Ski Portillo is opening on June 23rd with more than five feet of snow.

Skiers Looking Down at Hotel Portillo. Frank Shine 2

Ski Portillo is opening on June 23rd having received 16 inches of fresh snow over the weekend (nearly five feet to the date).

The recent storm that covered Portillo’s iconic ski runs is stirring anticipation and excitement amongst skiers and boarders across North America. An all-inclusive Ski Portillo vacation is something special, nothing to compare to other ski resorts experiences. It is like you are going to a private ski mountain, and is a perfect summer getaway for guests of the Northern Hemisphere to enjoy with family and/or friends.

Ski Portillo. Photo by Adam Clark. Skiing as if you were in your own private ski resort.
Ski Portillo. Photo by Adam Clark. Skiing as if you were in your own private ski resort. Ski Portillo is opening on June 23rd.

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Saas-Fee awesome crowfunding campaign for a season pass of CHF 255 gets a green light for the third year in the row.

Saas-Fee is launching for the third time in the row the MountainCARD, a crowfunding campaign to get a season pass for CHF 255.

If you are planning to go skiing to Switzerland, think ahead and watch this promotion of Saas-Fee. With only CHF 255 you might be lucky of getting a season pass for Saas-Fee if 66,666 other winter fans chip in, thanks to the latest crowfunding campaign, an effort now in its third year.



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The website for the WinterCARD is now up and running at www.make-it-happen-again.ch . The deal is this: if by 31st October 2018 ther are 66,666 winter enthusiasts registering their interest for the pass for Saas-Fee, Saas-Grund, Saas-Almagell and Saas-Balen, then these people will obtain their ski pass for CHF 255.

Saas-Fee is one of the prettiest ski towns in the Valais region. Get advantage of the crowdfunding campaign and get your WinterCARD for CHF 255.
Saas-Fee is one of the prettiest ski towns in the Valais region. Get advantage of the crowdfunding campaign and get your WinterCARD for CHF 255.

You will only be obliged to pay if the goal of the WinterCARD is achieved. You can check how many people have registered checking at www.make-it-happen-again.ch with its live counter. By 31st October, all participants will be contacted via email if they are owners of the WinterCARD 2018-19 that will be valid from 1st November 2018 til 28th April 2019.

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Trentino offers over 8,000 km of biking trails and eight parks for downhill biking

San Martino di Castrozza - Passo Rolle - Tognola - San Martino Bike Arena Fototeca Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A. - FOTO DI Roberto Bragotto. San Martino di Castrozza - Passo Rolle - Tognola - San Martino Bike Arena Fototeca Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A. - FOTO DI Roberto Bragotto. Trentino offers 8,000 kilometres of biking trails and eight downhill bike parks.

Trentino has over 8,000 km of biking trials and eight bike parks for downhill biking. If you are thinking where to have your new biking adventure, don’t look somewhere else; Trentino is the place to be. Keep on reading to see why I state this.

There are thousands of mapped and marked kilometres of tracks for bikers of all levels, including families, experts and even 8 adrenaline active bike parks. From cross-country, endure and downhill, the new craze in Trentino is to explore the mountains on two wheels.

Tonadico - Dolomiti Pale di San Martino - Rifugio Pradidali. Fototeca Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A. - FOTO DI Tommaso Forin. Trentino offers over 8,000 kilometres of biking trails and 8 downhill bike parks.
Tonadico – Dolomiti Pale di San Martino – Rifugio Pradidali. Fototeca Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A. – FOTO DI Tommaso Forin. Trentino offers over 8,000 kilometres of biking trails and 8 downhill bike parks.

All the area is ready to receive the bike aficionados, with rentals and service centers, to e-bikes, recharging stations, downhill routes served by lifts, special dedicated bike accommodations, MTB guides and shuttle buses for transfers or to return to base with an amazing food and wine experience to provide the best bike holiday. The most demanding bikers in the world choose Trentino for its spectacular scenery, bike tracks and the top-notch services.



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There are defined different areas in Trentino where to choose for a cycling holiday.

