Whacks Wax has released its 2010-2011 catalog featuring its full line of ski wax and snowboard wax. This marks the first time in company history that Whacks Wax is actively pursuing an increase in distribution; the catalog allows retailers and distributors of ski wax and snowboard wax from the United States and around the world to purchase Whacks Wax for resale at ski and snowboard retailers.

Whacks Wax has sold its proprietary wax, the Original Blend, since 2005 via WhacksWax.com, and through Amazon.com. During the 2009 season, Whacks Wax released two new ski waxes, the 2.0 Blend and the Clear Blend, giving skiers and snowboarders more choices in purchasing fast, American-made snowboard wax. In 2010, Whacks Wax added additional online storefronts at BuySkiWax.com and BuySnowboardWax.com , pioneering a simplified shopping experience. This season, Whacks Wax is debuting a new product form that can generate impulsive ski wax sales, easily increasing the revenue and profit that can be realized from the ski wax category within the retail environment.

Ski and snowboard-industry retailers interested in reselling Whacks Wax can contact the company for specific ordering information, as details may vary by geographic region; however, at this time, all domestic and international territories are open and accepting new resellers. Orders are filled on a continuous basis.

source: www.prlog.com

Continental Airlines today announced new winter service between its Houston hub and Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport in Colorado, beginning Dec. 16, 2010. The service will operate through April 3, 2011. Gunnison is located just 30 miles from Crested Butte Mountain Resort, one of Colorado's most popular powdery slopes for alpine skiing and snowboarding.

"The thought of a snowy mountain escape is especially appealing after a long hot summer," said Jim Ferea, Continental's managing director scheduling. "Our new Houston to Gunnison flight joins our growing list of ski destinations in Colorado that are easily reached through convenient connections at our Houston hub."

The new service will depart Houston at 11:40 a.m. and arrive in Gunnison at 1:25 p.m. The return flight will depart Gunnison at 2:15 p.m. and arrive in Houston at 5:35 p.m. Flights will operate daily except between Jan. 4 and Feb. 16, 2011, when the service will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight is scheduled to accommodate convenient connections for customers traveling from points throughout Texas, the eastern United States, Mexico and South America.

"We've had great success with service to Houston in the past, and it continues to be our number one requested city for added air service," said Daren Cole, vice president of marketing and sales for Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR). "We're thrilled to offer the new flight from Continental for our guests from the greater Houston area."

In addition to Gunnison, Continental operates winter service to several world-class ski areas in Colorado including Vail, Telluride and Steamboat Springs. The company also provides service to popular ski resorts in Utah, New Mexico, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and a number of destinations in the Northeastern United States.

Continental Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,600 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 132 domestic and 137 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers more than 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries through its 28 member airlines. With more than 40,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year.

Continental consistently earns awards and critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For nine consecutive years, FORTUNE magazine has ranked Continental as the top U.S. airline on its "World's Most Admired Companies" airline industry list. For more company information, go to continental.com.

source: www.prnewswire.com

Budding young snowboarders can get off to a flying start at Mt Hutt Ski Area these school holidays thanks to a new half day intensive programme.

In conjunction with BWMsnow, Mt Hutt Snowsports School Manager Dave Grogan, has developed an exciting programme called ‘The Mt Hutt BWMsnow Shredders Camp' which introduces 4-9 yr olds to snowboarding.

"Our snowboard lessons normally start at 8 years of age but the BWMsnow Shredders Camp will give the younger children who have never snowboarded the chance to give it a go.

It can be quite time and cost-consuming for families with kids just starting to snowboard so our Shredders Camp is designed to get them up and running as quickly as possible and teach them the correct techniques.”

The programme will run on Wednesday 7 July and again on Wednesday 14 July with 4-6 year olds in camp from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 6-9 year olds from 1.00pm to 4.00pm.

Mt Hutt also offers a five-day ‘Kruiser Squad' during the school holidays for skiers aged 5-17 and snowboarders aged 8-17 which is designed to improve children's skills with a top instructor. Children need to be able to ski or board at Level Two* or above.

"The instructor provides advanced individual attention and basic technical skills and drills in a safe and fun environment,” says Mr Grogan. "The kids love it – they get to hang out and have fun with other kids all day. And parents don't need to worry about lunchtimes because we take them to the café for a supervised lunch as well.”

Littlies aged between two years and five years are well catered for at the Skiwiland Early Learning Centre which provides on and off-snow activities. However, Mr Grogan encourages families to get in quick because places are filling fast for the July holidays.

