Simply Piste Blog » Ski News

First woman to ski solo across Antarctica

Fiona — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:36:20 +0000

Skiing across great and remote areas seems to be a trend in recent months. In December came the news of Amelia Hempleman-Adams, who at the age of just 16 became the youngest person to ski to the South Pole. Now we hear of British adventurer Felicity Aston, who last month became the first woman to ski across Antarctica alone.

Felicity also set another record: Becoming the first human to ski solo across Antarctica using only her own muscle power.

Her amazing skiing feat took 59 days, covering 1,084 miles pulling two weighty sledges. Felicity started from the Leverett Glacier in November and on making it to Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf, she tweeted: “Congratulations to the 1st female to traverse Antarctica SOLO.V proud”

However, bad weather hampered her immediate return to civilisation and she was forced to wait it out in her tent for a plane ot pick her up. She said she was looking forward to a glass of red wine!

We wonder who will be next for the skiing record books.

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New indoor ski concept

Fiona — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:28:56 +0000

Take a look at this indoor skiing concept. It’s come to London, at Dukes Meadow. It’s getting a big thumbs up from moist who have tried it. A great place for beginners to practice, too. Check out the promo video:

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Six of the best ski resort festivals

Fiona — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:58:00 +0000

If you could improve on your skiing trip what would you add? How about a festival of music, comedy or food? In 2012 there are a host of skiing festivals and here we pick six of the best to launch the New Year.

Chef’s Cup, Alta Badia, Italy

Kicking off on January 22, the five-day Chef’s Cup adds up to a celebration of haute cuisine in the heart of the Dolomites. Some 400 of the world’s best chefs come together in Alta Badia to discuss culinary trends, showcase local produce and compete on the snow. Visitors can enjoy the culinary results and also ski! See www.chefscup.it

Winter TEVA Mountain Games, America

From February 10 to 12, Vail’s inaugural Winter TEVA Mountain Games comes to America. A host of professional and amateur snowspotrs athletes will come to the resort in pursuit of adventure, music – and competitions. You’ll discover contests in ice climbing, Telemark skiing, snowshoe racing and mountain cyclocross. Plus there will be free music concerts, films and parties. See www.tevamountaingames.com/winter

Momentum Ski Festival, Switzerland

From March 16 to 18, skiing fans can ogle at the amazing ski racers and enjoy some après-ski fun at the City Ski Championships. See www.momentumski.com

Meribel Live, France

A five-day celebration of French and British music take place on the slopes of Meribel from March 19 to 23. See www.meribel.net for news on the 2012 line-up.

Altitude, Mayrhofen, Austria

The hills of Mayrhofen will be alive with the sounds of laughter as a popular comedy festival arrives in the Austrian resort from March 26 to 31. The line-up includes Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, Ed Byrne and Al Murray. See www.altitudefestival.com

Jazz Up, Avoriaz, France

March 31 to April 6 will see the annual Jazz Up festival in the Portes du Soleil ski area. There will be seven headline concerts and 40 “dinner” concerts held in local restaurants and bars.

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New flight route to ski hotspot

Fiona — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:34:40 +0000

Grenoble is a favourite place to fly to for ski resorts in France. Now Scottish skiers and snowboarders have greater access to this ski destination airport thanks to the announcement of a new flight route.

EasyJet has launched their new winter route from Edinburgh Airport to a French ski destination. The cheap flights company already has routes to two other ski destinations, Lyon and Geneva.

The new Grenoble service will operate on Saturdays and Sundays until April 15.

Hugh Aitken, EasyJet’s commercial manager for Scotland, said the route was “a great addition to our winter portfolio and strengthens our position as Scotland’s major ski airline”. He added: “Current sales figures demonstrate that there is a real appetite amongst Scots to head off for a winter ski break.”
Thanks to Field’s of View on Flickr for the header image.

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Major revamp for UK’s longest ski slope

Fiona — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:17:26 +0000

Of course we’d all love there to be snow on tap whenever we wanted to go skiing or snowboarding. But the fact is we need to wait for winter. And sometimes we need to wait until the deepest mid-winter. That’s why dry ski slopes and indoor snow slopes are so popular, especially in Britain. Now the UK’s longest dry ski slopes is set for a £500,000 revamp.

