With any luck the slopes will be white during the ski events at Whistler’s 2010 Olympics. But if organizers have their way, the Games themselves will be very green.

The 2010 Winter Games has committed to provide innovative ways to organize major events that minimize their environmental footprints before, during and after the Games.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) today signed an agreement at the United Nations headquarters in New York City to enhance environmental performance at the 2010 Winter Games and increase public awareness of the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Under the new agreement, UNEP and VANOC will work together to develop and deliver environmental education and raise public awareness of environmental opportunities and issues in conjunction with the 2010 Winter Games.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Through the Olympic Movement, we can further sustainable development by holding green Games and boosting global interest in the environment. UNEP welcomes VANOC’s goal of carbon neutral Games and is proud to be a partner is this important endeavour.”

UNEP may advise VANOC on environmental issues, including greenhouse gas emissions, ozone-friendly chemicals, waste management and ‘green procurement.’ UNEP and VANOC will also work together to inspire action on national and international environmental goals.

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that environmental and sustainability considerations should be at the heart of the Olympic project. All Olympic Games are now expected to leave a sustainable legacy and promote environmental awareness.

“We are delighted that UNEP and VANOC have been able to continue the great spirit of collaboration that has existed for several Games now by signing this MOU,” said Pal Schmitt, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Environment Commission. “The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are making great strides in the field of sustainable development and this new relationship with the UNEP will undoubtedly provide further opportunities to inspire sustainable actions around the world.”

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent a unique opportunity to produce lasting benefits, both locally and globally,” said VANOC CEO John Furlong. “Today, as we come together in a spirit of cooperation with UNEP, we are well on our way to fulfilling the goal of meeting our commitment of hosting sustainable Games, of raising awareness about the environment and inspiring greater commitment to environmental protection around the world.”

VANOC will support and participate in certain UNEP events and initiatives such as World Environment Day and a global forum on sport and the environment. Under this MoU, VANOC has the opportunity to participate in world youth conferences organized by UNEP. In 2007, VANOC sent two Indigenous (Inuit) youth from northern Canada to the 2007 TUNZA International Youth Conference in Germany - a youth forum held every two years that brings together young environmentalists from all over the world to share experiences on the environment. There, the two youth discussed environmental issues such as the need to address climate change in their community.

UNEP, which has worked with the International Olympic Committee since 1994, is also partnering with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in the run-up to the 2008 Summer Games. As part of its Sport and Environment programme, UNEP also signed an agreement on 22 October with the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010. The goal of this alliance is to create environmentally-friendly 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune and 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

VANOC has been tracking and reporting on its environmental performance with the publication of its first-ever Sustainability Report in June 2007 (available online at: vancouver2010.com ). The next version of the report, which is based on the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, will be available in the first quarter of 2008.

The agreement between UNEP and VANOC comes just days after the 7th World Conference on Sport and Environment, which took place in Beijing on 25-27 October. IOC President Jacques Rogge confirmed at the recent conference that VANOC will host the next World Conference on Sport and the Environment in the spring of 2009.

An absolutely beautiful, bodacious, info-filled book covering everything anyone would need to know about backcountry skiing has come to North America.

Recreation Outfitters Inc. (ROI), the Vancouver BC-based distributor of Swiss-made Movement Skis, has been awarded the exclusive North American distribution rights for the book, Free Skiing – How to Adapt to the Mountain.

Free Skiing is an essential for big mountain riders - intended to be a complete reference to skills and techniques necessary for safe and enjoyable ski mountaineering. Divided into topical sections, each including explanatory illustrations and photos, Swedish author and accomplished mountain guide Jimmy Odén shares his vast knowledge of big mountain riding in this comprehensive tome.

Each chapter, with headings such as weather, first aid and snow and avalanches, begins with an engaging personal tale relating to the topic. The advice is clearly explained and laid out and the simple diagrams are easy to understand.

There’s also a glossy section of incredible ski photography from some of Europe’s best lensmen, accompanied by interesting, if somewhat random, ski mountaineering facts.

“Very well written. The book is a must read for anyone who wants to explore the backcountry and spend more time in the alpine in winter,” said Jayson Faulkner of ROI. Go to www.roirecreation.com for more.

Last evening at the Best Western Fernie Mountain lodge the annual Fernie Community and Business Excellence Awards were presented.

A big thanks went out to all who took the time to submit nominations, to everyone who came out for the Awards Gala and supported this year’s nominees and to the event sponsors who helped make the evening such a big success.

Congratulations to the 2007 Award Winners:

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by the City of Fernie
Winner of the 2007 Citizen of the Year Award:
Butch Coultry

YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sponsored by the City of Fernie
Winner of the 2007 Youth Achievement Award:
Tanisha Falat

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Community Futures Development Corporation
Winner of the 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year Award:
Ryan Doehle, Iscosceles Business Systems

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by the Business Development Bank of Canada
Winner of the 2007 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award:
Chris Herron, Fernie Mow and Snow Land Care

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by the Fernie Chamber of Commerce
Winner of the 2007 Business of the Year Award:
Blue Toque Diner, Ray Lee and Tonya Carre

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE
Sponsored by the Fernie Chamber of Commerce
Winner of the 2007 Outstanding Customer Service Award:
IGS Fernie Home Hardware and Value Drug Mart
Ingrid Sombrowski and Staff

Tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games will go on sale in exactly one year: October 11, 2008.

