Heavenly price for Heavenly season pass

Summer is the time of year when you can snap up a bargain season pass, and Heavenly has come up trumps with its pricing this year.

Buy your 2007/2008 pass between now and 3 September and it will set you back a mere $349. The following blackout dates apply:

23-24 November 2007
27-31 December 2007
16-17 February 2008

If you must ski or ride on these dates, the price is $548.

Other benefits include access to the gondola throughout summer 2007, plus three days' free skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge or Keystone. You can also buy four $40 buddy passes.

To compare costs, a six-day lift ticket outside holiday periods is $384. And if you're wondering how much there is to ride in Heavenly, well there are 91 trails and 30 lifts across 4,800 acres. Construction has just begun on a new high-speed quad, the Olympic Express.

Photo credit and further information: www.skiheavenly.com

Future Aussie halfpipe stars at Perisher Blue

Now is a great time to spot fresh talent in Australian snowboarding, as the National Snowboard Halfpipe Development Team have begun training at Perisher Blue.

The programme, which is in its third year, is designed for up-and-coming athletes as a means of progressing towards the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia Snowboard Halfpipe Team. (Story continues below.)


Head coach Ben Alexander says: "It is giving athletes the opportunity to develop their skills to international standard so they are able to compete successfully in World Cup and Olympic Games competitions."

The team currently consists of five boarders: Nathan Johnstone, 17, Matthew Hunter, 19, Jarryd Williams, 17, Sam Murphy, 16 and Charlie Steinbacher, 16.

Riders are chosen at a Talent Identification Camp held at Perisher Blue each winter. The next camp takes place from 1-2 September.

Find out more at the Skiing Australia website.

Photo credit (showing Nathan Johnstone): NSWIS and Perisher Blue, taken by Ben Alexander

Jamaican dogsled team

You've seen the film Cool Runnings, based on the story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team heading to the Olympics.

But did you know there's now a Jamaican dogsled team? And I'm proud to hear Devon Anderson, Jamaica's first musher, completed his initial training in Scotland.

The team have just launched their latest promotional video and 2007/8 race schedule and are now planning to train with three-time Yukon Quest champion Hans Gatt.

Read all about Devon and his band of merry mutts on the Jamaica Dogsled Team website.

Photo credit: Jamaica Dogsled Team

Australia: Best snow for 17 years

Australian resorts have received the most snowfall in 17 years according to the Australian press, with several resorts passing the one-metre base mark.

Perisher Blue has a respectable base of 129.7cm. Temperatures are cold and more snowfall is expected this week. More than 200cm of snow has fallen so far this year.

Thredbo is boasting an identical depth of 129.7cm (hmm, suspicious). Snow showers and blizzards are forecast over the next three days.

Check out these links for further information on Perisher Blue and Thredbo.

Photo credit: Thredbo.

Sochi wins 2014 Olympics

The Russian resort of Sochi has been awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee made its announcement yesterday in Guatemala. (Guatemala?! - you might well ask.)

South Korea's Pyeongchang was beaten into second place, while Salzburg was eliminated in the first round of voting.

This will be the first time Russia has hosted the Winter Olympics.

Both Pyeongchang and Salzburg lost out to Vancouver in the bid for the 2010 games.

Check out the Sochi 2014 bid website. (Although the site is lacking in info as I write.)