Source: www.southernpr.co.nz

Lake Wanaka, New Zealand -- TC Cat, Treble Cone's ever-popular mascot, is having a birthday on Thursday (15 July) and everyone is invited to join in the fun.

TC Cat will be out and about on the mountain all day on Thursday to ski with the children and play in the snow. It will be a memorable experience for local children and for all visitors to the region.

The chefs in the TC Café kitchen are preparing a special birthday carrot cake to share with young guests following the end of morning lessons at 12.30pm. On the sun deck after the cake there will be games and a few additional treats.

"TC Cat is a family favourite at Treble Cone, always encouraging the children to enjoy the snow and mountain environment," said Nigel Kerr, the Treble Cone marketing manager. "We are looking forward to celebrating TC Cat's birthday and we hope to see lots of kids on the mountain enjoying the school holiday entertainment."

For TC Cat Club members - the kids in Treble Cone's children's lesson programme - the action kicks off in the morning with the TC Mini World Cup Race Day. It's a fun introduction to skiing and boarding around the race flags on the Nice ‘n' Easy Platter run, accessible for most levels of skiers and riders.

source: www.treblecone.com

When NIKITA collaborates it's a big deal and for the Fall-Winter 2010-2011 season, not only will the latest NIKITA Outerwear be hitting the stores, but also a special partnership with K2 Snowboarding. NIKITA has teamed up with the progressive and innovative crew at K2 to produce a distinctive set up on the new Casette binding and award-winning VaVaVoom snowboard.

Built for ladies who love the park, the VaVaVoom is now the ultimate choice for girls who ride, especially with a blend of NIKITA design splashed all over it. Team this with the new Cassette binding and you have all-terrain performance, comfort and style from head to snow.

"Because of our roots and heavy involvement in snowboarding from day one, I've very often been asked why Nikita doesn't make snowboards. The answer is simple; whether its hardgoods or softgoods I don't take good equipment for granted. Like with outerwear it takes experts to make quality snowboards and Nikita focused on making the clothes. We were therefore thrilled when K2 introduced to us the opportunity to co-design a line of girl specific snowboards and bindings matching our current line of outerwear. I'm stoked on the outcome and look forward to riding the whole package in the coming winter!” – Heida Birgisdottir (founder, head designer, former national snowboard champ)

About K2 Snowboarding:
Born in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains, K2 Snowboarding was raised in the backcountry of Baker. From the beginning, the goal has been to create original concepts and technology that drives snowboarding forward. Today K2 continues to innovate and progress the sport from the backcountry to the parks…and everything in between. For more information visit www.k2snowboarding.com.

source: www.nikitaclothing.com

Sydney, NSW -- Thousands of Australian skiers and snowboarders are taking unnecessary risks in the snow by failing to carry adequate insurance, according to Australia's leading online travel insurance provider Travel Insurance Direct.

Travel Insurance Direct General Manager Ian Jackson said while the vast majority of Australia's 610,000 skiers and 230,000 snowboarders would enjoy an incident-free season this year, the high cost of snow sports meant it was important to be properly insured.

"A lot of standard travel insurance policies don't protect you when you're skiing or snowboarding, so it's important to find a policy that specifically covers winter sports,” Mr Jackson said. "Never assume your annual policy or credit card gives you protection.”

Travel Insurance Direct provides comprehensive cover specifically for Australian skiers and snowboarders. Standard policies cover all the needs of regular travel insurance, plus a range of snow-related issues like damage or loss of gear, bad weather disruption, forced cancellation of prepaid items like lift passes and lessons, and offshore injuries and medical expenses.

Mr Jackson said skiers and snowboarders often carried equipment worth thousands of dollars, which could be protected with a policy costing as little as $60 a week.

Travel Insurance Direct has suggested tips to avoid loss and damage to ski and snowboard gear.

Source: www.prlog.com

GAO Tek Inc. is offering its mini anemometer which is water-resistant with an IP54 protection rating. It displays current wind speed, temperature and the wind chill at the push of a single button. The portable anemometer provides onsite wind and safety information and is designed to obtain instant information about fires, hazmat situations or weather conditions. It is ideally suited for boating, flying model planes and kites, gliding, rock climbing , skiing, snowboarding and surfing.