Approximately 1.6 million tickets will be available, the Vancouver organizing committee (VANOC) is reporting. 100,000 tickets will be priced at $25. Half of all tickets are priced at $100 or less and Opening and Closing Ceremonies tickets, ranging from $175 to $1,100, will be offered at prices lower than the Ceremonies tickets at the Torino 2006 Winter Games and the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games.

VANOC claims the ticket buying process will be simple and user friendly. It will be staged in phases and will, in some cases, include lotteries to distribute tickets to Olympic events where the demand for tickets exceeds the supply.

By signing up at vancouver2010.com, the public will receive important news and next steps for the ticket program delivered directly to their email inbox.

As is required of all Olympic Organizing Committees, approximately 30 per cent of the tickets will be held for key partners that participate directly in the staging of the Games - commonly referred to as the Olympic Family.

FoMoInfo: vancouver2010.com

Prepare to charge into winter as Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND, the world’s largest action sports film, comes to Fernie this November 10th at the Fernie Community Centre.

Warren Miller’s latest feature showcases stunning global destinations from Sweden to Canada, Alaska to Japan, and several others. Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND also exposes the most unlikely winter sports destination, a resort found directly within the Arabian Desert called Ski Dubai.

Olympic Gold Medalist, skiing innovator and pop icon, Jonny Moseley, adds a new title to his resume as he serves as the film’s narrator.This year’s invigorating action display includes: a rare and insightful segment on ski racing king and perceived industry bad boy, Bode Miller; a trip to Alaska’s untouched Chugach Range with X-Games Gold Medalists, and brothers, Zach and Reggie Crist; unbelievably deep powder in Whistler/Blackcomb and Utah; and astonishing aerial acrobatics from Sweden, and so much more. PLAYGROUND also highlights the future of snowboarding in a segment featuring the youth-infused Burton Smalls Team in which these young prodigies teach us that size truly isn’t everything.

This year’s film is complimented with a high-energy soundtrack delivered on a state-of-the-art digital sound system and includes world renowned bands like the Beastie Boys, Maroon 5, Queens of the Stone Age and several other A-list recording artists.

Warren Miller’s PLAYGROUND is the 58th annual movie from Warren Miller Entertainment, the leaders in action sports film-making.

For tickets visit a local sports retailer or take your chances and show up at the door. This years event is a fundraiser for the Canadian Ski Patrol System.

For information on other Canadian show locations visit www.skitheworld.com

The 2008 TransRockies Challenge registration is set to open on November 1st with only 300 Team Spots Available. How time flies when you’re organizing the best epic endurance events in the World!

To most of the TransRockies team, it seems like just days ago that nearly 600 racers from 24 countries rolled away from the start line in Panorama, BC to kick off the sixth TransRockies Challenge. Well, the calendar says that it’s actually been two months, but given that the TransRockies staff was hard at work putting on the inaugural GORE-TEX ™ TransRockies Run, a five-day trail running event in Colorado, it’s understandable that the time flew by.

After another whirlwind summer, it seems hard to believe that it’s now less than three weeks until the opening of registration for the 2008 TransRockies, the seventh edition of the North America’s premiere endurance mountain bike race. Based upon the rapid sell-out and long waiting list for TransRockies VI, the official registration opening on November 1st is going to be a frenzy of online energy as racers from around the World rush to grab one of the 300 coveted team spots available for 2008.

The 2008 TransRockies Challenge will be held on its traditional early August dates, starting at Panorama Mountain Village on Sunday, August 10th and finishing in the beautiful Historic Downtown of Fernie, BC on the 16th. In-between, riders will ride for seven days through the rugged British Columbia Kootenay Rockies on the North to South route which was debuted this year. The final routing is not announced until race time, but as they have in past years, the course team is working on different routing options to improve the rider experience and give multi-time racers something new to ride.

Though registration will open on November 1st as it has in past years, the opening time is moving from the traditional midnight to 10am MDT (UTC -6:00). “With the increasing demand for the race spots, it makes sense to us to be in the office and available to answer any questions and concerns from those registering and attempting to register,” said Event Director Aaron McConnell.

For complete 2008 registration information, please visit www.transrockies.com

From Colorado to Fernie to Jasper, ski areas across the west and northwest of North America are reporting that the last week in September brought in substantial dumps of early season snow.

A week after the end of summer, Mother Nature is switching gears to bring winter to the mountains in a major way. Fernie Alpine Resort received a week of continued snow fall, with total accumilation of over a meter in the Alpine ; the snowline has made its way to the top of the Bear chair. Another 30cm of snow is expected in the next 24 hours with more forecast throughout the week.

“Waking up in the morning, peering out at snow on the mountains in September gets everyone really fired up for the coming season,” said Scott Gilmet, Fernie Getaways Marketing Manager. “Now is when everyone starts to crave skiing and riding. Last year was so epic; memories of waist-deep power are definitely feeding the excitement for this coming season.”

News on Fis-ski.com indicates Soelden’s World Cup track is almost ready for its October races—the first of the season.

“We have already twice as much snow now on the glacier than last year at the same time,” Ernst Lorenzi, Chief of Press of the Soelden World Cup Opening, told writer Patrick Lang. The opening is set for October 26th – 28th – 2007.

“I visited the site earlier this week and I can tell you that there’s over a meter snow now at the start of the race course situated at 3,050 meters, half a meter at the end of the steep pitch and 30 cm at the finish at 2,690 meters,” Lorenzi added. “We could almost hold the races this weekend. In fact we have been working hard on the slope since the first main snowfalls on September 7th. The course is hard packed and really nice to ski.”

For the full story: http://www.fis-ski.com/