Crystal Mountain opens for skiing & snowboarding

After just a few days of productive snowmaking Crystal Mountain will open the Cheers slope and lift for skiing and snowboarding on Saturday and Sunday (December 10-11) from 10am-5pm.

Cold temperatures have led to quite a transformation since the snowguns fired up on Monday night at 10pm building a base of 15-20 inches in a matter of four days. Crystal Mountain will close the slopes on Sunday at 5pm to resume snowmaking through Thursday before re-opening on Friday, December 16 at 9am. Lift tickets this weekend (December 10-11) are $20 adult/$10 juniors with rental $20 adult/$10 juniors and $5 for children eight and under. For the very latest updates on snow conditions and open terrain please visit the Crystal Mountain Snow Report.

Crystal Mountain will open additional terrain as snowmaking and natural snow permits. The resort has a snowmaking system approaching 130 snowguns. The magic number for snowmaking is 28-degrees with the most effective conditions existing when the temperature and humidity add up to less than 100. Under ideal conditions, Crystal Mountain’s snowmaking system can produce one foot of snow, over one acre of terrain, in one hour. Approximately 12-18 inches of packed base is needed to open a slope. Ten inches of man-made snow can create seven inches of base compared to natural snow which creates just one inch.

Established in 1956, Crystal Mountain is a family-owned, four-season resort recognized as one of Parents Magazine’s Ten Best Snow Resort’s for Families (2009), Top 25 Golf Schools in America by Golf Magazine, Spa Magazine’s Best Midwest Spas three years running and named among the inaugural Detroit Free Press 16 Green Leaders in Michigan. Located in northwest lower-Michigan, a short drive from Sleeping Bear Dunes, the resort features downhill and cross-country skiing, Michigan Legacy Art Park, golf, alpine slide, water park, lodging, dining, countless year-round outdoor activities and kids programs, an IACC-approved conference center, weddings, real estate and Crystal Spa.

New How to Ski Guide Available for Beginners

USA Throws out Challenge to Other Ski Jump Nations

The inaugural 24 Hour Ski Jumping World Distance Challenge will be taking place this coming weekend, October 1-2, at the Norge Ski Club, Fox River Grove, IL, in conjunction with the US Ski Jumping National Championships.

The events are sanctioned by the United States Ski Association (USSA) and organized by USA Ski Jumping (USASJ).

The 24 Hour Ski Jumping World Distance Challenge, sponsored by Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, CA, has been designed to see how far ski jumpers in the USA can jump in one 24 hour period and also to serve as a challenge to other ski jumping nations around the world to see if they can match or beat the USA effort.

Although The Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove, IL, will host the event, other jumpers around the country will be participating  “virtually” – taking jumps on their local hills and self-reporting distances to command central at the Norge complex. A live running total will be kept both on site and on-line.

Seventy jumpers have so far registered for the event at Fox River Gorge with another 50 taking part at satellite sites including Lebanon NH, Steamboat Springs, CO, and Park City Utah.

USASJ Executive Director Jeff Hastings said the event has two purposes, to draw attention to the sport and serve as a fundraiser. All jumpers are paying a $25 registration fee and obtaining individual sponsors, with all money raised going to support the development of ski jumping in the USA.

“Ski jumpers in the U.S. are a small and passionate community that is facing challenges. I hope that this event will provide a focal point for us to strengthen the bonds we share and serve as a lightening rod to raise awareness and funds to support the sport in the United States, and beyond”, he said.

Hastings-a 1984 U.S. Olympic ski jumping team member said that he is throwing the challenge out to other nations to take part.
“No group or country has ever tried to set a 24 hour distance mark so the unusualness of the event will hopefully attract other countries to accept the challenge.
Hastings has set a ” flight target” of 1 kilometer per hour; or 24 kilometers for the event (about 15 miles).

“With the enthusiasm shown by the ski jumping community so far there is no reason why this should not become an annual event.
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Contact:  Peter Graves, USASJ Public Relations & Communications Director.
802-380-3704.

Ski Utah releases new Yeti pass

All-time record set for Ski Days in 2010-2011

The National Ski Areas Association announced that a new all-time record of 60.4 million skiers and snowboarders was recorded during the 2010-2011 season although Preliminary numbers released in May had projected this would be the second best season on record. But, the long-lasting winter allowed many areas to operate late into the spring and, at 12 areas, as late as July fourth in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Utah when an estimated 50,000 people took advantage of snow fun over the weekend.

