US Dominate Saas Halfpipe Contest
Hannah Teter and Steven Fisher, members of the US-American freestyle team, have won the first Halfpipe contest of the NOKIA Snowboard FIS World Cup 2004/2005 held at Saas-Fee.
Hannah Teter
Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup 2004/2005
Avalanches and Spatial Variability
The 100-plus ski patrollers and avalanche experts gathered at last week's Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop at Copper have been studying the concept of spatial variability - the idea that there can be sizable differences in snow stability, even in a slope that appears to be fairly uniform.
According to Karl Birkeland, a top Forest Service avalanche researcher based in Montana, "It's a hot topic in snow science. Just because you have tracks on a slope doesn't mean it's safe."
Ski patrollers, avy experts get spacey
Maier's Health Worries
In a press conference on Wednesday the former ski world champion Hermann Maier said he was worried about his health. Maier has made beating
Alberto Tomba's record for ski world cup wins an objective for this season but finished a dissapointing 15th in the
opening round of the Giant Slalom last Sunday at Soelden.
Maier's Health Worries
Hermann Maier also presented his biography this week.
Andorra First Snow
The first flakes have fallen in Andorra on the 27th. The new Grand Valira ski area is scheduled to open at the end of November.
Andorra Picture GalleryReport on Andorra Expansion Plans
Big Storms Bring Early Winter to West Coast, US
Ski resorts in the San Joaquin Valley are experiencing their highest October snowfall totals in decades. Sierra Summit was scheduled to open on November 20th but with with over 3 feet of snow over the last week, brought in by two major winter storms it may open next weekend.
Ski resorts reap benefit of stormsSierra Summit MountainThe earliest opening since its 1993 inception, Sierra-at-Tahoe will begin the season Friday at noon with a base of 3 feet at the bottom to 6 feet on top.
Ski areas revel in early snow conditions
Finnish Ski champ Jailed
Former Olympic champion ski jumper Matti Nykanen was sentenced to more than two years in prison Wednesday for stabbing a man during a drunken stupor in August. Nykanen won gold at the 1984 Calgary Winter Olympics but his victory was somewhat overshadowed by comic Brit jumper, Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards.
Former world ski jumping star sentenced to prison for drunken stabbing
HGH Tests Scheduled for Skiing and Snowboarding
The FIS is extending blood tests for human growth hormone to alpine and freestyle skiing as well as snowboarding and ski jumping. The tests are already carried out in cross-country and nordic combined skiing
The FIS introduces blood tests for hormone
Australian Ski Resorts Busiest Season
Australia's ski resorts have recorded their busiest season on ever, with the equivalent of 2.3 million skiers spending a day on the slopes last season. The figure is up 8 per cent on the 2003 season, and is significantly better than the previous all time high of 2.15 million skier days in 1990.
Alpine resorts busiest season
Mt Buffalo, Australia Secures Future
After a bumper ski season the future of the Mt Buffalo Chalet in Victoria,Australia has been secured after the ski resort was bought by two Melbourne stepbrothers.
Stepbrothers buy Mt Buffalo resort
Canadian Resorts Look to Open
Lake Louise looks set to open the ski season on the 6th of November. As of late last week, 20 to 25 centimetres of natural snow had fallen at the top of Lake Louise. Lake Louise has upgraded its snowmaking over recent years and the canons have been running since mid-October. The resort is scheduled tol host the men’s and women’s Winterstart World Cup on the 27th of November.
Lake Louise Ski Area
Ski resorts eye opening dates
Controversial Colorado Ski Village Gets Go Ahead
Texas billionaire B.J. "Red" McCombs has been given the green light by the Mineral County Board of Commissioners to build a highly controversial mountaintop village near the Wolf Creek Ski Area in southwestern Colorado.
Wolf Creek Ski Area
Ski village moves forward
Brighton Plans Earliest Opening in 21 Years
Alta and Brighton ski resorts are both reporting around 55 inches of base and most of the Utah resorts are now planning pre-Thanksgiving openings. Brighton will go first, cranking up four lifts on Friday.
Early Moisture Mean Early Ski Openings Ski resorts may open this week
With people hitting the slopes before the resorts have even opened Bruce Tremper, director of the U.S. Forest Service's Utah Avalanche Center fears the skiers are unaware of the avalanche risk and may believe they are as safe as during the ski season when the resorts handle avalanche control.
Early Season Avalanche Prompts Warnings
26 Avalanche Victims in France Last Season
Avalanches killed 26 people in France during the 2003-2004 season, exactly the same number as last year according to the Institute for the Study of Snow and Avalanches (ANENA) based in Grenoble.
Avalanches Killed 26 people last season in FranceA Study of French Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Accidents
Missing Kiwi Snowboarder Found
A 15 year old snowboarder missing on Mount Ruapehu has been found by Search and Rescue teams that spent the last 24 hours combing the Whakapapa ski field for Justin Dent.
Missing snowboarder found on Mt Ruapehu
Alessandro Boyens Wins Kaunertal Snowboard Opener
German rider Alessandro Boyens returned to Tyrol as the title holder: with a few scratches in his face (a training accident) but totally relaxed and again claimed victory with a perfect run and a newly learned trick.
Boyens Wins 19th Snowboard-Opening in Kaunertal
Fancy Europe this Winter?
Brad Tuttle goes in search of the ideal European Ski Village. He has a rather romantic view of the Alps as acres of untouched powder. The off-piste is probably untouched because it has all turned to crust!
