EXPERIENCE A MOUNTAIN HEAVEN HOLIDAY

A selection of handpicked Catered & Self-catered Chalets and Apartments in the French and Swiss Alps

New Jackson Hole Quad

Jackson Hole has replaced its Thunder Quad lift with a new Leitner-Poma lift that makes the ascent at twice the speed of the original, cutting ride time down from over 7 minutes to 3.6.

“Thunder was installed in 1984 when Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's notoriety across the ski industry grew. This central hub of our mountain is a top priority for locals and guests alike each time they set skis or board on snow, and for good reason: the terrain accessed from this workhorse is some of the best. Classics like Tower 3, the Grand, Laramie

Bowl, Thunder Bumps and Tram Line, to Riverton Bowl, Gannett, Mushroom Chutes, Paintbrush, and Toilet Bowl; the list goes on. When conditions align in the Tetons, Thunder's terrain is perfect for a blower powder day,” a resort spokesperson said.

BROOKES’ SILVER

Mia Brookes (16) won silver at the Laax Open slopestyle in Switzerland in January. Competing in the opening Slopestyle event of the season in Laax, Brookes qualified in first, and a best score of 79.91 in the final was enough for silver – her maiden World Cup medal. Mia, from Sandbach in Cheshire, who only turned 16 last week, previously won the Europa Cup Slopestyle and Big Air overall title for 2021/22.

Ezra To Play Ischgl

British singer-songwriter George Ezra is heading to the Austrian Tirol resort of Ischgl to play a free mountain-top concert. Ezra will Ride Shotgun in Ischgl's Top of the Mountain Spring Concert at 1pm on 30 March 2023 at the Idalp at 2,320m above sea level. The concert will be the first of Ischgl’s four-week “Spring Blanc” series of culinary and musical events running throughout April.

Ski Scandinavia Doubles Up

Ski Scandinavia is doubling the capacity of its winter charters to Scandinavian Mountains Airport on Saturdays from Gatwick commencing 11 February 2023. The new airport lies on the border between Sälen, Sweden’s largest alpine ski area, and Trysil, Norway's largest, both a short transfer away. “We firmly believe the UK will be an important market in the future,” said Mathias Lindstrom, Commercial Director at SkiStar.

DIOR’S STORE IN ICE

Dior has recreated its famous Paris store out of ice at the Songhua Lake Ski Resort in Jilin, China. Images of the ice store, which incorporates a light show at night, are reported to be trending high on China’s social media channels. Songhua Lake is one of China’s best resorts with about 30km of runs and either lifts, mostly Doppelmayr quad and six-seater chairlifts, plus a gondola. It is widely regarded as an upmarket destination, with its beginner slopes sponsored by BMW.

Ski Holidays By Rail

Travelski Express, the company that began offering package ski holidays by rail direct to the French Alps from London last winter, is increasing the number of resort destination choices it offers from seven to ten. The company has added Courchevel, La Rosière and Val Thorens to their 2023 programme. They join existing options Val d’Isere, Tignes, Meribel, Les Arcs, Brides Les Bains, Les Menuires and La Plagne.

Snow Skiing Indonesia

A small indoor snow centre has opened in Indonesia, with snow provided by one of the world’s leading manufacturers of snowmaking systems, the Italian company TechnoAlpin. Trans Snow World Surabaya is located in the capital of East Java, which is also the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta, and offers mostly “snow fun experiences” like snowman creating to those who may not have seen snow before.

World's

New Chairlift In Meg Ve

Classic French resort Megève, at the heart of a vast area of 445km of slopes, has upgraded its old Arbois chairlift on Mont d’Arbois to a fast six-seater chairlift. “This is great, obviously, but it does mean that more people can now discover the lovely

Michel Dujon piste underneath it, that’s long been a family favourite of ours,” said Elizabeth Cahir of family-run Stanford Skiing who have been organising holidays to Megève for more than three decades. “Most people were put off by the rickety old double chairlift, but I guess I'm going to have to learn to share!” Elizabeth added. The new chairlift precedes bigger ski area upgrades coming for winter 2023/24 when the Rochebrune ski area over to Cote 2000 will be completely overhauled.

LADIES’ SKI CLUB CENTENARY

As part of a series of events to celebrate the centenary of the Ladies’ Ski Club, members and guests were invited to take part in a free and fun costumed slalom race in Mürren, Switzerland, on 23 January 2023, the 100th anniversary, to the day, of the founding of the club. Course timings were kept the old-fashioned way by waving a flag each time a racer left the starting gate.

Chairlifts Charity Auction

Heavenly Mountain Resort in California has increased uphill capacity at its North Bowl lift by 40% this season by replacing its triple chairlift there with a new high-speed, quad chair. The new lift is of course also much faster than its predecessor. By auctioning off the old chairs, Heavenly raised $162,000 (£140,000) for non-profits the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Ski Run Community Park, and owners Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise Foundation.

Russian Centre Demolition

A huge indoor snow centre in Moscow is to be demolished after major structural flaws were found. The $100 million SNEZH.COM slope at Krasnogorsk, just northeast of the city’s limits, opened in March 2008. It was closed in late 2021 after failing a long list of health and safety checks by government officials. Attempts to rectify these have failed and at a meeting of creditors, a decision was made to demolish it.

Whistler is not only one of the world’s great ski resorts, it also has a reputation for taking everything to the next level. Now we at InTheSnow are beyond excited to be able to offer a trip of a lifetime to one lucky person who wants to experience all that this amazing resort offers!

