• Off Piste for All Courses in Chamonix
• Nine New Lifts Added To Kitzbuhel Alps
• Igloo Villages In Slovenia
• World Record 70 Different Ski Lifts On One Day
• New Hotels for Davos
• Half Price Skiing For Men Dressed As Women
• Online Guide To Green Lodging in Bulgaria
• More Ski Resorts Open Early
• Design A Snowpark For Verbier
• Saas Fee Offers Free Lift Pass For Senior Boarders

Off Piste for All Courses in Chamonix

As skiers become more adventurous, the demand for courses offering the chance to improve off-piste skills rises. Every week of this winter season, adventure holiday specialists offer off piste ski courses in the French resort of Chamonix.

Skiers with little experience of skiing off piste can join an ‘Aspirers Powder Practice’ week, while those with more off piste experience under their feet can opt for one of the ‘Expert Powder Experience’ weeks.

All courses are graded by standard to ensure skiers are always in small groups of the same ability and groups are lead by fully qualified mountain guides (UIAGM) to find the best of the off piste in the area.

“The mountains guides we work with have been involved with Ski Freshtracks holidays for many years”, says Caroline Boileau, General Manager. “They know what our holiday makers want from their off piste week and we choose guides for their knowledge and expertise. Many of our skiers return year after year to ski with their favourite guide knowing that they will be in a small group of like-minded skiers.”

Course price is £390 including a mountain guide, use of a mini bus for private transfers around the Mont Blanc valley, and a Ski Club leader on every holiday.

Top ^

Nine New Lifts Added To Kitzbuhel Alps

The cable car companies in the Kitzbüheler Alpen are investing more than 60 million euros in new lifts and snow machines for the coming season.

In the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental the snow making facilities in Hopfgarten are being improved, a new reservoir is being built at the Tanzboden in Ellmau, the snow making facilities on the Hartkaiser and Astberg are being extended and the ‘Ellmi’s 6er’ – a new detachable 6-seater chair lift with heated seating – is being installed at the Schmiedalm lift.

The last single-seat chair lift at the SkiWelt will be removed from the Choralm in Westendorf.

Bergbahn Kitzbühel cable cars are swapping the Kaserecklift for a modern eight-seater chair lift as well as introducing good value resort tickets for the Kitzbüheler Horn, the Ganslernhang and the Gaisberg. A new reservoir will also be fitted at the Gaisberg.

Next winter, a new eight seater cable car – the Winklmoosbahn – will run from Reit im Winkl in Bavaria to the Steinplatte. Bergbahn Pillersee cable cars are replacing the old T-bar lift on the Buchsteinwand with a new four-seater chair lift and a new practice lift will be added to the Schatzbergbahn intermediate station in Wildschönau.

Kaprun cable cars are investing primarily in snow making facilities while Zell am See are also expanding their snow making capabilities to 100% and installing the ‘Kettingbahn’, a six-seater lift with a protective covering and heated seats.

In Saalbach, a six-seater chair lift is replacing the Turm T-bar lift, in Hinterglemm a new eight-seater chair lift (Hasenauerköpfl) is being introduced and in Leogang, a quad chair lift is replacing the Alm T-bar lift.

Overall, the 7 ski regions in the Kitzbüheler Alpen AllStarCard scheme are investing more than 60 million euros in modern lifts, high performance snow making machines and measures to improve comfort.

With more than 1,000 km of pistes, the Kitzbüheler Alpen is therefore Tirol’s largest skiing association and one of the most interesting skiing regions in the world.

Top ^

Igloo Villages In Slovenia

The chance to stay under snow has continued to expand in Europe this winter with the successful Swiss-based Iglu Village company offering more choices, most note worthy their new igloo village in GrandValira, Andorra, and ever more resorts around the continent creating igloo villages of their own.

In Slovenia and existing Igloo Villages at Krvavec has been joined by a new Igloo Village Rogla this winter.

Besides the overnight accommodation in romantic or standard igloos, the Igloo Villages are used as a base for perfectly events, incentive schemes or any special occasions.

Snowshoeing, snowbiking and skiing are amongst the activities to participate in during a stay at the Igloo village. You can visit the Igloo Village for a few nights or just for the afternoon and evening and the villages will remain open until the end of March 2009. -- by snow24

Top ^

World Record 70 Different Ski Lifts On One Day

Oliver Kern of Skiresort Service International has set another world record by skiing on 70 different lifts in Austria’s giant SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental area.

The astonishing feat meant Mr Kern skied 22,059 vertical metres (72,375 vertical feet) whilst covering more than 120km (75 miles) of runs and riding uphill for a further 76km (50 miles) on the regions ski lifts, all on a single regular ski day.

Mr Kern already holds three successful world records for skiing more than most people would consider possible in one day, including on both sides of the Atlantic and in three countries on both sides of the pacific in single days.

Mr Kern already holds three successful world records for skiing more than most people would consider possible in one day, including on both sides of the Atlantic and in three countries on both sides of the pacific in single days.

During the day Oliver Kern rode 65 different ski lifts, five additional rope tows and a magic carpet, riding just one lift, a double chair twice, during the day. The new record beats the previous best of 58 lifts in one day.

