Scots ski resorts in bumper year

Scotland's five mountain ski areas have had their best season since 2001 with spending by winter sports enthusiasts generating £25m, Ski-Scotland has said.

Unprecedented falls of snow have been reported at CairnGorm, Glencoe, Glenshee, Nevis Range and the Lecht. National body Ski-Scotland said more snow has been forecast meaning the season could last through to May. It said local businesses, such as bed and breakfasts, have also benefitted from the numbers of people skiing.

Nevis Range managing director Marian Austin said the amount snow that has fallen has allowed it to extend its skiing area. She said: "Unlike the ski areas in the east, we do not normally ski to our car park. "But this amazing snow cover - even at low level - has allowed us to offer skiing from 1,190m (3,900ft) down to 100m (330ft), which is about 4.5km, or close to three miles."

Pieter du Pon, of the Lecht Ski Company, added: "The snow this year has been fantastic with constant cold and great skiing conditions." Snow has just piled up week after week since before Christmas, with another metre falling in 36 hours last week."

Snow brings delight to ski centres

Scotland's ski centres said they had enjoyed the best start to the season in decades thanks to the continued cold snap.

Heavy snowfalls and consistently low temperatures have led to a bumper year for ski centre visitors, despite severe weather warnings and problems on many of the surrounding roads.

The Nevis Range centre in Fort William has enjoyed its busiest start to the ski season for a decade, while the Cairngorms centre, near Aviemore, reported the best snowfall it had seen since 1996.

Avalanche buries ski patroller

A member of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol suffered critical injuries when he was buried in an avalanche Wednesday, officials said.

Mark Wolling, 58, was caught in the slide at about 8:25 a.m., before the slopes were open to the public, as he and other patrollers conducted avalanche hazard reduction work in the Cheyenne Bowl at an elevation of 9,350 feet. Wolling, a Jackson resident known by the nickname "Big Wally," and another patrol member were setting off explosive devices called hand charges when the avalanche triggered above them, according to a resort news release.

The other patroller was able to stop himself on a tree but Wolling was swept up in the sliding snow. Wolling was carried along for most of the 1,000-foot slide, including over a 25-foot cliff, according to the resort. It took fellow patrollers about 10 minutes to find Wolling, who was buried in about 6 feet of snow.

Wolling was rushed to the Teton Village Clinic and then St. John's Medical Center in Jackson. He was flown Wednesday afternoon to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where a hospital spokeswoman said he was in critical condition. "It has been an extremely tough morning for all our patrollers and staff," Jerry Blann, resort president, said in a statement. "I am very grateful to everyone for their efforts. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family right now."

Wolling has been on the ski patrol since 1989 and has worked for the resort in other capacities since 1978, said Anna Olson, a resort spokeswoman. "His family are aware, and we have a lot of people looking out for him," Olson said.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had received 10 inches of snow in the 24 hours before the avalanche occurred and substantial snowfall in the previous week. Wolling was in the upper area of the Cheyenne Bowl when the avalanche occurred, Olson said. The area has not been open to the public this season because of insufficient snow.

11 year old boy collapses & dies while skiing down hill

An 11-year-old Newton boy reportedly collapsed and died while skiing with his father and brothers Sunday in New Hampshire.

The boy was identified by school officials as Joseph Kelly Heilbron, a fifth-grader at the Pierce School, according to the Newton Tab. Josephwas the youngest of six children. Police in Henniker were unavailable for comment last night. The ski facility Pat’s Peak in Henniker, N.H., did not return a call for comment.

Officials at Joseph’s school told the newspaper the boy’s death has shocked and saddened the entire community. “The mood of the school is very sad and (this was) very sudden. This was a very sweet child that was an integral part of our school,” Interim Principal Ruth H. Chapman told the paper.

According to a letter Chapman sent home to parents, Joseph was on the last run down a hill and winning a race with his father and brothers when his body gave out and he collapsed, she wrote. Grief counselors were on hand for students at the boy’s school yesterday.

Girl falls from ski-lift

Police are looking for a German couple who fled after a 10 year old girl was seriously injured when she plunged 30ft from a ski lift.

