The ’12 hours Head NonStop’, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada

Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada.Sierra Nevada: Cetursa approves an investment of 10 million for the next season and addresses the installation of a new ski lift.

The ’12 hours Head NonStop’, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada resort will host this Saturday the event in which the participants, in individual category or teams, face a huge challenge from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

Sierra Nevada welcomes this Saturday, January 26 the “12 hours Head NonStop”, a test of endurance of the harshest of alpine skiing, in which, in individual participants or teams of 2 or 3 members, must keep on skiing uninterruptedly from 9 in the morning until 9 p.m. (this reminds me to the 24 hours of Aspen that were for teams of 2 but skiing all day and all night…24 hours, with time only to breathe on the gondola!)

The skier or team that makes the greatest number of descents in the circuit designed for the competition will be the winner of the second edition of a competition. Last year the winner was the local runner Tato Peinado.

The Maribel and Rio trails illuminated at night. Photo: Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada. The '12 hours Head NonStop ', the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada.
The Maribel and Rio trails illuminated at night. Photo: Archive Cetursa Sierra Nevada. The ’12 hours Head NonStop ‘, the toughest test in skiing, arrives in the Sierra Nevada.

The “12 hours Head NonStop” of Sierra Nevada will take place this Saturday at the Peñones and Perdiz (Borreguiles) tracks, during the day, and on the Maribel track, during the night. The tent for relays and logistics will be installed in the Nevasol restaurant.

The test is conceived as a physical and mental challenge for runners, who must show their skills with their skis, as well as know when to relieve themselves, refresh themselves and rest.

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Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

The state of the industry in Colorado - Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

Alterra is expecting to sell 250,000 of the new IKON Pass while Vail Resorts stated that their sales of the EPIC Pass are up thanks mostly to the $99 military pass. This was the excerpt heard during the annual Governor’s Tourism Conference at the Talisa Hotel in Vail. The “Trends in ski” panel with Alterra’s Head of Sales Bob Stinchcomb, Vail Resorts marketing chief Kieran Cain and Powdr’s Jennifer Rudolph.

Lauren Berlamino, of Karsh Hagan, a marketing, design and tech company started the discussion with where the whole ski industry is in Colorado, noting the challenges of shorter seasons due to climate change and aging demographic. The opportunities to be had are the experiences beyond skiing and the leading the way in sustainability.

Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.
Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.

One-fifth of skiers are 55 years or older, with some of the most avid participants are aged 70 and older. Skiers and snowboarders visits in the country have increased from 8.7 million in 1996-97 to 9.2 million in 2017-18. Berlamino states that this growth does not correlate with the overall population growth over the past years.

“It kind of sounds like we’re facing an uphill battle, but really Colorado is doing amazing in this industry,” she said. “I think nobody’s better positioned than our state to continue to ride this momentum and be successful amidst all this change that we’re seeing.”

Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.
Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.

According to the National Ski Areas Association, Colorado’s share of overnight ski trips in the calendar year of 2017 was 21 percent, followed by California at 13.7 percent. Of the 53.2 million skier visits, that’s about 11 million visitors to Colorado.

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What is new in equipment for the 2018-19 ski season –Finches Ski Emporium and Rossignol – as found at the The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show

Head Vector Ski Boot 2019- sold at Finches Emporium. Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.

The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show always indicates the start of the Northern Hemisphere ski season – or at least that it is coming closer! I love going to the show, now in its third year at the Battersea Park site. I choose to go on the Thursday, when it is more the trade day, and you can have a chat with all exhibitors, and also then I return on the Friday with my boys and husband, as an annual outing. The Ski Show is always a great place to see what is new in equipment – in this post will highlight some ‘pearls’ found at Finches Ski Emporium and the Rossignol stand.

London Ski Show, a bit of what you get when you visit. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
London Ski Show, a bit of what you get when you visit. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.

