TRUCKEE, Calif. – Nov. 10, 2008 – This winter, Northstar Resort will increase its support of the progression of snowboarding as it welcomes new learning programs in conjunction with Burton Snowboards, hosts the final stop of the inaugural AST Winter Dew Tour, and introduces new terrain and features in its award-winning terrain parks, which were recently ranked third in the country by readers of Transworld Snowboarding.   Continue Reading »

Mother Nature tallied her own election night results Tuesday & Wednesday nights blanketing the Yampa Valley with 10 inches of snow at mid-mountain from our first storm of the season–and it’s still snowing! Cold temperatures and low humidity in the air created the perfect recipe for Steamboat’s snowmaking crews to fire up the guns and begin laying the foundation for this season’s base.   Continue Reading »

That’s right — Sunday River is the first ski resort to open in the Northeast for the 08/09 Winter Season. The Locke Mountain Triple ran this afternoon and T2 opened for skiing and riding.

Come on up tomorrow for our second annual Halloween celebration and first full day of the season. Lift tickets on Halloween will be free for anyone in costume.   Continue Reading »

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. –OCT. 17, 2008–Today, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced the opening day plan for the upcoming winter season. Breckenridge Ski Resort is planning to open Friday, November 7, with terrain, lifts and services on Peak 8. With cold temperatures in the forecast providing optimal snowmaking conditions Breckenridge Ski Resort plans to start up snowmaking operations Sunday, October 19. Skiers and riders can expect to enjoy top to bottom skiing via the Colorado Superchair. The BreckConnect Gondola will be open providing the only resort access with a scenic ride from the skier parking lots in town (there is no parking on Peak 8 due to construction).

“With the opening of Peak 8, we are able to provide a new experience on opening day to all of our guests,” said Rick Sramek, vice-president of mountain operations for Breckenridge. “We will be able to open more ski runs and lifts earlier, allowing skiers and riders more choices in terrain.”   Continue Reading »

This weekend brought our first substantial snow fall covering Echo in 6 inches of the white fluffy stuff. Needless to say an itch needed to be scratched so Echo’s Marc Moline and Steve Cummings tested out some of the Asylum’s new moveable features. Enjoying the first session of the season, it was all about the girls as both noses and tails were pressed onto the ice crusted flat log.   Continue Reading »

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13, 2008 – Arapahoe Basin ski area officials announce that its opening day for the 2008-2009 ski season will be Wednesday, October 15, 2008. For the past two years the ski area has been the first to open in the nation and this year A-Basin continues that trend.

The Exhibition chairlift will open to the public at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday. Skiers and riders can look forward to an 18-inch base on the intermediate High Noon run and some features in the High Divide Terrain Park. There will be no beginner skiing at this time.   Continue Reading »

Mt Hutt’s scheduled closing date is Sunday 19 October, but the high country ski area will reopen for four days over Labour Weekend, from Friday 24 October to Monday 27 October.

Mt Hutt Manager Dave Wilson said the snow conditions at Mt Hutt were in great shape.

“We’ve had a fantastic season and are delighted to be able to reopen for a final fling,” he said. “It’s a fantastic way to end the season in the high country.”

Mt Hutt had enjoyed consistent natural snowfalls throughout the 2008 season building up to the magic 3m base in September – the largest base in more than a decade.

Still enjoying a base of over 2m Mr Wilson said the snow depth had provided an awesome season for skiers and riders.

“We were able to open so much terrain and had some fantastic powder days. And it provided us with a great base which will keep us going for the rest of the season,” he said.

10cms of fresh snow over the past two days had provided a top up and cold conditions were expected to keep snow in good condition for the rest of the season.

Base facilities to open on Labour weekend included Sky High Café, Rental and Repair, and the Snow Shop. The SnowSports School will not be reopened.

For more information, nzski.com

Innsbruck, AUT — Burton Snowboards and Flachauwinkl Resort in Salzburg, Austria today announced the development of The Stash®, the first run of its kind in Austria, which is also home to Burton’s European headquarters. Scheduled to open in January 2009, the Stash in Flachauwinkl will be the fifth run worldwide and only the second in Europe after the opening of The Stash in Avoriaz, France last year.

The Stash is an evolution of freestyle terrain in a natural environment, created by Jake Burton and the Burton global team riders. Located on the north-side of the mountain opposite the Absolut freestyle park, the kilometer-long Stash run will follow the natural line of the mountain providing riders with an organic, big mountain terrain park. The Stash run in Flachauwinkl will take on an ‘Old West’ theme and feature over 40 obstacles, including some unique features like a bridge, a saloon-style cabin, hitching posts and banked wall rides. Also unique to The Stash at Flachauwinkl is Lil’ Stash, which will include small features perfect for kids and beginner riders at the top of the Stash run. The main Stash run is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders.   Continue Reading »

October 10, 2008 – Sun Peaks, BC – Snowmaking has started at Sun Peaks…the earliest start in the history of the resort and the first in the country to start the Snowmaking 2 - Corey Wiwcharprocess. “We believe we are the first resort in Canada to start snowmaking this season,” says Anne Haight, Marketing Director with Sun Peaks Resort Corporation.

Cold temperatures allowed mountain crews to fire up the snowmaking plant last night to start blanketing the OSV and Upper Cahilty runs.   Continue Reading »

NEWRY and CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine – Good things may come to those who wait, but at Sugarloaf and Sunday River this season, the savings will come to those who make haste.

The resorts have announced a new “Early Savings” program that allows guests to save up to $100 on their winter vacations if they book early in the winter season. The program includes three booking deadlines, and the earlier guests book the more money they can save. Guests can book by October 15, 2008 to save $100, by November 15, 2008 to save $75, or by December 15, 2008 to save $50. The savings are available on ski and stay packages throughout the 2008-2009 winter season for reservations of two nights or longer.   Continue Reading »