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Colorado resorts’ downhill ski visits down again in 2017-18

Loveland Ski Area - Powder Alliance. Several new resorts join the Powder Alliance for 2018-19 ski season

As per the Denver Business Journal, visits to Colorado resorts’ downhill ski visits are down again in 2017-18, but thanks to the late snowfalls, the numbers were not as bad as feared.

Vail, the renown resorts that gave name to the company that now manages the Epic Pass.
Vail, the renown resorts that gave name to the company that now manages the Epic Pass. Colorado resorts’ downhill ski visits down again in 2017-18.

Colorado Ski Country resorts have received 7.1 million visits to their 24 member resorts, a 2 % drop from the 2016-17 ski season. This was announced on Thuresday at CSCUSA’s annual meeting.



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Vail Resorts Inc (NYSE:MTN)- the operator of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone are not part of CSCUSA and have not announced the figures for its resorts, but said before that overall resorts in North America fell 1.9 % from the previous season.

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Jungfrau V-bahn railway project gets green light overcoming opposition

Jungfrau v-bahn railway project gets green light.

The controversial Jungfrau V-bahn railway project gets green light overcoming opposition.

The Federal Office of Transport has approved a CHF400 million ($405 million) mountain railway project that will carry tourists faster up to the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alps. The project has been modified to appease local opponents who had raised environmental and aesthetic concerns.

At the heart of the controversial plan is a V-shaped cable car route that would allow more tourists to swiftly reach the Eiger Glacier station from where they can take the mountain railways to the Jungfraujoch “Top of Europe” tourist station.

Photomontage of the possible new situation in the ground in Grindelwald. Left the new Männlichenbahn, right the Eiger Express and the parking garage. Both planned new buildings are marketed under the name V project
Photomontage of the possible new situation in the ground in Grindelwald. Left the new Männlichenbahn, right the Eiger Express and the parking garage. Both planned new buildings are marketed under the name V project.

Local authorities and residents of the Bernese Alps feared the “Eiger express” line, which would start from the village of Grindelwald, would disfigure the landscape. Seventeen objections were made but advocates gave up the fight in February accepting in exchange a donation for a good cause.

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Vail Resorts to acquire Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Okemo Mountain Resort, and Mount Sunapee Resort , and also Stevens Pass Resort in a separate transaction.

Crested Butte is one of the last additions to the EPIC Pass. Photo: Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

• Vail Resorts will acquire Triple Peaks, LLC, the parent company of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado.
• In a separate transaction, Vail Resorts will acquire Stevens Pass Resort in Washington State.
• Upon closing, Epic Pass and Whistler Blackcomb Edge Card products will now include additional access to all four resorts for the 2018-19 winter season, providing even more variety and options in New England, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest.
• Vail Resorts plans to invest $35 million in total capital across the four resorts over the next two years.

Crested Butte viewed from town- Photo b JC Leacock - Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort viewed from town- Photo b JC Leacock – Crested Butte Mountain Resort, now recently purchased by Vail Resorts.

As per a new press release by Vail Resorts, as of today, June 4, 2018,  Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)  has entered into an agreement to purchase Triple Peaks, LLC, the parent company of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. The Company will purchase Triple Peaks, LLC from the Mueller family for a purchase price of $82 million, subject to certain adjustments. At closing, Triple Peaks will pay $155 million to pay off the leases that all three resorts have with Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate, with funds provided by Vail Resorts.

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Aspen officials, developers agree on a new lift alignment at base of Ajax- Lift 1 A Aspen Mountain.

Lift 1A- Aspen Mountain

Article submitted on Aspen Times. – The proverbial bullwheel for a new chairlift at the base of Aspen Mountain’s west side, where Lift 1A is now, has been set in motion, now that developers and city planners have the go ahead to bring the alignment down to Dean Street — or close to it.


Aspen City Council on Tuesday gave direction to city staff, Aspen Skiing Co. and the developers of two lodge properties on the Lift 1A side of the mountain to move forward with their plans to reinvigorate the western portal of the ski area.

Lift One Lodge developers Michael and Aaron Brown at the site of the historic Lift One bulwheel structure. Aspen Mountain. Photo: Aspen Times.
Lift One Lodge developers Michael and Aaron Brown at the site of the historic Lift One bulwheel structure. Aspen Mountain. Photo: Aspen Times.

