Snow Skiing Channel: Ski, Snow, Resorts Guide, Area Guides, Weather Reports, Photos, Blogs, Reviews, and Videos

Ski Club Duel Slalom

Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:08:56 +0000

Begun in 2010, the Ski Club Duel Slalom is a fun-filled racing event, with thrilling competition, great fancy dress and a killer after party. The format consists of teams made up of four skiers who race one by one down a parallel slalom course during knock-out rounds. Be sure to book your spot.

Date: 4 April 2012
Location: Tignes
Country: France

Canadians Excel at Chamonix Alpine Skiing World Cup

Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:43:45 +0000

With temperatures dropping to minus 15 degrees during the Men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup held at Chamonix this past weekend, the three Canadian skiers who started the race all finished in the top five. Jan Hudec of Calgary overcame injury obstacles that have plagued him recently to claim the gold medal, being his first since his downhill victory at Lake Louise in November 2007. Eric Guay of Mont-Tremblant took the bronze with Ben Thomsen of Invermere completing the event in fifth place. In a post-race interview, the team’s head coach Paul Kristofics noted that having all three competitors finish in the top five was amazing.

While the accomplishments of all the team members were noteworthy, for Jan Hudec it was a particularly meaningful victory in light of his six knee surgeries and continuing back problems. Delighted with the results of the race Hudec said that he had started the day free from pain for the first time in a long time and knew this was his opportunity to put his career back on track. With the icy slopes particularly suited to Hudec’s gliding skills, the skier completed the race in 2 minutes 3.25 seconds. Reigning world downhill champion, Guay came in 0.63 seconds behind the winner. Austria‘s Romed Baumann took silver with a time of 2 minutes, 3.78 seconds.

Commenting on the team’s performance, Hudec said “I think we blew everybody out of the water.” He also pointed out that while the results were against the odds, he thought the team members had done everything in their power to put themselves in the position to win. Referring to his injuries, Hudec said that although it would have been nice to make it to this point in his career without so many injuries, he felt that these obstacles have made his victory “that much sweeter.”

Teammate Guay was reported as saying that recent injuries in the team had resulted in a loss of momentum, but he noted that Jan Hudec’s return has been a motivating force for himself personally, and for the team. Certainly, Hudec’s will to overcome seemingly insurmountable health problems can serve as an inspiration to many.

Burton European Open

Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:02:58 +0000

The Burton European Open is an 8 day, 6 Star TTR Event that will see amateurs competing against renowned pro-riders. The event will feature slopestyle and halfpipe events, with hundreds of competitors and great prizes.

Date: 25 February to 3 March 2012
Location: Laax
Country: Switzerland

World Snowboarding Championships

Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:57:21 +0000

The World Snowboarding Championships forms part of the TTR World Snowboard Tour. Held every four years, this is a freestyle competition with slopestyle and halfpipe. the 2012 championship will also feature a thrilling monster quarterpipe event.

Date: 12 to 19 February 2012
Location: Oslo
Country: Norway

Volcom Peanut Butter & Rail Jam

Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:48:58 +0000

The Volcom Peanut Butter & Rail Jam is a fun-filled snowboarding event. Divisions are divided into guys of 15 years and under, guys of 16 and over, girls and open.

Date: 11 February 2012
Venue: Blue Mountain
State: Ontario
Country: Canada

The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series

Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:26:02 +0000

The North Face Park & Pipe Open Series will be four great days of winter sport activity. Events during the series will include halfpipe and slopestyle. Categories that will be judged include degree of difficulty, creativity, variations, combinations, amplitude and style.

Dates: 9 to 12 February 2012
Location: Northstar-At-Tahoe
Town: Truckee
State: California
Country: United States of America

Pennsylvania Ski and Winter Sports Museum and Hall of Fame

Editor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:23:47 +0000

The Pennsylvania Ski and Winter Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Camelback Ski Area’s base lodge, with additional exhibits in the museum’s Liberty Mountain Annex. In 1994 Alex Bensinger and Alber Dowden headed a group in forming this education organization that is committed to preserving the state’s skiing and winter sport heritage.

The museum’s collection at Camelback in Tannersville includes displays entitled “One Hundred Years of Ski Equipment”, “History of Sledding”, “One Hundred Years of Pocono Winter Sports” and the Hall of Fame. Amongst the items on display are skis, equipment, clothing, sleds, ice skates, posters, biographies, memorabilia and photographs. Organizations that have collaborated with the museum to create a place where the public can learn about winter sports include the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, American Association of Museums and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Hall of Fame, also located at Camelback Ski Area, has been in operation since 2002 and has inducted about 50 individuals who have made contributions to snow sports in Pennsylvania, countrywide or internationally. These individuals are honored at the annual Hall of Fame ceremonies and then their names are added to the permanent exhibit. Amongst the Hall of Famers are Howard head, inventor of the metal ski and S.L. Adams, creator of the Flexible Flyer. Founders of various ski resorts have also been inducted, including James Moore (Camelback), Martin Wilburger (Elk Mountain), Dupre Family (Seven Springs) and Irvin Naylor (Roundtop).Others who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame include veterans of the 10th Mountain Division from World War II, National Ski Patrol volunteers, ski retailers, racing officials and ski instructors.

