Ski Independence Blog
Archive for ‘Snow News’
Snow, snow and even more snow!
December 7th, 2011I woke up on Sunday morning and it was snowing!! How can someone in their late 20’s (come on allow me some poetic license) get so excited every time it snows? If you know the answer please let me know! So I thought to myself, if it’s snowing here in Edinburgh then it MUST be snowing in our favourite ski resorts across the world – right? RIGHT!
It started to snow across France on Friday, across Switzerland on Saturday and it’s not stopped since. In fact my email inbox is full of like minded people getting really excited about the snowfall. Have a look at this picture that has just been sent to my colleague Eve (one of her friends is in Val d’Isere and like a kid at Christmas, that’s his car!)
Dude, Where's my car?
How much snow has fallen though – that’s always a question…here is an answer from La Rosiere:
Almost 1 metre of fresh snow in La Rosiere!
Yep, that’s a good old metric meter!! And there is plenty more in the forecast too over the next week or so, I just wish I was there instead of here…ho hum!
Not only am I getting bombarded by snow messages from our European friends but Karen from the Ski Independence office is in Colorado just now, checking out the product (as we do once in a while, you know just to make sure everything is ok for our clients) and she has been leaving me messages like this on Facebook:
Beaver creek is full of hot ski racers! Makes for some good views 
Bit of world cup ski racing to watch this morning. See how it’s supposed to be done. Awesome!
OMG! Truly amazing day skiing Vail. Ski fast enough and the cold can’t catch you. I’m a very lucky girl!
Fab day skiing in Breckenridge but it could take a while to thaw out! Brrrrrr!!!
She’s skied Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Vail over the last few days and reports some great powder, a decent base and some cold (cold) temperatures, perfect for topping up on Mother Nature’s bounty! It sounds like an amazing trip and I’m really really happy for her (no, really) but there is no need to rub my nose in it is there? We’ll be having words when she gets back…
And we can’t do a snow update without mentioning Whistler – they’ve had over 10 feet of snow this season, they have over 5000 acres open to ski (more coming available later in the week as they make things safe in the high alpine) and they have almost ONE VERTICAL MILE of skiing too with the Whistler Village ski out being open as early as I can ever remember it!
It’s looking good out there – I can’t wait for my holiday and will keep checking out the best snowfalls around, we’ll update you here once in a while so come back to see if your favourite resort is flying the EPIC flag today…
Did someone say it’s snowing!?
December 6th, 2011Following one of the warmest and driest Novembers on record, in both the UK and Europe, it now seems as if winter is truly upon us. As temperatures dropped over the weekend all eyes became focused on the snow reports, hoping and praying that it could only mean one thing…snow is on the way!
After weeks of waiting and speculation on when the snow was going to arrive, Saturday evening witnessed the first substantial fall of the winter across the Alps. As curtains twitched on Sunday morning it came to the delights of many that winter had arrived, and as reports started circulating the UK media and social networking sites on Sunday I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to breathe a sigh of relief!
Not only did it snow on Saturday night, it continued into Sunday, Monday and it’s still snowing today in many European resorts. In Val d’Isere up to 80cm of fresh snow has fallen over the Fornet Glacier, 50cm over Solaise and 30cm over Bellevarde. Meribel, Courchevel, Les Deux Alpes and Val Thorens have also been blanketed by snow, however the clear winner with close to a metre of snow is Serre Chevalier which now has an upper base of 190cm, the best in Europe!
Looking ahead over the next 24 hours and into Wednesday evening, Snowforecast is predicting some rather staggering figures. Chamonix is forecast to received up to 64cm, Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes 60cm and Tignes and Val d’Isere 35cm. And with temperatures set to stay low, I think it’s safe to say we are back on track for a great season in the Alps.
Below is a selection of images from today’s webcams around Europe (as you can see, it’s snowing pretty heavily!).
Val d'Isere webcam over looking the Folie Douce at the top of La Daille
The Biollay piste which is just above the village of St Martin de Belleville
The view at La Chaudanne; the central lift station for Meribel.
The centre of Le Arcs 1950
Ski Independence have a fantastic selection of hotels and apartments across Europe, many of which have early booking offers available, saving you up to 30%. In addition to great accommodation savings, we also have fantastic offers on Swiss Rail transfers and Kids can rent for free throughout France!
For more details on any of our offers or advice on what accommodation or resort is best for you, call a member of the Ski Independence reservations team on 0131 243 8097 who will be happy to help. Alternatively you can request an online quote by clicking here.
Whistler: The most skiable terrain in the World
December 2nd, 2011Whistler has the most open terrain IN THE WORLD right now! I know we make a big fuss about Whistler but no wonder – they’ve had over 10 feet of snow fall this season alone!
Today the Peak Chair opens, tomorrow Harmony Express opens – I have one question for myself, what am I doing sitting here at my desk? I should be there…
Of course I’m here so I can book holidays for those who are able to take time off at this time of year (and beyond) – I won’t get to ski until Mid March and only then if we are quiet enough, one of the pitfalls of working in the ski industry, we’re busy when the snow is falling and everyone else is skiing.
