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Skiing News - July 2009
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Wednesday, 29 July 2009The 21st annual Wildman Biathlon is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th beginning at 8:00 a.m., rain or shine. Athletes from all over will challenge their endurance amid some of the most spectacular scenery in New England. The Wildman Biathlon includes individual competitors as well as two- and three-person teams completing a 10-K run beginning in the picturesque town of Shelburne, a 22.3-mile bic ycle trek through Gorham, and a 3-mile foot hillclimb up the Polecat ski trail to the finish line at the summit of Wildcat Mountain in Pinkham Notch, NH.
Entry fees after July 30th are $55.00 for an individual, $110.00 for a two-person team, and $165.00 for a three person team. Categories are available for all ages and team configurations. Overall and category winners receive commemorative awards, and numerous other prizes are awarded through random drawings. The entry fee includes a limited edition Wildman T-shirt for all participants, a ride down from the summit on the Wildcat Express scenic gondola, and meal ticket for the “après-race” pasta feed. Additional meal tickets and spectator gondola tickets are available for purchase. Wildman Biathlon information and the Wildman registration form are available on line at http://www.ncia.net/wildman, or call RSVP at 603-752-4103
The Wildman is a fundraising event for the Coos County Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), a Tri-County Community Action Program. RSVP offers volunteer opportunities to people age 55 and older in their communities. Over 400 RSVP volunteers give 64,000 hours of volunteer time each year to over 70 volunteer sites in Coos County. Major sponsors of the annual Wildman include: Wildcat Mountain, WPKQ 103.7, Altitude 6288 Sports, Great Glen Trails, the Royalty Inn, Munce’s Superior, Sportshoe Center, Pepsi-Cola, North Country Internet Access, NEEBCo, Northeast Delta Dental, Isaacson Enterprises, Davis & Towle Insurance Group, and Moriah Design Agency.
For more details on this news, please visit www.pr.com
Tuesday, 28 July 2009Hahira, GA - Michael Lee and Kevin Knighton, 2 of the hosts of the award-winning Pursuit Channel reality outdoor sports TV show The Backwoods Life, announced today their appearance at Bowcast At The Bird 2009, a unique 3D archery shoot in Snowbird, UT on August 1 and 2, 2009.
Bowcast At The Bird 2009, held at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort in the heart of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, will offer archers an exciting and fun-filled 2 days of festivities including instructional seminars, a private Saturday evening party with all the celebrity guests, and a chance at thousands of dollars of gear and guided hunts in a raffle contest!
Lee and Knighton will participate in the 3D shoot, the seminars, appear at the Saturday evening private party, sign autographs, and offer their loyal Pursuit Channel viewers the opportunity to discuss the highly-rated outdoors sports show along with other hunting topics.
"We‘re really excited to head out to Utah for the Bowcast At The Bird 2009." said Kevin Knighton, host of The Backwoods Life on the Pursuit Channel, "It gives us a chance to meet The Backwoods Life viewers and get to know them a little better, while taking part in an awesome 3D shoot at a fantastic resort. We always appreciate meeting new people and love to talk hunting with them."
Tickets are still available for this year's one-of-a-kind archery 3D shoot Bowcast At The Bird 2009. Participants will meet The Backwoods Life hosts, the FMP and Bowcast Teams, and have the opportunity to shoot four (4) different 3D courses with all of the celebrity guests who are attending. It's a star-studded event for everyone to enjoy an awesome weekend with the brotherhood of archery hunters! For more info and to register, please visit: http://www.BowCastAtTheBird.com. Online registration is $49.95 for the entire two day event. Registration can also be completed the day of the event for $69.95.
For more details on this news, please visit www.free-press-release.com
Monday, 27 July 2009Guide by Cell, the nation’s leading mobile technology provider for nonprofit organizations, announces that its cell phone-based audio guide technology is helping show case two of the country’s finest summer festivals: the Aspen Music Festival and the Napa Valley Festival Del Sole.