The Pennsylvania Ski and Winter Sports Museum’s Liberty Mountain Annex is situated at Liberty Mountain Resort and Conference Center in Fairfield. This supplement to the main exhibits at Camelback was opened in December of 2007. This museum contains a number of items related to the history of winter sports, particularly those related to Liberty Mountain. There are also plans to expand to other ski areas, opening up small museums across Pennsylvania. Be sure to pay a visit to the Pennsylvania Ski and Winter Sports Museum and Hall of Fame when skiing in the area, as there is much to discover.

Hirscher on World Cup Winning Streak

Editor — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:10:42 +0000

Overcoming limited visibility in foggy conditions, Marcel Hirscher of Austria maintained his winning streak as he claimed his third victory in succession in the slalom at Adelboden, Switzerland, on 8 January 2012, bringing his total wins for the season to five. With a combined time of one minute 58.66 seconds, Hirscher made history as the first skier to win both classic World Cup races in a weekend at the Adelboden Resort. The 22-year old skier beat defending champion Ivica Kostelic by a mere 0.27 seconds, with Stefano Gross of Italy taking third place on the podium.

In a post-race interview, Hirscher expressed his surprise at his success, noting that the weather conditions made the race like a rodeo and had him rocking all over the place. Having recovered from an injury suffered at the end of last season, Hirscher had not been expecting the success he has achieved in the current season. He was reported as saying that he has achieved the goals he set for himself this season, and was having fun with each race, enjoying his winning streak for as long as it lasts. He also noted, however, that he is glad for the break before the slalom set to take place in Wengen on January 15.

Kostelic conceded that he had been more cautious than usual in the manner in which he tackled the race, explaining that he has a history with the last ten gates on the Adelboden Chuenisbargli course where he has made mistakes in the past. Hirscher did not let anything hold him back as he took the victory. Both skiers agreed that weather conditions had been extremely difficult to deal with.

Although Ivica Kostelic of Croatia is 230 points behind Marcel Hirscher in the men’s World Cup championship, he has made it known that he is up for the challenge. He noted that what he likes about alpine skiing is that each race has skiers starting from scratch and he anticipated that Wengen will provide plenty of excitement, and Hirscher will have to show what he’s worth in speed events. Marcel Hirscher plans to skip the Super-Combined race scheduled for Friday and concentrate his efforts on Sunday’s Slalom.

Holmenkollen Ski Museum in Norway

Editor — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:34:45 +0000

Holmenkollen Ski Museum was established in 1923, making it the oldest ski museum in the world. It is situated at the base of Norway‘s famous Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo. Tours of both the museum and the Jump Tower are on offer, providing insight into the ancient history of skiing, as well as modern-day skiing. In fact, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum covers the history of skiing back some 4,000 years to the Stone Age.

The latest addition to the exhibitions at the Holmenkollen Ski Museum is the “Is it possible?!” display. Located in the new building of the museum, this feature has been designed to challenge people’s perceptions and open them up to the possibilities. It demonstrates how anything is possible for those with disabilities, how difficulties can be overcome. Visitors to the museum are given the opportunity to experience firsthand what it is like to move on a Sitski, as well as what it feels like to shoot when blind.

The museum’s polar exhibitions deal with the expeditions of Børge Ousland, Fridtjob Nansen and Roald Amundsen, with much of the equipment on display having been donated by polar explorers. Two of Fridtjof Nansen’s expeditions are followed. Firstly there is his trip across Greenland in 1888. Nansen is noted for his experimental nature, testing different types of ski gear during the journey. He published “The First Crossing of Greenland” in 1890, leaving a model for explorers who followed him. The next expedition of Nansen’s covered at the Ski Museum is the “First Fram Expedition” to the North Pole in 1893 to 1896. On display is the clothing worn by Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen, along with other artifacts from their attempt to reach the North Pole.

Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition is also looked at. This was in fact a race between Amudsen’s group and a British expedition with Captain Rober Falcon Scott. They won the race, arriving at the pole on 14 December 1911, followed by the British on 18 January 1912.

An interesting display is related to Børge Ousland, who in fact borrows pack his equipment when headed on further polar adventures. There are film clips of his solo North Pole trip in 2001 as well as other items on display. Further exhibitions at the Holmenkollen Ski Museum show how skis were used in prehistoric times, as well as the development of skis through the ages. Intricately decorated skis are found in the Old Norwegian Village Skis display. There is a Wall of Fame that is constantly updated, models of the Holmenkollen ski jump and films of famous moments in skiing history.

Holmenkollen Ski Museum is well worth a visit for the whole family. Visiting hours are 10 am to 4 pm in October to April; 10 am to 5 pm from May to September; and 9 am to 8pm in the months of June, July and August.

Snow Camp Everest Challenge

Editor — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:32:45 +0000

This three-day charity event will see skiers and snowboarders covering some 150km in 48 hours, including a mountain hiking at night and night skiing. Fifty places are available for teams and individuals so it is vital to book. The 2011 event managed to raise over £30,000 for the Snow-Camp charity. Be sure to book by visiting the Snow Camp website.

Dates: 26 to 29 January 2012
Venue: Morzine
Country: France