“The resounding theme of this year’s season was well-timed and record-setting snowfall that greeted skiers and riders with fresh powder for just about every weekend and holiday period,” remarked Parker Riehle, President of the Vermont Ski Areas Association.  “From start to finish, Mother Nature’s bounty matched resorts’ ever-improving snowmaking technology to enable Vermont ski areas to open early with more terrain than most rival ski states and continue right through April and into May.”

The ski industry’s improved business levels were welcome news for the Vermont economy in a year when the Vermont legislature faced $25 million in revenue shortfalls for FY09.  Total rooms and meals tax receipts for the ski season saw an increase over last year, with the month of February alone exceeding February 2007 by nearly 14%.  The state’s sales tax receipts for the season also topped last year’s totals, with February revenue 9% ahead of last year.  In addition, the Today Show’s four-hour national broadcast from Sugarbush garnered immeasurable coverage and exposure for not only Vermont’s ski industry but for the entire state’s unrivaled beauty and brand identity.

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas offered welcoming remarks to the nearly 200 attendees, and James Chung of Reach Advisors gave the keynote presentation.  Also at the VSAA meeting, John Cueman, former President of Bromley Mountain Resort, was presented the Industry Achievement Award, and Jeff Nelson, principal hydrology engineer with VHB Pioneer Environmental Associates, was presented the Friend of the Industry Award.

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Winners To receive whirlwind day on Aspen mountain

Aspen/Snowmass and Frontier Airlines Will Give Away Four Round-Trip Flights from Denver to Aspen on Saturday, June 14, 2008, Including Free Skiing/Riding and Equipment Rentals

Winners Announced on Friday, June 13, 2008

Aspen/Snowmass, CO., June 11, 2008 – Aspen/Snowmass and Frontier Airlines will be giving away two pairs of round-trip tickets from Denver to Aspen for this Saturday, June 14, 2008.  The winners will arrive Saturday morning and receive free lift tickets to ski or ride on Aspen Mountain in addition to airport transfers and free equipment rentals at D&E Ski and Snowboard Shop in Aspen. Once finished on the slopes, winners will be driven back to the airport for their evening return to Denver.

The contest begins Thursday, June 12, 2008 and contestants must sign up at www.aspensnowmass.com/frontier between the hours of 12 p.m. on Thursday, June 12 through 12 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2008. The contest will only be open for this 24-hour window. The winners will be contacted by 2 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2008.*

“What better way to celebrate a record-breaking ski season and the longest Aspen Mountain has ever been open with this wonderful offer from Frontier Airlines and Aspen/Snowmass,” said Jeanne Mackowski, vice president of marketing, Aspen Skiing Company.

“We are so exited to whisk four lucky snow enthusiasts to Aspen for this rare mid-June skiing experience,” said Frontier’s Senior Director of Marketing, Dan Vorlage.  “What a great way to spend the day; land just before the mountain opens, hit the slopes for a few hours, and make it back to Denver by dinnertime.”

With an average depth of more than three feet on upper slopes, Aspen Mountain will open Friday, June 13 – Sunday, June 15, with seven runs open and about 45 acres of mostly intermediate terrain, served by the Ajax Express chairlift.

The mountain will be open to the 11,212-foot summit with uploading and downloading on the Silver Queen Gondola. Skiing and riding will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Ajax Express chairlift. The Sundeck restaurant will be open serving barbecue lunch and beverages on the outdoor deck. Non-skiing gondola hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with the last ride down at 4:30 p.m.

Aspen Mountain’s summer series, Bluegrass Sundays, begins this Sunday and features Boulder-based Jayme Stone from noon to 3 p.m. at The Sundeck.

Aspen/Snowmass Premier, Silver and 6-and-under passholders are free.  All other Aspen/Snowmass passholders pay a discounted rate; adult passholders pay $19, youth and senior passholders pay $17 and child season passholders pay $12. Adult single day tickets will be $29 per day, youth and seniors will pay $26 and children’s tickets will be $18. Tickets will be sold at the Aspen Mountain ticket kiosk on Gondola Plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily beginning Thursday, June 12. Regular summer rates will be in effect for foot passengers.

As we recently changed our ticketing system, all 2007-2008 passes must be reissued before accessing summer lifts. To avoid lines, it is recommended that passholders acquire their new pass on Thursday, June 12.