For Aspen Music School and Festival visitors, Guide by Cell’s audio guide provides immediate access to his torical facts pertaining to Aspen, Colorado; the evolution of the festival itself, and other useful information. The audio guide provides a fun and useful source of informative facts relative to Aspen’s most revered music event. To hear the Aspen Festival and School’s audio guide, dial (970) 295-4144, (press 1#-30#)
“The Aspen Music Festival and School audio guide is a wonderful way to provide a new information outlet to its devoted patrons, one that explains the city’s evolution from mining town to what it is today ― a city of rich cultural arts and renowned for skiing,” said Janice Szabo of the Aspen Music Festival and School. “Guide by Cell offers the best mobile technology for what we want to achieve, we’re very happy how the project has evolved.”
Visitors can access the audio guide while walking from the parking lot area to the Benedict Music Tent and Harris Concert Hall where banners depicting historical images about the festival and the city of Aspen are located. Each banner lists a number to dial to learn more about the images.
Each July in Napa, California the Napa Valley Festival Del Sole gets underway with much anticipation by the thousands of people who enjoy wine and music in one festival. For the first time, the 2009 festival schedule and venue directions are accessible through the Guide by Cell audio guide. Listen to the Napa Valley Festival Del Sole by dialing (707) 204-9625, (press 102#-103#).
“Napa Valley Festival del Sole is one of the country's leading summer music, food and wine festivals,” said Festival Director Richard Walker. “We continue to look for ways to heighten our guest's experiences. This year we adopted the Guide by Cell service, which allowed patrons to use their cell phones to access pre-recorded messages, artist interviews, driving directions to concert and dinner venues, and more. It has proved to be an excellent way to stay connected to the people who support and enjoy Festival del Sole."
“Both the Aspen and Napa festivals are two fine examples of summer festivals that are very well supported and anticipated by the public,” stated David Asheim, President and Founder of Guide by Cell Inc. “We are very proud to provide mobile technology for these exciting festivals and to help attendees of both venues experience the very best in summer music performances.”
For more details on this news, please visit www.pr.com
Friday, 24 July 2009The ski market fell by 13.3% across all sectors last season despite good early sales and excellent snow conditions. The fall follows seven successive years of growth and reduces the number of skiers travelling abroad from more than 1.22m in 2007/8 to just over 1m in 2008/9.
The decline in numbers is due to some skiers giving the season a miss and others taking just one trip where they might previously take two or more. However, the encouraging sign was the schools market which remained stable with more than 140,000 young skiers taking to the slopes and memories of last season's great snow will have whet the appetite of many skiers to return.
The independent travel sector was down by 15% to 327,000 skiers with some low cost carriers reducing their flight capacity to ski destinations. The tour operator sector also saw their number decreasing by 15% to 597,000 skiers, partly due to fewer multiple trips, fewer new skiers and a shorter ski season.
The top six operators' market share remained stable at 73%. Crystal strengthened its market leadership by 0.1% to 24.3% and Inghams increased its share by 1.3% to 18.4%, both still comfortably ahead of the pack. Thomson's share fell by 1.1% and Neilson, who enjoyed a good season, added 0.7%. First Choice lost 1.3%, but is still ahead of Airtours who gained 0.4%.
France continues to be the most popular country despite seeing a slight decline of 0.5%, taking 37.0% share of holidaymakers last season. Switzerland, which benefits from higher resorts than its neighbour France, shows a steady share of 6%.
Austria and Italy increased market share by 1.8% and 1.1% respectively. Bulgaria also saw a small increase to 3.2% and the small countries sector grew by 0.5% reflecting the rise in popularity of Slovenia.
Despite good snowfalls, North America's share dropped by 1.4% due to Zoom's demise, other airlines reducing seat capacity and many skiers opting for better value European resorts. The Andorran ski resorts saw a further decline in visitors from a 2% fall last season to 5% which is attributed to its continuing attempt to reposition itself from a budget to quality destination. It also suffered from end of season capacity reductions from most operators.
