Whistler Discounts Ski/Snowboard Classes
Discover Whistler Days (Feb. 2-13, Feb. 23- Mar. 13 and Ap. 20-26) offers the opportunity to improve your on-snow skills at discounted rates. The Whistler/Blackcomb ski/snowboard school (tel. 888/403-4727, 604/904-7060; www.whistlerblackcomb.com/rentals/school/ski/index.htm) drops prices for selected Whistler/Blackcomb programs by 40%.
Ski New Hampshire Photo Contest
Taking a pocket-sized digital camera to New Hampshire slopes and cross-country trails will pay off for winners of Ski New Hampshire (tel. 800/88 SKI-NH; www.skinh.com) photo contest. Prizes include products and lift tickets. Details, including submission deadline, have not been announced at this writing, but take your camera to be ready. No cell phone photos are accepted, because winning images might be used for the promotional organization's magazine. E-mail high-res submissions (and questions) to karl@skinh.com.
Portes du Soleil Traffic Eased by New Eight-Seater Chairlift
With abundant snow luring snow-riding crowds to the Portes du Soleil (tel. +41 (0) 848 765 345; www.chablais.info), a mega-ski region at the Franco-Swiss border, the new eight-seater chairlift between Planachaux and Champéry eases congestion. Up to 4,000 people per hour make the previously tedious connection in just 3½ minutes.
Squaw Valley Offers Free Avalanche Awareness Training
This hairy avalanche year underscores the important of slide savvy for anyone venturing into the steep and deep. Squaw Valley's (tel. 800-545-4350; www.squaw.com) free avalanche awareness/beacon classes on the 1st and the 15th of each month during the ski season. Participants The 1½-hour classes meet at Ski Patrol Base at 5:30pm (classes last about an hour and a half). Guests should bring their own transceivers or may borrow devices for the class. Advance registration is requested by calling Ski Patrol at 530/452-7260. These introductory classes are not a substitute for full-on avalanche training, especially for backcountry users.
Two Canadian Resorts Give Price Break to Season-Pass Holders at Other Areas
Season pass holders from 50 large and small ski areas in Washington, British Columbia and Alberta who want a change of scenery get a 25% or greater discount on lift tickets at British Columbia's Big White (tel. 800/663-2772; www.bigwhite.com) and Silver Star (tel. 800/663-4431; www.skisilverstar.com), as well as value-priced lodging at these sister resorts in the province's Okanagan region. Additionally, Silver Star's slopeside Lord Aberdeen Hotel and Pinnacles Suite Hotel are offering a third night free with two paid nights, and the Snowbird Lodge offers a two-bedroom suite for the price of a one-bedroom and a three-bedroom suite for the price of a two-bedroom.
North American-Style Ski Village Opens in the French Alps
Intrawest has opened the first phase of its chalet-style Flaine-Montsoleil (tel. 800/0800 21 21; www.flaine-montsoleil.com) development in the 40-year-old resort of Flaine, just one hour from Geneva. The North American giant most famous for developing Whistler, B.C., drew its initial inspiration from pedestrian-friendly European towns, but built on a North American scale with spacious, well-appointed apartments, ample public space and underground parking. These are expected in North America but revolutionary in Europe, where private chalets, hotels and small vacation apartments are the norm.
Snowcater is a Ski-Oriented iPhone Application
Snocator, an iPhone application, loads interactive trail maps with lifts, runs, features and mountaincam images onto your phone and also has the capability of tracking the number of runs, speed and vertical. For trip planning, it includes snow reports, weather forecasts and other useful information while skiing or while planning a trip. Snocator's one-time fee is $5.99. Most major North American ski area resorts are covered. To begin "Snocating," visit the iPhone App Store and search for Snocator under the Sports category; Text "snow" to 90999 from your iPhone or click on http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=293541458 to launch iTunes on your computer and go straight to the Snocator info page.
Andorran Resort Adds Six-Place Chairlift
Most American snowriders don't even know where Andorra is, but this tiny country in the Pyrenees between France and Spain is a big-time ski destination for British skiers, meaning that English is widely spoken. They cheered when Vallnord region (tel. +376 (0) 376 737 017; http://en.vallnord.com/index.asp) announced 10 million Euros in upgrades this winter, most notably a new detachable six-place chairlift for Arinsal. Other improvements include significant snowmaking upgrades.