March 12, 2011 – 3:50 pm
It has emerged that a woman spent a night in a gondola cabin at Whistler on the evening of March 1st.
The woman concerned apparently boarded the lift shortly before it stopped. It had been ‘cleared’ between 5.30 and 6pm in the evening. She was found in reportedly good shape over 13 hours later when the lift was re-started at around 7am the following morning, despite temperatures having dropped to -7C during the night.
Whistler told a news agency that procedure had not been followed and the employee responsible for the failure had been fired.
“A review indicates the event transpired because lift operations protocol were not followed resulting in the passenger loading onto a section of the lift that had been identified as cleared,” said a statement.
The woman had not been carrying a mobile phone.
March 5, 2011 – 10:31 am
At the end of 2010 ski writer Jimmy Petterson (www.skiingaroundtheworld.net) skied his 53rd and 54th country after adding Ecuador and Venezuela to his long list.
“Adding new countries to my list is really not as easy as it used to be, as I am slowly running out of countries that have ski lifts.” said Jimmy. He also found that thanks to global warming, Venezuela was running out of snow.
The task wasn’t easy as neither country has any mechanized ski lifts at all. In Ecuador, Jimmy hiked up to about 4800 metres on the Cuyambe Volcano where upon finding a small patch of snow cover managed to make roughly a dozen turns before hiking back down. A week later, with his son Erik Petterson Sjöqvist and friend Simon Grahn, Jimmy trekked up on another one of Ecuador’s magnificent volcanoes, Cotopaxi. They managed to reach 5200 metres before fog and snow stopped them from reaching higher ground.
“We were able to ski a pretty long run anyway,” said Jimmy, “Since the snowstorm brought snow all the way down to the parking lot below the refugio where there hadn’t been skiable snow at that low an elevation in twenty years.”
Twenty years ago, there were 20 glaciers in Venezuela, but today there are only two remaining as the others have totally melted away due to global warming. This made skiing in the country a labour of love. The two remaining glaciers are on Venezuela’s two highest peaks, Pico Bolivar and Pico Humboldt.
“Pico Bolivar’s glacier is not skiable,” reports Jimmy, “so the small remaining glacier that resides at about 4850 meters elevation on Pico Humboldt is the last remaining possibility for skiing in Venezuela. It was one of my shortest ski runs, but extremely exhilarating nonetheless.”
“The sad part of all this is that the glaciers of the equatorial regions have really been devastated by climate change. I think that anybody who has the opportunity to see the drastic changes in the glaciers of this area, could certainly not disagree with the reality and seriousness of the problem of global warming.” said Jimmy.
March 3, 2011 – 10:31 am
This winter, the Norwegian coastal ski resort of Voss has seen some of the best snowfall in Europe and this month the town will stage its fifth Extreme Sports Week taking full advantage of all that snow.
This year’s contest between the 10th and 13th March will be focussing on the relatively new sport of speed riding, in which skiers descend a ski slope with a small parasail attached to their backs.
French master Francois Bon, the biggest star of the sport, will be in resort to show off his skills.
“Bon is in many ways considered the pioneer of this sport and we are pleased to show him what Voss has to offer, “says Morten Knapp, who is responsible for speed riding at the resort’s Vinterveko ski area (www.vinterveko.com). “On a good day there is little that can beat Lønahorgi and flying in from Bakkanosi world heritage.”
Since it was introduced in Voss in 2006 speed riding has rapidly grown in popularity in Voss. The resort is the largest community for speed riding in Norway.
February 25, 2011 – 12:00 pm
There have been even more huge snowfalls in Western North America. 
Western Canada’s Whistler, Blackcomb, has received more than 1.4 metres (almost five feet) of snow in the past week. However the largest falls in the region have been surpassed by the 2.9 metres (9.7 feet) of snow that fell in 72 hours in and around the Lake Tahoe resort in California, USA.