The 2009/10 season undoubtedly poses serious challenges for an industry that is impacted by the effects of the recession, exchange rate pressures, high fuel costs and high fixed costs for ski holiday companies.
The Crystal Ski Industry Report finds strong evidence of chalet companies significantly reducing the numbers of properties for next winter leading to fewer holidays on offer.
It predicts that next season skiers will become increasingly price-sensitive which will contribute to a reversal of recent trends which saw a growth in independent travel. Large-scale operators could re-gain some of the ground lost to DIY travellers if they are able to use their buying-power to get lower prices and pass these onto consumers as attractive packages.
For instance, Crystal has worked closely with overseas suppliers to offer outstanding value ski packages to the British skiers and have developed 'Crystal Ski Plus'. Simple, no hassle, no hustle, just ski: with prices from GBP479 per person INCLUDING local lift pass, ski & boot hire or ski carriage, self-catering or full board, in-resort service. Valid for departures during non-peak times to the top resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne in the Paradiski, France.
There is also an expectation that many large operators will cut capacity and consumers will see fewer 'last minute bargains' than in previous years. Some low cost airlines are expected to reduce their flights to ski relevant destinations, which could have an impact on the independent sector. There remains speculation around further industry consolidation in the year ahead.
Crystal's MD Mathew Prior said: "Winter 08/09 was a difficult year for the ski industry and 09/10 poses challenges for us all. Our research shows that the key is to inspire customers, remind them how fantastic a ski holiday is and create good value and compelling holidays. We know that in their hearts no skier wants to miss out on a season provided they can justify the expense. Creating transparently good value deals I see as the key to ensuring that as many as possible return to the slopes this coming season."
The ski and snowboard overview amalgamates information from tour operators' own statistics, CAA published statistics, tourist office figures and travel agency feedback.
For more details on this news, please visit www.24-7pressrelease.com
Thursday, 23 July 2009SRI in the Rockies, the largest and longest-running sustainable and responsible investing conference in the world, today announced that it has received strong response from sponsors for its 2009 conference—reflecting resilient support for SRI strategies in spite of the lingering global recession.
More than 50 organizations—from global concerns to local firms—have signed on to support t he conference, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2009. More than 650 attendees from the U.S. and around the world are expected to gather October 25-28, 2009 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona.
"There is a growing emphasis on environmental and social issues in the business and investing world, and the need to find responsible solutions," said Steve Schueth, President of First Affirmative Financial Network. "This conference is focused on identifying solutions, and highlighting the growing opportunities for investors who embrace innovative investment strategies targeted on environmental, social, and governance factors."
Leading sponsors at the 2009 conference include Calvert—a supporter of all 20 SRI in the Rockies conferences—as well as Bloomberg L.P., Dell Corp., Pax World Funds, First Affirmative Financial Network, and the Social Investment Forum. For a full list of sponsoring organizations, please click here.
CONFERENCE DETAILS The 20th Annual SRI in the Rockies Conference, From Crisis to Opportunity: Investing for a Sustainable Economy, is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network in collaboration with the Social Investment Forum.
Conference speakers for 2009 include: James K. Galbraith, PhD, the Lloyd M. Bentsen chair in Government and Business Relations and professor of Economics at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin; Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres, the leading U.S. coalition of investors and environmental leaders working to improve corporate environmental, social, and governance practices; Auden Schendler, executive director of Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, and author of "Getting Green Done;" and Andy Serwer, managing editor of FORTUNE magazine. Click here to access speaker photos and bios.
As the premier industry event, SRI in the Rockies attracts a wide range of investment professionals—from financial advisors to institutional investors and mutual fund companies, as well as social research and proxy voting organizations. Members of faith-based organizations and social change non-profits, and officers from community development banks, credit unions, and related organizations also will be in attendance.
For more details on this news, please visit www.24-7pressrelease.com
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