Fischer's "White Crests"

Fischer Alpine will start out in the new freeski season with a new and individual programme. Fischer has been known for innovative and high-quality products for years. The Austrian company is taking the initiative in this growing segment and, besides the existing unique Watea series, is now also set to launch the "White Crests". The focus here is on sheer enjoyment and pure adventure.
In addition to the line itself, the formation of the Fischer Adventure Team "White Crest" shows that the accent is also on communication. The marketing launch for Fischer Freeride will take place on 4 December. Both the team and the activities will be presented at a press conference in the very fitting surroundings of Hangar-7 in Salzburg.
The contents are far-reaching: new subpage with GPS tracking, photos and moving pictures content, weblogging and the creation of a genuine community in the scene. Equipped with a Red Bull Mobile package, the "White Crests" will be primarily responsible for the contents of the website. In winter they will be on the road in their two adventure cars – Tiguan Offroads provided by VW – to track down the hottest rides and the shoot the coolest pics. These will then be available in map form as one of the first online "off piste" guides.
Additionally the "most active user" will be nominated every month. The prize: he or she can look forward to an exclusive photo shoot with professional photographers. On snow with the "White Crests", of course.
And before the truly adventurous off-piste winter season comes to an end, Fischer Freeride will reach its climax early in 2010 with the Adventure Camp.

