There has been heavy snow in the Alps and Dolomites in the past few 24 hours but not many ski areas are open and few are publishing snowfall statistics until next season.

In Switzerland Engelberg reports 15cm of new snow, it is open until the 26thand Zermatt is also open.  It’s reported to be -5 to -7 and snowing at Glacier 3000 between Gstaad and les Diabletets which is due to re-open this weekend and, for the final time this season, on the 25th/26th.

In Austria the Molltal Glacier reports 8cm of fresh snow in the past 24 hours but is currently closed and won’t re-open until 20^th June.   Kaunertal (open to 9th June) 3cm, but 25cm in the last week.  The Dachstein, Kitzsteinhorn and Hintertux glaciers are also open but did not report fresh snow.  The Stubai glacier is due to close this weekend but is currently stormbound.

There are no ski areas open in France and in Italy only the Presena Glacier is reporting to be open with up to 25cm of snow falling on its two open runs.  Folgaria says it may re-open because of the snow.

In Northern Europe Cairngorm is open in Scotland, Ruka in Finland and there’s skiing under the midnight sun  until the 23^rd at Riksgransen in Sweden while Norway’s Folgefonn glacier opened on May 1^st and Galdhøpiggen is due to open on 18th May.

In North America Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, Mammoth in California, Mount Bachelor and Timberline in Oregon and Crystal Mountain In Washington State are open in the US, which is open weekends from now to June 16th.  There’s Sunshine (final weekend) and Whistler still open in Canada.

The season is not really underway yet in the southern hemisphere although after heavy pre-season snowfall in New Zealand and southern Africa earlier this month it has been the turn of Australian ski areas to report up to 20cm of new snow in the past 72 hours.

20 ski areas are currently open worldwide, a number that will drop to 18 next week,  as most ski areas in the north have closed but summer skiing in the north and southern hemisphere skiing is yet to start.

The May Bank Holiday Monday May 6^th saw highs of 20 degrees, so far the hottest day of 2013, but there was still snow on the ground in Hemel Hempstead.

To celebrate their 4^th Birthday, The Snow Centre (www.thesnowcentre.com), the UK’s newest indoor snowsports destination took the snow party outside. Using real snow to create a freestyle park in the sunshine, The Snow Centre Team invited all to watch skiers and snowboarders ride the boxes and rails or to have a go themselves at many other  activities on offer.

Home to the closest real snow to London, The Snow Centre has fast become the greatest skiing, snowboarding and sledging revelry this side of the Alps. Starting it’s days as a skate park in 1975, before becoming a dry ski slope and then finally re-opening 4 years ago with fresh snow on the indoor slopes, The Snow centre reached a million visitors in 2013 and has become the heart of the community for many.

May Day birthday festivities included free Birthday cake for all, piste basher rides, a treasure hunt, a summer ski, snowboard and boot sale and a balloon release. What’s more several adults and children were lucky enough to gain a sneaky peak behind the scenes and some even skied during the on slope snow making while snow was falling.

The Snow Centre’s Managing Director, Ian Brown reflected, “It was a pleasure to share The Snow Centre’s 4^th Birthday Weekend with snowsports lovers, our 300 staff members and the local community alike. Over  230,000 ski & snowboard lessons have taken place on the slopes of Hemel Hempstead since it opened on May 6^th 2009, introducing over 100,000 people to snowsports on real snow, and our 4^th Birthday successfully brought the community together to celebrate that.”

During the past 4 years The Snow Centre has been recognised as the UK’s only Centre of Excellence by BASI (British Association of Snow Sport Instructors), with 250 schools visiting each year and instructors ageing from 18 to 70 the venue continues to offer a wide variety of ski and snowboard lessons, lift passes and sledging sessions all year round.

If you swap your ski boots for football boots this autumn you could win a ski holiday for your whole team!

Disability Snowsports UK are staging the five-a-side annual football tournament at Goals in Wembley, London, on 8 October 2013 to raise money for the charity which helps to transform disabled people’s lives.

Crystal Ski, a long time supporter of Disability Snowsport UK, is providing a ski holiday to the Alps to the winning team. Additional prizes will be up for grabs throughout the event.

Held in a competitive spirit, but with the emphasis on fun, players of all abilities are invited to enter a team. Entry is open to any winter sport enthusiast and teams should consist of up to seven members who are expected to provide their own kit, donate £350 per team to Disability Snowsports, and organise their own refreshments and transport to the event.

Places in the tournament are limited to 24 teams and are subject to a first-come first-served basis. It will kick-off at 6.30pm and should be finished by 10.30pm.

Team Evolution, who provides alpine training programmes for young winter sports athletes, is organising the event in conjunction with Disability Snowsport UK.

To confirm your team’s place, download the registration form at: www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk/events/football  and send the completed version along with a cheque for £350 made payable to Disability Snowsport UK to Lynne Wiseman, Disability Snowsport UK, Glenmore Lodge, Grounds Glenmore, PH22 1QU. Email fundraising@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Tel: +44 1479 861272

Whacky charity fund raiser the Snow Camp Rally is back in 2013 with teams racing between the five indoor snow centres in England to raise money for charity Snow Camp.

