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Skiing, local real estate likely to suffer scientists say VAIL, Colorado — If greenhouse gas emissions aren’t curtailed, climate change will reduce Eagle County’s snowpack by 57 percent by 2085, according to a new report. “The state’s most popular tourist activity is at risk from climate change,” said the report, published Wednesday by the Center for Integrative Environmental Research at the University of Maryland. The report, “Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Colorado,” does not paint a pretty picture for skiing — and the attendant industry of real estate — over the next century. The “snow season” could become 30...

Stuck, lost and hobbled in the German Alps, a quick-thinking Colorado Springs woman hooked her bra to a mountainside supply line, which alerted rescuers to her whereabouts just as they were giving up the search. "We're going to have a party for her every June 19, and give her some new bras," Elana Bruinsma, said Monday morning of her sister, Jessica Bruinsma, 24. The white sports bra has become the talk of the Berchtesgaden area of Germany near the Austria border.

Aspen Mountain will be open to skiers and snowboarders this weekend, according to Jeff Hanle, spokesman for the Aspen Skiing Co. “Yes, we are going skiing,” Hanle said, though he could not confirm the details. The Skico previously indicated it would consider opening the mountain this weekend, which coincides with the Aspen Food & Wine Magazine Classic. It's unusual but not unprecedented to have skiing on Ajax mountain this late in the season, after Independence Pass already has opened for the summer. But highway crews only last week re-opened the 12,093-foot pass after a particularly snowy winter. Arapahoe Basin, which...

Amid increasing concerns about the warming of the planet, ski resorts across the Northeast are reporting some of the best snowfall levels in recorded history. Waterville Valley in New Hampshire had a top-five year in terms of snow accumulation, with 192 inches having fallen to the slopes so far. A recent snowstorm on Mt. Mansfield, the home of Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, boosted the season snow total to 367 inches, making this ski season the snowiest in the last 10 years. For those who reject the popular consensus that the world is on the brink of a global warming...

Dozens of homes have been evacuated and a 5-mile stretch of Colorado 82 in western Colorado has been closed due to heavy smoke from a brush fire. The 100-acre brush fire is burning at 1265 County Road 100, and is threatening several homes and a school, said Tanny McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. She said a horse farm and a private school have been evacuated. Two buildings have been damaged and one person has been transported with injuries... Firefighters from Carbondale, Basalt and Glenwood are at the scene.

A 50-vehicle pileup has closed I-70 in both directions at mile marker 195 on Vail Pass. The initial accident occurred on the westbound side of I-70 at mile marker 189 in Eagle County. The eastbound lane has also been closed at this time to allow emergency vehicles to access the scene. According to dispatch, there are numerous injuries and several possible amputations. There has been a mutual aid request for backup and many patients are being transported to St. Anthony's Summit Medical Center for treatment. "So far we have one patient in critical condition and two more patients just arrived...

Leads continue to trickle in more than a month after Bergen Catholic graduate Alphonse "Mike" Barbiere went missing during a Colorado ski trip. But there is still no sign of him. "It still just remains a mystery," said Assistant Chief Greg Morrison of the Breckenridge Police Department. Six members of a search and rescue group spent Thursday searching along the Blue River. "A lead came in and we followed up on it," Morrison said. "But we did not find anything." The 5- to 7-foot snow drifts have been melting over the past week, but a storm Thursday into Friday was...

Former ABC News correspondent John McWethy was killed when he skied into a tree at Keystone Resort Wednesday, the Summit County Coroner confirmed. McWethy, 61, was skiing on an intermediate trail when the accident occurred. Witnesses said he missed a turn and slid chest-first into the tree shortly after 10 a.m

To many college students, a perfect weekend in Colorado is found on the snow-covered slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Whether you ski or snowboard, the only things you need are a jacket and a ride to the mountain. However, if some Colorado lawmakers have their way, the drive to the ski resorts could become more costly. Anyone who has been to the slopes, especially on the weekends, knows that the worst part of the day is the traffic along I-70. From the large trucks to the vans full of out-of-state tourists who don't know how to drive on snow, the...

(01-28) 12:52 PST LAKE TAHOE -- The president of a San Francisco green technology company was killed while skiing at the Homewood Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe, authorities said today. Tyler A. Palmer, 37, was found unresponsive at the base of a tree about 1:52 p.m. Sunday, the Placer County Sheriff's Department said. Skiers found Palmer on the Hobbit Land ski run, head-first in the well of a tree. Hobbit Land is a black diamond run, signifying it is for advanced skiers, according to the resort's Web site. Medics tried to revive Palmer, without success, and he was pronounced dead...

Michigan lawmakers push helmet requirement for skiers, snowboarders by CLAY TAYLOR | Capital News Service Saturday January 26, 2008, 9:34 AM LANSING - Downhill skiers and snowboarders without head protection may find a hefty fine waiting for them at the bottom of the slope. A new bill by Rep. Bob Constan calling for mandatory helmets comes fast on the heels of a fatal skiing accident in December. Clare Dougherty, 13, of Canton Township died from a head injury on Shanty Creek Resort's Schuss Mountain in Bellaire. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Kalkaska Memorial Health Center on Christmas Day....

MEXICAN HAT, Utah—A chartered bus ran off a wet road and rolled 41 feet down an embankment in far southeastern Utah, killing eight passengers who were returning home from a ski trip, authorities said Monday. About 20 others were injured. The Arrow Stage Lines bus was southbound on State Route 163 when it failed to negotiate a curve, went off the road and rolled over several times at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, said Trooper Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol. "When the vehicle was overturning, the roof of the bus split open and multiple occupants of the vehicle were ejected,"...