Avalanche Alert in British Columbia As Whistler Base Heads For Two Metres

Skiinfo reports heavy snow in Western Canada has led to November avalanche warnings at Whistler, where the snow depth is rapidly heading towards two metres only a few days after the resort’s early opening.
However the news isn’t all good, the first delayed-openings have been announced. With little snow in Eastern Europe, Bansko, which had planned to open last weekend, has delayed opening; while Mont St Anne in Quebec, Canada, which had planned to open this weekend has also decided to delay with weather too warm for much snow making. Alta in Utah may open this weekend as planned, but that relies on heavy snowfall on Friday in a projected storm. Elsewhere, apart from western North America and Scandinavia where it’s still dumping, the big snowfalls of early in November have eased and there’s not been much new snow in the Alps this week. However there has been some snowfall in Switzerland (6cm in Gstaad, 4 cm in Davos) and Austria (4cm in Sölden) this morning.
In France Val Thorens has joined Tignes and become the second resort in the country to open.
In Austria there’s plenty of snow on the glaciers already. One of the largest areas is Hintertux which has a 170cm (nearly 6 foot) base and 16 of 22 lifts are open. The Mölltal glacier also has a 170cm base and the Kaunertal 135cm (4.5 feet). The Stubai and Dachstein glaciers have just over a metre (3.3 feet) each. Sölden has snow 77cm deep with 16 of its 34 lifts open. Kitzbuhel, Schladming and Obergurgl are already open and Obertauern will open on November 19th, it has 30cm (a foot) of snow in the valley and 50cm (20 inches) at the top of the slopes.
In Switzerland Zermatt currently claims the greatest snow depth of any ski resort in the world with a 4 metre (13.3 foot) base. Davos and Laax opened limited terrain at the weekend and Saas Fee’s glacier is still open, while Verbier continues to open at weekends through November.
In Germany the Zugspitze (Garmisch) has a 105cm (3.5 foot) base and 6 lifts open. Other ski resorts in the Allgäu (such as Oberstdorf and Fellhorn) have 20cm (8 inches) of snow.
The Presena glacier in Italy is reporting snow falls have passed the three metre mark following recent snowfalls. The glacier has received 3.2m (nearly 11 feet) of snow and currently has two runs open and has snow depths of up to 1.2m (four feet). Several of Italy’s other major ski resorts are now open at weekends thanks to the early-season snow in October and early November . these include Cervinia (that has three lifts open), Bormio (that first opened slopes over 2,560m some weeks ago) and Cortina (with 5km of slopes open). Livigno made a surprise opened last Friday with one run open and is offering free skiing this week – no lift pass required. In the Piedmont region, the province’s minister for tourism told the La Stampa newspaper, "Our mountains are already covered with snow and all ski resorts are awaiting the first tourists of winter with many new features. In Piedmont all ski resorts have enhanced their safety rules to the new national standards and the region is increasing its international appeal, thanks to the development of air links with important partners such as Alitalia and Ryanair". Last year Piedmont had more than 1.5 million skier visits and this year the area will launch a new promotional campaign with tailor-made packages for families, young people and tourists with disabilities or special needs.
In Scandinavia, this weekend Norways biggest ski area with a shared lift ticket has all their ski resorts open -the Lillehammer Ski Region. "Each of our ski areas has it’s own unique range of skiing opportunities to offer, and our co-operation with each other guarantees you the opportunity to experience every one of them. Buy your ski lift pass in any of the five centres and this will give you access to 92 slopes, a total of 116 kilometres in all, 44 lifts and 6 cross country courses", says Eskil Solberg in Kvitfjell ski resort. More than 25 ski areas are due to be open in Norway this weekend.
Two areas of Europe haven’t had much snow so far are the Eastern ski resorts of Bulgaria where Bansko, had hoped to open last weekend but has had to postpone its opening. There’s also been no repeat of last year’s November opening in Scotland as despite low temperatures, snowfall has been limited.
In North America dozens of resorts opened last weekend and many more plan to open this weekend or in the days following, ahead of the big Thanksgiving holiday weekend of the 26th-29th November. British Columbia (Canada), and especially Whistler (picture attached), has had big snowfalls in the past week meaning resorts there have had great opening weekends. Alongside Whitler, BC resorts Big White, Sun Peaks and Cypress Mountain all opened. Sun Peaks opened with top-to-bottom skiing on Saturday, thanks to excellent summer grooming and brush removal, early snow fall and snow making, the opening day was a week earlier than originally scheduled. The Sunburst Chairlift from the village started turning at 14 minutes to 9am on Saturday as the resort celebrated the number 14 and one of the earliest openings ever at Sun Peaks. The Austrian National Ski Team arrived in Sun Peaks on November 17 to begin training, so visitors can watch for these elite athletes on the slopes of the Nancy Greene International Race Centre this week. However the heavy snowfalls aren’t all good news, by Monday (November 16), Whistler already had to announce that their avalanche warning level was at its highest warning level because of the heavy snow build up and it now reports it snow base is approaching two metres.
Dozens of ski area have opened across the US, although one resort at least, Salta in Utah, may delay its planned opening this weekend is a promised Friday storm does not deliver enough snow. Although already sitting on a 60cm (25 inch) base at mid-mountain, the resort has limited snowmaking And is concerned cover isn’t adequate for a sustained opening.
Meanwhile over in Asia, heavy snow in China at the start of this month has led to resorts around capital Beijing and in the country’s main ski region in the North East of the country opening about a month ahead of their expected opening dates in December. The country’s best known resort of Yabuli opened beginner terrain last week and other ski areas in the region plan to open in the next few days. Wanlong resort is also open and in contrast has opened terrain at the top of the mountain. Nanshan Ski Resort near Beijing are reported to have extended and widened their mogul field and added a jump to the end of one of the advanced trails on the back of the mountain. The centre has also added an ice climbing wall.
Things are happening in Japan too. Niseko United resorts opening days are staggered over late November to early December. Grand Hirafu and Annupuri Ski Resort are usually the first resorts to open and this year it is planned for this Saturday, 21 November. Niseko Village follows closely behind on 28 November. Hanazono is the last of the resorts to open and they will open from 5 December.

Intrawest and Powdr Corp Announce a definitive purchase agreement for Cooper Mountain

Intrawest and Powdr Corp today announced they have entered into a definitive purchase agreement to sell Intrawest’s interests in Copper Mountain to Powdr Corp. The transaction is anticipated to close in December 2009 and the agreement is subject to regulatory approvals including the issuance of a U.S. Forest Service special-use permit to Powdr Corp.
This winter season it is business as usual at Copper Mountain. Once the transaction is finalized Intrawest and Powdr Corp have committed to work together to ensure that all of the multi-mountain season pass products, vacation reservations and joint marketing initiatives will be honored for the 2009-2010 winter season. This includes the Rocky Mountain Super Pass suite of products that provide skiers and riders with access to Copper Mountain, Steamboat Resort and Winter Park Resort. In addition, vacation packages, season passes and lift tickets for all three mountains will continue to be available online at www.skicolorado.com
Powdr Corp is one of the leading mountain resort owners and operators in the United States. Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Powdr Corp currently owns and operates seven ski and snowboard resorts including Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah, Killington Resort and Pico Resort in Killington, Vermont, Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, Boreal Resort and Soda Springs Resort, both in Donner Summit, California, and Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Powdr Corp also operates Gorgoza Park, a lift-served tubing park, in Park City, Utah.