What caught my eye at Finches Emporium

Boots:

Rossignol Pure Pro 100 Women’s Ski Boots – The 2019 Rossignol Pure Pro 100 women’s alpine ski boot is specifically designed for women’s physiology. It has a slim fit to provide foot support for performance skiing. It comes with a liner that can be customised – heated and moulded during the ski boot fitting process. The liners are fully lined in merino wool, which is very soft and warm.

A flex of 100 makes these boots great for all mountain skiing and for experienced and strong skiers. The flex of 100 is on the stiffer end of the scale for women’s boots to support fast skiing in all types of terrain.
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Aspen Snowmass Announces The Meeting 14 FilmFest Screenings

The state of the industry in Colorado - Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

Aspen Snowmass Announces The Meeting 14 FilmFest Screenings,   Presented by Rylo

FilmFest Screenings will take place Oct. 4-6

The Meeting 14, presented by Rylo, FilmFest will take place in Aspen Snowmass Oct. 4-6 and feature screenings of the latest outdoor and ski/snowboard film.  Films will include “Free Solo” By National Geographic, “Would You,” by Jeremy Pancras Visuals, “All In,” by Matchstick Productions, Zig Zag by Level 1, “We Tried,” by Shredbots and “Stay Tuned,” by Absinthe Films. In addition, the FilmFest will once again include the entertaining local’s favorite, NEPSA awards, a short film contest centered on skiing, snowboarding and comedic acts by local and amateur filmmakers. For the second year, the NEPSA awards will include a photo contest, in which local and regional photographers can enter a piece of work that will be displayed in a gallery format prior to the NEPSA video presentation.

The Meeting Aspen 2017 - Photo by Jeremey Swanson. Aspen Skiing Company.
The Meeting Aspen 2017 – Photo by Jeremey Swanson. Aspen Skiing Company.

The following films will be screened at The Meeting 14, presented by Rylo. For full list of film trailers, click here.

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More than 1,100 attended the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium in South Lake Tahoe

View from the room at the Harrah's - MTS 2018 Heavenly, Lake Tahoe.

Exhausted but happy participants departed South Lake Tahoe over the weekend after several intense days of buying, selling, learning, schmoozing and skiing at the 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium.

Trade Exchange Floor - 43rd Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe. More than 1,100 attendees participated
Trade Exchange Floor – Mountain Travel Symposium, Heavenly, South Lake Tahoe.

More than 1,100 participants representing 24 countries took part. Fresh snow and bright sunshine capped the week of events, and those who were there to do business said they had full schedules and lots of deals got done. Most also got in a few runs on the slopes of Heavenly Resort as well.

Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at the 43rd annual Mountain Travel Symposium.
Virginie Koulibaly from Valais Matterhorn Region addresses with Nick Turnell and Pascal Prinz of Switzerland Tourism the invited tour operators for the Switzerland Tourism evening with raclette at Mountain Travel Symposium.

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Are you ready for the Mountain Gourmet Experience of 2018? Courmayeur Mont Blanc is waiting for you!

For the second year running, Jason Atherton (now 4 Michelin stars worldwide) and Claude Bosi (straight at 2 Michelin stars with his new venture, Bibendum), join inaugural genius Sat Bains (2 Michelin stars) for an incredible experience curated by Heston Blumenthal in Courmayeur, Mont Blanc, from 20 to 23 March.

Heston Blumental curates the Mountain Gourmet Experience 2018 in Courmayeur
Heston Blumental curates the Mountain Gourmet Experience 2018 in Courmayeur

The added twist is the unexpected presence of Marcus Wareing, who enjoyed the first 2 experiences so much, he has come back for more!

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Guests from the UK, Canada, Dubai, France and Ireland will converge on Courmayeur for 3 days of epicurean alchemy provided by the stellar chefs and their support team composed of 10 chefs from the UK.