Emily O'Rourke from Mullingar, Ireland, dangled for nearly a minute before she slipped from the grasp of fellow skiers onto the ice and snow below in Westendorf, Austria. Yesterday she was being treated for three cracked vertebrae in hospital in nearby Sankt Johann. Soctors said they expected her to make a full recovery after Sunday's fall.

Skiers watching from the ground said they had seen the unidentified German pair clinging onto the child. Police said they grabbed Emily and according to witnesses tried to hang on to her until the lift could reach the landing station – but she fell to the ground when they could no longer hold on. The couple were initially praised but refused to discuss how the lift bar had been raised during the trip and then fled saying they wanted to enjoy their remaining time on the slopes.

Hansjoerg Kogler, the boss of the lift company Bergbahnen Westendorf, said: "I really cannot understand their behaviour. We wanted to question the couple about the events, but they were not co-operative, they had nothing to say, they said they only had half day passes and therefore wanted to go skiing.

"There are still many open questions about how the accident could have occurred. The couple did not even leave their contact details in case of any inquiries and of course now we need to speak to them to see what went wrong."

Police said that adults travelling with children had a duty of responsibility to make sure the safety bar was down and that they were secure.

Riddle as ski body had no shoes

Ski Brit Myles Robinson had no shoes on when his body was found, it emerged last night.

Sources in the Swiss resort of Wengen revealed he was wearing just one sock at the foot of an icy ravine.

Initial tests show the 6ft 5ins former public schoolboy, from Wandsworth, South London, was four times over the drink-drive limit.

But Newcastle University graduate Myles's relatives don't think he fell and suspect foul play.

They are demanding more answers from Swiss police.

2 other Devil's Head ski lifts need repairs, inspector says

After a ski lift malfunction injured 14 skiers and snowboarders at Devil's Head Ski Resort in Merrimac, a state inspector found two more ski lifts at the facility that require replacement of devices that would prevent a similar accident.

The inspector recommended replacing anti-rollback devices on two other ski lifts so the ski chairs won't begin moving backward.

On Dec. 17 one of the ski lifts began moving backward, prompting many people to jump off. When a state inspector arrived the next day she saw three chairs had come off the wire rope near the loading area and another chair had come off at the first tower. She also noticed the anti-rollback device was rusted and corroded.

Mongolians take to the slopes at first ski resort

Mongolians used to harsh winters now have a new outlet for winter fun at the country's first ski resort, located on a sacred mountain just outside of the capital Ulan Bator.

For the locals, Sky Resort is a welcome distraction from at a time of year when temperatures fall well below freezing, but it rarely snows in the arid capital. The resort relies on Italian-made snow guns to cover the trails with artificial snow.

"It is a great way to have fun with our children, and they are picking it up really fast," said 40-year-old visitor Tsedsuren Luvsandorj.

Bumps and bruises lie ahead for many Mongolians who are new to the slopes. But if they like the sport, they'll find plenty of other ski mountains to try in neighboring China, which has also taken up skiing with a vengeance since it debuted in the 1990s. The Sky Resort, on the sacred Bogd Khan Uul Mountain just fifteen minutes drive from Ulan Bator, is mostly aimed at beginners and intermediates. But it has nine runs, two chairlifts, and even a dedicated racing slope.

Still, the new fad doesn't come cheap. At $24 for lift tickets and ski rental, a day of skiing equals nearly a week's salary for the average Mongolian.

Indoor ski slope opens at Bootle’s Strand shopping centre

THE UK’s first ski slope in a shopping centre was unveiled in Merseyside.

The artificial slope, measuring 14m long and standing 3.5m high, was an immediate hit when it opened in Bootle last night. But it almost did not arrive when the truck transporting it to The Strand shopping centre broke down.

Bootle town centre manager Chris White said: “The slope has provoked loads of interest. We are looking forward to having office people on the ski slope in their lunch hour.”

It opens from 10am-3pm Fri 27th and Sat 28th Nov.

About 50 fancy dress runners also took part in a 1k race in North Park.