This year the 12 hour epic, described by Ed Leigh as, “the closest thing you’ll get to the Gumball Rally in the UK”, will begin at The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead with skiing and boarding before hitting the road to the Milton Keynes Sno!Zone, then on to the Castleford Sno!Zone, and next Chillfactore, Manchester before the final 30 minutes in the Snowdome, Tamworth.

This year there’s a new twist as teams will arrive around 6pm at the new In The Snow Live, Birmingham NEC Arena

Taking place on Friday 25th October 2013, teams of four must ride as many runs as possible at each centre, with almost 350 miles of tarmac to cover between centres  and 30 minutes maximum at each slope to ride as many runs as possible.  Each team must commit to raising £1000 between them and prizes are awarded in various categories.

The contest is limited to 20 teams and information on registering can be found at: www.snow-camp.org.uk/rally

Snow-Camp is an innovative youth charity that uses a unique combination of skiing, snowboarding and life-skills programmes to support inner-city young people.

“Through the combination of snowsports and life-skills, our programmes enable young people to grow in confidence and self esteem, develop as individuals and make positive choices for their lives,” says the charity.

In a twist on the usual start/ends of season “book your hotel and get a free lift pass” offers, Tignes is offering the chance to get a free studio apartment to stay in when four people each buy a lift pass during the final week of the 12-13 season there from May 4^th to 12^th.

When four people each buy 6 day passes at the reduced Tignes spring skiing rate of 167.50 Euros between them, they get a four bedded studio to stay in for seven nights at no additional cost.

The final week of the season will see Tignes’ Grande Motte ski area only open, but the full Espace Killy is open for the penultimate weekend (4^th/5^th May) and can be skied with a 15 Euro daily extension pass on the Tignes ticket if you wish.

In what is being reported in UK news media as an escalation of the campaign by the French authorities against British people working in French ski resorts, a British ski instructor working in the resort of Megeve was arrested and held in local police cells overnight while teaching on the slopes.

Simon Butler, who revealed he himself had been led from the slopes in handcuffs by French police earlier in the ski season and faces a three month jail sentence, told BBC news that the arrest and imprisonment for 24 hours of his instructor Alex Casey was “absolutely unbelievable” and a case of “pure persecution” by French authorities.

“If this kind of thing happened to French workers in Britain there would be an absolute outcry. It’s scandalous,” Mr Butler told the Daily Telegraph.

The incident led to British tourists staging an impromptu demonstration in front of the police station and for the British MP for Mr Casey’s constituency to call from UK government intervention to get to the bottom of the issue.  The numbers involved were variously estimated at “dozens” or “around 100” by different British media outlets.

Both Mr Casey and Mr Butler are reported to be facing 3 – 12 month jail spells for ski teaching or employing ski teachers without accepted qualifications in France.  Court cases are due later this spring.

The ski teacher’s arrest follows a court case against British tour operator Le Ski earlier this year in which the company was charged with illegally employing a staff member to lead a familiarisation tour of the slopes.

However a Chamonix police spokesperson, responsible for the region including Megeve, has stressed there is no campaign against British ski teachers and told the BBC the police was merely enforcing the law.

The law concerned appears to relate to a 2003 pan-European agreement that ski instructors have passed a high ‘Eurotest’ standard in order to be able to teach.  Some reports say that instructors are required to have the ‘Eurotest’ qualification to work for a non Ecole du ski Francais (ESF) ski school in France, although it may not be needed to teach in France if employed by the ESF.  Mr Butler also told the Daily Telegraph that in order to operate within French law a non-ESF ski school had to have at least 10 instructors with the ‘Eurotest’ qualification, his school has nine.

It is not clear if there have been any previous prosecutions in France over the 10 years since the Eurotest agreement or if any other countries have imprisoned instructors lacking the qualification for teaching on their slopes.

In the separate ski guiding case, Le Ski is now being backed by around a dozen leading British ski tour operators in its ongoing legal battle to allow ski guiding in its limited form (familiarisation tours of easy-moderate category slopes, no teaching involved) to continue.

In each case the British companies involved had been working in France with no reported previous problems for at least 30 years.  Mr Casey, aged 40, had worked as a ski instructor in Megeve for more than 10 years according to reports, and is reported to have BASI (the British Association of Snowsports Instructors) teaching qualifications.

However a spokesperson for BASI (the British Association of Snowsports Instructors) quoted by the BBC appeared to support the French police action, saying,  “This is European law and you would expect the French police and the local magistrates to apply the laws as they understand them.”

In the case of the ski guiding legal case, French ski schools say they allow qualified ski teachers from other countries to teach or guide on their slopes.  However ski instructors with qualifications below BASI level 3 or the kind of ‘gap year’ ski teaching qualifications commonly available in countries like Canada and New Zealand are reported not to be acceptable to French ski schools even for basic familiarisation tours of resorts.

Another alleged incident, reported by the Daily Mail, involved an 18-year-old female student who was allegedly, “pushed over violently” and “was screaming and crying with pain when a gendarme leapt on her twisting her arm back,” after she took photographs of police questioning a ski instructor over alleged illegal ski teaching.