The Midlothian Snowsports Centre at Hillend, near Edinburgh, will be upgraded to include new, safer ski matting at its existing nursery slope, snowtubing runs and two new lifts.

Sportscotland, the national agency for sport, has provided the funding.

It was only recently that the popular Scottish dry ski slope, which is also known as Hillend ski slope, was threatened with closure after Midlothian Council said it could no longer afford to fund it. But then Sportscotland and the Scottish government stepped in with £1m of funding to secure the centre’s future.

The fight to save the centre was the focus of an internet campaign supported by a 27,000 people. It just goes to show how many people like their skiing!

Derek Milligan, Midlothian Council’s leader, is reported as saying: “We know there is huge enthusiasm out there for the centre and these improvements will offer something for everyone, whether it’s snowtubing, learning to ski on the new, safer nursery slopes or choosing a different slope from the top of the chair lift.

“We hope these exciting plans for this national facility will have a positive impact on snowsports for people across the country by helping to maximise the full potential of the site.”

With thanks to .Martin on Flickr for the header image.

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Amelia is youngest to reach South Pole

Fiona — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:15:21 +0000

A 16-year-old girl has achieved her goal of becoming the youngest person to ski to the South Pole.

Schoolgirl Amelia Hempleman-Adams and her father, adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, reached their destination at 1.30am after skiing 97 miles.

The duo spent 17 nights on the ice, enduring sub-zero temperatures, whiteouts and 24-hour daylight to complete the challenge.

Speaking from the South Pole, Amelia called her adventure an “extraordinary experience”.

She said: “The biggest challenges were the freezing cold, dried food, pulling frozen poo in a sledge, and Dad’s snoring. The best bit has been experiencing what dad does on expeditions.”

Wiltshire-based Mr Hempleman-Adams, who was the first Briton to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported, led the Nimrod expedition.

Along with a small team, the pair started their trip from The Farthest Point South, where Ernest Shackleton had to turn back on January 9, 1909. Amelia carried a photograph of Shackleton and a commemorative coin – gifts from his granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton – with her to the South Pole.

The teenager, who is studying for four A-Levels at Prior Park College in Bath, admitted she did not do any homework on her trip despite her best intentions.

“I brought a lot of homework with me but Dad took most of the books out of my sledge to keep the weight down. We set up camp early evening and by the time we sorted our kit out and had dinner I was shattered and aching. I think I’ll have a lot of homework to do over the Christmas holidays.”

Mr Hempleman-Adams added: “Amelia has done amazingly well. I’m very proud of her. It’s one thing going off on an expedition on your own but another thing when you are looking after your own teenager daughter. Obviously, I wanted to make sure she returned to the UK with all her fingers and toes.”

After 17 nights on ice, sub-zero temperatures, whiteouts and 24-hour daylight, 16-year-old Amelia Hempleman-Adams made the record books when she became the youngest person to ski to the South Pole last week. Alongside her dad David, the schoolgirl skied 97 miles in total and described the adventure as an “extraordinary experience”.

She is reported as saying: “The biggest challenges were the freezing cold, dried food, pulling frozen poo in a sledge and Dad’s snoring. The best bit has been experiencing what dad does on expeditions.”

Last month, we reported on Amelia’s preparations for the trip. Dad David had already taken his place in the record books on numerous previous expeditions, including the first to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported in 1996.

Amelia and her dad started their trip from The Farthest Point South, where Ernest Shackleton had to turn back on January 9, 1909. David said: “Amelia has done amazingly well. I’m very proud of her. It’s one thing going off on an expedition on your own but another thing when you are looking after your own teenager daughter. Obviously, I wanted to make sure she returned to the UK with all her fingers and toes.”

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New helmet law for Nova Scotia

Fiona — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:33:46 +0000

If you’re planning a skiing holiday to Nova Scotia you’d be advised to take a helmet. From next November, any skier or snowboarder caught on a Nova Scotia ski hill without a helmet will face a $250 fine.

This comes form the Canadian jurisdiction that was the first to bring in fines for helmetless cyclists, so you can be sure that the Nova Scotia Ministry of Health and Wellness is serious about their new skiing law.

