Hey guys, did you know that lift tickets at Whitefish Mountain Resort will be $29 starting March 31st?
Fans: You are obviously pulling our chain or some such nonsense.
DC: No, it’s true!
Fans: What’s the minimum? Like 6 days?
DC: No minimum. Although, let’s face it, 6 days of skiing would be a lot more fun than just 5.
Fans: Well what’s the catch? Do we have to stay on the mountain or something?
DC: Nope, but you and I both know that would be a blast.
Fans: Do we have to be somebody special?
DC: You are somebody special.
Fans: Oh, stop it, you.
DC: But, yeah, $29 for everyone, no matter what.
Fans: Wow. Who’s running that place, Crazy Ernie?
DC: Who’s Crazy Ernie?
Fans: You know, from Crazy Ernie’s Used Car Emporium.
DC: Umm, no.
Fans: OK, well that’s a pretty sweet deal. I mean, you are pretty much the best place to ski, ever.
DC: Guilty.

New Zealand’s World Heli Challenge is set to return this August 9th through the 24th, 2008 after a six-year hiatus. Representing the best of the best, the World Heli Challenge invites seven top-notch snowboard brands and seven world-class ski brands from around the globe, featuring two elite athletes each, to come head to head amidst the many peaks that create New Zealand’s Mt. Cook National Park.

Three days of helicopter-accessed competition will go down over this two-week period, allowing for perfect weather and snow conditions for the Big Mountain, Backcountry Freestyle and Downhill heats to take place. The Big Mountain portion consists of charging down 3000 feet of terrain with a 50-degree slope average over cliffs and couloirs, pushing the athletes beyond their known limits. The Backcountry Freestyle realm allows athletes the ultimate in self-expression, showcasing their best aerial maneuvers utilizing the many natural terrain features available on the way down. And the Downhill is just that … an en masse assault down 3000 feet of vertical – no rules, first one down wins!

The World Heli Challenge Title is awarded to the overall winner of the combined three events, one for ski and one for snowboard, earning that individual tremendous bragging rights and huge international kudos. Past winners have included skiers Chris Davenport, Kent Kreitler, Andrea Binning, Seb Michaud and Guerlain Checerit, and snowboarders Matt Goodwill, Karleen Jeffery, Gilles Voirol, Steve Grahame and David Pujol. New for 2008, there will also be a World Heli Challenge Title awarded to the best overall snowboard brand and ski brand at the end of competition.

After a flurry of artist submissions and days of deliberation, the Fourth Annual Banner Project selection committee has made its decisions.

49 artists.
90 submissions.
36 flags.

Now, 36 Elk Valley artists will see their art flag fly on Victoria Avenue.

It was a banner year for the four adjudicators, as they had more works to choose from than ever before! From flora and fauna to landscapes, many of the artists paid homage to the natural world in their works. While many of the submissions were paintings, the selection committee also saw woven and quilted works, photography—both traditional and altered digital—water colour and mixed media. The committee discussed each of the works and scored them by pre-set criteria to make its determinations.

The banners will be unveiled at the Banner Project Launch on Saturday, April 19, kicking off BC Arts and Culture Week. The City of Fernie and District Arts Council provides startup services, but it is sponsorship that makes the Project sustainable. Please help add colour and culture to our streets by sponsoring a banner for just $100. Each banner is hung along Victoria Ave and 4th St for a year before being relocated along the highway for another. Two years later, the banner is yours. Interested sponsors can view all of the banners during the Banner Project Launch, hosted by the Arts station. Stay tuned for more details.

On Saturday April 19th, The North Face Canadian Ski Mountaineering Championships gets even tougher this year with the addition of a more technical climbing section. “We wanted to spice up the course this year to make it even more interesting for the serious competitors” said Scott Flavelle, Course Director.

“Whistler Mountain provides some fabulous in-bounds terrain that allows us to add this component to the Spearhead Challenge course. A route straight up the Exhilaration couloir could be perfect!”. Should be exciting both for competitors and for the spectators.