November Powder on Blackcomb Mountain, Photo: Michael Neumann
So while I’m thinking about Whistler let me share a few of my top tips…
- Book by 5 December and travel from the UK between 20 December and 31 December (subject to availability of flights) and you can save £1000’s on British Airways Club World flights – these are the lowest prices I have EVER seen on business class to Vancouver!
- Book to Four Seasons Resort Whistler and you’ll get the best price offered at the hotel AND a room upgrade. So (for example) book a Resort King Room to get the best price and we’ll upgrade you to a Superior Room free of charge!
- Book your holiday with Ski Independence, pre-book your lift passes and rentals and the kids will ski for FREE. Yes, FREE!!
Taken at the base of Whistler Blackcomb
With a bag full of other offers throughout the resort, a huge snow base and a season that will last well in to May and terrain that seems never ending there is no reason why you wouldn’t want to go to Whistler…is there?
For more information on our Whistler offers you can call a member of the Ski Independence team on 0131 243 8097 who will be able to help with any questions you may have…after all we have been to Whistler over 60 times so know pretty much everything there is to know! Alternatively you can request an online quote here.
Its Snowing!
October 12th, 2011As resorts across the southern hemisphere close their doors to skiers and boarders it’s now the turn of Europe, the USA and Canada to get in on the action. After a week of newsletters bombarding my inbox with “It’s Snowing” in the subject line I’m in no doubt we’ve now seen the first significant snowfall of the 2011/12 season on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Europe, the Swiss Alps were the winners with up to 80cm of fresh snow falling. In France, Les Menuires in the Three Valleys also fared well with up to 40cm and Chamonix, Courchevel and Meribel awoke to a moderate covering of snow on Sunday morning. After a month of no resorts being open in France, Tignes re-opened the Grande Motte Glacier which will now remain open all the way through until May 2012.
Monday morning in Chamonix under the Autannes chairlift. Photo: Compagnie du Mont-Blanc
Across the pond it was Whistler making the headlines with their video “First turns of the new season in Whistler”. Making the most of the fresh snow on the Blackcomb Glacier skiers Callum Pettit and Mike Douglas were choppered up to sample some of the fresh powder. Here’s how they got on……”Watch first turns of the season”
Moving south into the USA, Mammoth reported 40cm of fresh snow followed by similar reports from Park City, Squaw and Jackson Hole.
Over 20cm of snow fell in Panorama, Canada.
With another El Nina year predicted and significant early snow already falling, we’re preparing for a bumper winter season. We’ve got some outstanding Early Booking Offers throughout France, the USA and Canada but deadlines are fast approaching so be quick.
For expert advice on your perfect Winter 2011/2012 holiday call us on 0131 243 8097 or fill in an email quote request by clicking here.
Ski Holiday of a Lifetime
June 6th, 2011Back at the London Ski & Snowboard Show in October 2010, we announced that Neill Hadden was the lucky winner of the competition to win the Ultimate Ski Holiday to Whistler & Vancouver. After several months of anticipation and record snowfall, Neill headed off on his trip…
April 2011 and the most amazing ski holiday began with a routine traverse of London on the Piccadilly Line! Terminal 5, for anyone who hasn’t been there is quite unlike the rest of Heathrow and really quite nice! So after some pre flight food and drink in the lounge we went onboard and upstairs on the 747 – bit of a private cabin up there with only 20 seats so loads of space and peace, lovely food and of course champagne.
Neill enjoying some light refreshments in British Airways Club World
On arrival in Vancouver, the normal slightly dazed wandering around trying to find a transfer bus or worse negotiate driving a rental car was replaced by a limousine. Of all the decadence involved this was definitely most appreciated for a very civilised transfer up to Whistler. The weather was dreadful but the driver was great and we both dozed off. By the time we arrived at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler the rain had turned to snow and this made the imposing chateau look a little like the overlook from the shining!
Inside, we checked into what was a very luxurious room on the ‘Gold Floor’ and fell asleep. The next day and indeed all the others began with a lovely buffet breakfast before we set off on the long journey to the rental shop (it was in the hotel!) Fab gear, much better than your usual rental boards – probably quite expensive but I wasn’t paying! The overnight snow and the fact that it was a Monday meant that we spent a lot of the day knee deep – even on the runs. Blackcomb is a massive hill and we only just managed to properly explore it and Whistler in 6 days on the slopes. Of course we spent some considerable time eating. On mountain was good if not spectacular standard fare but down at Creekside at the end of the improbably long and tiring Peak to Creek run is Dusty’s which you really must try – just watch the beer intake if you are going back up!
Powder, powder, powder!
The boarding was amazing and the resort is very well managed – virtually no lift queues and very easy to navigate around the different areas – also the Peak 2 Peak gondola means you can easily spend half a day over at Whistler and then come back for the afternoon. To be honest, we both preferred Blackcomb for boarding and it seemed a little less busy – you quite often found yourself the only ones on the run. Best apres ski the Garibaldi Lift Company – again, really good food (and a lot of it) and beer!
Take the Peak 2 Peak from Whistler to Blackcomb
Probably the best evening was snowmobiling up to the Crystal Hut for Fondue – apparently there was a bear about so just as well we were on pretty quick machines!