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Grandvalira hosts the European Cup finals, the precursor to the 2019 World Cup finals

SOLDEU, ANDORRA - FEBRUARY 27: Lindsey Vonn of USA competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup WomenÕs Super-G on February 27, 2016 in Soldeu, Andorra. (Photo by Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom)

A total of 190 skiers from 25 countries will participate from 12 to 18 March

The World Cup slopes, Avet and Àliga, will once again be the stage for this competition, consisting of 8 trials in the technical and speed disciplines

350 volunteers will take part in this sporting event requiring all the technical and organisational rigour of a World Cup final.

Grandvalira is the largest resort under one lift ticket in Andorra. Photo courtesy Grandvalira.
Grandvalira is the largest resort under one lift ticket in Andorra. Photo courtesy Grandvalira.

Grandvalira officially announced today that the European Cup Finals for men’s and women’s alpine skiing will be held from 12 to 18 March on the Avet slope in Soldeu and the Àliga slope in El Tarter. The European Cup finals are the last trial before the 2019 World Cup finals, the largest sporting event in the history of Andorra. The event will consist of a total of 8 trials: two in technical disciplines on the Avet slope in Soldeu (slalom and giant slalom); and two in the speed disciplines on the Àliga slope in El Tarter (super-G and downhill).

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Warren Miller, the ski-movies-guru and pioneer, died at 93 at his Orcas Island home

Warren Miller was the pioneer of the ski films, a real ski movies guru.

I was very sad to hear that Warren A. Miller, the pioneer ski movies filmmaker has passed away yesterday. He was 93, but he did have a great life. He promoted the idea of ‘pure freedom’ that is associated with skiing. He was a self-taught filmmaker who started filming himself for an annual narrated ski movie shown in small theatres. Over the years, he continued narrating all his films, his voice is very warm, and recognisable. He makes fun out of skiing and is ok of making fun out of himself. His company, Warren Miller Entertainment, has produced more than 500 adventure sport films.

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The Second Ever European Mountain Travel Summit (EMTS) has concluded with lots of success at Crans Montana

Crans Montana photo by The-Ski-Guru- EMTS 2018

EMTS, the 2nd ever European Mountain Travel Summit (EMTS),  has concluded in Crans Montana, gathering 160  senior executives of the Ski Industry. Delegates from different countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas got together to have an insight on how business is going, what could be done better and to learn from peers.

EMTS took place at the Centre de Congrés Le Régent in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Amin Momen from Momentum Ski presented the morning sessions.
EMTS took place at the Centre de Congrés Le Régent in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Amin Momen from Momentum Ski presented the morning sessions.

The business-to-business event connects top-level executives from all over the globe for thought provoking content, a number of networking events and alpine skiing in a leading mountain resort destination.

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Taste of Courmayeur will start on January 26th and go through the 28th at the Courmayeur Mountain Sport Center

Taste of Courmayeur is starting this coming weekend! Photo Credit: Taste of Courmayeur and Centro Servizi Courmayeur

From January 26 to 28, the Italian resort of Courmayeur hosts an amazing gourmet event: Taste of Courmayeur where people have the chance to sample the best delicacies from the Aosta Valley and Italy as a whole with a beautifully scenic backdrop, enhanced by lights and music.

Taste of Courmayeur - 26-28 January 2018 at the Courmayeur Mountain Sports Center.
Taste of Courmayeur – 26-28 January 2018 at the Courmayeur Mountain Sports Center.

For this year’s event at the Courmayeur Mountain Sport Center, six renowned chefs will prepare their most refined and delicious dishes in a special tasting menu. The 24-course menu will be accompanied by a rich programme of activities – it’s a gourmet dream for foodies, a great festive occasion, and a unique opportunity to attend food and wine tastings and workshops with top chefs. The three-day festival aims to make haute cuisine accessible to everyone – each of the 24 dishes is priced between €6 and €10, with good-quality wine and beer as an accompaniment – and there’s also a kids’ area for young foodies.

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