GAO Tek Inc.'s mini anemometer, model AM801, is easily fit into a pocket or comfortably worn around the neck. Simple one button operation moves through all the functions displayed on an easy-to-read backlit LCD screen. It offers the current reading and the maximum air speed simultaneously at an accuracy of ±5%. This anemometer features NTC sensor and selectable measurement units which are m/s, fpm, mph, km/h and knots. The impeller rotates to a closed position to protect the device from damage. It automatically shuts off within 1 minute of inactivity.

Source: www.free-press-release.com

Today, Nature Valley® announces a partnership with Patricia Schultz, author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and Executive Producer of the Travel Channel's reality show of the same name, to raise up to $600,000 to benefit the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). The program, which launched in April, is called the "National Parks Project” and aims to support the NPCA's work to help preserve America's national parks. This summer, consumers can support the cause by mailing in specially marked Nature Valley wrappers by August 31, 2010, and Nature Valley will donate 10 cents per wrapper to the NPCA. In 2010, the National Parks Project will focus on restoration work at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Biscayne National Parks.

"The national parks are heavily represented in my books and tell the story of America in ways that few locations can,” said Patricia Schultz. "In addition to being great vacation destinations, our national parks provide fun and adventurous educational experiences for travelers of all ages. That's why I've partnered with Nature Valley in their efforts to make sure these national treasures are available for all to enjoy for generations to come.”

From historic sites to national seashores and majestic mountains, there are few places in the country that provide as much beauty and inspiration as America's national parks. However, these national treasures need care and support to help them flourish. Years of underfunding and threats, such as pollution and climate change, are threatening the natural and cultural heritage embodied in our National Park System — not only important for recreational purposes, but also for educational opportunities and maintaining healthy ecosystems. Consumers can join Nature Valley to help preserve our national parks by visiting PreserveTheParks.com. There are two ways to support the preservation initiative this year:

* Consumers can mail in their specially marked Nature Valley wrappers now through August 31, 2010, and Nature Valley will donate 10 cents per wrapper to the NPCA.
* Make a direct donation in support of the NPCA. Visit PreserveTheParks.com to learn more about the projects being funded in 2010 and to explore our nation's wealth of national parks.

"At Nature Valley, we believe that there are many places in America where we are united by nature,” said Martin Abrams, Nature Valley marketing manager. "Our national parks are testaments to our history and our values. We hope consumers will help support the cause this summer and help us reach our goal.”

Source: www.pr.com

Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals has recently been recognized for delivering "consistent, superior service” to its customers for the 2009-2010 ski season. The Platinum Service Award was given from the Vail Valley Partnership, with 60 participating business locations. "We are very excited to win this award especially since we received one of the highest customer service rankings in the Vail Valley,” commented Tommy Z. Hoffman, Owner and Founder of Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals.

"Winning the Platinum Service Award is a testament to our hard work and dedication to customer service. All of our sales agents work tirelessly to stay true to our tagline of "Friendly. Knowledgeable. Locals,” while maintaining the highest level of customer service. I am so proud that we can be honored by the Vail Valley Partnership for all of our hard work with this award,” commented sales agent Alana Hanks.

Businesses that are a part of the program sign up and pay the participation fees in order to receive mystery shops evaluations. "Most businesses are actually visited in person by mystery shoppers, but some like Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals are conducted via phone,” said Katie Barnes, manager of the program.

The Vail Valley Partnership has "secret shoppers” that pretend to be actual customers calling in for reservations but are actually rating them on their customer service. Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals was graded on a scale of 0 to 100 for customer service and scored over 90% on every phone call. The average score for RMVR between all of the secret shoppers was a 95.8%, which is one of the highest in the Vail Valley.

Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, who prides themselves on being Friendly, Knowledgeable, and Locals, currently provides vacation rentals, concierge services and specializes in resort and fractional real estate sales within the Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Aspen, Snowmass, and Denver areas, with plans to expand into 36 new markets within three to five years. Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals is in the process of hiring sales managers immediately for Aspen, Park City, Telluride and Steamboat Springs for the 2011 and 2012 ski seasons.

Source: www.pr.com

Alberta who was randomly selected as the winner of the "2010/11 Early Bird Season Pass" Waterway houseboat vacation aboard a luxury Genesis 66 houseboat!

Patrick, who has been a Lake Louise Season Pass holder for the last 3 seasons, was thrilled to have won this amazing package worth $4300.00.

We would also like to thank everyone else who purchased their 2010/11 Early Bird Season Pass, and we look forward to seeing you on the slopes of Lake Louise next winter.

Source: www.skilouise.com