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General News

Trainee Mountain Guide Dies in France

The 29-year old man was caught by an avalanche above the town of Ceillac while climbing in the southern French Alps. It is the first fatality caused by an avalanche this season. NEW

With Cop27 Underway Recent Report Paints Worrying Picture of Glacier Melt

UNESCO says some of the most well-known glaciers in the world will have melted by 2050. They include the Dolomites in Italy, Mt Kilimanjaro and those in the Yosemite & Yellowstone parks in the USA. Alpine glaciers will also be affected.

Ski News In Brief – Live & Updated

– New Boss for Milan Cortina 2026
– Details on New Lift for Jackson Hole
– Skiing Austria: The Place Beyond The Spines
– Digital Travel Scams on the Rise
– Avalanche Near Vail in Colorado…UPDATED

★ Crystal goes to Japan
★ ThrillINGHAMS ski holidays with an adrenalin rush
★ Latest deals from Ski Solutions

The Stories Behind the Ski Slopes

A new book by the veteran ski travel writer Patrick Thorne ‘Around the World in 50 Slopes’ is out. It is an inspiring read.

National Snow Week & New London Show Announced for 2023

Raccoon Media Group has unveiled a large scale expansion of UK snowsports activities in partnership with Evening Standard Live. PlanetSKI has the details. UPDATED

Maison Sport Teams Up with Snow Camp

The ski instructor booking site has joined forces with the snowsports charity to try to make skiing more inclusive and accessible to all. PlanetSKI details what it all means.

Two NZ Ski Resorts Placed in Voluntary Administration After Poor Winter

The Tūroa and Whakapapa ski areas are on the North Island . External experts are to be appointed to see if they can survive. Poor snow, which some say is caused by climate change, are to blame along with the impact of Covid-19 restrictions since 2020.

Portugal Announces Year-Long Visas for Digital Nomads

The residence permit is for employed & self-employed people with an aim to regulate the temporary stay or residency of remote workers. Brexit means most people from the UK can only stay in an EU or Schengen country for 90 days out of 180. Some hope ski countries may follow the example of Portugal. UPDATED

OCTOBER SKI DEALS FOR WINTER 2022/23

★ Book by 30th October for 15% Discount for ski gear from Intersport
★ 20% discount on accommodation with Travelski Express
★ Up to £200 of Crystalski holidays
★ Discount with Intersport for ski/snowboard hire UPDATED

October’s Skiing Snippets

– Blow to Vancouver 2030 Olympic Bid
– 100 Days to Go
– Winter X Games is Sold
– Tributes to Red Bull Co-Founder Who Has Died
– Austria Ski Association Renews Partnership with Tirol…LIVE & UPDATED

Tributes to US Ski Mountaineer Who Died in Nepal

49 year old Hilaree Nelson died near the summit of Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas as she began a ski descent. She was one of the finest ski mountaineers of her generation. NEW

Founding Father of BASI Dies

Derek Brightman held License No1 for the British Association of Snowsport Instructors. He was a legend in the Scottish ski world. Tributes are being paid. UPDATED

Glacier Ski Areas in Austria Are Opening

Hintertux and Soelden already have slopes open with others making final preparations after the temperatures have dropped and fresh snow has arrived. The winter of 2022/23 is around the corner with significant snow forecast for this week. UPDATED

Switzerland Launches Plan To Try To Save Glaciers

The government has agreed a CHF3.2 billion (£2.93 billion) climate action package. Swiss glaciers have lost half their volume in the past 80 years and some predict many may melt by the end of the century unless action is taken.

See What’s New in Morzine For the Coming Season

The French resort that is situated in the heart of the Portes du Soleil is a firm favourite with British skiers and snowboarders. Check out what is on offer for next season.

Fire Destroys Swiss Mountain Restaurant

The Restaurant Botta at Glacier 3000 near Le Diablerets has been gutted by fire. See a video as firefighters battle the blaze. An investigation is underway. UPDATED

PlanetSKI Is Back In The Mountains

We’ve ended our trip to hike some paths in the mountain ranges and ridges on the Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland. We’ve taken to the water too. Check out our updated final report and lookback to the visit. UPDATED

Tributes to Elizabeth II from the Snowsports World Continue to Pour in

Governing bodies, ex-racers, snow centres and even ski resorts have been paying their respects on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. UPDATED

High Energy Prices Threaten Ski Resorts Next Winter

With energy prices soaring there are concerns that some resorts may not fully open with implications for the local economies. In France resort officials have met the government with warnings that some resorts may not open. Across the Alps resorts are looking to reduce energy use and considering how to pay for it. UPDATED

Park City Joins the Global Sustainable Tourism Council

It has joined the GSTC after recently concluding its draft of Utah’s first community-based Sustainable Tourism Plan. It aims to be a premier US ski area for sustainable ski tourism.

