The US Clif® bar, an organic-certified energy bar, is introducing the first iPhone application to combine ski resort snow conditions with environmental steps the resorts are taking to combat global warming.

The unique, portable and playful Clif Bar Save Our Snow (SOS) iPhone App can be downloaded free from iPhone or iTouch App Store (search “Save Our Snow”) or from www.clifbar.com/sosiphone.

Scientists predict that global warming will lead to more drought and shorter ski seasons due to unseasonably warm weather. Colorado College has said in its annual State of the Rockies Report Card that as conditions worsen, snow sport participation in the Rocky Mountain West may become entirely unviable by the year 2050.

“Global warming threatens skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports more than any outdoor activity,” said Ricardo Balazs, sports marketing experience manager at Clif Bar, “As skiers and riders ourselves, we want to help others who share our passion get a glimpse of what individual resorts are doing to help Save Our Snow.”

The Clif Bar SOS iPhone App enables you to find snow conditions at any of the more than 500 ski resorts in North America. You can learn current powder, temperature and wind conditions, the percentage of lifts open, a three-day weather forecast and the resort’s phone number. For extra fun, you can blow into your iPhone microphone and cause your screen to “ice over.” You can use your fingers to brush away the ice or just watch it melt away. If it’s snowing at the resort you choose to view, “snowflakes” fall across your iPhone screen.

Icons on each resort’s screen page also allow you to see what ski resorts are doing to combat climate change in the areas of renewable energy, transportation, waste reduction, and education and outreach. In addition, you’ll learn if a resort has received a Clif Bar Golden Eagle Award, which annually honours North American ski resorts for their overall environmental achievements.

“We hope the new Clif Bar SOS app helps winter last longer for skiers and the planet,” said Balazs. “It’s the only app that gives you environmental info when you choose a place to go play in the snow. It’ll be available on iTunes indefinitely, so you can use it now to extend the current ski season, this summer to dream about snow and again next winter when you head back out to the slopes.”

Clif Bar has, for the past three years, helped raise the awareness of winter athletes and enthusiasts about global warming’s impact on the ski industry. From mounting veggie-fueled mobile tours with top skiers like Alison Gannett and riders like Jeremy Jones to providing carbon offsets for chairlift energy use, the Clif Bar SOS campaign has informed thousands of winter resort-goers about the need to quickly address global warming if they want to continue to enjoy outdoor winter activities.

Celebrating its 20th Birthday this year, Europe’s longest established winter festival of its kind, The BRITS kick off in Laax, Switzerland on 28th March for the week to 4th April and boasts it’s biggest ever music line-up.

Headliners include DJ sets from The Go! Team, Vadim, Mickey Finn, and Bonobo with live sets from Gentleman’s Pistols, Kandi Coded, Kovak and a very special guest to be announced. The BRITS music line-up looks set to offer something for every musical taste covering, Rock, Hip-Hop, Funk, DnB, Electro Pop and some good old Cheesy 80’s classics for the BRITS 20th Birthday Bash.

Each day DJ’s will be positioning themselves in snowy strongholds around the mountain to blast out tunes across the slopes and Championship action.

Off the hill it’s into the bar for a spot of après with live daily DJ and acoustic sets from the likes of Ben Howard and Joel Erith, then home, wash-down, and back out in time for one of nightly club sessions. Just remember, it’s a marathon…not a sprint!

To celebrate 20 years of the BRITS, Switzerland Tourism will be flying over very special guests, which will soon be announced to host the BRITS fancy dress 20th Birthday Bash! (Come as anything beginning with the letter “B”). Firmly grasping the party reins on the last night of the BRITS at the Riders Palace, the BRITS ‘B’ Party will top off the week with a night of classic 80’s tunes and flash dancer fever moves.

As well as a celebrated winter festival, The BRITS plays host to the prestigious British Snowboard and Freeski Championships that unites kids, rookies, pros and Olympians. The Championship action comes courtesy of the Trespass Snowboardcross/Skiercross, Quiksilver Big Air, Animal Slopestyle and SNO!zone Halfpipe.

BRITS packages start from £269 which includes seven nights’ accommodation, six days lifts pass and most importantly your BRITS event pack and wristband, which gives you access to event clubs and bars. So to join the 1000 or so revellers that will be hitting the BRITS for a week full of freestyle, music and mayhem and for a full music line-up.

The line up and schedule for the second Altitude Comedy Festival which kicks off in Meribel next week has now been announced.

The 2009 comedy line-up includes Marcus Brigstocke, Ed Byrne, Andrew Maxwell, Phil Nichol, Ardal O’Hanlon, Omid Djalili and the Comedy Store Players – all playing multiple gigs.

The Festival debuted last year and proved a successful mix of snow, sun and fun predominantly for the thousands of Brits in resort but also with French comedians performing for French speakers and even some of the British performers attempting to deliver their routines in French.

Altitude 09 kicks off with a gala performance on Saturday, 28th March and runs through to Friday April 3rd with dozens of events through the week staged daily between 11am and 3am.

Performance costs range from free-of-charge up to 25 Euros and venues from small cafes on the slopes to the resort’s biggest venues. Passes covering multiple events at a discount are also available.

Besides comedy there are plenty of live music performances with KT Tunstall headlining with a concert at the Olympic ice rink in aid of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as well as many other acts from different musical genres.

On top of the music and comedy there are fun events on the snow including races and snowball fights. The more serious British Land National Ski Championships, boarder cross and big air competitions are also taking place during the festival.

The festival is keen to be green, with founder comedian Marcus Brigstocke a passionate campaigner on climate change. One euro is donated to the WWF for every ticket sold.