Kitzbuehel?s Earliest Ever Opening, Six Weeks Ahead of Schedule
Kitzbuehel opened Friday, November 2nd, the earliest opening in the resort?s history and six weeks earlier than planned.

With over 80cm (32 inches) of fresh snow the Panoramabahn Kitzbueheler Alpen and the Resterkogel chairlift are were the first to take winter sports fans up the mountain. More lifts will open over the next few weeks.

The early opening is great news for the famous Tyrolean resort which is often cited as one of the likely first victims of climate change because of its relatively low altitude. Despite extensive snow making the resort had operational difficulties last season with limited natural snowfall and temperatures too warm for snowmaking at the start of the season leading to the cancellation of the famous Hahnenkamn downhill.

Cortina Hopes To Move Over Border
Cortina has announced plans to move across the regional border.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, a top Italian resort, announced it would like to move over the regional border from the province of Veneto, where it is now, to neighboring Trentino-Alto Adige.

The resort?s inhabitants have voted overwhelmingly to change regions to Alto Adige, which has more autonomy, more government money, and lower taxes than Veneto.

The process to move Cortina is now underway, but is unlikely to happen quickly, as Veneto?s leaders already have announced they have no desire to see the ski resort leave.

Now it?s even faster and easier to get to Zermatt from Zuerich
Zurich-Zermatt in less than 200 minutes: the new Loetschberg Base Tunnel (34.6 km/ 21.6 miles), which links the cantons of Berne and Valais (between Frutigen and Raron) will be complete in December 2007. The tunnel will reduce the Zuerich-Zermatt drive time from 4:24 to 3:16 hours! (Basel-Zermatt from 4:24 to 3:15 h; Berne-Zermatt from 3:18 to 2:08 h)

Swim Oases on the Kitzbuehel rooftops
The Hotel Schwarzer Adler is reopening in December 2007 with an extraordinary new Spa-Oasis. Guests of Kitzb?hel?s only 4 Star Superior Hotel will not only be able to pamper themselves on four floors of beauty salons, saunas and swimming pools, they will also be able to cool off in the rooftop swimming pool, 16m above street level. The 3 Star Flairhotel Kitzb?hel will also be reopening in December with a new Well Being Zone with several saunas and a steam room. The newly-built Wellness Zone in the 4 Star Hotel Tiefenbrunner, with its swimming pool and sauna facilities, and the Well-Being Oasis in the Landhotel Tiroler Hof provide for the perfect break.

Feng-shui in the Austrian Alps
Harmonious interior design is guaranteed in Vital-Luxury Suites at the Hotel Tiefenbrunner. The rooms have been arranged in recent months according to Feng-shui principles. Tradition and innovation, wooden and glass all come together in the Flairhotel?s newly-built wing with 40 rooms and new restaurant, which will be reopened in December. Six exclusive, 50 sqm. penthouses in the Hotel Schwarzer Adler will be available for rent from the same time.

Speed Riding at Chamonix
Speed Riding, a kind of cross between ski kiting, paragliding and skiing, will be available to try out at Le Tour in the Chamonix Valley this winter.

Participants slide ?or fly? down a ski slope wearing a small ??wing? similar to a paragliding chute but only six-ten metres square.

The idea is not to fly too high, or for too long, but to ride the terrain like a skier, only getting much more air and feeling of much less gravity as you lift out of a turn or jump off a bump.

Speed riding was tested at the resort last year and proved successful enough for the introduction to the public this winter. The paragliding school Les Ailes du Mont-Blanc will also offer supervised speed riding on the snow park of the Grands Montets.