Foreign office to tackle alcohol misuse in ski resorts

A major safety awareness initiative by the Foreign Office to tackle alcohol misuse in ski resorts and emphasise the necessity of full travel insurance cover will come into full swing in December when the first British skiers will be heading for the French, Swiss and Italian ski slopes. This campaign is a security and safety awareness campaign. The theme is to ski safely in relation to the abuse of alcohol, which can lead to accidents during or after skiing.

The safety awareness programme has been initiated by the Foreign Office for areas in which many ski resorts are located. It has been supported by French police and rescue services, tourist offices and airports in the regions of Savoie, Haute Savoie, Isère, Rhône as well as Geneva airport and several major Swiss ski resorts. In Italy, which joined the project later, resorts in the province of Turin will be involved for the forthcoming season.

British tour operators including the number 1 UK ski specialist Crystal Ski, Thomson Ski, First Choice Ski as well as student specialists Off the Piste and Ski Alpine have agreed to collaborate. It is a poster campaign which supports a diverse range of exciting and innovative education projects that aim to reduce alcohol misuse and make a tangible change in ski resorts. Projects range from posters in restaurants, bars, airports and other public spaces, as well as leaflets and display material in British tour operator owned chalets, club hotels and bars.

This campaign was initiated after several accidents in ski resorts which were directly related to alcohol abuse by young people. The aim of this campaign is to avoid accidents and deaths in ski resorts as alcohol can affect you more quickly at high altitudes and seriously limits your awareness of danger and cold.

"We are committed to supporting educational projects which make a positive difference to people lives and ensure that they have good, safe fun on their holidays" said Mathew Prior, MD of TUI Ski.

New gondola opens in time for ski season at Sun Valley

The new Sun Valley Roundhouse Gondola celebrated its grand opening Saturday.

Nine Sun Valley Olympians were some of the first to ride the new gondola on Bald Mountain. A spokesperson with the Sun Valley Resort said that 3,200 people took advantage of the free gondola ride.

The gondola carries passengers up two-thousand feet in less than eight minutes to the resort's Roundhouse restaurant midway up the mountain. Sun Valley's 74th ski season starts on Thanksgiving Day.

Snow forecast good news for Colorado ski areas as holiday nears

Much of the Western Slope is under a winter weather advisory for 24 hours as another round of snow moves into Colorado, according to the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction.

A trough of low pressure could leave behind up to 7 inches of new snow on much of the northern and central mountains. Higher elevations could see up to 8 inches, according to forecasters. The advisory started at midnight. Skiers will feast on a smorgasbord of newly opened slopes for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Monarch Mountain, Crested Butte and Steamboat open Wednesday. Thursday is the season opening for Aspen Mountain, Snowmass and Telluride. Purgatory at Durango Mountain opens Friday, according to Colorado Ski Country USA. Snow showers but no significant accumulation are expected along the Front Range today.

Ski jumpers denied Games bid

Women ski jumpers have been grounded after a B.C. court denied their appeal but they say they’re fine with men still getting their chance to soar at next year’s Olympics.

The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled Friday that VANOC is not in breach of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by staging only men’s ski jumping at the Games. In the women’s original lawsuit, they asked that both sexes be allowed to jump or that the men be grounded as well. Spokesman Deborah Folka said the 14 plaintiffs don’t plan to protest at the Olympics: “We will not do anything to take the dignity of events from other athletes,” said Folka.

She said that a very slim possibility of the women being allowed to jump rests with the International Olympic Committtee. “We will not make it to the 2010 Olympics by legal means, but there is still the possibility that the IOC changes its mind,” said Folka. VANOC responded that “(it) remains supportive .... of having women’s ski jumping added to the roster of future Olympic Winter 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.

Female ski jumpers head back to court

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Female ski jumpers are heading back to court Thursday in another attempt to compete in the Vancouver Olympics.

Fourteen jumpers are appealing a lower court's decision that the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee doesn't control whether they can compete. The jumpers argue that organizers are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and their failure to include women's ski jumping is discrimination.

A British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruled in July that the power to add sports rests solely with the International Olympic Committee. The IOC rejected women's ski jumping for the 2010 Games in 2006, arguing the sport had not yet met the criteria to be included.

The appeal will be heard over two days by a panel of judges in Vancouver.