World Winter Masters Games 2010

The World Winter Masters Games will be held for the first time in history between January 25 and January 31, 2010. The Games will take place in Slovenia’s stunning tourist town Bled. The town and its neighbouring cities are already known for hosting numerous major sport events.
Alpine skiing competitions will be held at Kranjska Gora, the ski resort which hosts the annual men ski World Cup competition. Ski jumping will take place in Planica – the famous ski jumping venue where the final World Cup competition of the season is traditionally held and where new world records have always been set. The current world record stands at 239 metres, set by Norwegian Bjorn Einar Romöeren. Cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions will be organized at Pokljuka, the venue of the annual World Cup biathlon competition, and hockey games will be organized at Jesenice, Bled, and Kranj.
World Winter Masters Games are for all athletes older then 25 or 30 years regardless the results, especially for those who appreciate sport spirit and sport activity as well as socializing with other athletes. Master is an expression for recreational athlete, veteran, senior, old-timer, sport lovers or unprofessional sportsmen.
More than 2,000 athletes from 42 countries have already registered to participate in the World Winter Masters Games. As of now, more than 500 alpine skiers, 400 cross-country skiers, 200 ski jumpers, 100 biathletes and over 30 ice hockey teams have registered to have an ‘Olympic' style experience, tailored for recreational athletes. Because so many athletes still want to compete, the deadline for registration has been extended until 25th December 2009.

2010 Freeride World Tour: JT Holmes Interview

JT Holmes, Squaw Valley local and world class skier/BASE jumper, talks about the past season of the Freeride World Tour, his crash during the competition in Squaw Valley, and his redemption a few weeks later on the legendary Bec des Rosses for the Nissan Xtreme Verbier 2009. JT seems to have very strong ambitions for next season!

Freeride Elite United for the Freeride World Tour

A unique mix of the world’s foremost freeride skiers and snowboarders have all confirmed their participation in the Freeride World Tour 2010, with the prize purse of no less than $206 200.
Professional athletes with a serious commitment to the sport and with different backgrounds such as freestyle, alpine skiing, boarder cross, or filming for important film productions, is pushing the sport of freeriding to even higher levels, promising an eventful season for the Freeride World Tour 2010. A good example is snowboarder Xavier de Le Rue (FRA) – two-time Freeride World Champion (2009, 2008), and four time World Champion in boarder cross (2001-2003, 2007), competing for France at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, parallel to defending his World Champion title in freeride: "Freeride and boarder cross are really complementary; boarder cross develops technicality, speed and stability, which has meant a lot for my freeriding career, and in freeriding the depth of one’s mental capacity is probably one of the most exceptional aspects, the mind’s total focus when riding a difficult face".
The athletes will see a new event on the 2010 Tour calendar, the Nissan Freeride de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, with scheduled competition day on January 30. "The fluidity in the choice of lines, the perfection of technical jumps combined with speed, has pushed freeriding into a new era. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc hosted one of the first European freeride contests in 1994, and we have decided to continue our involvement in freeriding with the second stage of the Freeride World Tour 2010", stated Éric Fournier, Mayor of the mythical freeride mecca of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.
The 2010 Freeride World Tour's four stages:

• Nissan Russian Adventure by Swatch (Sochi, Russia). January 21st 2010.
• Nissan Freeride of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France). January 30th 2010.
• Nissan Tram Face (Squaw Valley, USA). February 27th 2010.
• Nissan Xtreme by Swatch (Verbier, Switzerland). March 20th 2010.

For the 2010 ranking, there are 17 independently organised Freeride World Qualifier events (FWQ) around the globe, all certified by the Pro Freeriders Board, using the same judging and points system as the Freeride World Tour events. The FWQ events allow younger talent and new nationalities to progress in the sport and eventually earn one of the desired slots of the World Tour. "The Freeride World Qualifier events are great for the development of the sport. Younger talented riders with new style see their chance to advance to the World Tour, pushing the sport to new dimensions", said skier Ane Enderud (NOR), Freeride World Champion 2009, who had a steep progression curve last season, advancing from winner of the FWQ 2008 to winner of the FWT 2009.

The third season of the Freeride World Tour kicks off already in November in the famous alpine resort of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. On November 19th, the FWT Kick Off Party takes place downtown Chamonix, with great events such as the FWT’09 Photo book release by the FWT official photographers, Christophe Margot and Dom Daher, and a dazzling new film featuring the "best of" images of the FWT09.

