News
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.
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
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.
The 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.
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):
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.
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.
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.
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.
TIGNES: Families can enjoy some late season skiing in the French Alps as well as brilliant Easter festivities including Tignes annual Easter egg hunt by booking a seven night holiday on a chalet board basis at four diamond Chalet Camille from £599pp, a saving of £230pp (Children 12+). Price includes return flights from London Gatwick to Geneva and transfers, departing on 15 April 2017.
To read the magazine online click here or on the front cover.
And don’t forget if you prefer a printed copy of the Skier & Snowboarder magazine you can pick one up for free at many UK ski and snowboard stores and slop
es while stocks last
RESORT TRANSFERS: To celebrate the good Spring snow conditions Ben’s Bus has arranged extra transfers from Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon airports. The service covers nearly 30 resorts in the French Alps. To check which resorts are covered and to book log on to the website below.
INGHAMS – SESTRIERE: At just over 2,000m, Sestriere is the highest resort in the popular Milky Way ski area of north-western Italy offering a range of slopes for everyone from beginners to seasoned experts. Inghams (01483 791 114) is offering seven nights at the three star Hotel Sud Ovest in Sestriere, Italy from £449 per person based on two sharing. The Price includes return flights from London Gatwick to Turin departing on 14 January 2017, resort transfers and accommodation on a half board basis.
SAMOËNS: Groups of friends or families looking for a Christmas getaway together can exclusively hire Villa Rose, a privately-owned boutique property in the heart of the Grand Massif an hour’s drive from Geneva airport. After a day on the slopes guests can enjoy the brand-new jacuzzi or snuggle up in front of the roaring fire and watch a classic Christmas film.
Peak Retreats is offering its clients a brand new luxury 4* apartment for this season. Chalets de Layssia is situated in the heart of the very attractive, traditional resort of Samoëns.
Plus, another addition this season in the recently built Kalinda Village in Tignes is the Kalinda Flocon apartment extension located within two new buildings.
National Governing Body, Snowsport Scotland, is to launch a new equality campaign in a bid to prove that snowsports is for everyone focusing on females, lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) and those living with a disability.
Skier & Snowboarder news editor Patrick Thorne (right) and ski writer Arnie Wilson enjoy a ‘James Bond’ – shaken not stirred – cocktail in the ICE Q restaurant, located at 3048m at the top of the Gaislachkogl in Sölden, Austria. Sölden and and the mountain village of Obertilliach were used in filming scenes for Spectre, the latest James Bond movie which sees actor Daniel Craig as 007 on skis again. Look out for Arnie’s feature in a future issue of the Skier & Snowboarder magazine.
The torso of Dame Kelly Holmes and Union Flag
Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards gets plastered
The 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics star Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards is getting plastered – all in the name of art.
The former ski jumper and skier is one of three British athletes connected with snowsports who are collaborating with world-leading body-cast sculptor Louise Giblin.
Mystery of 24-year-old skier who went missing in 1980 finally solved – reports CBC News.
Remains are found in Italian Alps after hotter-than-normal summer caused glacial melt.
Canadian Gregory Barnes, disappeared while skiing in the Italian and Swiss Alps.
