November’s Ski News in Brief
1st November 2025
Last modified on November 16th, 2025
– US Ski Industry Hit by Trump’s Tariffs
– Northern Lights & Polar Bears
– Base Jumper Dies in Switzerland
– Vorarlberg Lift Tickets Up 4%
– Second Body Found 8 months After Alaska Avalanche…UPDATED
US Ski Industry Hit by Trump’s Tariffs
16th November 2025
The majority of US winter snowsport products are manufactured outside the United States, primarily in European and Asian countries.
That means most products are being impacted by tariffs and will likely see price increases this season.
“You can expect to pay more on Alpine hardgoods, like skis and snowboards, Nordic skis, boots, bindings, apparel, base layers, helmets, goggles,” said the President of Snowsports Industries America,Nick Sargent.
Snowsports Industries America is a trade association that represents businesses in the winter outdoor industry.
The Association’s board of directors includes representatives of Burton, Salomon, Fischer, Atomic and other snowsports companies
There is a baseline tariff of 10% on imports from all countries, as well as a 35% tariff on many goods from Canada, 30% on many goods from Mexico and 15% on most goods from the European Union.
The founder of Liberty Ski in Colorado, Dan Chalfont, said the tariffs are “a tax that the ski consumers pay. It’s as simple as that.”
“We certainly didn’t want them as a ski industry.”
For further information see SkyHiNews.
Park City, Utah. Image © Rob McAteer
Northern Lights & Polar Bears
13th November 2025
PlanetSKI’s Canada reporting team of Alex Cove and Maria Taylor will be reporting from one of the ski resorts around Banff this weekend.
They have just been on trip to Churchill in northern Manitoba.
Churchill is a town on the Hudson Bay in the far north of Manitoba, Canada.
Image c/o Google maps
It’s best known for polar bears at this time of year that can be spotted in raised and reinforced tundra vehicles.
The area also offers the chance for the wintertime Northern Lights.
Polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
The Northern Lights from Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
The Northern Lights from Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
The Northern Lights from Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
The Northern Lights from Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI
Alex and Marie will be reporting from the slopes of either Sunshine Village or Lake Louise this weekend.
Marie Taylor and Alex Cove in Churchill, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI,
“It all depends which ski resort has the most terrain open,” said Alex Cove.
“We”ll take a look on Friday and then make our call.
Sunshine Village was the first ski area in Canada to open as we reported at the beginning of November:
Sunshine Village Opening Day, Sunday 2nd November. Image c/o SkiBig3 / Jill Scarpato.
The pair will be reporting for PlanetSKI from Canada across the winter.
Do check back…
Base Jumper Dies in Switzerland
12th November 2025
A base jumper had a fatal crash near Lauterbrunnen in the canton of Bern.
He jumped from a well-known spot near the ski resort of Murren.
The identity of the man has not been released and he died at the scene.
An investigation into the incident has been opened.
Vorarlberg Lift Tickets Up 4%
11th November 2025
Day and season tickets in Vorarlberg, Austria, will be around 4% more expensive on average for the 2025/26 winter season.
In addition to traditional fixed prices, some ski areas will continue to rely on a dynamic pricing model.
“Ticket revenue not only finances ongoing operations but also enables investments that ensure quality and future security,” said the ski area.
“We are currently experiencing rising costs across all cost categories.
This is also reflected in inflation, which averaged around 3% for the year.
Vorarlberg is the second smallest province in Austria with 32 different ski areas including Silvretta Montafon, Gargellen, Faschina and parts of the mighty Arlberg ski area.
Lech, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Which? Praises Ski Club of Great Britain
9th November 2025
Which? has publish its Best Ski Holiday Companies list for 2025 with the Ski Club’s Freshtracks programme scoring an 83% customer score
The Ski Club of Great Britain’s Freshtracks holidays has been rated in the top ten ski holiday providers by Which?
It was based on more than 1,000 skier reviews and has made the Which? Recommended Provider Badge that is given to six other companies in the UK.
The ratings are based on a number of criteria including:
- Organisation
- Description Matched Reality
- Customer Service
- Range of locations on offer
- Accommodation
- Transport (excluding flights)
- Value for money
“No ski holiday company we surveyed scored poorly, but a few shone brighter than the rest,” said the Which? senior researcher, Amy Axworthy.