Since Tuesday night, a powerful storm in North Lake Tahoe has been pounding the area and another metre (3 feet) is expected to fall by Saturday. The snowfall is expected to slow down by late Saturday with just a small chance of snow predicted through the weekend, which will make for easier and more accessible travel, according to the US National Weather Service.
In Alberta the snow is continuing to fall in Banff-Lake Louise, with almost half a metre of snow falling just this week. This follows the best January snow falls in five years in which the area received over 160 centimetres of dry, light snow. This was well above the 30 year average.
A statement from the resort said; “Bright blue skies between the snow storms and mild temperatures have produced amazing conditions for skiers and riders at Mt. Norquay, The Lake Louise Ski Area and Sunshine Village. And there’s plenty of time left to enjoy it with three and a half months of skiing still to go in Canada’s Protected Playground, Banff National Park.”
Back in BC at Fernie, there has been 22 centimetres of snow in the last 48 hours and it is reported to be continuing to fall at a rate of 5 centimetres an hour.
“We are currently experiencing a Fernie Factor extreme. It is freaking crazy here!” commented Mountain Ops, Fernie Alpine Resort.
February 23, 2011 – 4:57 pm
It’s time to pull out your leg warmers, neon and acid washed jeans as next Saturday (26th February) at Riders Palace in Laax, Switzerland, the one and only David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhof will be rocking the decks to play some of the hits from his cult classic TV shows from Knight Rider to Baywatch as part of his ‘The Hoff is Back’ tour with the Baywatch Soundsystem.
The party will kick off at 9pm local time at the 1,000 capacity club for party hard 80s fans. The club was known as the original snowboarders’ paradise when it opened back in 2001, offering affordable rooms in a very cool setting. Riders Palace includes a laid back bar and club, and the hotel is only minutes away from the base station of LAAX.
Prices at Riders Palace (www.riderspalace.ch, +41 81 9279 700) during the weekend of 26 Feb are from £54 per person/night (CHF 85) staying in a One-Eighty Room with up to 5 people sharing.
February 18, 2011 – 11:14 am
Laax (www.laax.com) in Switzerland has an exciting weekend coming up. From Thursday 17th – Sunday 20th February with skiing under the full moon on Friday 18th, followed by a live performance by the hip-hop group Cypress Hill on the Saturday 19th February.
The well known full moon night in LAAX this year falls on Friday the 18th February. The resort’s mountain lifts operate until 11pm while the mountain bar at Curnius hosts DJs and live bands throughout the evening. With the lifts open late, skiers and snowboarders also get the chance to ride the flood-lit slopes and snow parks for some after-hours action.
Hip-hop rockers Cypress Hill will be rolling into town on Saturday night for a special one-off show, with DJ Cem from German label Beatpackers continuing to rock the club at the after show party. The show will take place at the Riders Palace Club, an intimate venue with a 1,000 person capacity.
Riders Palace (www.riderspalace.com) is known as the original boarder’s paradise. Opening in 2001, boasting affordable rooms combined with a laid back bar and club only seconds from the slopes. Three night’s accommodation at Riders Palace from 17th – 20th February is from £267 per person.
Ski Safari (www.skisafari.com / 01273 224060) is offering 4 nights at Riders Palace from £425 on a bed and breakfast basis including return flights and train transfers for 16-20 Feb.
February 15, 2011 – 11:14 am
Hitting the slopes at the weekend, Polish priests took part in the annual ‘JP II Cup’ at the resort of Wisła in the country’s Beskid Mountains.
The contest sees the skiing priests, who still wear their clerical collars, competing in several Alpine disciplines including an 800-metre-long giant slalom. The ‘JP II Cup’ has been running since the mid-1980s.
The contest is now organised in honour of the memory of Pope John Paul II who was a keen skier. During his time running the Catholic church he regularly skied in the Italian mountains.
When he is beatified , the late pope’s ski jacket will officially become a ‘second-class sacred relic’. It is currently displayed in a place of honour at Pope John Paul II High School, a co-educational Catholic high school in Hendersonville, Tennessee, which is just north of Nashville.