Comments pages following British media stories on the incidents have included calls for boycotts of French ski resorts.  France is the leading destination nation for British skiers and snowboarders with around 40% market share.

A plan for a promotional ‘flash mob’ performance by members to the ESF who have been vocally supportive of the actions of the French police, although keen to stress through a British PR agency that they do not profit from it (a claim disputed by British tour operators), in London earlier this season, was cancelled at short notice.

OK, it is still a month until Deep Purple close Ischgl’s 2012-13 ski season, but the Austrian Tirolean resort that has built a reputation for having top global superstars perform at the start and end of its season has already announced that rock band Nickelback, who boast five Grammy nominations and over 50 million album sales, will be opening the resort’s next ski season on 30 November 2013.  The Canadian rock quartet will be opening the winter season 2013/2014 and bringing the stage of the Top of the Mountain Opening Concert to life with their imposing music and lights show in a concert that’s free to all with a valid ski pass. Thousands of spectators will be able to watch their ‘Greatest Hits Show’ at 6pm and sing along to tunes such as ‘How You Remind Me’, ‘Lullaby’ and ‘When We Stand Together’.

Brothers Chad and Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Daniel Adair have big shoes to fill when they play this open-air concert. World stars such as Elton John, Katy Perry and Rihanna have already performed on the Top of the Mountain Opening stage.  Impatient winter sports enthusiasts can also get their fix on the snowy pistes before the concert because skiing begins in Ischgl on Thursday 28 November 2013 when a sizable chunk of the resort’s 238km of prepared pistes should be open.

(Revelstoke in Canada has lots of fresh snow, as usual, pic by Royce Sihlis)

Our friuends at j2ski.com have sent in a snowy snow report for the week…

* Big Snowfalls Return to The Alps – resorts in Austria, Italy and France post up to 80cm in 24hrs.

* Heavy snow at Scottish areas, access road temporarily blocked by snow.

* Big snowfalls in Western Canada, up to 80cm in 75 days.

* A foot of new snow in New England.

* Snow depth reaches 5m at Europe’s most southerly mountain resort – Sierra Nevada in Spain.

Austria

There have been big snowfalls in Austria with up to 75cm of fresh sow reported in the past seven days with the biggest falls from Sunday to Tuesday.  A large number of ski areas received at least a foot of new snow on Sunday/Monday.  Kaprun had that biggest snowfall, with 40cm of it falling over Sunday/Monday.  Lech Zurs reported 45cm and a large number more resorts reported 30-40cm of new snow including Filzmoos, St Anton, Solden and St Wolfgang.  Pitztal has had 35cm of new snow and still has the country’s deepest snow base at 365cm.  The snow is still falling but has slowed to 5-10cm per day.

France

French resorts have reported the biggest snowfalls of the past seven days, with Alpe d’Huez claiming the biggest snowfall in the world this week – 135cm (4.5 feet) over seven days and 80cm of that falling in 24 hours on Sunday/Monday.   Although that accumulation was double nearly everywhere else in the country (and indeed the world), other resorts did report huge accumulations too, 90cm at La Plagne for example, 85cm at Les Arcs and 80cm at Val Thorens.  But nearly every major resort in the French Alps has had 30-40cm of new snow, and the snowfall has been healthy right down to the south in resorts like Pra Loup and Vars.  The deepest snow is around the 4m mark at Alpe d’Huez (420cm) with Flaine and Tignes on 390cm.

Italy

There have been big snowfalls right across northern Italy with Arabba in the Dolomites reporting a huge 124cm (four foot) accumulation and on the opposite side of the country, La Thuile on the French border, reporting just a few cm/inches less with 115cm over the past week.  In common with the rest of the Alps, the biggest snowfalls for many resorts were on Sunday/Monday but Arabba reports another 80cm of snow on Monday/Tuesday.  Other reports with big snowfalls include Cervinia (80cm over the week, 50cm of that on Sunday/Monday; Cortina 75cm over the wee k, 45cm of that on Sunday/Monday and Bardonecchia (70cm during the week, 50cm of that on Sunday/Monday).  However as with the rest of the Alps, most ski areas have had at least 30cm of new snow and often as much as 50cm in recent days.  Passo Tonale has had the deepest snow in the country all year and after another 25cm this week its base is up to 4m.

Switzerland

Gstaad has overtaken Engelberg as having the deepest snow in Switzerland for the first time this year after receiving 70cm in the past week.  Much of the new snow has fallen in the past 72 hours with Sunday/Monday a particularly snowy 24 hour period.  Numerous Swiss resorts reported at least 30cm (a foot) of new snow in 24 hours to Monday and Tuesday, with St Moritz, Villars, Les Diablerets  and Adelboden among those reporting big falls.  Along with Gstaad, resorts reporting big snowfalls over the past seven days (although in fact mostly in the past 72 hours) Zermatt has received 60cm (two feet), Murren 65cm,  Klosters 45cm and Adelboden 48cm.

