Dec/Jan 08/09 Now available at your local Ski Slope or Ski Club Fostering, promoting and developing the interests of English skiers and snowboarders RESORT FEATURES Austria’s Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis resort Switzerland’s Graubunden region NEWS SnOasis gets the go ahead British Ski Cross success COMPETITIONS 5 Fantastic ‘Free to enter’ Competitions EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS Peter Fill Italy’s World Cup star Franz Klammer Austrian ski legend £2.50 WIN - Atomic Nomad Skis - P16.WIN - £250 Holiday Voucher - P11. WIN - Motorola Walkie Talkies - P17.WIN - DVD copy of ‘CLAIM’ - P14.’ WIN - A copy of Where to Ski & Snowboard 2009 - P4 2 THE piste Dec/Jan 08/09 SkiSki Bartlett,Bartlett, UxbridgeUxbridge Road,Road, Hillingdon,Hillingdon, Middlesex,Middlesex, UB10UB10 0NP0NP 020020 88488848 00400040 -- infoskibartlett.cominfoskibartlett.com -- www.skibartlett.comwww.skibartlett.com TRAVEL INSURANCE 01206 771 755 www.Click4quote.com/travel-insurance.htm You Can Now ‘Quote and Buy’ Standard* Ski Travel Insurance NEW! Online! (*Ski Racing and Training Cover is not available online – please call 01206 771 755 for a quote) Our Specialist Ski Package Includes: Did you know? • Competitions/Racing/Training Cover Provided • Comprehensive Cover We also specialise in: • Discount to Members • Landlord insurance • Annual and Short Stay Policies • Personal accident plus we also offer the following policies: • Commercial property • Longstay/Backpacking • UK & EU holiday homes • Mariners Travel Insurance Remember – Quote ‘SSE’ and you’ll get a 5% Discount! *Ski Racing and Training cover only available by phone and up to the age of 59 (If over 25 you must be a qualified teacher or be going on a course to become a qualified teacher. Terms, conditions and underwriting criteria apply. Authorised and Regulated by the FSA. Click4quote Limited trading as CLICK4QUOTE.COM. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded. Dec/Jan 08/09 THE piste 3 Good News..Bad News Birmingham's Ski & Board Well at last, SnOasis gets the go ahead, the largest ski show packs them in slope in Europe is no longer a ‘mirage’. This £350m Birmingham's British Ski & Board show also pleased with the opening attendance, development will bring huge had them queuing at the door when it “It just goes to show what interest there is prosperity to Suffolk and opened on the last Friday in October. in skiing and boarding, people will always create a ‘Resort’ Maybe it was the fact that snow had aim to keep up the winter holidays despite environment by converting been falling in Europe and the clocks any so called recessions. We try to find old pits at Great Blakenham, changed plus the colder weather, new ways of keeping the shows near Ipswich into a superb whatever it was visitors were keen to interesting and as soon as this one is over facility. Building will take see what was on offer. we will be planning the next”. slightly less than 3 years to complete. Last winter's snowfall was much better If the attendance at this show is anything For us it will create wider awareness of snowsports and has heightened interest for the to go by, then skiers and boarders will be throughout the UK. We currently have many superb forthcoming season, with plenty of out on the snow as soon as they can. facilities at dry slopes and indoor snow centres stands showing resorts, hardwear and including the new SnowCentre at Hemel Hemstead clothing. under construction and due to open in April 2009. Steve from Filarinski's, Havant’s leading As we approach the new ski season, it is obvious that ski + board retailer and on-line shop, the current economic climate will have some affect. By was more than pleased to see the open now many people have decided on where they are day attendance, with still the main going, many are waiting to see what happens in the Saturday and Sunday visitors to come. next couple of months. More are looking at the He said “With the Euro exchange rate independent route, booking via the internet separately so high at the moment the pendulum for flights, accommodation etc, trying to ensure they had swung the other way, it was now have their annual ski fix but at a cost they can afford cheaper to buy or hire your equipment with Christmas in between. in the UK”, he went on to say “the With currencies up and down, particularly the Dollar public should realise that buying in the and the Euro, value for money will be the option most UK is by far the better option, not just will look for. With the current Euro rate against the £ it is because of price but also the fact that if worth noting that now is a good time to buy equipment you have any problems you can go in the UK, it is now cheaper than in resort, that includes back to the point of purchase, much hiring of skis and boots, plus when you buy in the UK easier than if you purchased whilst in you get the benefit of being able to return the goods if resort”. they are not suitable – something that would be very John Cooper, MD of Global Snow difficult if