The Grand Prize Includes Vancouver flights from a major UK airport, private luxury transfers to Whistler with six nights' accommodation at Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Once there you’ll experience the vast 8,171 acres of skiing and unwind with refined dining and unique activities. You’ll receive 3-day lift tickets, premium ski or snowboard rentals from Black Tie Ski Rentals and a private ski / snowboard day with Extremely Canadian. Off the slopes you’ll have a bobsleigh or skeleton experience at the Whistler Sliding Centre and a day of crosscountry skiing at Whistler Olympic Park. Other activities included in your prize include a multimedia night walk through the forest at Vallea Lumina, some Forged Axe Throwing(!), a 60-minute massage and spa access to The Spa at Nita Lake Lodge and a culture fix at Audain Art Museum and the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. For dining, you’ll taste your way through Whistler with a Finer Things Tour, enjoy an Original Box charcuterie arrangement and eat out at Teppan Village, Earls Kitchen, Hunter Gather Eatery and 21 Steps Kitchen. It's worth around $10,000!

Different trends for sliding on snow have dominated over the years. In the 1960s and ‘70s, downhill skiing really became popular, then by the mid-80s skinny skis were already passé and snowboarding was in rapid ascendancy. Skiing fought back with easierto-use carving skis replacing the longer, straighter skis of old. Soon both skiers and boarders embraced freestyle in the terrain parks which were popping up everywhere. With the new century came a throwback to an old idea, escaping the crowds that filled resorts and groomed runs and heading into the powder off the side. Once called skiing “off-piste”, the practice was rebranded “freeriding” with boards and fat skis making the ride easier.

At the top of the talent pile, the world’s best freeriders head off to remote mountain locations around the world to try to search out the soul of freeriding, the purity of the mountain, filling YouTube with more incredible footage of them doing so. This winter’s offering includes current ski video superstars Sam Anthamatten and Victor de Le Rue capturing the freedom of first lines in Alaska in The North Face®sponsored Freerider.

“Some say in order to finally know your true worth as a freerider, to become the real deal, you’ve got to ride the spines. It requires decades of experience to master the skill of managing your snowboard or skis on big lines,” a statement from The North Face explains.

Sam Anthamatten has spent his life travelling the world AND gaining the depth of knowledge needed to stay safe and at the top of his game while Victor de Le Rue has made a career out of breathtaking big mountain adventures, jumping in at the deep end to experience the snow like no other. Freerider is no different. Born from a dare to dream big, the pair set out to claim the first lines on unbeatable spines in a remote corner of the world in Alaska. Their goal required a specific set of climate conditions, with guaranteed heavy snowfall and humidity to form the nearly vertical spines and bluebird days to ride. After months of scoping and recon, the destination was set and the lines earmarked.

The opening of the new Club Med in Tignes has been designed to deliver a smoother, more enjoyable and relaxing experience for all the family.

With an investment of 128.9 million euros, the massively upgraded resort integrates perfectly with its surroundings thanks to the work of architect Jean-Philippe Nuel. Of course, it’s not the first Club Med in Tignes. The famous resort was home to one of the very first Club Meds in 1958 and has now supported the development of this legendary resort for over 60 years. The new building boasts 430 rooms, two restaurants, a huge swimming pool and a wellness area – all the ingredients for an unforgettable stay near the peaks. Huge picture windows offer breathtaking views of the slopes and peaks. This panorama can also be admired from the large, sunny, south-facing terrace. The resort opened just as Club Med published a report, providing an in-depth exploration of how Brits are booking their winter sports holidays in light of the current cost of living. It found that value for money is the most important factor for people choosing a resort and that France is perceived to be the bestvalue-for-money destination. Club Med’s research also found that the all-inclusive model is the leading holiday preference so the new Tignes resort is perfectly timed.

Luxury For Less With A Midweek Ski Break

Flexiski have a great range of mid-week ski-breaks, which will save you a whole lot of dosh while providing a higher quality of holiday – you just need to avoid the weekend!

First up, you’ll save at least 38% and potentially as much as 76% on travel to and from the Alps. Data taken from Google

Flights looking at all flight prices between London to Geneva for the rest of the ski season shows mid-week flights (Monday to Thursday) are on average 38.6% cheaper than weekend break flights (Thurs to Mon) and on average 76.1% cheaper than Saturday to Saturday flights. Then opt to stay in a luxury flexiski ski-in/ ski-out chalet with your own private chef provided, and you’ll pay less too for your stay if it’s midweek, compared to weekend prices. flexiski is the home of flexible ski holidays and operates in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, Norway and Switzerland. flexiski.com

“SNOW LIKE” CEREAL

Well-known cereal brand Kellogg’s have unveiled a new type of cereal that the company describes as “snow like” and claim that eating it “cools your mouth”. Working with the increasingly popular Elf on the Shelf franchise, Kellogg's have unveiled their new ‘Elf on the Shelf® North Pole Snow Creme Cereal’ and claim in a media release that it is “…our first-ever cereal that deliciously cools your mouth as you enjoy it.”

NEW SHOT-SKI RECORD

Colorado ski town Breckenridge has reclaimed the title in a long-running battle with Utah ski town Park City to line up the most people in their respective main streets to simultaneously knock back a drink from a shot ski. But Breckenridge set the new record of 1,350 people and 468 skis during the town’s 59th annual Ullr Fest last month. Park City has already said that they will retake the record.

Snow Centre Closed

Built at Braehead near Glasgow in 2004, the troubled Snow Factor indoor snow centre, which was home to the longest indoor snow slope in the UK and was Scotland’s only such facility, has closed down indefinitely, although the XSite mall it’s in remains open. Management for Snow Factor issued the following statement: “Following ongoing legal proceedings and a subsequent court order, Snow Factor at XSite Braehead will be closed from today until further notice.”