Scotland

There have been excellent snow conditions in Scotland following heavy snow at all five areas.  The snow which hit the westerly resorts of Glencoe and Nevis Range at the weekend caused some operational problems due to strong winds and then consistent heavy snowfall in the East at the other three areas from Sunday to Wednesday (and still on going) led to the closure of access roads to The Lecht and Glenshee, but once open conditions are reported to be excellent with fresh snow on the well established bases at all five areas.

Pyrenees

Although the focus of snowfall may have been in the Alps to the north this week, the Pyrenees have been the snowiest mountains in Europe in 2013 so far and that hasn’t changed this week with resorts on the French and Spanish sides of the mountain as well as in Andorra in between reporting 30-60vm of new snow in the past seven days, albeit mostly more evenly spread through the week than the larger-falls of Sunday/Monday in particular which made up the majority of the past seven day’s snowfall figures in the Alps.  Baqueira Beret reported 60cm of new snow and has a 4.5m base – one of the 10 deepest in Europe, while Cauterets with a foot of fresh snow this week is still claiming the world’s deepest at 5.9m (nearly 20 feet) as it has for nearly two months now.  To the south-west of the Pyrenees, Spain’s Sierra Nevada, Europe’s most southerly major resort, is claiming a 5m base now.

Eastern Europe

There’s been fresh snow in Eastern Europe too if not in quite the same volumes so far as in the Alps.  Bansko and Kranjska Gora both reported 10cm of fresh snow and have healthy bases of 1.8 and 1.2m respectively on upper slopes.  Other areas reported smaller falls and smaller bases but as these are typically still 90cm-1.2m (3-4 feet) it’s not bad for the time of the season.

Scandinavia

Although a lot of the snow that has arrived in north eastern Britain over the past week is reported to have come down from Scandinavia, resorts in the region have not been reporting more than a few centimetres of fresh snow from northern Finland to southern Norway.  Most resorts in the region do have good base depths however – typically in the 80-120cm range, so there’s no snow cover shortage.  Are in Sweden, the largest resort in the region with 35% of the total market, has a 115cm (nearly four foot) base and Hemsedal, Norway’s biggest ski area, has a 1.1m base.

Canada

There’s been some serious snowfall again in Western Canada.  Fernie has had the most new powder and has the deepest snow in the country still with a 2.8m base and  75cm new snow in the past seven days.  But other resorts including whistler in NC and Banff/Lake Louise and Marmot Basin in Alberta have reported 40-50cm of new snow too and also have bases well over 2m.  The snow is still falling but has lessened and smaller accumulations of 10-30cm are more likely over the coming week.

USA

No huge snowfalls in the US over the past week, but plenty of smaller falls still, helping accumulations to build to 30cm or more.  The biggest falls in the past 48 hours have been in the Eastern states where resorts in Vermont including Killington and Stowe are reporting a foot of new snow since Tuesday.   It’s still snowing in Colorado too where resorts have added another foot of snow too, although over a longer period – Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Aspen have had 20-25cm in total.    Mammoth’s 4.8m base is still the deepest of a major US resort if down a bit on last week.

Two French airports under a single operating company have clocked up their 1 millionth customer  flying in with the UK’s biggest winter sports tour operator, Crystal Ski.

The gentleman concerned was Mr David Skepper from Buckinghamshire in England, who arrived on on a Thomson Airways flight from Gatwick in to Chambery-Savoie airport and was surprised to be greeted by Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, along with senior managers from the airport and Crystal.

The million passengers have now reached the French Alps through Chambéry-Savoie and Grenoble-Isère airport, both operated by Vinci Airports and together providing often the fastest route to many leading French ski resorts.  Traffic through both airports is concentrated on weekends with more than 120 commercial flights landing and over 30,000 travellers passing through the airports.

Crystal Ski flies to Chambéry-Savoie airport once a week with up to 17 flights from 11 regional airports including Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin. 350,000 customers have used this route since 2004.

Grenoble-Isère airport, the gateway to the Isère ski resorts (Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes), is served by up to seven Crystal Ski flights a week from up to seven UK airports. In total, Crystal Ski brings over 50,000 British skiers to the French Alps via Chambéry and Grenoble Airports every year.

Twenty six years since ‘Chernobyl’, scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, sixteen school-children from the town of Korosten in Ukraine have enjoyed a four-week respite holiday to Scotland including a visit to Snow Factor (snowfactor.com) in Xscape Braehead to the west of Glasgow.

Organised by the Ayrshire link of the charity, Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline (www.ccll.org.uk/Ayrshire), the visit is designed to break the children’s continual exposure, with the associated health risks, to the high levels of radiation in a town located just 30 miles from the reactor site.

Snow Factor, one of several day trips including visit to Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Zoo, hosted the young Ukrainian visitors and their teachers and translators with fun sledging, skiing and a tasty lunch in the recently opened Bar Varia (Bavarian themed) alpine-style restaurant.