“Along with meeting our strict criteria, our Which? Recommended Providers are the companies that travellers were most likely to recommend and were most satisfied with.
“We also ensured that they have expertise in holidays on the slopes, tailoring holidays specific to skiers’ needs”.
“We’re delighted that skiers have rated our holidays so highly with Which? an organisation that goes deeply into customers views and opinions about travel and holidays and is extremely well respected,” said the Deputy COO of the Ski Club, Katy Ellis.
“We know our members enjoy the experience of Freshtracks ski holidays because they come back year after year, but it’s also fantastic to be recognised in this way too”.
The full list of ski companies that made the Which? list can be found online here: which.co.uk/reviews/travel-agents/article/best-ski-holiday-companies-azOci9C3Voum
Image c/o Ski Club of Great Britain
Second Body Found 8 months After Alaska Avalanche
7th November 2025
The body of a skier who died in the avalanche last March has been found.
David Linder, 39, Charles Eppard, 39, and Jeremy Leif, 38, were heliskiing when they were swept away and buried under 30m of snow.
The body of David Linder was found last month.
A helicopter crew and recovery team from Alaska’s Mountain Rescue Group recovered a second set of remains from the avalanche area.
The second body is currently being identified.
Efforts are continuing to locate the third set of remains according to the Department of Public Safety.
Skiing Every Month for 30 Years
5th November 2025
Step forward Brian Wiens from Colorado, USA.
French Olympic Biathlete Guilty of Improper Use of Bank Cards
3rd November 2025
Julia Simon was the Olympic silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.
The Criminal Court of Albertville, in the department of Savoie handed down a suspended three-month prison sentence and a €15,000 fine.
She admitted to the improper use of the bank cards of her teammate, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, and a physiotherapist from the national team.
“I confess the accusations, but I don’t remember committing them. It’s like a blackout,” she told the Court
She won the overall World Cup title in 2022–2023 and has 10 World Championship medals.
The French Ski Federation disciplinary committee is expected to decide before 10th November whether she will be allowed to compete at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
11 Life Sentences After Turkey Ski Resort Hotel Fire
2nd November 2025
78 people, including 34 children, died in the blaze in the ski resort of Kartalkaya in Turkey.
The fire broke out last January during the country’s school holidays in the Grand Kartal hotel.
It started in the restaurant and quickly engulfed the 12-storey hotel, where 238 guests were staying.
PlanetSKI was in Turkey at the time and reported on the tragedy:
Among those sentenced on Friday were Halit Ergul, the owner of the Grand Kartal Hotel, along with his wife, Emine Ergul, and their daughters, Elif Aras and Ceyda Hacibekiroglu – all were part of the hotel’s management team.
“If I had foreseen the risk, I would have closed the hotel myself,” Halit Ergul told the hearing which took place inside a specially constructed court room at a local school.
He said the hotel had regular inspections and blamed the gas supplier.
He claimed the tourism ministry was responsible for oversight.
Grand Kartal hotel, Kartalkaya, Turkey. Image © PlanetSKI
Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter, told the AFP news agency: “I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such a pain.”
Also sentenced were the hotel’s general manager, Emir Aras.
As well as the deputy mayor of Bolu, Sedat Gulener, and the director of another hotel, Ahmet Demir, both of whom were reportedly on the board of directors of the company that owned the Grand Kartal.
Survivors said no fire alarms went off during the incident, and they had to escape through smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.
Some guests were forced to jump from windows.
A further 18 defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 22 years.
Most were hotel employees.
Others were acquitted, including two cooks.
Kartalkaya, Turkey. Image © PlanetSKI
US Gender Testing for 2026 Winter Olympics
1st November 2025
The US. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has begun the task of identifying female skiers and snowboarders who need to take gender tests before they can competes at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
The sport’s international federation adopted a rule last month that required athletes who want to compete in women’s events to take a test that identifies the Y chromosome found in males.
It’s the same test that track and boxing federations adopted earlier in the year.
The International Ski & Snowboard Federation, FIS, has approved gender tests.
“This policy is the cornerstone of our commitment to protect women’s sport,” said the International Ski and Snowboard Federation President, Johan Eliasch
“We are convinced that there is only one fair and transparent way to do that: by relying on science and biological facts.”