By the end of the week we still had some credit on the prepaid cards so used it up buying whistler tshirts and hoodies.
Another limo arrived to take us to Vancouver and the Fairmont Pacific Rim – what a hotel! Very luxurious and modern and a spectacular setting right by the conference centre on the waterfront where the Olympic coverage came from. The bathroom was the corner of the building with floor to ceiling windows so you kind of felt like you were in your bath floating above the city – oh yeah and there was a tv in the mirror!
What a view from the bath in the Fairmont Pacific Rim!
We did the usual sightseeing stuff and packed alot into 2 days – Granville Island Market was a great way to start and we also managed to get across to Grouse Mountain to go ziplining although this was curtailed because there was too much snow!
Vancouver itself is a beautiful place, incredible natural environment and because of the British connection it all felt very easy and comfortable. Slightly odd experience having high tea at the Fairmont Vancouver – right beside the hotel is a big square where that day they were having a legalise marijuana demo so there was a kind of (not entirely unpleasant) smoggy haze over the whole block but once inside it was a bit like the Ritz. Surprisingly good fun and this was just before the royal wedding so there was a lot of that about. In fact the TV was almost blanket coverage – well that and Donald Trump.
Vancouver on a blue bird day! Bliss!
Flying back business was a treat as we got a proper sleep for a change – still came back down to earth with a Piccadilly Line bump!
We were treated magnificently from start to finish and its funny how easily you adjust to all the little luxuries! I have to say though that by far the most amazing thing was the snowboarding – unbelievable quantities of snow all over the place and definitely worth a return trip – only problem is next time I’ll have to pay!
Annecy 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Games
May 18th, 2011This morning Annecy & the other 2018 Winter Olympics candidate cities are making their presentations to the IOC.
The purpose of the meeting in Lausanne is to allow the three 2018 candidate cities, Munich, Annecy and PyeongChang in South Korea, and the IOC members to discuss the finer elements of their bids and to give IOC members an opportunity to put questions to the cities prior to the final decision on the 6th July 2011 in Durban, South Africa.
Annecy 2018 Winter Olympic bid delegation stand before their presentation to the IOC members at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Photo: Reuters
France are hoping that their sporting luck continues following the announcement yesterday that they won the right to stage golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup in 2018, the first time it will have been staged in mainland Europe for 21 years. The last time the Winter Olympics were held in France was in 1992 in Albertville, with Grenoble hosting in 1968, however with neither of the other two competing bid countries having held the Games – they will have to put together a good fight. Germany were close to holding the first ever Winter Olympics in 1916, however they were cancelled due to the outbreak of WW1, and it was Chamonix which in fact held the inaugural Games in 1924.
Chamonix 1924 - Ice Hockey
Highlights from the 2010/11 Season
April 20th, 2011As the majority of ski resorts start to close for the season and our minds turn to the 2011/12 season, we thought it would be nice to share a few of the Ski Independence team’s highlights from the past season; on and off the slopes, from the world of social media to memorable runs.
Pip – European Product Manager
February half term is one of the busiest weeks of the whole ski season, with hundreds of families heading across the channel by means of Eurotunnel, flights and ferries for their annual trip. So it is always an anxious few weeks in the run up before, which this year wasn’t made any easier by reports in the British press of poor conditions. However, heart rates decreased and smiles spread across the office when we started to receive word of fresh snow throughout the Alps – hurrah!
My second highlight was my personal ski holiday to Méribel in March. We were blessed with amazing sunshine and snow conditions were much better than anticipated, which is pretty much the feedback which we are getting from clients. Spring days with long lunches in the sunshine can only but put a smile on my face!
Sunshine and blue skies in Meribel
Christmas Opening Times
December 24th, 2010
Festive Opening Times
28th – 30th December: 9am – 5.30pm
31st December: 9am – 12.30pm
1st – 3rd January: Closed
4th January: Open as usual
North America Snow Update
November 19th, 2010North America’s 2010-11 ski season is off to a great start with many areas opening early and reporting healthy snow falls.
Among the resorts already open are Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain Colorado; Snowbird in Utah, Killington on the East Coast in Vermont and north of the border Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta. Whistler has announced it will open nearly a week early, later today, thanks to the great pre-season conditions there.
In California, Mammoth is the latest to open (On Thursday 11th November) with more than 2,000 people arriving to enjoy skiing and boarding down from the 11,053 foot summit via Cornice Bowl. Six lifts were operational and 2,000 vertical feet (about 650 metres) of vertical terrain were open on a base of 18 to 36 inches (45 to 90cm).
First Chair 2010 - Mammoth Mountain
Breckenridge Opening Day
November 13th, 2010Breckenridge Ski Resort opened yesterday for it’s 49th season . The sun was shining brightly and the snow was incredible, with a nice soft layer of powder on top of the groomed runs. Pat Barratt from Vail Resorts was in town for the special day:
The Colorado Super Chair on Peak 8 was running, as was Chair 5, carrying loads of happy skiers and snowboarders up to the more than 290 skiable acres that were open, including hike-to terrain on the Horseshoe and Contest Bowls!
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