Four-Mountain Sports/D&E Ski & Snowboard Shop will be open for $25 ski/snowboard rentals at their Aspen location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. They will also have huge savings on remaining 2007-2008 winter products.

Camp Aspen/Snowmass will be offering private ski and snowboard lessons on Aspen Mountain for Level 4 and higher skiers/riders. Cost is $259 for two people from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. call 970-923-4773 for reservations.

*Full contest details available Thursday morning at www.aspensnowmass.com/frontier

A peek at some of Ben’s shots from this winter filming with Think Thank for the new video, STACK FOOTY.

http://www.futuresnowboarding.com/2008/06/snowboarding-tops-injury-list

CDC: Snowboarding tops lists for outdoor injuries

By STEPHANIE NANO Associated Press Writer
Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:12 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 9:12 p.m.

NEW YORK - More people are hurt snowboarding than any other outdoor activity, accounting for a quarter of emergency room visits, according to the first national study to estimate recreational injuries.

Trailing snowboarding are sledding and hiking, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.

The most common problems were broken bones and sprains, accounting for half of all cases. About 7 percent of ER visits were for concussions or other brain injuries.

“We want people to participate in outdoor recreational activities. But we want people to recognize that there’s cause for concern and people can and do get injured,” study co-author Arlene Greenspan said Tuesday.

She said injuries can be avoided through planning and preparation: making sure your fitness level and skills match the activity and using proper equipment like helmets.

Greenspan said the study is the first to look at injuries from all activities, instead of individual sports or geographic areas.

The researchers looked at data on nonfatal injuries from outdoor activities treated at 63 hospitals in 2004 and 2005. They calculated that almost 213,000 people annually were treated for such injuries nationwide. About half of those injured are young, between ages 10 and 24 and half of the injuries are caused by falls.

Males are injured at twice the rate of females, but the research didn’t look at the reasons.

“It could be that males are more risky or it could be that males just participate more than females, or a combination of both,” said Greenspan.

Nearly 26 percent of the injures were from snowboarding followed by sledding (11 percent); hiking (6 percent); mountain biking, personal watercraft, water skiing or tubing (4 percent); fishing (3 percent) and swimming (2 percent).

From his experience on ski patrols, “it makes perfect sense to me that snowboard injuries rank high,” said Dr. Paul Auerbach, of Stanford School of Medicine.

For full article go here

Irvine, CA–(June 10, 2008)–Billabong is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of pro snowboarder sensation Jamie Anderson, re-signing a multi-year contract.

This year Jamie Anderson proved to be without a doubt one of the most talented female snowboarders on the competition circuit. She rides with unmatched style and precision at every event. Her highest accolades include claiming her second Women’s Slopestyle Gold Medal at Winter X Games and winning the 2007/2008 TTR Women’s Title.

“We are so excited to continue our relationship with Jamie”, says Billabong Brand Director, Candy Harris. “Last season was amazing ending with her TTR win, we are looking forward to a strong season from her next year.”

As part of Anderson’s new deal, Billabong designers have begun collaborating with Jamie on the development of her signature outerwear line to be released Fall of 2009. Billabong looks forward to supporting and celebrating Anderson’s stardom.

“Billabong is such a great company to be a part of, I’m really excited about my new signature outerwear line coming out” says Anderson. “I’m just excited to be a part of everything with them. Billabong is awesome!”

FL Clothing teamweek at Camp of Champions, Whistler.

The Frontline team from near and far will travel to Camp of Champions in Whistler this summer.
A FL jib battle, tons of park riding, shoots, bbqs, and a prestigious soccer game between the FL and Nomis team is just a few things that will go down.

The team week will take place on camp B ( June 28 - July 4)

Confrimed FL teamriders for the week is Fredu Sirvio, Eiki Helgasson, Kareem El Rafie, Andreas Gidlund, Haldor Helgasson, Peter König, Eman Anderson, David Melancon, Chris Sörman, Kevin Griffin, Jody Wachniak among others.

So come chill with us at camp of champions for the best summer ever and check out www.campofchampions.com to sign up and for more info.

There is No Correct Way to have fun.  There is No Correct Way to progress.  There is No Correct Way to express style.  There is No Correct Way to travel.

There is No Correct Way to shred snowboards.