Skiing appears to be popular is modern Catholicism; the current pope recently invited a group of Italian ski instructors to the Vatican to bless them for the work that they do.
February 8, 2011 – 12:00 pm
The Ski Club of Great Britain is offering comprehensive fitness advice and exercises on their website (skiclub.co.uk) for those who want to get ‘ski fit’ before a trip. The services are being offered by Olympian Graham Bell, world-class ski instructor Warren Smith and chiropractor Dr Craig Mclean. As part of their membership package, Ski Club members can also view ski fitness videos on Ski Club TV.
Jonny Cassidy, General Manager of Ski Club Freshtracks (skiclubfreshtracks.co.uk) said, “Modern ski technology has made skiing easier than ever before and has given people a desire to get better and better. Here at the Ski Club we offer holidays which will help them do this with the aid of top-class instructors as well as online ski technique and fitness advice to enhance their ski experience at whatever their individual ski ability”
To find out more visit skiclub.co.uk
February 7, 2011 – 3:12 pm
Ski writer Chris Schrahe, 43, has now skied in over 30 countries, ticking off Denmark as the 33rd. 
The rare opportunity to ski Denmark was afforded to Chris by the recent heavy snowfall and low temperatures in Northern Europe. The author has written dozens of books and articles on skiing around the world and has now skied at 393 separate ski areas.
Chris, who has also skied in Lebanon, Mongolia, Belgium, Morocco, Georgia, Kosovo, China and 25 other countries said, “I was very lucky in Denmark because they had a big snowstorm just before I went there which allowed them to open at all. On the other hand it was their last day of the season so far because the next day it started to rain.”
“I went there because I heard on the news about the big snowstorms in Denmark and that they’d had to get out 100 year old snowploughs from museums in order to get through all the snow. Then I remembered that I had heard about a ski area near Roskilde, checked for cheap flights to Copenhagen and found them for the beginning of January. Of course it was a little bit risky to book two weeks ahead because the winter in Denmark is not very reliable.” explained Chris.
His original plan had been to fly in on Wednesday afternoon and head straight to the ski area, which is only 37 minutes away by train, take a couple of runs, then return to Copenhagen and fly back the next afternoon.
“Unfortunately I discovered the ski area never operates on Wednesdays. It is run by volunteers and it is always difficult for them to find enough staff so they limit the number of days. In order to ski it on Thursday I had to book yet another flight because they open at 5pm – exactly the take off time of my original flight. But I found another flight back home departing at 9pm so I was sorted. Then the weekend before I arrive they couldn’t operate due to ice rain, but then the fresh snow came just in time for my visit.” continued Chris.
“I liked Roskilde a lot. It was friendly and the volunteer staff were full of enthusiasm. In fact after nearly 400 ski areas I currently find skiing tiny places that only rarely operate more thrilling than doing the next mega resort.”
More information on Chris’s work on skiing worldwide is available at: www.ski-weltweit.de
February 3, 2011 – 12:00 pm
The UK’s largest indoor snow centre is due to open by 2014. The news was confirmed by Mr Godfrey Spanner, managing director of the project, to the BBC. Ground work is due to start in the next few months on the SnOasis project. 
The project is now 10 years in the making and is estimated to cost £350 million. The project involves creating an indoor winter resort incorporating a 415m long indoor ski slope, ice rink, facilities for 14 winter sports, hotels, shops and accommodation on a former quarry. Mr Spanner has said that work will begin in March and the project will be completed by 2014.
“We’re scheduled for the second quarter of 2014 but at this minute I’m working with the team to see if we couldn’t get the snow dome itself operating before that time,” Mr Spanner told the BBC. “One of the planning conditions is that we must start the snow dome first.”
The SnOasis project has been hit by delays that Mr Spanner says have been down to satisfying ecological concerns regarding rare newts in the area. It was given the go ahead several years ago, just before the economic crash.