Alpine ski season off to earliest ever start due to heavy snowfalls

Over the weekend, skiers and snowboarders enjoyed outstanding conditions for this time of year as a handful of European resorts opened earlier than expected following snowfalls of up to 20ins (50cm) in the past week.

In Saas Fee, Switzerland, snow depths have already reached more than 3ft (1m) on upper slopes, while the Austrian resort of Kitzbühel earlier set an 80-year record by opening on October 24.

In Switzerland, the resorts of Zermatt, Saas Fee, and Verbier have lifts running at weekends boasting “excellent” conditions following snowfalls in Thursday and overnight on Saturday. Resorts in France and Italy are also offering weekend skiing.

Despite not being among the highest of the Austrian resorts, Kitzbühel was one of the earliest to open its lifts last month, after heavy falls over the last three weeks.

Many Alpine resorts had been becoming increasingly nervous about the unseasonably warm weather of late, which saw temperatures as high as 65F (18C) – fearing a repeat of the dire season of 2006/7.

Concerns have also been raised over the impact of the global economic crisis and poor exchange rates that have forced up the cost of holidays in Europe, especially for British tourists.

Experts said that a plethora of cheap deals available this year are also helping fuel sales.

Last year many Alpine resorts experienced the best snow conditions in a generation.

New season on the Southampton ski slopes

An alpine activity firm is celebrating the launch of its seventh winter season running Southampton’s ski centre.

Filarinskis has been welcoming more than 50,000 skiers and snowboarders a year to the council facility at the sports centre in Bassett. City leisure chiefs hope that the forthcoming Winter Olympics will inspire even more people to give skiing a go on the centre’s dry slopes.

Croatian ski slopes could be busy this winter

Skiers will abandon pricy mainstream resorts to go off the beaten track this winter, according to the Ski Club of Great Britain, which could make many consider a holiday in Croatia.

Traditional skiing locations such as the French Alps and Austria may be too expensive for many during the period of economic downturn, so a lower-cost alternative may be in demand. Even moving further down a particular valley can affect the cost of a ski holiday dramatically.

Vanessa Fisher, spokesperson for the club, said: "Resorts that are slightly off the beaten track are going to be popular as they are slightly cheaper. [They have] still got access to skiing and those are the types of resorts that skiers will be looking for." As the pound weakens against the euro, the price of ski holidays has risen by around six per cent. That could lead many skiers to seek out an up-and-coming ski destination such as Croatia.

Last week Tim Holmes, manager of the Metro Ski and Snowboard Show, said that snow fans have too much passion for skiing to give up their winter break because of the credit crunch.

Chamonix, France: best ski resort for advanced skiers

Chamonix fully deserves its reputation as one of the world's classic ski resorts: set in the heart of a dramatic high-alpine environment at the base of Mont Blanc, it has some of the most extreme off-piste skiing in the world and a boisterous party scene to boot. The bustling town has a long mountaineering history and has always attracted hardy, outdoors types although it's becoming increasingly glamorous, with trendy bars and hotels popping up left, right and centre.

On the flip side, Chamonix's five ski areas (Grands Montets, l'Aiguille du Midi, Le Tour, Brévent and Flégère) are frustratingly dispersed, its cult powder status means fresh tracks are hard to find and even the infamous 12 and a half-mile off-piste Vallée Blanche route can feel like a busy thoroughfare at times. However, despite its foibles, every passionate skier should visit Chamonix at least once in their lifetime.

Snow ski centre planned for Sunderland’s Stadium Village

Plans have been unveiled for a giant indoor snow ski centre with real snow in a North-East city. The multi-million pound development planned for Sunderland’s Stadium Village – surrounding the city’s football stadium – could also house an ice rink, leisure facilities, specialist sports shops, bars and restaurants.

It would be a first for the region and the only facility of its kind between Leeds and Glasgow.The Stadium Village already boasts the Stadium of Light and the £20m Sunderland Aquatic Centre, which opened last year. Sunderland City Council’s cabinet will consider the blueprint when it meets next Wednesday. The document, known as a development framework, could then be put to further public consultation.

The development framework suggests the area between Hay Street and the Metro line as the location for the centre.