Author Archives
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Esprit Ski – Book Now for Best Ski Deals & NEW BAT Week at Christmas!
Esprit Ski has announced that Christmas Week in 2017 has now become a Babies And Toddlers (BAT) Week! This is for all departures to France and Austria on the 19 December 2017 and departures to Italy on the 23 December 2017, with prices starting from £2479 for a family of four (2 adults, 1 child 2-4 years & 1 infant).
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More special offers and early bird discounts
Enter the Dragon’s Lair
Slovakian tour operator Jasna Adventures has launched a 2018 early bird offer for their brand new chalet, The Dragon’s Lair, at 2017 prices.
The new chalet offers exclusive accommodation for individuals, families and groups of up to 18 people.
Accommodation includes five guest rooms, all with en-suite, two family rooms, and two double/triple rooms, and a mezzanine room for up to four people, allowing for groups up to eighteen people to enjoy the chalet for themselves. -
New routes and free ski carriage with British Airways
British Airways is launching two new ski routes for winter and has more flights available from Heathrow for under £40 than ever before.
The new Heathrow flights to Grenoble in France will depart on Saturdays from 2 December with fares starting from £39 each way. Skiers will also be able to reach the Italian slopes via Turin from just £40 each way.
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New airline opens up more routes into heart of Swiss Alps
New airline powdair has launched ticket sales through its website powdair.ski with a winter schedule that links Sion Airport with the UK.
Flights commence from 14 December, 2017 and will cut transfer times to some of Switzerland’s most popular ski resorts for winter sports enthusiasts including Zermatt, Verbier, Saas Fee, Crans Montana and Nendaz. A variety of transfer options from Sion Airport to onward destinations are available to book at the point of ticket purchase, including shared and private journeys to the major resorts in the region.
The airline claims that there will be very little fluctuation on ticket pricing across peak dates, meaning that families won’t feel hard done by during the busier school holiday periods. Average prices will be around £140 and there is more good news for skiers and snowboarders because equipment is included in the ticket price.
The eight airports that will be served by powdair are – London Luton, London Southend, Southampton, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. Flight times are typically between one hour 25 minutes and two hours.
Marcelline Kuonen, Head of Experience and Market Management at Valais Promotion, said: “We are looking forward to seeing direct flights into the Valais region and welcoming more guests into our fantastic region. Some of the world’s top ski resorts are within easy reach of Sion Airport.”
Zoë Ombler, Head of Commercial for powdair said: “It’s not every day that we get to launch an airline and especially one that opens up a completely new route into an airport that is so close to some of the world’s best ski resorts. The response we have already seen shows the kind of interest people have in the area and regular, scheduled flights into Sion are long overdue -
Could this be the ski and snowboard glove of the future?
A new type of glove landed on the Skier & Snowboarder magazine’s newsdesk recently. Now, we have not had a chance to test them in the snow, but if they do everything the Chinese manufacturers claim they could provide one of the cheapest alternatives around. They are currently selling in America at a starting price of $15 (about 12 quid)!
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UK sets new world record for fastest 100m in ski boots
Emma Kirk-Odunubi and Max Willcocks – employees at Profeet in London – have set new world records for the fastest 100m while wearing ski boots.
Guinness World Records recently confirmed that Max is the new fastest male over 100m, with his time of 14.09 seconds eclipsing the previous record of 17.65 by Andre Ortolf, set in Augsberg, Germany in 2014.
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HELP SAVE THIS POPULAR SKI SLOPE BY SIGNING THIS PETITION
Brentwood Leisure Park at risk of closure after company submits plans to build 13 houses
You can see the full story on Essex Live by clicking hereThe future of Brentwood Leisure Park hangs in the balance as the council decides whether to allow the landowner to tear down the existing buildings and replace them with executive homes.
A planning application has been submitted to Brentwood Borough Council which, if successful, would see the business park, in Warley Gap, demolished and replaced with 13 detached houses, a mix of three and four bed properties. -
News from Savoie Mont Blanc
It might be one of the hottest months of the year, but most of the talk was about skiing and snowboarding last week when representatives from the Savoie Mont Blanc area of France visited London to spread the word about new attractions in the their resorts for the coming season. Here are some of the highlights (for more info on the resorts, click on the names):
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Closing Day at Arapahoe Basin
After a weekend of fun and frolics, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area season, which was extended because of fantastic late snow falls in Colorado, finally came to an end on Sunday (11 June).
Closing Day was full of costumes, pond skimming on Lake Reveal, tunes from the resort favourite local band High 5 in the base area, and lots of smiling faces.
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Fancy a last minute trip to Colorado?
Photo: Ashley Ojala/Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
We often get calls at the Skier & Snowboarder from people looking to get a final fix of skiing and snowboarding right at the end of the season. All of the major European resorts are now closed, but due to some unusually late snowfalls in North America there are some great conditions to be had if you don’t mind a transatlantic crossing.
