Author Archives
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Protest does its bit to help save the planet
by Fashion Editor Clare Meaney
The Arram jacket which is made from 40 recycled PET bottles.
The need for fashion companies to become more eco-friendly is generating plenty of headline news and Protest had already started doing its bit to help save the planet.
The company has found a way of taking used plastic bottles and recycling them into a polyester yarn that can be used to make skiwear.
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Mind your language!
Rob Freeman goes back to school in Morzine – and can only ski in his break
I was in a ski resort, having intensive lessons. But not skiing lessons.
This was French language school and I was experiencing the toughest few weeks I have in the mountains for many years. It’s not easy going back to school.
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Rocking all over the Portes du Soleil – annual music festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this season
Mark Nicholls skis across the Swiss-French border for some ‘rock’ on the pistes
Against a backdrop of stunning mountains, rock is the order of the day.
The Dents du Midi – the seven defining peaks of the region – are jaggedly formidable against the skyline.
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Tomorrowland comes to Alpe d’Huez – but there’s still plenty of peace and quiet in Isère
Do you want some old school ski lessons? Is a techno music festival your thing? Or do you just want some peace and quiet mixed in with a bit of culture. Then look no further than the Isère region says Petra Shepherd
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It’s a family affair – the guests who liked the chalet company so much they booked for the next 35 years
A family who booked a ski trip to one of the first chalets to be run by British company Le Ski in Courchevel 35 years ago had such a good time that they have returned every ski season since then. Michael Cranmer went to find out what makes them keep coming back
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Smugglers on skis
How the profits from contraband helped build a ski resort - Lisa Young sets off on Ischgl’s duty-free trail
Rarely have the proceeds of criminal activity been put to such noble use – at least that will be the view of skiers and boarders. Smuggling was the game and it was very popular indeed in the years after the Second World War when luxuries were in short supply in the remote Paznaun Valley in the western part of Tirol.
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Snowboarding pioneer, who first branded the sport ‘Snurfing’, dies at the age of 89
Sherman R Poppen
Sherman R. Poppen, one of the biggest names in the development of snowboarding, has died at the age of 89.
Back in 1965, while living in Michigan, Poppen decided to nail his daughter’s skis together to create what he named a ‘Snurfer’. Then later, working with a local manufacturer, his invention was mass produced and for sale in shops by Christmas 1966. The first-ever World Snurfing Competition was staged two years later.
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New for this season – Crystal offers Hopfgarten in Austria and Drei Zinnen in Italy
Crystal Ski Holidays has added the Austrian resort of Hopfgarten and Drei Zinnen in the Italian Dolimites to its programme for winter 2019/20.
PHOTO: SkiWelt-Hopfgarten/Christian Kapfinger
Part of the huge SkiWelt area, one of Austria’s three biggest ski regions with more than 285km of piste, the traditional Austrian village of Hopfgarten is just over an hour’s transfer from Innsbruck and only an hour and a half from Salzburg.
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Austrian ski area installs new cable car designed to cope with melting glacier
Austria’s Kaunertal glacier will unveil a new ‘Funifor’ style cable car this autumn that has been designed to cope with the thawing of the glacier it provides access to.
The new Falginjochbahn lift will cope with the thawing of the glacier
A spokesman from the area said: “Due to the glacier retreat of the last decades, the area of the Weißseeferner has changed a lot. Glaciological and geological surveys also point to the expected future changes in this area. In order to cope with this imminent change in terrain, a type of lift was chosen that can overcome large spans with a maximum of two support tower, is wind-stable and occupies as little space as possible.”
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New North American ski pass designed to attract back skiers and snowboarders who have been put off by high costs
A new season pass has gone on sale in North America that aims to make skiing much more affordable. The new, multi-resort ski pass, called the Indy Pass, will provide two day lift tickets for each area, a total of 68 days, at 34 independently owned resorts for $199.
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GB Snowsport search for female Paralympic snowboarders to join team
Snowboarding was introduced into the Winter Paralympic programme in 2014, with GB’s first riders – James Barnes-Miller and Owen Pick – competing in 2018.
GB Snowboarder Owen Pick
But while a handful of men are targeting further success in Europa and World Cup races this season, there are currently no female equivalents. Therefore GB Snowsport hopes to find female athletes who could join the GB Para Snowboard programme with the aim of them competing in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Paralympics.
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Austrian ski racing star Marcel Hirscher confirms retirement at the age of 30
Following Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal earlier this year, Austrian ski racer Marcel Hirscher confirmed his retirement from the sport at the age of 30.
Marcel Hirscher
Hirscher is the current overall World Cup champion, a title he has won eight times from 2012 through to 2019 winning more Crystal Globes than anyone else in history.
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Snozone provides special summer offers to help families prepare for next season
By Tom White
PRIVATE one-hour lessons for families of four are being offered at Snozone Milton-Keynes and Snozone Castleford at a reduced summer rate of £99.99 (adults), £74.99 (juniors) or £109.99. -
Bramble Ski and Haute Montagne double up in Méribel with two additional chalets
by Tom White
LUXURY chalet operators Bramble Ski and Haute Montagne have doubled their property portfolio in the French resort of Méribel for the coming season with the inclusion of two more chalets. The starting price for seven nights is a cool €20,990.
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Ellie Soutter Foundation announces second athlete sponsorship on first anniversary of snowboarder’s death
ONE year ago today, on July 25 2018, Ellie Souter from Surrey, one of the most progressive Junior Female Snowboard Athletes in Great Britain, took her own life on her 18th birthday in the ski resort of Les Gets, France.
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Great meals delivered direct to your holiday accommodation in the French Alps
THEY say there is no such things as a free lunch writes Skier & Snowboarder magazine editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin – and this was the case when I was invited to sample the fantastic food on offer through Huski, the company that delivers delicious meals prepared in the French Alps direct to your ski accommodation.
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Ski 2 organises courses for youngsters looking for high energy tuition over half term and Easter
SKI 2 is offering Adventure Ski Weeks in Italy for youngsters who might think that they are too old for ski school.
Champoluc specialist ski tour operator Ski 2 is running the courses to those who ski very good parallel and are looking some high energy ski tuition. -
Orange is the new black
by Fashion Editor Clare Meaney
For those of you who are old enough to remember Trinny and Susannah’s book “What not to wear”, you may remember that Helly Hansen had some of the greatest publicity known to man. Everyone who was anyone had a copy of this bible by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine. This book actually told us what we should and what we should not wear for every occasion and believe it or not your winter holiday was included. -
Mastermind of The Great Escape was a British ski racer who had a run in St Moritz named after him
Sunday 24 March 2019 marked the 75th anniversary of the real ‘Great Escape’ and several special events and memorials have been held on the site of the former German Prisoner of War camp which is now part of Poland.
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Grab yourself a discount with ALPINRESORTS.com
ALPINRESORTS.com is the largest online marketplace for ski rental and ski lesson bookings in Europe. It has 1,000 partner shops and 150 ski schools throughout the Alps. Last year more than 300,000 customers booked their ski equipment online in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Andorra and Bulgaria via ALPINRESORTS.com
By booking online customers can claim a discount of up to 60%. Plus the ALPINRESORTS service saves you times when picking up your equipment from the rental outlets as it has already been prepared for your arrival.
Hollywood star David Hasselhoff – the star of hit shows such as Knight Rider and Baywatch is a brand ambassador for ALPINRESORTS.com.
www.alpinresorts.com/en/ski-rental