Archive for the 'Ski' Category

Twitter & Facebook for Ski Resorts

Published on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 in Features and Ski. 0 Comments Tags: Facebook, ski resorts, Skiing, Snowboarding, Twitter.

With social networking taking over the world and every man and his dog using it in one way or another, surely all the top ski resorts will have joined the bandwagon by now. As I am sure you are aware most skiers and boarders see their snow-filled holidays as much a necessity and addiction as anything else in their lives. We love to know where the best snow is, what’s going on in our favourite resort and when our usual traveling companions will be skiing.

With Facebook one of the most visited sites on the internet and the likes of Twitter and Bebo growing by the day, most tech savvy skiers will have access to at least one online social network. With online travel agents making the booking process easier we are spending more time researching and reading about skiing and snowboarding online.

Whether booking holidays, checking our resort reviews, or signing up to snow alerts all the info we need is out there. I decided to have a look into the so called big resorts to see who we can ‘add as a friend’, ‘like’ or ‘tweet’. With growing numbers of people using Facebook and Twitter to organise their holidays with friends there had to be a presence of info out there to help with our choices.

The first thing I noticed is when looking at the big North-American resorts such as Whistler, Breckenrige and Aspen they all use Twitter, Facebook, RSS feeds and weekly newsletters to maximum effect. With minimal effort you can find out where the snow, best deals and biggest parties will be.

In contrast the European resorts are a little further behind. The Three Valleys has so far abstained from social networking, with exception to the independently run LaTania.co.uk (though anyone who knows La Tania wouldn’t expect any less from Toffa). The Espace Killy have joined in the world of Facebook with posts in English, whereas you may need to brush up on your French when looking for your Les Arcs fix.

Below I have complied a list of the ‘big’ resorts social networking, though I will update the list with any comments you may have.

Andorra

  • Grandvalira: Facebook (Catalan/Spanish)

Austria

Canada

France

Spain

U.S.A.

Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre Opening

Published on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 in News and Ski. 1 Comment Tags: Indoor Skiing UK.

After an investment of £23 million and two years in the making, Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre will finally open its doors to the public on May 6th 2009.

Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre

Following the landing of 500mm in the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre, conditions on the slopes expected to keep the powder in shape pretty much forever!

Boasting a 160 metre slope, along with a nursery training slope of almost 100 metres, it will be similar to other indoor skiing uk snow centres, but a much closer outlet for skiers in the South East.

There’s no better way to get ready for ski holidays on the slopes than to take the professional ski lessons offered at places just like the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre.

They’ll also be their own version of Après-ski, with bars located close-by that give the perfect panoramic view of the action.

Sure, snow centres like this aren’t close to the real thing, but if you haven’t skied before, it’s a really good opportunity to get some practice in. Say you go to the Alps for a week and are a beginner, you’ll spend most of the holiday just picking up the ropes and just as you get the hang of it – you’ll be on your way home! Indoor skiing is great for getting that initial difficulty out of the way, so that you can fully enjoy the proper thing.