The North Face Whistler Dash Saturday April 19th is for the citizen racers or first timers. A 10k equivalent course that covers some of the same course route as the Spearhead Passage race. For this year competitors can race with AT gear, telemark gear, split boards…whatever you have (except XC equipment). Also there will be no requirement for avalanche rescue gear, transceiver etc. as this race is in-bounds and in controlled terrain. A fantastic inexpensive introduction to the sport.

All races have tons of prizes for the competitors with the glory going to the winners but the best prizes to the participants regardless of the finish position.

The Island Lake Lodge is the winner of the 2007 Hall of Fame Award of Excellence in the Energy and Environment category from the Hotel Association of Canada.

This award recognizes Island Lake Lodge’s commitment to preserving the environment and efforts to minimize energy use in its daily operations. Key among these initiatives is the installation and operation of two micro-hydro stations to generate 100% of the Lodge’s electrical needs.

The Energy & Environment Award recognizes lodging properties that have developed a culture towards integrating environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations.

Today marks a significant milestone at Taos Ski Valley when, for the first time ever, the mountain opens to snowboarding. The much-anticipated opening day for snowboarders has arrived, and the Taos Ski Valley staff is excited to share the incredible conditions and excellent terrain with a whole new group of guests.

Taos Ski Valley has been planning for months in order to accommodate an overflow crowd of mountain enthusiasts who eagerly await the opportunity to ski and ride on one of the most memorable days in recent snow sports history. Tickets for the snowboarding opening, which the resort has jokingly referred to as “the day hell freezes over,” went on sale yesterday. “It is going to be a wild day,” said Adriana Blake, Taos Ski Valley’s Marketing Director. “Get here early.”

“There is an air of anticipation this morning,” said Mickey Blake, President of Taos Ski Valley. “Taos Ski Valley is known for its unique atmosphere. It just seems right that we should open our facility to all who want to experience our world-class mountain. We are pleased to welcome our newest guests.”

The celebration begins this morning with the 40 lucky lottery winners who were selected on March 14 in Taos Ski Valley’s charity raffle to be on the first ten chairs up the mountain at 9:00 a.m. After that, the lifts open to all skiers and riders who will experience some of the best snow conditions the ski valley has seen in decades.

The Silver Anniversary of Fernie’s Annual Powder 8’s Championships takes place on Saturday, March 22nd. With 1009cm of snow to date this season, and a stunning 358cm snowpack, Fernie Alpine Resort is the place to be for great skiing and riding.

At the Powder 8’s event, skiers pair up to make perfect figure 8’s in untracked powder snow. Competitors will be judged on their skiing synchronization, distance spacing and style as well as their track roundness, symmetry and fall line.

Terrific prizing will be awarded to the best “8”s, with top teams earning a variety of prizes, including a trip for two with Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing, a trip for two with Big Red Cats, a stay for two at Skoki Lodge, and prizes from Sirius, Oasis Spa and more.

Registration is now open at www.skifernie.com or by calling Fernie Alpine Resort Guest Services at (250) 423-4655. Registration is $85+GST for each team of two skiers.

The tentative Event Schedule is as follows:

7am-8am: Registration & Bib Pickup (Daylodge)
8am-8:45am: Competitors Meeting (Daylodge)
9am: Load Designated Chair
10am-2pm: Qualifying Runs (Venue To Be Announced)
2pm-4pm: Finals (Venue To Be Announced)
5pm: Awards (Daylodge)
5:30pm: After Party @ The Griz Bar with live music

SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is proud to announce the recent relaunch of its consumer-driven website, snowlink.com. The site was redeveloped to better capture the fun and passion that emulate the snow sports industry while helping to educate and inform visitors to the site. “Your Link to Snow Sports”, snowlink.com, features content specific to four disciplines in winter sports: Ski, Snowboard, Snowshoe and Cross Country with topic navigation including: Planning Your Trip, What to Wear, The Right Gear and Improving Your Skill.