“Through the generous support of the likes of Snow Factor, Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline Ayrshire Link gives children respite from constant exposure to radiation in their community. From speaking to the parents and teachers of the kids who come over, it’s clear every child benefits both physically and mentally from the opportunities we give during their stay,” said Michael Lafferty, chairman of Chernobyl Childrens Lifeline Ayrshire Link, “For many it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip. And to be successful, we are wholly dependent on the goodwill of companies like Snow Factor and people volunteering their time to support and accommodate the children during their stay.”

Vail Resorts have announced details of their 2013-2014 Epic Pass (www.epicpass.com) – a single ticket that provides access to all of the company’s resorts in California, Colorado and even gives five days skiing in Verbier, Switzerland (up from three days this season).

Anyone planning to ski on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 6 days is likely to save and the epic Pass offers many more discounts and incentives too.  The early-booking price for the pass is US$689, or around £460, with a $49 deposit required and the balance payable by September.  A five day Verbier pass alone this season costs the equivalent of around £210.

Besides Verbier the Epic pass offers unrestricted skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood, as well as independently-owned Arapahoe Basin.

“We encourage all of our guests to purchase their passes now, to take advantage of the lowest guaranteed price for next winter season,” said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Vail Resorts.

An innovative lift ticket launched this season will have wider coverage in 2013-14 it has been announced.

The Mountain Collective, which offers two days each at a selection of major North American ski areas will include Mammoth Mountain, Snowbird and Whistler Blackcomb next season, joining Alta, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows.

The ticket, which is valid all season, costs $349 (about £200) for which holders receive a total of up to 12 skiing days if they travel to all six regions included on the pass, which is valid for two days at each, although extra days can be added at each for 50% of the regular rate with no blackout dates.

The six regions are (1) Aspen Snowmass, (2) Whistler Blackcomb (3) Alta/Snowbird (4) Jackson Hole (5) Mammoth Mountain and (6) Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows – described by the participants as, “An unprecedented collaboration of resorts.”

Passes are available online through an exclusive technology, distribution and marketing partnership with Liftopia at www.TheMountainCollective.com. A limited quantity of passes is now available at this lowest guaranteed price and The Mountain Collective™ Pass is available for children (ages 12 and under), under the same terms for $229.

“The Mountain Collective successfully captured the imagination of mountain travel enthusiasts looking for variety, flexibility and affordable access to the best independent resorts in the world,”. “Adding these three world-class mountains makes this the ultimate dream pass, and only serves to enhance the value skiers and riders will enjoy from The Mountain Collective.”

(Photo credit: Ski region Dachstein West | Fun week)

Spring is nearly here so it should be no surprise to see the legendary Yodel Sepp and Bigfoot-Rudy on the slopes of Austria’s Dachstein West ski region (www.dachstein.at).

“Jodel Sepp and Bigfoot-Rudy are artists in the outdoor show “Walking Act” and our ski region has booked them as a special act during our ‘Fun Week’,” explained Birgit Hofauer in charge of Marketing for Dachstein West.

That fun week is on this week to 16^th March and Sepp and Rudy are keeping very busy, performing on stilts around the base of the resort until late morning each day, and then from 11am to 4pm travelling around the slopes in their security uniforms with hilarious consequences.

The heroic duo will be in a different sector of the large ski area each day, and while they are an attraction in their own right, Dachstein West has still more fun week attractions including free ski school workshops in freestyle, slalom training and freeride safety…

BASI (the British Association of Snowsport Instructors) has teamed up with youth charity Snow-Camp and the Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead (thesnowcentre.com) to develop the skills of two young aspiring instructors, providing each with a sponsored Alpine Level 1 course as a part of the Snow-Camp Youth Programme (snow-camp.org.uk).

Snow-Camp is an innovative youth charity that uses a unique combination of skiing, snowboarding and life-skills programmes to support the development of inner-city young people. Through the combination of snowsports and life-skills, its programmes are designed with the aim of enabling young people to grow in confidence and self-esteem, develop as individuals and make positive choices for their lives, the charity says.

Sponsored student Aaron Minto, who will take his five day course in mid-March, learnt to ski with Snow-Camp six years ago and is now a long term volunteer.

“I have always wanted to do my BASI Level 1 but I would not have been able to afford it without this support from BASI,” said Aaron, “I am really excited about the opportunity and ever so grateful to BASI for sponsoring me. This qualification will give me the chance to become a BASI instructor and ultimately give me a chance to gain employment in the snowsports Industry.”

Stacey Pender is also receiving a sponsored BASI Level 1 course, which she will take at the end of May,

“I have been skiing for around 18 months now, and have already made dramatic progress due to the support I have received from Snow-Camp and through all the great experiences I’ve had, combined with my determination in wanting progress within the ski industry in every way possible. Completing work experience with Interski recently inspired me to do a season abroad and hopefully work at a ski school in the future. Words can’t express how privileged and happy I am to get a chance to complete my BASI Level 1 qualification. I would like to thank BASI, Snow-Camp and everyone who has helped me in every way to get me where I am today,” said Stacey.

Both courses will take place at the Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead (thesnowcentre.com) , which, employs over 120 BASI qualified instructors. Each year around 250 candidate instructors begin their training on a BASI course hosted at The Snow Centre. The centre is headed by BASI level 4 instructor and trainer Pete Gillespie.