Levi hosts the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Slalom

This weekend Levi (FIN) will host the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Slalom competitions. Levi, located about 150 km north of the Polar Circle (Levi World Cup is the northmost Alpine World Cup), is one of the largest ski resorts in Finnish Lapland. Levi Fell village is actually a small holiday town, which offers a wide range of first-rate services to its guests.
There are 44 slopes (longest slope 2500 m), 15 of which are lit, and 28 lifts including the only gondola lift in Finland. The Vertical drop is 325 m and the lift capacity is 27,600 skiers/hour. This year's events are the fourth time that the resort serves as a FIS World Cup host since February 2004.
More than 20,000 spectators are expected at the two races on the weekend, when the Ladies compete on Saturday November 14th and the Men on Sunday November 15th and the organizers have put great emphasis on involving local schools and youngsters to bring them to the events. The World Cup opening in Slalom once again fills the Levi ski resort with athletes from 21 teams around the world.
The Levi Black competition course vertical drop is 180 meters and the steepest part of the race course has the steepness of 52 %.
Levi is Father Christmas's official fell and ski centre. Since last year a new attraction for audience is a Christmas market. The market is organized by a local tourism project. Near ZeroPoint in the center of Levi about 20 small cottages with different colors have been built. They will be lit and decorated in the Christmas style. Local companies will be selling their products, with traditional Lapland and Finnish Christmas themes. German style Glühwein and warm cider as well tasting samples of the products are offered.

FIS Alpine World Cup Levi 2008 from World Cup Levi on Vimeo.

Too Good To Be True? There’s Been Heavy Snowfall Pretty Much Everywhere...

