all open, plus we’re skiing in the woods. www. killington.com

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