September’s Skiing Snippets

– Canada to Remove Covid-19 Border Restrictions
– IOC Has Faith in 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics
– German Glacier Disappears Leaving Four Left
– British Man Dies in Paragliding Accident in Pyrenees
– Serac Collapse on Mt Everest Caught on Camera… LIVE

New Survey Shows Lunchtime Is When Most Injuries Occur

The survey comes from New Zealand and shows that 30% of all injuries on the slopes happen around lunchtime. Tiredness and busy slopes are cited as the reason.

Vandals Set Fire to Pontypool Ski Slope in Wales

The top section of the artificial slopes has been destroyed in an arson attack. Police are appealing for help and the local race club has called it ‘devastating’.

Will Japan’s Borders Reopen for 2022/23 Ski Season?

Japan’s borders remain closed to independent tourists despite hopes that restrictions would be eased by now. One of the UK’s leading operators to Japan, Mabey Ski, remains poised. NEW

Burton Snowboards Is Not For Sale

As rumours circulate the CEO, Donna Carpenter, makes her point in a one finger salute on Instagram. She also holds a sign reading ‘Not For Sale!’

Winter Games NZ is Back

The Games are now underway with the Super G the first event to take place. After two years of disruption due to the pandemic the southern hemisphere’s biggest snowsports event runs through to September 18th. UPDATED

GB Alpine Ski Team Needs Your Help

UK Sport has axed GB’s record-breaking World Cup Alpine Team from World Class Programme funding. UK Sport said it had shifted its investment towards freestyle disciplines. The future looks bleak for alpine skiing unless backers come forward. UPDATED

Controversy as Courchevel Tourist Office Building Set to be Leased to Luxury Jewellery Shop

It has sparked a storm of protest with calls for the legality of the move to be examined and resignation demands.  The plan has divided opinion in the up-market French ski resort.

Water levels on Italy’s Lake Garda in the Alps at 15-year low

Water levels on Italy’s Lake Garda are at 15-year low as the drought continues. It comes as the body of a missing British man has been found under the waters.

Praise for PlanetSKI from Across the Pond

The recognition comes from the global US based web site, Unofficial Networks, that calls us ‘One of the best European ski websites’. It is a USA Today company.

Inquest Hears How British skier Died Off-piste in Chamonix

34-years-old Michael Rowell from Hampshire slipped and fell on to rocks while skiing with a friend. The coroner at Winchester, Jason Pegg, said he ‘simply misjudged the area’ before slipping.

Lets Go E-Bikes!

PlanetSKI’s Alf Alderson reports from the Tignes – Val d’Isere E-Bike Festival. Here are his thoughts on the event…NEW

Dog Rescued from Ben Nevis

The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team was called up the UK’s highest mountain to bring back a dog that refused to move. NEW

Two Female Ski Athletes Die in Separate Incidents

A French ski mountaineering world champion Adèle Milloz, 26, has died in a fall near Mont Blanc. A 19-year old cross country skier from Slovenia, Hanna Jamnik, dies in accident while training on a road in Norway on roller skis.

Some Glaciers in Himalayas Resisting Climate Change Melt

Some areas of glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the global trend of glaciers losing mass. The glaciers of the Himalayas are melting, but not in one area. It appears to be due to an increase in precipitation from the west. NEW

Alpine Glaciers Set for Highest Ice Loss in 60 Years

The summer heatwaves in Europe are having a significant impact with glaciers shrinking sharply. This year is when many have woken up to the fact that on current projections it is likely many glaciers will disappear in the coming decades. UPDATED

Inquest Held into GB Snowboarder Who Died Following Collision

An inquest has heard that Kayleigh Harris was on a day off from her job at a hotel Les Menuires in France 2016 when a skier collided with her after she fell. NEW

Mountain Rescues in Switzerland Rise

In 2021, mountain rescuers were called out 3,680 times, according to the latest figures. This is 20% more than in 2019.

Receding Glacier Reveals Wreckage from 1968 Swiss Plane Crash

A mountain guide has found wreckage of a plane that crashed in 1968 on the Aletsch glacier in Switzerland. As the glaciers melt across the mountains more of their secrets are being given up.

Three Ski Patrollers Honoured for Saving Man’s Life

The incident happened at Wild Mountain in Minnesota, USA last December. 58-year old Charlie Mehr had a heart attack as he was getting on a lift.