Skiinfo has been firing off powder alarms at an unprecedented rate for this early in the season. The company, which receives snowfall updates loaded directly in by ski resorts all over the world, has emailed more than 60 powder alarms in recent days to registered subscribers who take advantage of the free service. An alarm is automatically triggered each time a resort reports snowfall of more than 20cm in 24 hours, but recent alarms have been set off for falls five times that size.
It’s a dream start to the 2009-10 ski season for virtually every major ski region in the northern hemisphere, and although ski industry businesses are wary of tempting fate by even daring to hope of last year’s great snowfalls, especially in Europe, it’s hard not to be happy by all the new snow, even though it is of course too early to e sure we are set up for winter 09-10.
One of the big beneficiaries of the past week has been Italy where resorts already open like Cortina have reported another big snowfall taking their season to date fall already past 1.5m, and it’s not even mid-November. Other parts of the country including Monterosa in the west are also doing well.
Austria still has the widest choice of ski areas open for a single country in the Alps, with the resort’s glacier ski areas plus already open Kitzbuhel and Schladming taking the numbers in to double figures. They’re due to be joined this weekend by Obergurgl, the continent’s highest traditional village and always an early opener. Obertauern, venue for the ski scenes in the Beatles Movie Help 45 years ago, is also due to open shortly.
Near neighbour Germany has one ski area open still, on the Zugspitz glacier near Garmisch, with a 1.2m (four foot) base.
There’s been healthy snowfalls on Switzerland’s ski slopes too although so far it’s still the glacier ski areas of Zermatt, Saas Fee and Les Diablerets (Glacier 3000) that are reported open.
In France there’s been big snowfalls in the Alps and the Pyrenees. With only Tignes open still it’s difficult to find any official figures on snowfall, however the Pyrenees seem to be doing especially well in the past 72 hours with Cauterets, which received huge snowfalls last winter, reporting 1.3m (over four feet) of new snow. It will open on November 28th. In the Alps there are many unofficial guesstimates of several feet (50-100cm) of new snow at resorts like Chamonix and Meribel where skiers and boarders have been hiking up to ski down the slopes. However other than Tignes – where conditions are reported to be much improved with the new snow and skiing down to Val Claret – unless anyone breaks ranks, it looks like we still have to wait another 10 days for the first to open, Val Thorens on November 21st. Across France’s south Western border, ski resorts in Spain are expected to begin opening soon, and earlier than expected, after heavy snowfall was reported by a number of the country’s top resorts in the Pyrenees mountains.
Temperatures have dropped, snow has been falling for the past few days and Spain’s largest winter resort, Formigal, now has depths of nearly a metre (3.3 feet) at 1,900m and 35cm (14 inches) at village level (1,500m). Another leading resort, Baqueira Beret, has reported similar cover following two days of heavy snowfall, with a metre (3.3 feet) at the top of the ski area at 2500m, and 45cm (18 inches) in resort. Commercial manager for Formigal, Jose Luis del Valle, said: "This is great news, we should be able to open very soon. And with our great offers like free ski hire and free lift passes for kids, a holiday to Formigal won’t break the bank".
The eyes of skiing’s World Cup competition will be on Scandinavia this weekend however as the circus rolls in to Finnish resort Levi, one of several already open in the country, along with Ruka amongst others.
In Sweden the resorts of Vemdalen and Klövsjö/Storhogna received between 20-30cm (8-12 inches0 of fresh snow. And the weather report looks promising for the rest of the week, with temperatures below zero. Vemdalen plans to open on Saturday. Funäsdalen and Tänndalen are already open and received about 5cm (2 inches) of new snow. This week both the Swedish and the US Alpine Ski teams are training on the slopes in Tärnaby for the World Cup in Levi. "We've got everything the teams need, good snow conditions for training and convenient slopeside accommodation", Said resort manager Thomas Ringbrant.
Ski areas open in Norway are also in to double figures with Hemsedal among those reporting over a foot of new powder to delight early skiers and boarders.
Resorts are now opening daily across North America and it’s at this point that it becomes impossible to keep track, at least two or three are now open in each ski state/province in the west of the continent where many areas have had two feet or more of new snow in the past week. The majority of US ski areas will want to be open for the thanksgiving holiday in a fortnight’s time. In Colorado the number of areas open looks set to reach double figures by the weekend, with resorts like Keystone and Copper mountain having joined early-openers last month including Arapahoe Basin and Loveland. Other Western US resorts already open or opening imminently include crystal Mountain and Mt Baker in Washington state
In the east of the US, Killington and Bretton Woods in Vermont and New Hampshire respectively opened at the weekend, joining Sunday River in Maine. Several more plan to open in the next few days including Belleayre in New York State.
In Canada more resorts have been opening in Alberta and British Columbia. Lake Louise opened last Friday, joining fellow Banff area Mt Norquay, and they’re due to be joined by Marmot Basin and sunshine in the next few days. The Banff area has reported 63cm of new snow in the past few days and Marmot Basin will debut its new quad chairlift. Another Albertan resort, Nakiska, the closest to Calgary, is already open for race te4ams and opens to the general public this weekend – it too has a new quad chairlift. Blessed with this great early season snowfall and one of the world's most sophisticated snowmaking systems, Lake Louise (picture attached) is preparing to welcome the World Cup races later this month. The Men’s races will take place on November 28 to 29, and the Women’s races on December 4 to 6. Sunshine Village will open on November 11, after receiving 130cm of snowfall to date. Approximately 50 per cent of the resort’s 107 runs will be accessible, with Standish, Wawa and Strawberry lifts set to open.
The newly renovated Sunshine Mountain Lodge will open 30 new eco-luxurious rooms in early December. The multimillion dollar wing replacement has not only added luxury to the Lodge, but also lowered the resort’s carbon footprint. Over in British Columbia Sun Peaks also plans to open in the next few days a week earlier than planned. Thanks to all the snow.
Continuing West, in Asia the ski season looks to be days away in Japan. "On October 30th we saw snow falling for the first time and after a few cold dry days, we got our first “dump” of snow at the resort village level (approx 200m above sea level)", said Andrew Clarke of Niseko alpine developments, based in one of the country’s largest resorts, Niseko. "More is forecast to come soon and the resort is due to open on approx Nov 20th. Last summer the last lifts stopped running on May 6th after a long bank holiday weekend, but only because of visitation was too low to sustain the lifts running costs, not because of any lack of snow which lasted well into June on many of the slopes".
In New Zealand the last ski area known to be open in the southern hemisphere closed at the weekend, bringing the long 2009 ski season to an end. Turoa on Mt Ruapehu still had more than two metres of snow lying on closing day. "Both Turoa and Whakapapa have done us well this year with plenty of fine weather weekends and fresh spring snowfalls which helped extend the season at Turoa for the second year in a row. We'd like to thank everyone who visited us for their support throughout the 2009 winter season, particularly during Snovember. It's great to have the opportunity to offer another three weeks worth of skiing and riding but we couldn't do it without our wonderful customers", said a ski area statement.