“The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead is delighted to be able to support Snow-Camp in sponsoring Aaron and Stacey,” said Pete, “The BASI scheme provides a pathway to a real career in teaching snowsports and can lead to endless possibilities in an exciting and dynamic industry.”

Once Stacey and Aaron have completed their BASI Level 1, they will be issued with a certification to work on dry and indoor snow slopes with novice and early intermediate skiers.

Sölden is offering everyone the chance to ski with racing legend Bode Miller in April.

The snow-sure resort with twin glacier ski areas in the Austrian Tirol is usually the first stop on the northern hemisphere World cup tour in October each Autumn, and is the official US ski team training base in Europe.  It has a long association with Miller who is now concentrating on preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games..

The resort’s ‘Bode Miller Weekend & Friends’ runs from the 19th to 21st April and starts with a Friday evening get together and autograph session with Bode.

There’s giant slalom and slalom ski training with Bode Miller on the glacier on the Saturday morning along with a ski equipment test and a race with Miller again on the Sunday.  The event also includes a fringe programme, workshops and entertainment.

Packages including two nights in a private guesthouse including breakfast, two day ski pass, two lunch vouchers valid for lunch at Restaurant Tiefenbach, a  Bode Miller calendar and the start/entry fee for the ski race are available from € 179per person.  www.soelden.com

A service which collects your skis and if you like, other luggage too, and delivers it to your accommodation in the French Alps ahead of your arrival has extended its pick-up coverage to anywhere in mainland UK.

The Piste of Mind service (pisteofmind.com) in many cases costs less than airline ski carriage charges (now more than £100 return on some Ryanair flights) but also saves you the hassle of carrying your kit, collecting it from your door before you leave and delivering it to your accommodation shortly before you arrive.

The company uses specially designed vans which keep ski bags separate rather than piled on top of each other, for maximum TLC of your gear – again a further advantage on the usual airport experience.  Your equipment is stored overnight in a highly secure ski friendly environment before crossing the channel to France.

“As a passionate skier, and experiencing ever increasing airline baggage costs, tiresome airport queues and the frustration of hauling ski and board equipment around Europe, I knew there had to be an easier solution for ski travel. Piste of Mind simply eliminates airport luggage trauma and makes travel to the resort lighter, smarter and cheaper,” said Piste of Mind Managing Director at Mark Sekula

With prices matched to airline hold charges, ski air travel transforms to ‘hand luggage only’, safe in the knowledge that equipment is being cared for and transported by ski experts, as oppose to airport baggage handlers.

“As a passionate skier, and experiencing ever increasing airline baggage costs, tiresome airport queues and the frustration of hauling ski and board equipment around Europe, I knew there had to be an easier solution for ski travel. Piste of Mind simply eliminates airport luggage trauma and makes travel to the resort lighter, smarter and cheaper,” said Piste of Mind Managing Director at Mark Sekula

The Piste of Mind service is now available from most parts of the UK and delivers to all main French Alp ski resorts including La Plagne (including Les Coches), Les Arcs ( Including neighbouring Valandry, La Plan Peisey), Sainte Foy, Courchevel, La Tania, St Martin de Belleville, Meribel, Les Menuires, Val Thorens,  Val D’Isere (including La Daille, Le Fornet), Tignes, Les Deux Alpes and La Rosiere.

For the first time local racers have won easily in the now annual Afghan Ski Challenge which returned for its third staging last weekend.

The ski touring race, supported by Canadian outdoor company Arc’teryx who provide skiwear, and staged at Bamyan, a high valley north west of Kabul, 2,500 metres above sea level, has got bigger each year, this time attracting 40 competitors around 400 spectators and world media including journalists from the New York Times, Time, Al Jazeera and National Geographic.  This year’s race also saw the first Afghan female competitors taking part.

In past years the local sportsmen have outperformed the international guests in the ascent aspect of the race but then lost due to the better ski skills of the international skiers.  This changed dramatically this year as local participants were trained in a recently founded ski school for three weeks prior to the main event.

The free-to-enter race took the athletes over 2.5 km and 400 vertical meters and won by Saijad Hussaini for the men, who managed the race in just over 28 minutes, and young Zahra Ebrahimi for the women. The best foreign athlete was fourth (from Norway),  more than four minutes behind the winner.

World famous for its thousand-year-old Buddha statues, Bamyan used to be a tourist hot spot on the silk route, attracting on average 150,000 tourists every year. Although it is situated outside the war zones, the region still suffers because of the destruction of their main tourist attractions by the Taliban over a decade ago.

Nevertheless it is an El Dorado for ski mountaineering. Mountains rising from 2000 to 5000 meters above sea level, northern exposure, a very dry climate and lack of ski lifts are the perfect ingredients for an event like this.

Three years ago a small group of afghan Ski-Fans (Aga Kahn Foundation) and employees of the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung”(NZZ) founded the“Bamiyan Ski Club” and organized a small, local Ski touring race. The AfghanSki Challenge was born.

The Altitude Festival in Mayrhofen has announced Eddie Izzard will be a  headline act at the 2013 festival from 18-23 March, this month.

