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The advanced digital habits of ski travelers
DigitalThat skier who just cut you off whizzing down the intermediate slope is considerably more likely to own a smartphone and tablet than the passengers who sat near you on the airplane and booked their flights online. In fact, while 64% of U.S. online travelers own smartphones and 31% pack a tablet, while some 82% [...]
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Olympians worried about climate change and winter sports lobby Obama
DestinationsOlympic medallists in snowboarding and skiing have called on Barack Obama on to save winter sports by taking ambitious measures against climate change. In a letter to the White House, 75 champions, including pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones and Olympians Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Jacobellis said a run of record warm years and sporadic snowfalls jeopardised [...]
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Russian billionaire invests in Olympic ski resorts with an eye on tourism
DestinationsVisitors to Krasnaya Polyana, a skiing area in southern Russia that will host the Sochi Winter Olympics next year, could be forgiven for feeling like they’ve been stranded in a building site. While contractors race against time to complete the Olympic facilities, the clang of metal resounds and dust swirls around the muddy terrain as [...]
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How a startup brought hotel revenue management to ski slopes
DigitalBay Area native Ron Schneidermann, co-founder and chief marketing officer of ski-ticket startup Liftopia, has been hitting the slopes with a vengeance ever since his dad took him schussing at the ripe old age of 7. “Soda Springs was where I first fell in love with skiing,” says Schneidermann, now 35 and still a regular [...]
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Global warming threatens the future of tourism in the Alps
DestinationsFrom his office in the alpine ski resort of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, meteorologist Gilles Brunot is looking out at snow-capped peaks washed with spring sunshine, resplendent under a pale blue sky. Much of northern Europe is pining for spring, but nobody here is complaining about the weather. Why would they? First, a surprisingly clement autumn brought the [...]
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It has been a great year for snow skiing in Europe
DestinationsWhat sort of season have skiers and boarders had in 2012/13? A most unusual one. There was good early-season snow, and therefore good bookings. There have been no major operational problems: last weekend aside, airports have mostly stayed open and mountain roads have remained passable. And, unlike in the two previous seasons, the Christmas and [...]
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Skiers and snowboarders in Kashmir have run of the mountain
DestinationsThere are very few ski resorts in the world where you see a soldier in uniform waiting for the gondola with a snowboard in one hand and an AK-47 in the other. Welcome to Gulmarg, nestled in the Himalayan mountains in Indian-held Kashmir, one of the most militarized places on earth. India and Pakistan have [...]
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Winter travel firms are adapting to climate change by adding summer activities
DestinationsWith winters arriving late or not at all in recent years, outdoor companies..are starting to find ways to adapt to unpredictable weather…Examples include ski resorts beefing up their snowmaking capability while simultaneously investing in zip lines and mountain bike trails…national retailers are trimming pre-season orders for winter goods, pushing back deliveries of heavier weight apparel, [...]
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Afghanistan lures adventure travelers with ski races and tourist-free slopes
DestinationsThere was a clatter of skis and poles as around 30 Afghan and international competitors jumped off the line and dashed uphill, across nearly 1,000 feet (300 meters) of snowfield. The Afghan racers, most of them farm boys from nearby villages with only a few weeks of skiing experience, quickly outpaced the foreigners—who were huffing [...]
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The new new Vail, 50 years later
DestinationsFifty years later Vail resort can attract 1.7 million people to its slopes per season, and it is a seven-and-one-half-minute ascent up the mountain in the resort’s new 10-person gondola, equipped with heated seats and Wi-Fi access…Just outside the restaurant door, Vail photographers will take your picture, and using the chip embedded in your $106 [...]