National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic Heads to Snowmass for 25th Annual Event

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic is the largest adaptive skiing and winter sports clinic in the world, and in March 2011, celebrates its 25th year. Making its home in Snowmass Village, Colorado for one extraordinary week for the past 10 years, the event, known as Miracles on a Mountainside, is a labor of love for the organizers and the entire Snowmass community.

Snowmass Village makes history once again, hosting the milestone 25th year of the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic March 27-April 1.  The Clinic is the single largest ski group hosted in Snowmass each year, a remarkable fact in itself. Even more amazing are the nearly 400 participants from all across the nation — 220 of whom are in wheelchairs, and each of whom is seriously disabled — and the 200 adaptive ski and snowboard instructors who travel to Snowmass at their own expense to help. The logistics of staging the event are staggering, and so is the groundswell of support and enthusiasm from the entire Snowmass community. Every business and individual, from the conference hotel to restaurants, lift operators to van drivers, makes the resort inviting and accessible for this extraordinary group.

The Clinic attendees stay at The Silvertree Hotel, Lodge & Conference Center, and the adjacent Wildwood property for the week. Allison Campbell, Director of Conference Services and Catering at The Silvertree, likens the transformation of the property to building a city within their hotel. Organizers come days in advance to set up ramps, lifts, communications, and activities like the climbing wall right outside the conference center, and scuba classes in the hotel pool.

“I think I can speak for the entire staff when I say it’s our number one favorite group.  Hosting them is so incredibly rewarding,” said Campbell. “When a Clinic guest arrives for the week, they’re one person, and when they leave, they’re another person altogether. We have an amazing community to begin with, then we open up to host this group, and every one of us who lives and works in Snowmass is changed at the end of it too. It’s powerful.” As an example of the commitment to a seamless experience for these guests, Campbell cites the chef at The Silvertree, who chooses to work triple shifts to ensure that every meal for this group is flawless.

Sandy Trombetta, Director and Founder of the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, is a trained recreational therapist and certified ski instructor, based in Grand Junction, Colorado. Employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Trombetta and his staff of two work on this event year-round. Trombetta recalls the early days of creating the program, starting with one veteran in 1980. “It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is not about skiing, this is about disabled vets getting their physical lives in order,” he said. “It’s about what skiing does for men and women — giving them self worth and the confidence to go home and do whatever they put their minds to, regardless of their physical form. We talk a lot about possibilities with disabilities.” It took Trombetta six intervening years of training, planning, selling the idea to sponsors and partnering with private, governmental and nonprofit organizations to launch the first official National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in 1987, which hosted 80 participants that first year.Trombetta asserts that Veterans Affairs now places great value in the healing power of sports and recreation, with a 25 year track record of success that began with this event.

The veterans are coming from 48 states and from as far away as the South Pacific, flying into the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport via United/Skywest Airlines with special zoned fares extended by the airline for this group. For a majority, this event is an introduction to skiing and winter sports. Guests are both men and women, from age 18 to mid-80s. All have serious disabilities, ranging from spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations, visual impairments, neurological problems, and other disabilities. Some veterans served in the current conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq; older guests are veterans of other eras such as Vietnam and even World War II.

Veterans pay for their transportation to and from Snowmass, and for their lodging during their week-long stay. Due to generous sponsorship and volunteerism from more than 100 corporations, service groups, instructors, countless individuals, Snowmass Tourism and the Aspen Skiing Company, the conference entertainment, equipment, lift tickets, and instruction are all provided as a part of the Clinic.

In addition to skiing, snowboarding, climbing wall and scuba instruction, veterans enjoy sled hockey, curling, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, evening snowcat rides on Ajax mountain, shooting and archery sports at the nearby Basalt range, fly fishing and more during the week.

The airline voluntarily moves its baggage claim to The Silvertree Hotel to minimize any inconvenience to this group. Restaurants in Snowmass provide inclusive vouchers for meals, to make the process of dining out simple and affordable for the veterans.

Trombetta believes the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic will be hosted in Snowmass for many years to come. “What’s not to love about Snowmass? It’s the perfect location, the airport and transportation are ideal, the town goes out of its way to adapt the conference facilities, lodging, and mall for us,” he said. “It all shows what people can do when they get a chance to do something good.”

NASTC to Host Ski Training Camp at Squaw Valley

The North American Ski Training Center will be hosting a 3-day ski training camp with Chris Fellows and NASTC’s highly acclaimed coaching staff of PSIA National Demo Team members (aka the ‘Top Gun’ of ski instruction).

