February 27, 2012

Shawnee Mountain Military Appreciation Weekend


Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA - In an effort to honor the brave men and women defending our freedom and our great Nation, Shawnee Mountain is pleased to announce Military Appreciation Weekend Friday, Saturday & Sunday, March 16, 17 & 18, 2012. As a special "Thank You" all active Military and their immediate family (spouse & children 18 years and under) will receive FREE Lift Tickets and Ski or Snowboard Rentals for any of the 3 days. Also, Group Lessons and SKIwee Children's Lesson Programs will be made available at a 50% Discount.

Valid active military picture ID is required and valid dependent cards are required. All branches of our Armed Forces are eligible, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard active duty members. For all Retired Military and Reservists and their immediate family a discount of 50% off Lift Tickets will be offered during the Military Appreciation Weekend. Again valid active military picture ID is required and valid dependent cards are required. As a special bonus, those attending Military Appreciation Weekend are welcome to enjoy the Costume Carnival Day and Parade taking place at Shawnee Mountain on Sunday, March 20 at 1pm.

Winter Fun, Spring Style - March Madness At Sugar Mountain Ski Resort


Banner Elk, NC -

March Madness means discounted rates beginning Monday, March 5th at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort. Skiers and snowboarders can delight in 25% savings on lift tickets, rental equipment and lessons for the remainder of the ski season. Plus Winter Value Packages are discounted 40%; making spring skiing and riding more attractive than ever.

March Madness also signals a new season and a new attitude. BOSS HAWG brings their distinctive brand of Blue Grass to the Sugar Mountain Lodge March 3rd and 17th. Both shows begin at 4 pm and deliver two hours of rousing, foot tapping music.

On Sunday, March 4th we celebrate the life of the late Dick Trundy, a decorated Marine Corps General and aviator who served as Sugar Mountain's Director of Operations after his retirement from the service. The Dick Trundy Sugar Cup Giant Slalom competition is a NASTAR style competition open to skiers and snowboarders from the age of four to seniors 65 years and up. Event registration begins at 7:30 am with racing starting at 9 am on Big Red. One-hundred percent of all $15 entry fees go to the American Cancer Society.

March 4th as well marks Sugar Bear's Birthday Celebration another annual event that adds to the magic of the spring ski season on Sugar Mountain. Activities include the Great Bear Race, special treats, and of course cupcakes and ice cream. Kids love this event and that always puts a smile on the adults, too.

On Sunday, March 18th Sugar Mountain hosts the Sixth Annual Easter Egg Hunt right on the slopes. Dress up in your Easter Best costume and join Sugar Bear and Sweetie Bear in the snow in search of prize-filled eggs. Hundreds of colorful plastic eggs will be tucked away over the Lower Flying Mile slope within view of the lodge. One lucky skier or snowboarder will find an egg containing a 2012-2013 Sugar Mountain season pass. The Easter egg hunt is free for all children 12 and under with a valid lift/slope ticket, or pass. The event begins at 9 am at the bottom of the No. 1 Summit lift.

February 26, 2012

A-Basin Opens Montezuma Bowl


Arapahoe Basin, CO - Arapahoe Basin’s Montezuma Bowl opened to the public today at noon.

All of the intermediate terrain in Montezuma Bowl is now open, including Columbine, Larkspur, Shining Light, Ned’s Cache, Independence and Elk Meadows. In addition, the advanced, gladed terrain in Torreys, Grays, Bierstadt and Lightning Traverse is now open. All of the newly-opened terrain is accessible from the Zuma chairlift. Terrain will be growing quickly to include additional runs as conditions permit.

The past week of storms along with grooming and patrol work have enabled A-Basin to open Montezuma Bowl to the public for the first time this season. Montezuma Bowl opened for its inaugural season in January of 2008. The expansion increased the ski area’s terrain by 80 percent. The 400-acre Montezuma Bowl, located on the backside of Arapahoe Basin, was the nation’s largest terrain expansion for the 2007-2008 ski season.

Updated stats for the ski area as of today: 6 lifts open 63 trails 600 acres 100% beginner; 94% intermediate; 49% advanced

February 16, 2012

SnowEast Magazine Call for Nominations for Best Ski Resort in the East


Wilmington, NY - SnowEast Magazine has opened the nomination period for its annual Reader Survey. Categories range from Most Scenic to the Best Ski Resort in the East. Last year’s survey generated more than 6,500 votes from the magazine’s readership.

Last winter, Whiteface/Lake Placid, N.Y. won the honor as the magazine’s top ski resort in the east and this season it was voted the Most Scenic.

The resort has received a number of accolades already this season. In November, readers of SKI Magazine tabbed it as the number-one ski resort in the state of New York and ranked it as the fourth top ski resort in the eastern United States. And for the 19th consecutive year, the publication’s readers selected Whiteface/Lake Placid number-one for Off-Hill Activities.

In December, National Geographic Magazine named Whiteface/Lake Placid, as one of the “Best 10 Winter Trips 2012.” The publication also included the destination in its January feature of “Top-10 Winter Adventures.”