purchased in resort when you are back home. Shows, organisers of the show was So, what's in this issue...5 fantastic competitions to enter, with Atomic Skis, a £250 Holiday Voucher, Motorola Walkie Talkies, a copy of Where to Ski & Snowboard 2009 and a DVD of the film 'Claim' sponsored by Helly Hansen all to be won and entry is FREE. Interviews with Italian World Cup skier Peter Fill and the Austrian legend who is Franz Klammer. Two Resort features, first on Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, a previously little known Austrian resort which has now won many alpine awards, and opens up a huge area and a 'snow- sure guarantee'. Our second feature is on the Graubunden region of Switzerland which offers 2,200km of pistes for skiing and boarding. The region incorporates such resorts as Arosa, Lenzerheide, Davos - Klosters, Laax, Engandin St. Moritz and Savognin. Another issue packed with news and features plus those great free to enter competitions. With snow currently falling in Europe and America, it could be a great season. Wherever you are for your ski Published by Countrywide Publications (a division of Micropress Printers Ltd) 27 Norwich Road, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 8BX Tel: 01986 834216 / Fax: 01986 834270 ISDN: 01986 874752 fix, enjoy. Let me have your views on the magazine and Published on behalf of Snowsport England Tel: 0121 501 2314 / Fax: 0121 585 6448 send me your holiday snaps - perhaps we can have a e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.snowsportengland.org.uk gallery in future issues. All editorial and advertisement copy should be sent to Countrywide Publications at the above address. Correspondents: Snowboarding: Tom Allen; Freestyle: Martin Carr. Publishing Director: Barry Spouge, Tel: 01986 834216/ Mob: 07802 824120, e-mail: [email protected] Printed by Micropress Printers Ltd, Tel: 01986 834200 Opinions expressed by contributors in The Piste are not necessarily those held by the publisher or Snowsport England. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the specific written permission of the publisher. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information Happy skiing….Barry Spouge contained in The Piste, we do not accept responsibility for any errors or matters relating. Cover Picture: Boarding at Serfans © Austrian Tourist Board 4 THE piste Dec/Jan 08/09 WIN A COPY OF WHERE TO SKI & SNOWBOARD 2009 The 2009 edition of one of Britain’s leading annual guides to winter sports resorts is now available, and we have a copy for you to win. The latest edition has more pages, more resorts, in more countries and with more detail, including a selection of revolutionary piste maps. With over 600 pages detailing over 430 resorts this publication is a must for those skiers and boarders who checkout resorts throughout the world looking for something different each year. Each major resort chapter features photo’s chosen to convey the character of the place and a clear layout. To win the copy of this fabulous publication all you have to do is answer the following question: How many pages are in the 2009 edition? 1 Over 600 2 Over 490 3 Over 750 Simply answer and send it back to the following address. Where to Ski & Snowboard Competition, The Piste, 27 Norwich Road, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BX. Entries to reach us by 31st December 2008. If you are not a winner you can get a copy via publishers NortonWood Publishing Alcott - Shines (Credit Card Hotline 01373 835208) for only £16.99 (Postage & Packing FREE). Please quote The Piste magazine when ordering. in Sölden Name ........................................................................................................ Address ........................................................................................................ Britain's number one skier Chemmy Alcott has ........................................................................................................ made an excellent start to the season finishing .......................................................... Postcode ............................. 10th in the Giant Slalom (GS) at the first Audi The winner will be the first correct entry picked from all entries received FIS Alpine World Cup in Sölden, Austria. In sunny conditions on tough snow, Alcott did well to qualify in the top 30 after making a big mistake in the first run. Four gates from home Alcott caught her hand in the gate which lost her a lot of time, however she still qualified for the second run in 28th position, 2.57 seconds off the lead held by Finland's Tanja Poutiainen. After the first run Alcott commented “that was really frustrating” [after catching her hand in the gate]. “I was relaxed coming out of the steep and I came in deep into the final section and let rip, yet the only thing I ripped was my new Colmar race suit! If I make the second run it shows just how well I am skiing.” Alcott then put down a storming second run, the joint fastest time with Kathrin Zettel of Austria, the overall race winner.