Highlights of the site include:
• Over 50 articles developed by several noted journalists, writers and experts who have covered the snow sports industry for multiple years;
• Navigation by discipline, skill level, article topic and more;
• The most comprehensive live database for retail shops and resorts allowing users to search by zip code, equipment and/or state for nearby locations;
• Up-to-the-minute, live news feed section featuring events and happenings at resorts, retail shops and manufacturer news;
• A comprehensive links page to several notable industry organizations and websites;
• A link to SIA’s comprehensive consumer outreach campaign – The Mountain Knows – designed to help move snow sports products and engage the snow sports consumer to update their equipment and enhance their on-snow experience.

“In an effort to support SIA’s mantra Your Intelligent Partner.365, Snowlink.com was relaunched this winter season with a renewed focus to help increase awareness of snow sports and its products as well as drive traffic into the specialty retail store,” said SIA’s Alicia Allen. “The site will continue to grow in size and depth of information over the next year in hopes of creating the ultimate snow sports experience online for the end user.”

Check out snowlink.com today.

Whether you’re looking to improve the quality of the videos that you post to youtube or are looking to enter the realm of professional action sports video production, you’re sure to learn plenty at this intensive week-long course hosted by noted Whistler videographer Peter “Peru ” Chrzanowski.

Offered at Whistler from April 13 – 20, this is a six day/ seven night course geared at learning to shoot adventure documentary films and is designed to complement events running at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival , see www.whistler2008.com , that is running concurrently. The festival is a natural ” movie set ” with a whole variety of events , ranging from ski and snowboard events to evening parties and workshops, all in the spirit of film , photography and adventure. During the day students will ski, snowboard and take video in various situations, and also have the opportunity to shoot existing events at the festival. Evenings will be spent going over and critiquing each student’s footage, learning about in-camera editing techniques, as well learning the business of filmmaking.

A selected filmography of chosen works by both by Chrzanowski and others will be shown each evening as part of the course. Chrzanowski says, “the emphasis here will be on story telling and good character development. Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker, wish to organize and film your expedition, shoot clients in an existing operation, or just brush up on your skills, this course is for you.

Tuition cost is $3000 per week and includes all meals (three gourmet meals a day, including a box lunch), accommodation, lift tickets, a ‘backcountry day’ with a guide, as well as all instruction, guest lecturers, and films.

World champion Kristi Richards of Summerland, B.C., won a silver medal today, her best performance of the 2007-08 World Cup freestyle ski season. It was the third medal of the season for the 2007 moguls world champion, following two bronze-medal showings, in Tignes and Deer Valley.

Richards, 26, duplicated her second-place in the qualification round won by Jillian Rachelli Vogtli of the United States, but the American faded to 15th in the final. Winning her third straight World Cup was Aiko Uemura of Japan, to remain atop the women’s overall moguls standings. She scored 24.43 to Richards’ 23.73, while a third-straight World Cup bronze medal went to Emiko Torito of the United States in 23.00.

Maxime Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal placed sixth, for her best-ever World Cup single moguls performance, while her younger sister, Chloé, also of Montreal, was 10th. Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 11th.

Dale Begg-Smith of Australia won the men’s moguls final after qualifying sixth in 24.89. He edged Nathan Roberts of the U.S. for the gold 25.94 to 25.88, while Dmitriy Reiherd of Kazakhstan was a surprising third in 25.47.

Top Canadian was Alex Bilodeau in sixth in 24.42, a performance he says he’d rather forget on a day when many skiers had trouble with the quickly-changing snow conditions.

The morning qualification round changed within an hour from powder snow to slick, as Vincent Marquis of Quebec struggled to a 30th-place finish. Marquis remains fifth in the overall standings while Bilodeau remains third overall behind leader Begg-Smith.

“I’m putting an ‘x’ on this performance and moving on,” said Bilodeau, 20. “This week I was skiing well, really well, but today, I didn’t do 60 per cent of what I was doing in training.”

It appeared the Canadian men might take a run at a medal, though, after Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que., and Warren Tanner of West Vancouver were third and fourth respectively in the qualification round. But Rousseau placed 14th in 21.60 and Tanner finished 16th after going off course.

“I was in position to do really well, and I didn’t take advantage of that opportunity,” said Rousseau.

World Cup action resumes later today with the aerial finals in Switzerland, followed by a dual moguls competition here, Saturday.