It’s thought that around three-quarters of Nova Scotians already wear helmets to ski and snowboard. The Canadian Ski Council states that helmet us eis up from 67% in 2006 to 75% in 2011. The new legislation is aimed at the “vulnerable” remainder. Since 2000, 11 people have suffered traumatic brain injuries on Nova Scotia ski hills.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Wellness is reported as saying: “Wearing a helmet greatly reduces the risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury and could be the one thing on the hill that saves a life.”

In 1997, Nova Scotia became the second Canadian province after British Columbia to pass a mandatory all-ages bike helmet law. In 2007, the province extended the ruling to skateboarders and rollerbladers.

A statement said: “The ski hill helmet law solidifies Nova Scotia’s position as a leader in helmet safety.”

Do you wear a helmet for skiing or snowboarding? If not, tell us why not? If you do, tell us your reasons.

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Splitboarding is the next big hit

Fiona — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:23:20 +0000

Splitboarding is fast-growing winter sport and gives snowboarders the ability to “ski” uphill and then snowboard downhill.

Until now, back country snow touring has mostly been the preserve of the skier. With skinned up skis, skiers can ascend and traverse snow-packed mountains. Taking the skins off then allows skiers to come back downhill by their normal whizzing mode.

For snowboarders, it’s always been a bit of a compromise. Walking uphill is aided by “comfier than skiing” boots but the weight and shape of the snowboard has meant that carrying the board is slow and hard-going.

Now there is a snowboard that works as skis for going uphill – and as a snowboard for the descents. The splitboard is actually a snowboard split in half. If you’ve not yet seen one of these products in the flesh it’s worth a trip to a shop just to ogle a bit. It’s a thing of genius!

Take an ordinary snowboard, the designers have split it vertically in half to create something resembling two fat skis. Ski up these fat skis and the snowboarder can leave the busy lifts behind, skiing up pristine faces of untouched snow using manpower alone.

At the top, the “skis” slot back together to form a normal board for the run down. And as any snowboarder can tell you, nothing beats the feeling of floating sideways through deep powder.

Gone are the days when snowboarders can only look on in envy as skiers skin up and ski uphill, because now it’s the turn of the snowboarders to make skiers jealous. As most boarders will claim, snowboarding on powder is a million times better than skiing. Oooh, eeeh, we’re ready for the pelters from skiers!

With thanks to Visuallight on flickr for the header image.

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First women’s world cup ski jump champs

Fiona — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:37:19 +0000

In a modern world it does seem a little odd that the first women’s World Cup ski jump championships has only just been launched. But it has. Following a great deal of lobbying and petitioning – and years of competing on a separate Continental Cup circuit – the world’s best women are finally able to ski jump alongside the men. Female ski jumpers have also been given a spot in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Thew winner at the weekend’s event in Lillehammer, Norway, was American Sarah Hendrickson, who will go into the history books as the first women’s World Cup champion.

A coach at the event said: “It’s a big step for women’s ski jumping. For the women, it was a long time coming. They fought for many years to get into the Olympics and they finally did it. Now finally getting to World Cup on the same hill as the men, it’s a big deal for all of the women here.

“Finally the sport is becoming more accepted on the men’s side. It’s a very good day.”

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How to get in the mood for skiing

Fiona — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:35:38 +0000

The snow might have arrived in the northern regions of the UK, but down south it’s still a looking tad less Christmassy. So how is a skier or snowboarder meant to get in the mood for the white stuff? You could head along to a dry ski slope or perhaps an indoor snow dome. Or you could try this festive skiing warmer:

Top London hotel Bloomsbury’s, The Montague on the Gardens, is playing host to a new pop-up ski-lodge-style bar where mixologists are very happy indeed to blend drinks with 12 vodkas of Christmas. These come in festive flavours, such as spiced apple or candy cane, which can be sipped as guests snuggle into woolly rugs beside rows of skis, a snowman and pine trees. To add to the ski-style treat why not also order some bratwurst, turkey burgers and delicious roasted chestnuts from the barbecue? Ah, we’re already dreaming of apres-ski drinks. A gluhwein, beer or vodka anyone?

Three vodkas and a food tasting platter are priced at £20 per person (reservations essential), which seems like a small price to pay for something so festive/ski focused and different all rolled into one.

The next day, after you’ve recovered from the vodkas, we’ll bet you’re pulling out your skis and boots for a winter dusting!

With thanks to True Russian Vodka on Flickr for the header image.

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