With a season of filming wrapped and the long nights of editing kicked off, the Rome SDS and Kids on Shred Productions are pleased to announce the upcoming release of their second full-length team video entitled, you guessed it, No Correct Way.

The Rome SDS promises once again to provide a visual assault to the brain of snowboarding, any type, anytime, anywhere, and bring it to you with their unique outlook of fun and friends. The film will take you into the travels, lives and good times of the Rome team from Romania to Western BC to their Magic Bus as it rolls through the country.  All of it centered around what each rider personally defines as fun.

With shred action from Bjorn Leines, Marie-France Roy, Marius Otterstad, LNP, Jesse Fox, Eiki Helgason, Max Legend, Yan Dofin, Will Lavigne, John Foy, Casey Neefus, Greg Bokenkamp, and the rest of the Am Army, No Correct Way will hit shelves this fall in snowboard shops around the world.

Stay tuned to www.romesnowboards.com for more updates, contest and information on No Correct Way.

Mount Snow dedicates entire mountain face to freestyle terrain.

Freestyle terrain at Mount Snow is about to get a major makeover. Officials announced today that the resort will dedicate the entire Carinthia mountain face to freestyle terrain parks when it opens for the 2008-09 season, transforming 95 acres of trails into a massive park system.

A smorgasbord of rails, jumps and halfpipes will cover nearly five miles of terrain at Carinthia. A snowskate playground, hikable park, beginners’ learning park and a skate ramp will surround the base area, while the base lodge itself will be renovated and outfitted with lounge areas, an extended outdoor deck with ample seating, counter seating along the windows, free wireless internet, flat screen televisions and outdoor fire pits.

A high-speed quad and a double chairlift will shuttle skiers and riders up the hill, where they can choose from a variety of approximately 125 freestyle features scattered around 12 full terrain parks. A tree-skiing area, a superpipe with 18-foot walls, a mini-pipe with 8-foot walls, an all-natural park absent of manmade material and a big-air site will also be featured.

The sweeping overhaul is the brainchild of Peak Resorts’ president, Tim Boyd, and his son Jesse, Peak’s Vice President of Operations  Freestyle Terrain.  Jesse oversaw the modification of Big Boulder in Pennsylvania into an all-freestyle mountain and will work closely with Mount Snow during the changeover. Mount Snow’s Mountain Manager Elia Hamilton, as well as Parks and Pipes Manager Ken Gaitor, are nationally recognized and respected freestyle terrain designers who will spearhead the project, scheduled for completion by the time the mountain opens for the 2008-09 season.

“Freestyle skiers and riders are the future of the ski industry,” said Jesse Boyd on a recent visit to Mount Snow. “They’re the fastest growing group, and it just makes sense to build the biggest and best parks that Mount Snow can offer.”

Mount Snow opened the first terrain park in the East in 1992, called Un Blanco Gulch. The Inferno park, which was featured at the ESPN X-Games in 2000 and 2001, will return to its home turf on the former Stugger’s Chute trail at Carinthia.  The tubing park, currently located on Ski Baba at Carinthia, will be relocated to Mixing Bowl on the Main Mountain.

The transformation comes as Peak Resorts continues its commitment to offer a superior on-hill product and act as an innovative leader in the ski industry. This summer, the company will install 150 brand new fan guns, which produce high-quality snow, even in marginal temperatures, and are much more energy-efficient than traditional air/water guns.  Combined with last summer’s installations, Mount Snow will have spent $8.5 million adding 251 new-technology fan guns, the most of any resort in North America.  Many of the trails on Carinthia will be flanked by the guns, allowing terrain parks to open earlier in the season and stay open later.

Under the new plan, all freestyle terrain parks will be contained to Carinthia.  Kelly Pawlak, Mount Snow’s General Manager, feels that this will improve the flow of skier traffic on Mount Snow’s three other mountain faces: Sunbrook, the North Face and the Main Face. Pawlak dually stressed that Carinthia is being designed to accommodate a wide range of skiers and riders, with an emphasis on providing a family-friendly environment.

“Carinthia will be perfect for spectators. Not only will mom and dad be able to hang out on the deck and watch the kids in one of our learning parks, but they can join in the fun themselves. This is for everyone, young and old, beginner and expert, skier and rider,” said Pawlak.

www.mountsnow.com

http://www.futuresnowboarding.com/2008/06/catchin-up-with-simon-chamberlain