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Delancey British Alpine Ski Team announced for 2017/18 season
Three World Cup athletes, six Europa Cup athletes, one FIS athlete and 17 Under-21 athletes will make up the 27-strong Delancey British Alpine Team during the 2017/18 season which will also see the staging of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea (9 to 25 February 2018).
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English Indoor Moguls Championships lands at Snozone Castleford this weekend and entries open for Slopestyle and Ski/Snowboard Cross Championships
English Indoor Moguls Championships
The English Indoor Moguls Championships begin this weekend at their new home of Snozone in Castleford, with entries open until 18th May. Taking place on Saturday 20th May, the country’s best Mogul skiers will descend on Yorkshire to tackle the purpose-built moguls course and show off their impressive skills.
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Crystal adds Heavenly to 2017-18 programme
Sitting comfortably on the stateline between California and Nevada, Heavenly Ski Resort offers skiers and boarders a unique opportunity to ski two US states in one day, on top of experiencing the lively, flashy casino atmosphere that Nevada is famous for.
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GET ON TRACK! – SKIERS DEMAND A SUNDAY SKI TRAIN
Why is there no Sunday Ski Train? The direct daytime Eurostar Ski Train, which runs every Saturday from London to the Tarentaise region of the French Alps, is now so popular that at February half term it sells out within hours of going on sale.
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The Earl of Wessex announced as new Royal Patron of British Ski and Snowboard
HRH Earl of Wessex Prince Edward Delancey British Alpine Ski Champs 2017 – Credit: Vanessa Fry Photography
His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, KG, GCVO, is the new royal patron of British Ski and Snowboard, the National Governing Body for Snowsports.
The announcement of British Ski and Snowboard’s new patronage follows the most successful ever season for British Ski and Snowboard, which included 15 World Cup podiums, of which two were wins from GB Park and Pipe athletes, three World Championship podiums, three X-Games medals, Great Britain’s best ever Cross Country World Championships result and the best finish in an Alpine World Cup from a British skier in 35 years.
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James Knock appointed new Head Coach of England Alpine Squad
Snowsport England has appointed James Knock as new Head Coach of the England Alpine Squad. He will follow in the footsteps of Jo Ryding who held the position for two years.
Knock, who is from Sheffield, began his coaching career at 16 with his local club Sharks Ski Club, before working part-time and learning his trade with both BSA and Ambition Racing. He then spent six years with Team Evolution, coaching National Champions in every age group from Under 10s to Under 21s. After taking some time out to pursue a career in physiotherapy, Knock will now take charge of the England Alpine Squad, which covers athletes aged from Under 14 up to Under 21.
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TAKING MUSIC TO THE MOUNTAINS
NEWS
A festival of 24 concerts in the Trentino Dolomites: July 7 – August 31, 2017
Each summer, the Sounds of the Dolomites music festival is held in the beautiful Trentino Dolomites in Italy. The event features an eclectic and wide-ranging musical programme and this year includes the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker, singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, and jazz legend Chick Corea. -
KIDS GET A TASTE OF SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING
Racers ready: Aimee Fuller, Eddie The Eagle and Graham Bell on the slope at Hemel Hempstead for the launch of National Schools Snowsport Week
More than 2,000 youngsters are to get their first taste of skiing and snowboarding as part of National Schools Snowsport Week – and to kick things off some of them had the chance to get top tips from some of our biggest wintersports stars.
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Season drawing to an end as Jan Farrell finishes ninth overall in Speed Skiing World Cup standings and The BRITS and Delancey British Alpine Children’s Championships conclude
British Speed Skiing
British Speed skier Jan Farrell concluded his season with some strong skiing in the final World Cup in Grandvalira, Andorra, meaning he finished 9th overall in the World Cup standings. In the three final races, Farrell clocked one 12th place and two 13th places, with his top speed being 192.70 kmph.
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Day 4 – FW The BRITS Skiers tackle the Picture Big Air and big names take the titles in the Snowboard Halfpipe
SUMMERHAYES AND TAYLOR-TIPTON TAKE THE BRITISH TITLES AS STANDARDS REACH SKY HIGH IN THE PICTURE SKI BIG AIR
British Snowboard & Freeski Championships, Laax, Switzerland
As the sunshine blessed the final day of the BRITS 2017, it was another spectacular day of world-class skiing, this time in the Picture Ski Big Air. With the level of riding sky high, it was a tough day for the judges not just to select the winners of the Picture Ski Big Air, but also to decide which young guns would be awarded the brand new ‘CSS at the BRITS sponsored by Delancey’ prizes for the best tricks throughout the day, including in warm-up.