8 times Gold Winner Retires!

Lauren Woolstencroft, who has dominated the Paralympic ski events has announced her retirement from the sport after winning 5 gold medals in the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games. Over 3 different Winter Paralympic Games she has won 8 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze, in events like the Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, Super G and Super Combined., all of which Lauren won in 2010.

She started racing aged 14 and retires aged 28, born without legs below the knee and a left forearm she used prosthetics to achieve her amazing success, so having her last wins at home in Vancouver must have made it extra special.

Lauren has shown herself to be a fantastic competitor and a very determined one at that, her 5 gold medals are the most that any female athlete has ever won before in a single Winter Paralympic Games.

Big Opening Weekend for Skiing 09-10

Many of the world's major resorts in at least 10 countries are opening for 2009-10 season this weekend. In Europe, the ski season begins in Andorra with Grandvalira opening a fortnight early after heavy snowfall in the Pyrenees.

In the French Alps, Europe's highest major resort, Val Thorens is the second resort to open in France, joining Tignes which has been open for nearly two months already. In Austria, Obergurgl is opening and in Switzerland, Andermatt, Davos, Klosters, Flims and Laax join Engelberg, Zermatt, Verbier, Les Diablerets and Saas Fee which are already open.

In Italy, Livigno is opening early and is running its lifts free of charge this week with no lift pass required. More resorts are opening in Finland, Norway and Sweden joining the 20 or so already open in Scandinavia.

Across the Atlantic In Canada British Columbia's Big White, Sun peaks and whistler resorts have opened this weekend, joining Alberta's Banff resorts, Lake Louise, Marmot Basin and Nakiska which have opened in recent weeks.

More areas are opening in the today US too including Boreal in California and White Pass, they join the latest openers Mt Baker in Washington State and Breckenridge, Colorado, which opened a few days ago.

Ski holiday ideas in Slovenia

Slovenia is celebrating the 2009/2010 ski holiday season with the debut of a new cable car and ski piste linking the local Kanin resort to Italy’s Sella Nevea resort.

The joint ski area will be accessible with one lift pass, allowing skiers from both the Slovenian and the Italian sides of the mountain to enjoy the slopes at both resorts. The internationally connected ski centre will be the first of its kind in an area where, for most of the previous century, there was a strict border divide between the two countries.

The connected ski centre is expected to be called Kanin–Canin and will be one of the largest ski areas in Slovenia. Kanin is Slovenia’s only resort with slopes over 2,000m and the high altitude means its season often lasts into early May.

The resort has a good mixture of advanced, intermediate, beginner and cross-country trails. The link to Sella Nevea will provide an even greater choice of runs, particularly for beginner skiers.