(c)Marc Latze
In search of the perfect ski village
Climber Killed by Ranier Avalanche
Two climbers have been hit by an
avalanche near Disappointment Cleaver on Ingraham glacier at about the 11,000-foot level of the 14,411 foot mountain. It seems the slide was triggered by the collapse of a snowbridge over a crevasse. The men were training for an attempt on Mt McKinley.
Climber Killed on Mount Ranier Avalanche
California Opening Weekend
The San Francisco Chronicle has a story and some nice photos from Donner Summit's opening weekend.
October snow, and away we go 
Meanwhile PowderMag has been checking out Mammoth Mountain during the big storm that dumped over a meter of snow.
Mammoth Mountain Fresh Snow Gallery
Avalanche at Alta
Alta ski resort has been hit by an avalanche, the slide happened this morning. No one was hurt. It happened at high elevations and steep terrain near Mount Baldy and is certainly a good reminder the winter weather is upon us and the avalanche danger is a lot higher now.
Avalanche at Alta Ski Resort
Pakistan Develops Downhill Skiing
M Zaffar Ahmed, Pakistan's additional secretary of tourism made an aerial inspection of Malam Jabba to examine the possibility of building a second ski slope to enable the resort to meet international standards. 2,500 meter Mallam Jabba has natural snow-capped slopes that attract skiiers from all over the country.
Malam Jabba to be developed as ski resort for tourists
Shape Up for the Ski Season
A couple of articles about getting in shape for this season:
You better shape up before you hit the slopes puts the emphasis on three elements: building the aerobic/anaerobic capacity, developing muscle endurance and improving flexibility. Whereas
Getting Fit for Winter focusses more on ways to improve balance.
Mondial du Snowboard - Les Deux Alpes
You can't get it right every year. Last week the
French Alps had a taste of winter but a midweek mini-heatwave has left the mountains, and glaciers pretty bare. The
Mondial du ski and snowboard has gotten off to less than snowy start as this photo report on the French site
Skipass.com shows:
Here are some photos from last year's
Mondial du Ski to remind us just how good it was.
Swede Conquers 8,000 Peak on Skis
Ski Press Daily News have an article about Swedish skier Fredrik Ericsson who reached the summit of 8013m Mount Shisha on 27th the September climbing without oxygen. After a couple of hours rest at the top Fredrik skied down following the normal descent route then taking one of the couloirs back down to camp 3.
Ericsson had been training for the challenge in the
Chamonix Backcountry
Skier descends from 8,000m peak -SkiPress Daily News
Bode Miller Starts Season on a High
The American Bode Miller has started the World Cup season with a victory in the giant slalom at Soelden. He won the two legs of the event with a convincing lead over the Italian Massimiliano Blardone.
Photo (c)
Reuters.com
Hermann Maier, who is chasing Alberto Tomba's record for world cup wins was back in 15th.
Miller entame la saison avec une victoire - French Link
Forget the Alps? Try the USA
The Times claims that ski holidays for Brits to the USA are at a ten year low. They highlight the positive aspects of a US holiday saying that skiing in North America is all about affordable luxury, spacious accommodation; attentive tuition and dry, fluffy powder snow
Ski USA: prices at a 10-year low
The downside, well they don't see to many problems apart from Jetlag although long delays at US customs could be another problems. Long flights and bitterly cold winter days at the high altitude US resorts are another drawback.
Anja Paerson Wins GS
The Swedish skier and current world champion, Anja Paerson, has won the first round of the Giant Slalom ski world cup at Soelden today.
Victory for Anja Paerson in the Giant Slalom at Soelden
French Ski Season Kicks Off
The French Ski Season is underway with three areas opening over the half term holidays. However hot weather in France has not left the slopes in the best of conditions with l'Alpe d'Huez delaying its start until early next week.
Les Deux Alpes is hosting the
Mondial du Ski and Snowboard, the traditional season opening event in France. The glacier at
Tignes has been open since the 2nd of October with fresh powder over last weekend.
Herminator goes after Tomba's Crown
The Herminator has two goals this year: a 50th win on the world cup circuit and gold at the world championships. With his 50th win he'll relegate Albero Tomba to second place in the all-time winners’ list.
The 31 year old Austrian nearly lost a leg in a motorcycle accident three years ago and is luck to have returned to competition. He's not won a world championship since 1999.
Gold fever carries Maier into new season
Boreal wins race to open California ski areas
Thanks to a monster storm that brought over a meter of fresh snow Boreal Mountain has once again beaten other resorts to become the California ski resort to open this season. The director says that it is one of the best opening days on record.
Skiing starts in snowy SierraBoth Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Ski Resort are scheduled to open weekends thanks to the fresh snow.
DIY Ski Holidays
Fed-up with tour-operators that get you to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance then keep you hanging around in a bleak car-park in the Alps waiting for a transfer coach. Think you could do the whole thing better? Well the UK Guardian has put together a handy guide to
DIY Ski Holidays with a list of links to helpful websites.
Rene Zellweger - Pretty in Pink
Rossibandit over on the
TGR forum has dug out this photo from Rene Zellweger's new Bridget Jones film, the Edge of Reason. That is a nice pink one piece and those look like Salomon 1080s
But just what is Rene/Bridget up to? Hiking to some serious off-piste no doubt.
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