Canadian Ski Resort Threatened by Wildfire

Apex Mountain Resort is evacuated and its snow guns are turned on as the Keremeos Creek Fire spreads. We have an updated video from the resort as the fire grows. UPDATED

August’s Skiing Snippets

– Secret Swimming Pools in the Alps Provide Windfall for French Tax Authorities
– Air France Pilots Fight in Cockpit After Geneva Takeoff
– Switzerland Trials Wind Turbine with Solar Panels
– Mummified Chamois Found as Glacier Melts
– Glaciers in the Pyrenees Set to Disappear…LIVE

Artificial Ski Slope Opens Near Ukranian City of Lviv

It claims to be the largest year-round artificial ski slope complex in the world and the facility is spread over 19,000 square metres.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Disrupts Ski Manufacture

A significant proportion of the skis sold worldwide each year are manufactured in western Ukraine. They are mostly made in factories around Mukachevo. Most are still open but retailers have been told to expect some delays. The area remains under Ukrainian control.

Suicide Six becomes Saskadena Six

The US ski resort in Vermont changes its name as the original name is judged to be insensitive amid increased awareness of mental health.

Final Death Toll in Italian Glacier Collapse Reaches 11

It was feared a 12th person could have been killed, but rescuers now say there is no reason to believe the toll will be higher. A day of mourning has been held. Rising temperatures have been widely blamed for the tragedy. UPDATED

Warnings of Further Glacier Collapses as Climate Change Makes Mountains Unstable

In Switzerland scientists are monitoring the mountain above Kandersteg which is moving several meters a year. A new crack has been spotted on the Marmolada glacier in Italy that partially collapsed killing 11 people earlier this month. UPDATED

Six People Die After Collapse of Italian Glacier

The accident happened in the Dolomites in northern Italy.  The collapse triggered an avalanche of rocks, snow and ice that hit a number of hikers. Eight other people were injured, two are reported to be in a serious condition. It’s feared the death toll could rise as the search operation resumes. UPDATED

July’s Skiing Snippets

– British Woman Dies in Dolomites Fall
– Two Climbers in New Zealand Survive Overnight After Avalanche
– Women & Men to Race Same Distances in Nordic Skiing
– Funding Confirmed for GB Winter Sports Ahead of 2026 Olympics
– Fancy a PR Job in the UK Snowsport Industry?… LIVE & UPDATED

What Does PlanetSKI Do In The Summer? Part Two…

It’s the question we are asked most at this time of year. We’re currently hiking the South Downs Way in preparation for walking at altitude in the Alps later this summer. We’ve now done more than half the route, Eastbourne to Amberley. UPDATED

Winter Tourism Rebounds in the Tirol in Austria After Troubled Times

After Covid-19 the governor of the Austrian state proclaims ‘tourism is back’. The state is heavily reliant on the tourist industry and it faced a challenging winter in 2021/22. UPDATED

Investigation Underway After 99 Schoolchildren Rescued in Austria Alpine Hike 

They were airlifted to safety near the small ski area of Walmendingerhorn after the weather closed in. The teachers put them on a difficult trail after consulting an online guide. Criminal charges could be brought.

Glaciers Around the World Melting Faster Due to Increasing Climate Change

The pace of their melt is accelerating on all the continents on Earth. PlanetSKI examines the current situation, the issues at stake and looks at some of the latest research.

June’s Skiing Snippets

– Back in the Day in Verbier
– Eddie the Eagle Opens Indoor Ski Slope in Devon
– Scientists Investigate ‘Snow Blood’ in the Alps
– International Ski Marathon Federation Bans Russian Athletes
– Spain Backs Out Of Pyrenees 2030 Olympic Bid… LIVE & UPDATED

2022 London Ski & Snowboard Festival is Cancelled

The event was due to take place in October but has been called off due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.  The organisers claim it will go ahead in 2023. The National Snow Show in Birmingham remains set to go ahead. UPDATED

World Snow Day 2022 Claims Success

The International Ski Federation, FIS, says the 2022 edition of World Snow Day was full of ‘positive moments’. Plans are underway for next season’s event.

Black Folks Do Ski

50 years ago, two black American skiers were introduced by a mutual friend. It led to the ‘National Brotherhood of Skiers’. The two men, both in their 80s, have made it into the US Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. PlanetSKI has been speaking to them.

May’s Skiing Snippets

– 2 Dead & 9 Injured After Ice Fall in Swiss Alps
– ‘The Ultimate Run’ Wins Sports Emmy® Award
– Spring Ski Descent of Mont Blanc
– Foothills Above Montreux Turn White…LIVE & UPDATED

International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism Published

It looks at the winter of 2020/21 – a ski season we’d all rather forget with the impact of Covid-19. The 2022 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism has just been unveiled during the opening conference of Mountain Planet International Exhibition in Grenoble.

Snow report

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