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By admin, January 12, 2010 7:33 pm

Ski Resorts for BeginnersBreckenridge

Breckenridge’s Peak Nine training area is one of the best in Colorado for novices and those with intermediate skiing skills. The very smooth, dry snow makes perfecting parallel turns easy, and the high-speed quad chair life means more time to practice and less time traveling. Breckenridge also provides challenging ski slopes for advanced skiers. Many local hotels provide ski-in and ski-out access to Breckenridge’s trails.Buttermilk

Buttermilk took top honors last year in SKI Magazine’s ranking of ski schools nationwide. Buttermilk is part of the Aspen ski resort network, and is ranked second (after Snowmass) as the nation’s best ski destination for families. Classes are small, and the 200 instructors offer personalized instruction designed to get novices on the slopes quickly and safely. All 43 runs are easy enough for beginners, and once you get out of the glut of beginners at the bottom of the slopes, the well-kept trails offer scenic beauty and excellent skiing.Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain is a perennial favorite, also located in Colorado, and offers some of the lowest-priced packages to be had in the Rockies. Long, wide novice trails occupy the west portion of the resort, and progressively more difficult skiing can be found in the eastern half. Located near Vail, Copper Mountain shares the high country’s superb snow conditions and provides adequate if not spectacular lift access.Crested Butte

Crested Butte Another superb Colorado beginner’s venue, features long, smooth, well-groomed runs on which to practice parallel turns and other skiing techniques. Crested Butte, recently the host of the U.S. Extreme Skiing Championship, offers advanced skiing and 150 acres of novice terrain. You can find discount accommodations and even free skiing at specified times. A popular resort for skiing holidays.Deer Valley

Deer Valley Utah is another location that features smooth, well-groomed, open ski slopes and runs that offer beginners a lot of choice without pushing them past their limits. First-time skiers will delight in Wild West, a beginner’s-only area, free from the unexpected assaults of hot-dog professionals. Deer Valley reportedly offers the best food and customer service in the Rockies.Mount Snow Vermont

Mount Snow Vermont is reportedly the best Eastern venue for skiers who want to move up from novice to professional skill level. With a wide choice of rapid lifts on its gentler trails, Mount Snow clearly values the beginning skier, and the excellent cruising runs will keep more advanced skiers happy as wellNorthstar-at-Tahoe

Northstar-at-Tahoe California offers a wide range of ski slopes for the novice and intermediate skier. The terrain is primarily intermediate, and the lower runs are as good as any in the West. For novices who still fear lifts, Tahoe offers a conveyor belt modeled after airport conveyors, called the Magic Carpet, that will whisk them up the slopes without causing a panic attack. Tahoe also has slopes for more advanced skiers.Park City Utah

Park City Utah is large enough to offer an opportunity to all levels of skiers, from the first-timer to the advanced. The 3,100 feet of vertical drop makes it seem like an advanced skier’s resort; the large network of open intermediate runs provides a venue for the intermediate skier, and the addition of several new lifts make even the central runs accessible to beginners. Other good beginner’s resorts include Snowmass, in Colorado, which features a Treehouse Kid’s Adventure Center and the Elk Camp Meadows training center. Or visit Steamboat, high in the Colorado Rockies, famed for its welcoming, down-home atmosphere and 164 trails which cater to everything from the novice to the professional. For Vermonters, Timberline features 1,000 vertical feet of runs and one long beginner’s trail. Upper Midwesterners can ski Welch or Afton, in Minnesota. Afton is reported as less pricey, but Welch offers better beginner’s slopes. The lifts at Welch are a little slow and cranky, but the slopes are groomed more often.

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By admin, November 23, 2009 7:35 pm

This ski season, if you’re planning to take a ski trip, skip the long, annoying security checks at the airports and take the train instead.
It’s no secret that air travel is less environmentally friendly than train travel. Eurostar train operators in Europe have decided to compete with airlines to transport travelers to The Alps.
Eurostar is the first operator in the world to offer ‘carbon neutral’ journeys for all its travellers – at no extra cost. Newly opened Ebbsfleet offers seven trains per day to Paris and five per day to Brussels. Trains travel as fast as 186 mph, making your trip as short as possible. And as economically friendly as possible to boot.
Eurostar plans to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions by twenty-five per cent per passenger by 2012 with their ‘Tread Lightly’ plan. A train trip with Eurostar generates ten times less carbon dioxide than an airplane trip. In addition to generating fewer emissions, Eurostar plans to offset the emissions they cannot eliminate. Travellers who travel with Eurostar may not realize it, but they are making the environmentally responsible choice.
‘We know that thousands of travellers want to be on the first trains on High Speed 1. We are expecting heavy demand from customers keen to enjoy even faster, shorter journeys to the Continent, and who want to see the stunning restoration of St. Pancras International Station,’ says Eurostar’s Chief Executive, Richard Brown.
Independent research commissioned by Eurostar has shown that a trip from London to the French Alps generates 24 kilograms of carbon dioxide per passenger. In comparison, a typical return flight London Heathrow-Geneva generates 191 kilograms of carbon dioxide while a round trip between Gatwick and Geneva generates 169 kilograms of carbon dioxide per passenger.
An increasing number of skiers are using high speed rail to ski in the French Alps. Since July 2006, more than 33,000 skiers, an increase of 43 per cent from the previous ski season, have used Eurostar to travel to the Alps.
Not only is it more environmentally friendly, it cuts back on transfer problems and lost baggage associated with flying. Travelling with Eurostar helps avoid lengthy coach rides and transfers travellers have to deal with when flying. Eurostar’s stations, located high in the Alps, require only a short bus ride to resorts.
For skiers convenience, Eurostar has travel packages that include round trips to The Alps. Some of their most popular travel incentive packages include overnight travel on Friday night to arrive Saturday morning, or Saturday trips that allow travellers to take in the beautiful scenery along the way.
Eurostar also offers select packages at a slightly higher rate. These select packages offer slightly more roomy accommodations, meals and drinks served at the passenger’s seat.
This ski season, weigh your options. The plane trip may be quicker, but then you have the worries of lost luggage, coach rides and transfers to and from the resorts. The train trip may take a little longer, but much less hassle.
Whatever mode of transportation you choose, have a safe and happy ski season!