During the day Oliver Kern rode 65 different ski lifts, five additional rope tows and a magic carpet, riding just one lift, a double chair twice, during the day. The new record beats the previous best of 58 lifts in one day.

During the day Oliver Kern rode 65 different ski lifts, five additional rope tows and a magic carpet, riding just one lift, a double chair twice, during the day. The new record beats the previous best of 58 lifts in one day. -- by snow24

Top ^

New Hotels for Davos

A new 5-star-plus luxury hotel is under construction in Davos Dorf with 187 rooms and 23 suites, a spacious wellness complex and 37 privately owned apartments managed by the hotel.

The new hotel close to the Davos Lake will be managed by the InterContinental. Investments in the region of 145 million Swiss francs are planned and the hotel is expected to open for the start of the 2010/11 winter season.

A second hotel project is planned opposite the Congress Centre, this one a four-star hotel with 144 beds is to be built on the site of today’s Hotel Lohner. The investment is estimated at around 40 million Swiss francs and the hotel is expected to be run by a well-known hotel chain.

Lastly, a new 4-star hotel is being created from the 3-star Hotel Bahnhof Terminus and the neighbouring former Hotel Caprice, now used as an apartment hotel. Both establishments will remain standing and from Easter 2009 be renovated in stages and linked by a new building. The Hotel Bahnhof Terminus will remain open during the renovation phase. This new four-star hotel should also open for the 2010/11 winter season.

Top ^

Half Price Skiing For Men Dressed As Women

Austria’s largest ski region, the Skiwelt, offers half-priced lift tickets to women every Wednesday during the ski season after the New Years holiday period is over.

Now the region, which recently increased its published area size from 250 to 279km, has promised that men who dress up as women on the slopes during the region’s carnival week from 23rd February to 1st March will get half price ski tickets on that Wednesdays too.

The discounted ‘Ladies Day’ price reduces the ticket cost from 37.50 to the 19 Euros child price on Wednesdays for women.

Top ^

Online Guide To Green Lodging in Bulgaria

A new guide to environmentally friendly accommodation in Bulgaria has been launched.

BalkanTravellers.com currently offers 23 eco-friendly guest houses and hotels which offer the opposite kind of holidays to those for which the country;’s ski areas have become increasingly infamous.

“Bulgaria’s countryside is a pristine treasure. Poor and underdeveloped, many regions, with hills and valleys, mountains and gorges, have remained untouched for decades. They are a wonderful destination for travellers with a taste for nature in its full glory and for those who want to escape from the overbuilt mountain resorts.”

Fourteen of the guest houses were recently given a Green House Award by the Bulgarian Association for Alternative Tourism, the State Agency for Tourism and the European Centre for Ecological and Agricultural Tourism (ECEAT).

Typical is the Moravsko Selo Bio-Hotel, situated in the Predela area, 12 km from Bansko and 8km from Razlog, in southern Bulgaria. The hotel is located where the Pirin Mountain meets the Rila Mountains surrounded by wilderness. The hosts use organically-grown fruits and vegetables to prepare food for guests. During the winter, visitors can ski and snowboard on Bansko’s slopes or the local Kulinoto slope.
-- skiinfo.com

Top ^

More Ski Resorts Open Early

Another dozen or so resorts have opened for the winter, in many cases earlier than expected.

Livigno in Italy has opened a fortnight early and this week is offering free skiing to anyone who makes the journey there by Friday.

In Spain the resort of Formigal has celebrated its earliest opening for 15 years by providing probably the largest ski area currently open anywhere in the world – some 63km of piste. It is planning to stay ahead of the world by more than doubling that to its full 137km by this weekend.

Elsewhere resorts have been opening all around the world. In Canada, Alberta is the place top be with all three resorts at Banff now open, Sunshine the latest and with the most terrain in the country. Marmot Bain at Jasper has celebrated its earliest ever opening.

Elsewhere in Europe Obergurgl in Austria, Hemsedal in Norway and Lenzerheide in Switzerland join the 20 or so resorts in the Alps and 50+ in Scandinavia that had already opened. -- skiinfo.com

Top ^

Design A Snowpark For Verbier

Verbier is currently running an online competition inviting budding park designers to send in a design for the rails and boxes of the famous resort’s Swatch Snowpark.

Permanent flags will also be created on the basis of the winning drawings from the contest which runs until November 22nd.

The winner will receive a 4 Vallées season pass for the winter 08-09, and two runners-up will win a paragliding flight from Les Ruinettes to Le Châble.

Full details can be found at www.verbierbooking.com

The Park will open on December 8th in time for the first event of the season on December 13th and 14th, the Verbier Ride.

Top ^

Saas Fee Offers Free Lift Pass For Senior Boarders

Saas Fee is offering free lift passes to all snowboarders aged over 65 up to Christmas week, but skiers aged 65 and over need to pay.

Snowboarders born during or after 1943 can travel free-of-charge on the lift system any day or every day up to 19th December.

Skiers in the same age bracket can purchase ski passes at the discounted youth rate from Monday to Friday.

Top ^