Described by John Cleese as ‘the lost Python’, Eddie Izzard was listed at number 3 in the 100 Greatest British National Comedians for Channel 4′s 100 Greatest Comedians of All Time countdown.

“Hailed as one of the foremost stand-ups of this generation, he’s got almost too much talent for just one stage and has stormed the acting world too, with major US roles such as General Erich Fellgiebel in Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, Roman Nagel in Oceans Twelve & Oceans Thirteen alongside George Clooney & Al Pacino and he’s even been in The Simpsons!” said a statement from Altitude.

Altitude, now in its seventh year, fuses the adrenalin rush of a ski holiday with the madcap thrills of a top notch comedy festival, and is the brainchild of Andrew Maxwell and Marcus Brigstocke.

It has seen the pantheon of comedies greatest stars gracing its line up in previous years and this month Eddie Izzard will be joining a litany of previously announced comics including John Bishop, Germany’s No.1 comedian Michael Mittermeier, Scotland’s comedy prodigy Daniel Sloss and Never Mind the Buzzcocks veteran Phill Jupitus. Plus Craig Campbell, Benny Boot, Brendon Burns, Phil Nichol, Howard Marks, Rob Beckett, Keith Farnan, Mark Walker Kai Humphries, The International Impro Allstars; Andy Smart and Steve Frost and Paul Provenza (The Aristocrats, Northern Exposure and The West Wing) .

“He’s one of the funniest people on the planet and one of the nicest comedians to boot and he is sure to bring the house down in Mayrhofen!” concludes the Festival organisers.

A full Week Festival Wristband costs £169 via www.ticketline.co.uk/altitude-festival

The ASD Fairplay association (asdfairplay.it)  is organising two days on the snow dedicated to skiers with disabilities this month . The organisation will offers specialist instructors free of charge at the Italian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo (dolomiti.org) to allow people with disabilities to experience the thrill of skiing.

Specialist equipment for para and quadriplegics, blind skiers, mono-skis and amplifiers will be made available free of charge and the initiative takes place on the perfectly groomed slopes of the famous Italian resort to help ensure a smooth experience.

The entire Dolomiti Superski area of which Cortina is a part will offer a discount of 20% on skipasses for skiers with a disability in excess of 51%. Skiers with a 100% mental handicap will get a 50% reduction on the skipass, and their carers get 30% off. The skipass is free of charge for blind skiers and half price for the person accompanying.

Lower limb amputees must be equipped with their own prosthesis made specifically for skiing. The teacher-student ratio will be 1:1.

For more information contact the Skipass office +39 0436 862171; skipasscortina@dolomiti.org  and for reservations: contact Tommaso on +39 348 2472221 or email info@asdfairplay.it

Snowboarder at Nevis Range, showing the amazing view from the slopes 24 February 2013, courtesy of Steven McKenna for Ski-Scotland

Ski-Scotland, the partnership which promotes snowsports in Scotland, reports that this winter is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years. Already last winter’s total figure has been surpassed, and the number of skiers and snowboarders who have enjoyed this year’s snow already stands at over 140,000, well ahead of most seasons in the last decade.

“We know last season wasn’t a good one, but even so, to have beaten that total before the end of the English half term is amazing,” said Chair of Ski-Scotland Heather Negus. “We are also close to beating some of the total season figures during the last ten years – and that’s with two months of the season still to run.”

Up to and including Sunday 24 February, the five mountain snowsports areas have recorded 142,160 ‘skier days’. This figure does not include all season ticket holders and groups at all the areas; some ski areas add these at the end of the season.

Figures are well short of the remarkably snowy 2009-10 season, when almost 375,000 people enjoyed skiing or boarding in Scotland’s mountains, but are creeping up on the figures for the following season, which finished with a total of over 289,000.

Conditions for most of the past fortnight have been outstanding, with ‘bluebird’ days of sunshine, almost no wind and good snow conditions; the icy morning condition soften up in the sun as the day progresses.

This is forecast to continue, with sunshine and light winds, and possibly a few clouds, for the end of the week and the weekend. Some ski areas also report skiers and boarders sliding straight onto the lift at the end of each run as there are no queues.

The advice from Heather and Ski-Scotland is simple: “get out and enjoy it! However, it’s always best to check the up-to-date forecast and conditions, so please do so on ski-scotland.com, with your PC, smart phone or tablet – the webcams show real-time conditions.”

Eurostar (08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) is launching a Ski Sale on Tuesday (26 February), with thousands of fares available at £119 (usually at least £189) return in standard class or £219 in Standard Premier, for travel from London to the Swiss Alps.

There are just two weeks to book, with seats on sale until midnight on 11 March 2013, for travel between the 2nd March and 13th April.

Eurostar’s Swiss ski service, new for 2013, carries skiers and snowboarders from St Pancras International and Ashford International to the heart of the Swiss Alps and the Valais region. Resorts including Verbier, Zermatt, Saas Fee and Gstaad are served on the weekly route until Saturday 13 April 2013.