Mother Nature Hits Whistler Mountains with Snow helping Snowmaking efforts to prepare the Alpine Skiing venue for the 2010 Winter Games

Snowmaking is an important part of early season preparation at Whistler Blackcomb in any given year. This year, while extra efforts are focused on readying the Alpine Skiing venue for the 2010 Winter Games, crews are also hard at work across both mountains to open up as much terrain as quickly as possible. And with Mother Nature’s cooperation, the mountains have been pounded with snow over the past few days, with more on the way.
This season Whistler Blackcomb’s snowmaking team is larger than ever, and is dedicated to providing an exceptional product for all guests while meeting or exceeding all criteria for the Games. Currently, over 160 snow guns are assisting Mother Nature to get a head start on winter with additional snow guns expected to be on-line within the next 24 hours as the freezing level continues to descend down the mountain.
"Our goal is to get as much quality snow as possible across both mountains for our guests early season", says Bob Pasch, snowmaking manager at Whistler Blackcomb. "More snow on the ground now not only helps us open up terrain early but also provides a thicker, durable base, benefitting the late season too".
With Opening Day just around the corner both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are currently under siege with snowmaking efforts. Currently snowmaking production is converting over 7,000,000 gallons of water into snow per day. This is equivalent to producing snow as high as a four-story building with a footprint the size of a football field, per day. As temperatures cool production levels can more than double. Priorities include establishing connector runs to the major lifts and restaurants, the development of children’s learning areas, construction of terrain park and special event features, and preparation of high traffic ski outs prior to the Christmas holidays, all in tandem with the Games race and training course preparations.
"Alpine temperatures have been working in our favour enabling us to keep our snow guns running", says Pasch. Snowmaking can start with temperatures as warm as -1 Celsius and production levels increase substantially with every one degree drop in temperature. "Our snowmaking crews are working 24/7 to ensure our product is the best it can be on both Whistler and Blackcomb for opening day", he continues.
And to assist snowmaking crews in their efforts, the Environment Canada Long Range forecast is calling for a strong weather system to roll through the Coastal Mountains bringing significant snowfall – potentially up to 60 centimetres – to the region over the next five days. The freezing level is expected to stay near the valley bottom, meaning optimal temperatures for natural snowfall and snowmaking across much of Whistler Blackcomb’s one-mile vertical rise.
Opening Day at Whistler Blackcomb is set for Nov 26, but if Mother Nature fulfills on the promises that are forecast, an early opening is always possible.

Ski Utah. The Greatest Snow on Earth

The western edge of the Rocky Mountains, the Wasatch Range towers over Utah's Great Salt Lake and the vast desert basin beyond, create an ultimate playground for powder addicts. Utah's self-proclaimed "greatest snow on Earth" is not only a slogan. With an average of 500 inches (12,7 metres) of the planet's lightest and driest powder annually (the 2008-09 Season was fantastic in Utah with over 600 inches/15,24 metres), the claim is back up with some geographic facts:

• Winter trade winds push clouds full of moisture east from the Pacific Ocean, across California and Nevada and to Utah. As the clouds move across the desert, the heat bakes out much of their moisture. When the clouds meet Utah’s Rocky Mountains, the remaining moisture rapidly cools and condenses, and precipitation hits our Utah ski resort terrain with a "mother lode" of deep, white powder snow that’s particularly light and dry.
  
• There’s another weather element that feeds Utah’s love affair with the white stuff. TV station News 4 Utah’s Chief Meteorologist Dan Pope says, "We have something that no other ski location in the world has - The Great Salt Lake Effect. Often the Great Salt Lake is much warmer than the bitter cold air following a cold front. The lake releases water into the air that then rises into clouds of snow, producing squalls on its eastern flanks. These squalls contain some of the world’s lightest, fluffiest and driest snow ever produced, and it falls in feet – not inches – on our Wasatch Mountains". As clouds draw moisture up from the Great Salt Lake, they "recycle" themselves for several days in the surrounding mountains. Utah ski enthusiasts often get a "one-two" (or a "three-four") punch of powder, causing many local employees to call in sick with the "powder flu". Editor in Chief of Skiing Magazine, Marc Peruzzi , simply stated, "That is why we test fat skis in Utah".

Home to 13 world-class alpine ski resorts, Utah can't be beat for its terrain and consistency of the lightest, deepest powder around. From the rugged powder choked steeps of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, home to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude, to the immaculately manicured slopes of Park City, where you can find Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons, Utah has it all.