TIMEBENDER Turns the Time/Space Continuum on It's Head‏!


Whistler, BC - Everything at Whistler Blackcomb is in constant motion, but sometimes the subtleties of that motion are lost to the naked eye. In Timebender, we turn the time/space continuum on its head; slowing down the fast action and speeding up the slow stuff. The season is still young and there's no better time to visit Whistler Blackcomb. What's stopping you?

View TIMEBENDER Here!

Shawnee Mountain Raises Money For Local Charities


Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA - Shawnee Mountain is pleased to announce its donation of all the proceeds from the Pennsylvania Learn to Ski Day held January 5 on the Ski Area’s Learning Center. A total of $960 was donated to the Bushkill Outreach. The Bushkill Outreach is a local food bank affiliated with the Reformed Church of Bushkill and St. John’s Catholic Church of Bushkill, PA.

Recently on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 4, Shawnee Mountain held its annual Race Against Cancer on the Upper Tomahawk NASTAR Race Trail. Race fee proceeds, along with corporate sponsorships and individual donations raised $7,446, all of which has been sent to Monroe County Chapter of the American Cancer Society. Both Pennsylvania Learn to Ski Day and the Race Against Cancer are long standing Shawnee Mountain Events and along with other fundraisers are held annually at the family orientated Ski Area.

New Snow, Deals at Sugar Bowl for Presidents' Week


Donner Summit, CA - The recent winter storms that rolled across Donner Summit left behind 18” of new snow on Sugar Bowl Resort, just in time for the busy Presidents' Holiday week of skiing and snowboarding. And with another system forecasting additional snow for this coming Saturday, resort operators are expecting quality conditions out on the mountain with plenty of skiers & riders hitting the slopes. Sugar Bowl is offering holiday specials and deals for both day skiers and passholders alike:

Sugar Bowl will keep in place the lower, regular season lift ticket rates, straight through the holiday week.

Sugar Bowl Season Passholders with a restricted pass, blacked out over the holiday week, can take advantage of $39 Adult, $33 Young Adult/Senior and $10 Child Tickets, on that specific pass blackout day, FEB 18-26. Passholders need to visit the Judah Special Tickets office, or any ticket window, with their 2011/12 Sugar Bowl season pass, to receive the discount lift ticket. Offer is valid for one lift ticket per passholder.

All Sugar Bowl CORE Daily and Season Passholders can bring along a friend and save them $15 on the price of their lift ticket, FEB 17-26.

Season Passholders from any other ski resort can also take advantage of the $15 saving on their Sugar Bowl lift ticket, FEB 17-26. Passholders from other resorts simply need to visit the Judah Special Tickets office, or any ticket window.

February 15, 2012

Valentine's Storm Stacks Up to 32" and Still Snowing!


Pagosa Springs, CO - There was no need to get your sweetheart a snow globe if you spent your Valentine's Day at Wolf Creek - A storm that began early Sunday morning has stacked up to 32" so far, and it's still snowing! The all-natural snow depth at the summit has reached the 100 inch benchmark, reaffirming Wolf Creek's title as the Most Snow in Colorado! And to share the good fortune, Wolf Creek is offering $33 adult lift tickets and $19 child and senior lift tickets for tomorrow, February 15th.

New Snow Brings Snowpack up to 100" at Mt. Hood Meadows


Mt. Hood, OR - Mt. Hood Meadows received some Valentine’s Day love in the form of new snow – so far 4 inches have accumulated in this storm, increasing the base area snowpack to 100 inches. Snow is expected to fall into the evening, before skies clear giving way to a sunnyWednesday.

The resort is celebrating Valentine’s Week with a 2-for-1 online lift ticket offer – purchase 2 midweek lift tickets for just $79. The tickets are to be used together on the same day, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the new snow with someone specials. The tickets must be purchased in advance.

Heading into the holiday weekend Meadows will run its Park+Ride shuttle buses Saturday, Sunday and Monday (President’s Day.)

And the resort is extending hours on Monday, February 20th until 9 PM in celebration of President’s Day. A special $10 evening ticket – good from 3 – 9 PM is available online at SkiHood.com, The same ticket purchased at the ski resort Monday evening will be $15.

Regular operating hours are 9 AM – 9 PM Wednesday – Sunday, with lifts closing at 4 PM Monday and Tuesday. But Meadows is extending hours to 9 PM on Monday, February 20 to celebrate President’s day.

February 8, 2012

Family Fun in Full Swing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort


Revelstoke, BC - With the introduction of new family amenities at Revelstoke Mountain Resort , the fun is in full swing with all features ready for visiting families arriving for Family Week and Spring Break. New family amenities at the resort include the Turtle Creek Beginner Area & Tube Park, Kids ROC, Mountain Child Care, and The Sutton Place Hotel outdoor pool and hot tub facility. Loads of family fun is planned around the Family Day holiday (February 20, 2012) with a full week of low-cost and no-cost activities for children and families offered through Kids ROC and Mountain Child Care.