While a “telemix” — a combination of a chairlift and gondola — was recommended to start just in front of the 1940s-era Lift One bullwheel structure, council members said they were OK if the historic resource was moved in order to get the new platform closer to Dean Street, thus giving skiers easier access to the mountain.

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Spot on St Anton am Arlberg in summer: Just the way summers should be

On the 150 kilometers of the "Arlberg Giro" cycle race from St. Anton via Bludenz, the Montafon, the Silvretta and back, the athletes overcome 2,500 vertical meters Photo credit: TVB St. Anton am Arlberg / photographer Patrick Säly

St. Anton am Arlberg: Revitalise, be dynamic and discover pastures new:
Just the way summers should be.

Many people know St. Anton am Arlberg as a world famous winter sports destination. But when temperatures start to climb, St. Anton am Arlberg reveals its multifaceted summer life – where visitors can experience the birthplace of alpine skiing, as an original mountain village. This is the time to discover the hidden treasures of this holiday destination, get better acquainted with the mountain lodge hosts and immerse yourself in the pristine natural landscapes. A Tyrolean alpine setting and the perfect stage for a whole host of sporting events. For example, those seeking an adrenalin rush will find it at the ”Arlberg Adler“ mountain triathlon and “ARLBERG-Giro“, while more peace-loving guests will find their inner selves at the „Mountain Yoga Festival“. The spotlight is on the extended Verwalltal Valley during summer 2018.www.stantonamarlberg.com

 

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THREE HURT: Cars swept away by Swiss alpine pass avalanche

An avalanche has swept two cars while crossing the Klausen Pass in Switzerland. THREE HURT: Cars swept away by Swiss alpine pass avalanche. Photo of an avalanche by Caspar Rubin - Unsplash.

Three hurt: Cars swept away by Swiss alpine pass avalanche.  “Three people have been hurt after an avalanche swept away two cars attempting to cross an alpine pass in Switzerland on Sunday. All three were taken to hospital where their condition is described as non-life threatening.
The incident took place at around 2pm on the Klausen Pass that connects cantons Uri and Glarus in central Switzerland. At nearly 2,000 meters high, the mountain pass is still affected by snow and had only opened for road traffic earlier in the week”, reports Swissinfo.ch.



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“Canton Uri police report that the avalanche struck 200 metres from the top of the pass, sweeping about 100 metres down the road. The injured car occupants were airlifted to hospital and a fourth passenger escaped from the incident unhurt.

Klaussen pass, where the avalanche struck two cars and pushed them away 200 meters from the top of the pass. THREE HURT: Cars swept away by Swiss alpine pass avalanche
Klaussen pass, where the avalanche struck two cars and pushed them away 200 meters from the top of the pass. THREE HURT: Cars swept away by Swiss alpine pass avalanche. Photo: Worldradio.ch

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GOTTHARD TAILBACKS: San Bernardino Alpine tunnel closure causes major holiday traffic disruption

Gothard tunnel traffic - Uri Bilder- GOTTHARD TAILBACKS: Alpine tunnel closure causes major holiday traffic disruption

Gotthard Tailbacks: Alpine San Bernardino tunnel closure causes major holiday traffic disruption. 

Traffic queues of up to 28 kilometres were reported at the northern entrance to the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday, owing to a long weekend and the closure of another major Alpine road tunnel because of a fire.

San Bernardino tunnel at the east of Switzerland was closed due to a fire, which brought massive queues at the Gotthard tunnel this past weekend. GOTTHARD TAILBACKS: Alpine tunnel closure causes major holiday traffic disruption.
San Bernardino tunnel at the east of Switzerland was closed due to a fire, which brought massive queues at the Gotthard tunnel this past weekend. GOTTHARD TAILBACKS: San Bernardino Alpine tunnel closure causes major holiday traffic disruption.

Saturday has seen the longest tailbacks at the Gotthard tunnel since Pentecost 1999, entailing waits of some five-hours.

As well as being a holiday weekend, the San Bernadino tunnel in southeast Switzerland was closed on Friday afternoon after a German tourist bus caught fire in the tunnel, leaving two people with minor injuries. It is expected to remain closed over this Pentecost weekend, since the tunnel needs to cool down and be checked for any infrastructure damage.

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