Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin, editor of the Skier & Snowboarder magazine writes:
I skied the Berthoud Pass Ski area in Colorado about 25 years ago – and it was of my most memorable ski days ever.
Resort News & Reports
Norwegian’s low air fares put North American resorts within reach
The high cost of trans-Atlantic air fares has always been one of the stumbling blocks when trying to attract UK skiers and snowboarders to the Rockies in America.
But there are changes in the air as Norwegian is offering return flights from London Gatwick to Seattle and Denver for under £400.
The changing face of Val d’Isère
Val d’Isère is embarking on an ambitious €200m (£170m) building project to redevelop the centre of the world-famous resort.
The project is being called Le Coin de Val d’Isère and involves the demolition and reconstruction of a giant triangle in the heart of the resort.
New airline opens up more routes into heart of Swiss Alps
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
News from Savoie Mont Blanc
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):
Closing Day at Arapahoe Basin
After a weekend of fun and frolics, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area season, which was extended because of fantastic late snow falls in Colorado, finally came to an end on Sunday (11 June).
Closing Day was full of costumes, pond skimming on Lake Reveal, tunes from the resort favourite local band High 5 in the base area, and lots of smiling faces.
Fancy a last minute trip to Colorado?
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.
Crystal adds Heavenly to 2017-18 programme
Sitting comfortably on the stateline between California and Nevada, Heavenly Ski Resort offers skiers and boarders a unique opportunity to ski two US states in one day, on top of experiencing the lively, flashy casino atmosphere that Nevada is famous for.
GET ON TRACK! – SKIERS DEMAND A SUNDAY SKI TRAIN
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.
TAKING MUSIC TO THE MOUNTAINS
NEWS
A festival of 24 concerts in the Trentino Dolomites: July 7 – August 31, 2017
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.
VALLOIRE
Help solve this mystery
Valloire seems to have everything a British holiday skier or snowboarder could want. So, asks Editor FRANK BALDWIN, why is it not that well known?
The expression ‘hidden gem’ can often be overused when it comes to ski areas. It seems to cover every resort that does not appear in the mainstream holiday brochures.
But the reason not many people from the UK go to these places is because these ‘hidden gems’ are usually quite small with a limited lift system.
New dishes on the menu at Ski Amis chalets
After months of tasting, French Alps specialist Ski Amis has announced that their brand new and vastly improved menu has been finalised for the coming season. The team have been working extremely hard to create a more focused collection of new dishes whilst keeping a few of their old favourites.
Golden gondolas in Mont Sainte Anne for 50th anniversary celebrations
Mont-Sainte-Anne ski area in Quebec, Canada celebrated its 50th birthday this season. And most remarkably the centre has found that one of its employees, Claire Labossière, has been there right from the first year in 1966.
Great new French apartments on offer through Peak Retreats
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.
Flying visit
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Agony and ecstasy were served up in equal measures when NEIL ENGLISH attended a gourmet ski week in Courchevel
In the two seconds or so it took to rotate 360 degrees in mid-air – my care-free world of powder-filled hedonistic pleasure transformed into a stressed-out world of nauseating pain!
My anticipation of this late March day could not have been higher. The previous evening thick snowflakes began to fall from the chilly night skies over the affluent French resort of Courchevel 1850 and when I peeked through my bedroom curtains at the luxurious Chalet Montana the next morning there was a fluffy blanket of boot high powder.
Discover heli-skiing heaven
If you have always dreamt of heli-skiing and are keen to explore the joys of deep powder heli-skiing in British Columbia Canada then you should sign-up for one of Pure Powder’s evening presentations in October/November, taking place in London, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
A living legend – founder of Mammoth Mountain celebrates 100th birthday
When Dave McCoy celebrated his 100th birthday
in August, he only had to look at the many photos of Mammoth Mountain lining the office walls at his Californian home to remind him of everything he has achieved during his full and eventful lifetime.
The photos bear witness to the remarkable story of a living legend without whose drive and determination Mammoth, as it is today, might not exist.
Dave’s achievements include opening Mammoth to skiing in 1941 before getting a permit for a permanent ski location there in 1948, allowing him to bring Alpine skiing to southern Californians.
In later years, he launched his Mammoth Lakes Foundation, helping the town grow around the resort.
Luckily for the millions of people who 
have enjoyed skiing and snowboarding there over the last 60+ years, he ignored the advice of locals who warned him the location was ‘too high, too windy, and too steep’.
Dave first saw Mammoth’s potential aged 21, while working as hydrographer. In 1935, he and some friends built his first rope tow out of an old truck frame and engine to haul skiers uphill; later, he even sold his beloved Harley-Davidson to raise funds for equipment.
Today, Mammoth Mountain is a sprawling resort that draws 1.3 million skiers and snowboarders annually, with outdoor adventurers and mountain bikers doubling that figure in summer.
Over the years, Dave declined many offers to work on other resorts for big money. “I was working to make things good at Mammoth Mountain,” he told his local paper, The Press
Enterprise.
“I always looked at how tomorrow would be better. I never worried about money.”
Dave last put on his Salomon skis 10 years ago, but his unbridled enthusiasm for new projects continues. This year, after eight years of research, he
licensed his latest venture, a new vehicle that runs on solar power.
There’s no doubt that Dave’s adventurous spirit combined with his vision has had spectacular results, but for him it’s fun, not business, that lies at the heart of his achievements – and his long life.
“Everyone has a different life, but longevity happens because you do something fun,” Dave said.
“I just wish I had a hundred more years. There are a hundred more things I want to do.”
Happy birthday Dave!
Everybody needs good neighbours…
FRANK BALDWIN found a load of nut cases when he visited the quirky ski area of Corvatsch in the Engadine Valley
When you think of St Moritz, it conjures up images of swanky hotels where the rich and famous stay while enjoying the skiing or the excitement surrounding the famous Cresta run, ice polo world cup, ‘white turf’ horse racing and other activities which take place during the winter on the town’s frozen lake.
You’ll look sweet, upon the seat of a gondola made for two…
After courting each other for several years, two Austrian ski areas have settled into married life after tying the knot with a new €13.5m gondola. ROB FREEMAN raises a glass of turnip schnapps to celebrate
‘Do you expect me to talk?’ ‘No Mr Bond, I expect you to ski…’
James Bond may be able to save the world with a twinkle in his eye and a few gadgets provided by ‘Q’, but even he would have had trouble overcoming the hurdles we encountered trying to get photographs and information about his exploits on skis and snowboards.