Kids ROC Family Week Activity Schedule Activities will include both daytime and evening fun such as a scavenger hunt, snow party, helmet decorating, in addition to Kids ROC après-ski programming with game, craft and snow tubing nights that include dinner. Mountain Child Care will also offer special evening child care services most evenings during Family Week. Thursday February 16 – Saturday February 25.

The new Turtle Creek Beginner Area & Tube Park has been very popular since opening in early January with Kids ROC weekend programs seeing an all-time high for enrolment.

Tahoe Junior Freeride Series Makes Season Debut at Sugar Bowl


Donner Summit, CA - The Tahoe Junior Freeride Series makes its first stop at Sugar Bowl Resort this weekend, February 11-12th. The region's best junior big mountain skiers will test their skills each day in a two run cumulative score format. Age groups of 10-14 and 15-18 for both boys and girls will be battling for points that now count towards national ranking. The Tahoe Junior Freeride Series began as a friendly competition between Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley’s Freeride Team and has since become a structured regional event that boasts some of the best junior talent in the country, with teams representing Squaw Free, Auburn Ski Club, Kirkwood Freeride team, Squaw Valley Freeride team, Alpine Meadows Freeride team and the Sugar Bowl Freeride team. Contestants are judged on their line choice, control, fluidity, technique and overall impression. Competition begins at 10:00 am each day.

11th Annual NATO Telemark Clinic February 11 and 12 at Belleayre Get Spied by Clear Channel and Win Prizes on Saturday, February 11


Highmount, NY - Head to Belleayre February 11 and 12 for the 11th Annual North American Telemark Organization Workshop to perfect your knee-dipping technique. This popular clinic is the most complete two-day on snow telemark clinic offered in North America. Topics covered by Belleayre's own tele expert Ferd LaMotte will include everything from the DNA of basic telemark skiing to high end hybrid free heel techniques including step, jump, and hop tele's, linking smooth turns, and free heel parallel. There will also be a special section on skiing moguls and steep and packed surfaces. Pre-registration is required and can be done by contacting NATO Director Dickie Hall at 802-496-4387 or by emailing info@telemarknato.com.

Clear Channel Radio will be at the Overlook Lodge on Saturday, February 11 for the next installment of Slope Spies at Belleayre. Register in the morning at the Clear Channel tent outside Overlook Lodge and get a Slope Spies ticket. If a Slope Spies staff member spots you on the hill they will send you to the registration tent for a prize. Don't miss this promotion because the Clear Channel rep's give away all sorts of great prizes.

Be sure to be at Belleayre with the favorite skier or snowboarder in your life for the Valentine's Couples Race on Sunday, February 12. Maneuver the NASTAR race course on Lower Yahoo while tied to your favorite person to get the fastest time in this fun all ages event. Registration is from 8-10 in the Garden Room of Overlook Lodge and is free. Helmets are required.

February 3, 2012

Storm brings 11" to Wolf Creek!


Pagosa Springs, CO - The blizzard that is wreaking havoc across the plains was welcomed with smiles in Southwest Colorado. The timing couldn't be better: Salomon is at Wolf Creek today and tomorrow with their new BBR skis available for demo, and Wolf Creek has a host of events coming up this weekend including a Ladies Ski and Board Clinic tomorrow, and a Telemark Clinic, Local Appreciation Day and Fun Race on Sunday.

Southern New Hampshire Ski Resort Gets First High Speed Quad Lift


Bennington, NH - Peak Resorts announces the acquisition of the high speed detachable quad chairlift formally of Ascutney Mountain, VT. The installation of the lift, along with a terrain expansion is planned at Crotched Mountain, NH for the 2012-2013 season. This 3 million dollar capital investment will happen on the 10 year anniversary of the reconstruction of the resort.

We are very excited about the prospect of adding a detachable lift at CrotchedMountain. This lift will provide quick access to the summit, ultimately providing more value and vertical to our guests. Along with the lift, the addition of 25 acres of skiable terrain will be a significant upgrade for the resort." said Jesse Boyd, VP of Operations for Peak Resorts.

While replacing the current Summit fixed grip lift, the only high speed quad lift in Southern NH will provide an uphill capacity of 2400 persons per hour, and access to an additional 25 acres of terrain in less than 4 minutes of time on the lift. The additional terrain access is accomplished by the extension of the current summit lift profile to the top of the mountain, approaching 1000 feet of vertical drop. The additional 25 acres of terrain will encompass three extra slopes and two glade areas. The new terrain will have 100 percent fan snowmaking coverage as well as being lit for night skiing.

"We at Crotched pride our self on the commitment of service to all skiing and snowboarding guests from beginners all the way to expert terrain park and racing enthusiasts. The ability for us to provide the value of even more time on the slopes is very exciting. The expansion of terrain will benefit all of our clientele with an easier route off the top of the mountain and trails that will access our progressive terrain parks, glade skiing and allow us to stay committed to the ski racing culture of New Hampshire." said Pat Terry, General Manager of Crotched Mountain.

Lift construction and trail development are scheduled to take place starting the spring of 2012 pending approval of permitting with NH State and local township regulations.