The new president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, has signaled the IOC wants to take a stronger position on the subject.
The IOC has formed a working group to look into the topic.
Olympic Rings.
Zermatt Goes Digital
1st November 2025
The Swiss resort claims to be the first in Switzerland to offer mobile access to the ski resort with smartphones used as a digital lift ticket.
There is no longer any need for a physical card with the purchase and access process can be completely digital if so desired.
It bypasses queues in the ticket sales area and allows visitors “a seamless digital customer experience”.
“The SmartphoneTicket can be purchased conveniently online or at a sales point in Zermatt,” said the head of Marketing and Sales at Zermatt Bergbahnen, Patricia Huber.
“It’s stored in the Matterhorn app in the ‘Smartphone-Ticket’ section and can be activated at the touch of a button on the day of use.
“At that point, your phone can communicate directly via Bluetooth Low Energy with the entrance gate, which will open without your even needing to take your phone out of your pocket.”
Zermatt digital lift pass. Image © Zermatt Bergbahnen.
The Smartphone-Ticket adds around 10% to the daily battery usage of a modern phone.
Only Bluetooth and GPS are used.
No mobile data is required, so the ticket can work in flight mode on a phone.
Electric Snowcats in Georgia
1st November 2025
Two electric snowcats will begin emission-free cat-skiing and deep-snow operations in Georgia starting in December 2025.
The electric-powered snowcats from the Italian manufacturer Xelom will transport freeriders to the snowy slopes of the Lesser Caucasus this season.
Powderproject.ch becomes the first company worldwide to use electric snowcats for deep-snow catskiing.
The machines can take 12 skiers /snowboarders and are nearly 700-horsepower.
Electric cat-skiing in Georgia. Image c/o Powderproject.ch.
Until now, cat-skiing operations around the world have relied exclusively on diesel-powered vehicles.
“This is a milestone for us,” says Ingo Schlutius, founder of Powderproject.ch.
“We want to take responsibility and show that sustainable winter sports are possible even in high-alpine and remote terrain — without sacrificing the unique adventure that makes catskiing so special.
“Of course, the electric drive will be a completely new technical experience for us, but we gladly embrace the challenge because I’m convinced that the future of catskiing is electric.”
Electric cat-skiing in Georgia. Image c/o Powderproject.ch.
Electric cat-skiing in Georgia. Image c/o Powderproject.ch.
Fondue Cooker Cause of Restaurant Fire
1st November 2025
The Glacier 3000 restaurant in Les Diablerets, Switzerland, was destroyed in 2022. The building also houses a lift station
The self-service restaurant on the third floor, the restaurant on the fourth and the lift machinery were completely destroyed by the flames.
We reported on the blaze at the time:
Investigations have concluded that the cause of the fire was a stored fondue cooker.
“The plastic tank located on the unlit cooker caught fire, then the fire spread to the cooker and combustible materials located nearby,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office wrote in its indictment.
The public prosecutor’s office in Vaud added that the instructions for using the cooker contained precisely an illustrated warning that it should never be stacked and the words ‘Caution, fire hazard due to synthetic material tank’.
The restaurant’s former catering manager has been summoned to appear before the Eastern Vaud Court in Vevey on November 10th.
A new restaurant was opened in November 2024.
The exterior of the building remains virtually unchanged with the interior rebuilt at a cost of CHF30m (£28.5m).
Ski in Jeans Day returns to Jackson Hole
1st November 2025
The event is in its third year and has proved a huge success.
Ski in Jeans Day takes place on Saturday, 5th as the resort invites skiers and snowboarders of all abilities to hit the slopes in their favourite pair of jeans.
Jackson Hole is aiming to break its own the world record for the most people skiing in denim.
Last December 3,320 people turned out in denim in Jackson Hole, a rise of 200 on the previous year.
Lift tickets are available for just £26/$35, with 50% off rentals for denim-clad participants, with weekend skiers also take advantage of discounted lift tickets for Friday through Sunday.
There are après-ski celebrations featuring a mechanical bull, free live music, special giveaways, and drink deals.
We have reported on it in the past here on PlanetSKI:
Jackson, Wyoming. Image © PlanetSKI
