Posts Tagged ‘Ski Independence’
Ptarmigan Chalet, Vail
30 feet of light dry fluffy powder and an annual average of 300 blue sky days a year means Vail Colorado is always near the top of any list of the world’s best ski destinations. Vail Mountain offers a heavy mix of alpine bowls, glades and wide-open trails linked by a super quick and efficient modern lift system. The town of Vail serves up some exceptional après ski, dining and shopping – everywhere you go, superb service is the order of the day. Read the rest of this entry »
Non-Stop Fun In Whistler
The excitement in Whistler doesn’t stop with the 8,000 plus acres of ski terrain; there are endless opportunities for adrenaline fuelled fun off the slopes. Here’s the latest low down on just some of the activities available from Leanne at The Adventure Group.
“Intro to adventuring in Whistler” could take a few pages, but I’ll try and keep it short and sweet – the Coles Notes of how to effectively have FUN! With endless opportunities in this winter wonderland, it can sometimes be daunting to choose the best option for your group or family. You want something unique, that you can’t experience anywhere else which make you laugh, right?! Let me give you some “insider tips” to make your holiday that extra bit special… Read the rest of this entry »
Short break to Villars?
Last week Claire, our European Assistant Product Manager, took a quick trip to Villars in Switzerland to see what’s new for the season ahead and to see why it is such a popular choice for Ski Independence clients.
Upon arrival at Geneva Airport, we headed to the train station, which is just a short walk from arrivals, to catch our Swiss rail transfer to Villars. This is becoming an increasingly popular method of transfer to resort and it’s easy to see why. It must have been one of the most enjoyable and easiest ski transfers I have experienced. Displayed throughout the station, all the timetables give you the correct platform you need to be on and when the next departure is. As it is to be expected, all of the trains run with Swiss efficiently and depart on time. Read the rest of this entry »
Aspen Snowmass – Best Opening Weeks In History
This has been one of the best opening weeks in Aspen’s history as they were well above average snowfall for the month of November.
They’ve received over a foot of snow within the past week and more is on the way. Click here to view the opening weekend video highlights the Visa Aspen Winternational races, the Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series featuring Blind Melon and fireworks over Aspen Mountain.
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup, Aspen Winternational
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup, Aspen Winternational
Record Opening Weekend in Jackson Hole
What an epic opening day Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had on Saturday 27th November, simply incredible!
Justin Bird, from the Terra Resort Resort – Hotel Terra, was out on the mountain “Wow, it was deep and my aching legs are testament to all the fun I had! We have an incredible season ahead of us, please share the news with your friends & family. Let it continue to snow!”
Words can’t do conditions like this justice – watch for yourself:
Want to head out to Jackson Hole and experience this record start to the season? Take advantage of fantastic early season rates at the Hotel Terra – 7 nights at the beginning of December from £959pp.
North America Snow Update
North 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
Steamboat Snow Update
Very warm greetings from my cold, white world in Steamboat, Colorado! We’ve had 23cm of new snow in the last 24 hours, and we already have a 61cm settled snow base at mid-mountain at the top of the Gondola. I also see snowy days and/or cold days in the 10-day forecast, and although I would not dare second guess Mother Nature, all signs indicate an amazing Steamboat opening day on November 24.
I spent both weekend afternoons up on Emerald Mountain in downtown Steamboat Springs. On Saturday we hiked the 3-mile Lupine Trail up to the quarry in snow clogs, but after constant snow all day and night Saturday and through Sunday, too, we were very happy to have snowshoes and poles on the same trail yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »
Possibly the luckiest guy this season?
Last month we announced that Neill Hadden was the lucky winner of our Ultimate Ski Holiday to Whistler, BC. After being somewhat overwhelmed, he has kindly put together this blog post. Warning it has the tendency to make your rather jealous…
I took up snowboarding quite late at age 26, young enough to be enthusuastic, brave and possibly a little reckless but old enough to find the first week a brutal and bruising experience! Since then I have been at every opportunity including trips to Switzerland, Canada and NZ. This year I had been travelling in August including a couple of days boarding in Cardrona, New Zealand and so on my return got cracking with organising the Hadden ski trip for Feb 11. Was looking at various North American options but was beginning to feel the pressure of making all the arrangements for a party of 6 so asked one of the others to help with some research. In the course of this he stumbled on the Ski Independence prize draw and sent me (and probably half his address book!) the link to enter. Read the rest of this entry »
Top 5 expert runs in North America
We had a heated argument in the pub the other night about the top 5 epic expert ski runs in North America. The debate was fierce – what makes a ski run ‘epic’ – pitch, scale, snow, exposure, elevation, scary terrain features, fear factor, what?
Pitch can be conquered with bullet-proof technique. Scale means stamina. Runs always change their character in different snow conditions, weather, light and time of day. Exposure makes you feel alive. Elevation – no pain, no gain. Scary terrain features? I laugh in the face of ‘mandatory air’! Fear factor – beats the crap out of the X-factor. What should be included, and what criteria should we use? Does Snowbird have better terrain than Kicking Horse? Is the snow depth and quality in Fernie better than Crested Butte? Who can say, but in my opinion a truly epic ski run needs five qualities – (1) a degree of difficulty that keeps you thinking and working hard the whole way down. (2) a fear factor. (3) a tick-the-box factor. (4) an aura. (5) a scale that’s off the dial.
When the legs are tired, take the Gold Runner Coaster down!
Over the summer, construction and improvments in Breckenridge have not just been limited to the slopes. 12th November, opening day in Breckenridge, will see the debut of the Gold Runner Coaster, 2500 ft of twists and turns below Peak 8.
Located at the base of Peak 8, thrill seekers can take to the Gold Runner Coaster cars, either solo or with a friend and enjoy a thrilling journey through the forest around and above the ski runs, but don’t worry you have control of your own speed. The BreckConnect Gondola provides easy access to this new adrenaline-packed attraction, which is suitable for adults and children. We can’t wait to try it!
A new way to get to town!