The course will focus on developing the necessary skills and tactics to maneuver through all the different types of terrain and conditions that the winter mountain environment presents.  Depending on the skill set and level of each group, some groups will focus on developing their skills further and fine tuning fundamentals, others will focus on skill blending and tactics.

NASTC’s full immersion and comprehensive coaching approach goes beyond just helping skiers make better turns it provides them with a unique experience and serves as guide within the exclusive club of avid skiers and students of the sport.  For more information please contact NASTC at 530.582.4772, www.skinastc.com

Skiset Welcomes New Rental Locations In North America For The 2010/11 Winter Season

It’s been a great start to the ski season for many resorts in North America and Skiset, the leading ski and snowboard rental chain, is celebrating with a 20% expansion in its ski equipment rental locations.

Skiset moved to the United States and Canadian markets last year and now has more than 50 rental locations in some of the world’s best known ski resorts including Aspen, Breckenridge, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Vail and Whistler. New locations for this season include Telluride, Colorado and Sun Valley, Idaho. Skiset has also established its presence in New Hampshire with shops to serve many resorts including Cranmore, Attitash, Loon and Bretton Woods. In Canada, Skiset now has shops in St-Sauveur-des-Monts and Piedmont to serve Mont Saint Sauveur, Mont Avila, Mont Habitant, Mont Gabriel, Ski Morin Heights, Mont Olympia,  Belle Neige, Vallée Bleue, Mont Chantecler and Mont Alta. Skiset is constantly looking for and speaking with new partner shops and additional locations are being added regularly.

We are delighted that our customers can now get the same Skiset experience in the United States of America and Canada as they have enjoyed in Europe for many years. With these new locations we now not only have a presence in all the major resorts, but are building our network to ensure that customers can access Skiset quality, comfort and advice from a variety of locations in larger resorts as near to their lodging as possible.” Said Philippe Koiransky, President of Skiset North America.

Skiset now has more than 800 stores in 11 countries on 2 continents. In the United States customers can rent equipment for Alta, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Big Sky, Breckenridge, Brighton, Buttermilk, Canaan Valley, The Canyons, Crested Butte, Deer Valley, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, June Mountain, Killington, Kirkwood, Mammoth, Moonlight Basin, Park City, Powder Mountain, Sierra At Tahoe, Snowbasin, Snowbird, Snowmass, Snowshoe, Solitude, Steamboat, Sun Valley, Telluride, Timberline, Vail, Winter Park, Wintergreen, and Winterplace.

In Canada Skiset have stores that cover Banff, Belle Neige, Fernie, Jasper Marmot Basin, Kimberley, Lake Louise, Mont Alta, Mont Avila, Mont Chantecler, Mont Gabriel, Mont Habitant, Mont Olympia, Mont Saint Sauveur, Mt. Norquay, Panorama, Revelstoke, Ski Morin Heights, Sunshine, Vallée Bleue, and Whistler Blackcomb.

For more information visit: www.skiset.us.

New & Noteworthy in the West

California
North Star Resort in Truckee will host the Nordic SuperTour event, a premier cross-country race series, on March 18. This spectator-friendly race is open to all ages and will begin and end in the Village of North Star, convenient to the resort’s 35 unique shops and restaurants and the 9,000- square foot ice skating rink. Making a scorching debut this winter is All Fired Up! pottery-making studio, one of many quaint village shops. Visitors enjoy the resort’s 93 ski trails and award-winning alpine terrain, perfect for snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. (800-466-6784, northstarattahoe.com)

Squaw Valley USA now has improved lighting on Rivera Terrain Park and half-pipe so that winter sports enthusiasts can extend chilly fun until 9 p.m. on weekends…..

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Duneland Ski Club Likes to Race

Northwest Indiana’s Duneland Ski Club sent racers this year to the NASTAR National Championships for the third year in a row. The DSC has a long standing reputation for excellence, as demonstrated by its being consistently ranked in the top 10% of all club teams at NASTAR for the past five years.

The Duneland Ski Club’s unique outlook on racing as only one aspect of being a successful competitor,  has largely contributed to the club’s continued success and ensures that all of its 100 members, 73 of which have raced in NASTAR National Championships  in the last five years, never forget that at the heart of every victory, lies a love of the sport. To read more about the Duneland Ski Club’s latest race results, visit DSC Races.

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