With an easy connection in Lille Europe on to a high-speed TGV Lyria service, passengers arrive into Aigle, Martigny, Visp and Brig stations for quick onward transfers to their ski resorts. For added convenience, Eurostar and TGV Lyria will allow passengers to carry skis or snowboards at no extra cost.

SWISS airlines are working with Made in Chelsea’s Binky to help promote the airline’s services to the Alps. There are up to 35 daily frequent SWISS flights from London City, Manchester and Birmingham to Zurich, Geneva and Basel – and they make it easier than ever to get away by carrying your ski equipment free of charge in addition to your standard free baggage allowance.

SWISS followed Binky as she touched down in London following her recent ski trip via Geneva to shoot the latest series of Made in Chelsea. Accompanied by six “goggle marked” young businessmen, a sun-kissed Binky made her way into Canary Wharf on the tube, highlighting how easy it is to discover the Alps with SWISS, and be back at your desk for 9am on Monday morning.

“After returning from a fantastic weekend on the slopes to a dreary London, the guys were happy to show off their ski goggle tan lines and make their fellow commuters extremely jealous,” said a SWISS spokesperson.

SWISS are also running a competition to give UK consumers the chance to discover the Alps:  Visit www.facebook.com/flyswiss/app_162142237258638

The Snow Centre (thesnowcentre.co.uk) at Hemel Hempstead, North London, the closest real snow to the capital, has just announced their Easter programme for 2013 which could be an answer if you want to enjoy some snowtime but aren’t heading to the mountains.

Snow Scooters, a real buzz for kids aged from 7 upwards (including grown up kids), are also new for this year.  Or you can whizz down the slopes on a sledge, which is on offer for kids from as young as four so even littlies can enjoy the Easter snow.

In addition a special deal on bank holiday Easter Monday will include a family lift pass which give the whole family an hour on the slopes, half an hour sledging and a soft drink afterwards in the Edge Cafe Bar overlooking the slope for an all inclusive price of £79. “It’s an eggscellent offer!” said a Snow centre spokesperson.

If you’re after more gnarly action The Snow Centre has extended Freestyle Friday nights for the whole day over the holiday period.   You can learn and practice tricks on rails, boxes and kickers throughout the day on Good Friday as well as March 5th and 12th April.  The parks change every session offering new challenges and different styles every week.

Freestyle lift passes are available from £29 on Good Friday or you can top up your pass with an hour of coaching for an extra tenner.   A half day junior Rookie Freestyle Ski or Snowboard course costs just £55 or a full day Rookie Freestyle course for adults is available for £95.

Other holiday courses include kids two day ski and snowboard courses from £35 and adult ski and snowboard courses reduced to £69 for a three hour session and £139 for a five hour ‘full day’ course including lunch and drinks.

A French court has banned ‘ski hosts’ employed by tour operators from showing new guests around French ski slopes when they arrive in resort.

The disagreement between the French ski school and tour operators has been going on for decades in various forms but has recently resurfaced with a new legal move, targeting the British tour operator Le Ski, which has been bringing skiers to the French Alps for 30 years.  Le Ski are appealing the ruling supported by other tour operators, including the biggest, Crystal, who issued a statement,

“Crystal Ski is disappointed …We have temporarily suspended our social skiing service in France whilst this process goes through the courts. We have never seen social skiing as a replacement for a ski school as social skiing is where a representative from the holiday company takes guests on familiarisation tours of the slopes, show them good lunch spots and how to avoid the queues. They do not go on black runs or off piste and stick to gentle slopes. No instruction is given.”

The national French Ski School, the ESF, which has become the subject of increasingly negative comment on internet ski sites, the gist of which are that the move is more about protectionism of French ski school jobs than about safety, has sought to distance itself from responsibility for the  French court decision,

“This is not an ESF led court action, but the organisation has rightly shown its support for French law to be upheld and that for those organisations using hosting or other personnel to ‘guide’ such people must possess a valid qualifications to do so.  ESF is committed to ensuring the safety of UK tourists using French resorts for winter sports. ” said an ESF statement.

Le Ski says it will appeal.

Livigno, the duty-free, high-altitude Italian resort is offering comparatively low-cost heliskiing for a limited period.

Choppers are taking off from near the Carosello 3000 and Mottolino refuges until Maarch 3^rd initially offering great panoramic views over the valleys and peaks that make up this beautiful area known as Little Tibet. Adrenaline filled descents via the Val del Monte and Val delle Mine peaks will begin with open powder fields followed by tree skiing through the trees above the village.

Two heli drops start from €255 per person with the Alpine guides of Livigno who’ll provide participants with avalanche transceiver, shovel and probes will be provided for the day. The minimum group size is 8 people and heliskiing is offered only until 3rd March 2013.

Heliski Livigno (+39 0342 052240; booking@livigno.eu) also offers a complete holiday package including a heliskiing tour with two freeride descents accompanied by professional guides, 5 day lift pass and an apartment for 4 people, with a minimum stay of 7 nights with prices starting from 690€ per person.

If you don’t want to heliski but do want to take in the stunning scenery from above, the company also offer panoramic flights around the area  from €75 per person based on 6 passengers.