People upset over a man who sued an 8-year-old boy and his father over a Colorado ski collision have subjected him and his wife to "an electronic tar and feathering," their lawyer said. David Pfahler and Marlene Ambrogio left their Allentown, Pa., home for the holidays because angry people tied up their phone lines with repeated, automated calls since news reports of the lawsuit, attorney Jim Chalat said Monday. Some sent angry e-mails and calls to Chalat's Denver law firm, while others called Reader's Digest, where Pfahler works, and demanded he be fired, the Rocky Mountain News reported. The couple...

ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG, Austria — American skier Lindsey Vonn won't be able to fly home for Christmas because of the World Cup schedule. But the way things are going, why would she want to leave Europe? Vonn won a super-combi Saturday for her second consecutive victory, sending her to the top of the overall standings. And for the second consecutive race, Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., finished third. Stacey Cook of Mammoth Mountain, Calif., finished 13th. According to U.S. team officials, Vonn is the first American woman to win alpine World Cup races on back-to-back days since Tamara...

Boy, 8, sued in Beaver Creek ski collision Man, 60, says he was injured in crash on catwalk at Beaver Creek’s Arrowhead area Scott Swimm, 8, is being sued for a ski collision his father describes as a tap. A Pennsylvania man said tore a tendon in his shoulder in the crash. Steve Lynn Vail, CO Colorado December 20, 2007 EAGLE-VAIL, Colorado — Eight-year-old Scott Swimm spreads his arms wide when he describes the crash he was in with another skier at Arrowhead Mountain in January. “We were literally about this far away,” said Scott, an Eagle-Vail resident and third-grader...

TELLURIDE — A backlash quickly emerged after the Telluride Town Council adopted a resolution last week calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. “It’s huge, unbelievable,” said Telluride Mayor John Pryor. “Ski groups are canceling for the winter. Hundreds of people are bailing. The (town) Web site is flooded with people saying they’re canceling their vacations here.” Pryor called it a “silly initiative.” The council, he told The Telluride Watch, is too busy to weigh in on national global politics. If this was a silly initiative, why did he vote for it? The...

FRANCONIA, N.H. — A cousin of skiing star Bode Miller fatally shot and ran over a police officer, then was killed by a passer-by who grabbed the officer's gun. Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said Liko Kenney shot Cpl. Bruce McKay four times, then ran over him with his car after a traffic stop Friday night.

Astronauts heading to the Moon should learn the art of cross-country skiing, a scientist who flew on the last lunar Apollo mission claims. Harrison Schmitt, part of the 1972 Apollo 17 crew, said it would allow them to explore faster and more easily. Addressing scientists in San Francisco, he said his knowledge of Nordic skiing had allowed him to glide effortlessly across the dusty lunar surface. The US space agency (Nasa) will send manned missions to the moon by 2020. "When you're cross-country skiing, once you get a rhythm going, you propel yourself with a toe push as you slide...

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) - The two dozen FBI agents who swarmed Park City Mountain Resort weren't busting anybody Friday. They weren't even armed - unless you count the sharp ends of ski poles. With the temperature near zero, agents hit the slopes - some on challenging runs, others on bunny hills - in an unusual drive to publicize the FBI and perhaps attract a few recruits. Many skiers and Park City regulars were perplexed or even a bit unnerved. Some thought the whole effort was nutty. Jokes were flying about agents skiing on the public dime, but nobody seemed...

Want low-cost skiing? Try Poland Winter Sports Travel Insurance - Click Here for a Quote A staple complaint amongst skiers and snowboarders is that good resorts, such as the ones in France and Switzerland, have become inordinately expensive and crowded. While eastern Europe might not immediately spring to mind as a skiing mecca, for those sick of the glitzy, expensive and almost always crammed full resorts of western Europe, it may be worth a try. And the Zakopane resort in Poland is one of the jewels in the crown of eastern European skiing. Nestled in a mid-mountain valley in the...

In new ads, ski company says global warming could dry up snow during the next century... The Aspen Skiing Co. hopes potential customers are ready for a snow job. On Wednesday, the company unveiled a new advertising campaign for the 2006-07 season that centers around the message that snow — and skiing — will disappear around 2100 if humans don’t take drastic action to slow global warming. Three full-page ads, which show a melting snowflake imposed over Highland Bowl, will run in SKI and Outside magazines in the next few months. One ad portrays a “certificate of death” for snow....

A new website dedicated to reporting on how climate change is affecting the world's ski areas, glaciers and polar regions has been launched at www.saveoursnow.com. The simple, low-budget site is none-the-less rich in content, which includes: # A database listing what each of the world's top 200 ski areas is doing to fight climate change. # A news archive of relevant stories. # A directory of travel operators who make an effort to counter the increase in global warming their activities generate. # Details of the varying projections of the increasing affects of climate change on the world's mountainous and...

LES CROSETS, Switzerland - Former Swiss skiing star Corinne Rey-Bellet and her brother, Alain, were shot and killed in their parents' home, and police were trying to find Rey-Bellet's husband. The attack late Sunday night, which also left Rey-Bellet's mother hospitalized with serious injuries, occurred in the Swiss mountain resort of Les Crosets, according to the Valais state police. Rey-Bellet's mother was able to call police despite her injuries. Police said the attacker, who fired five shots, fled and eluded a search. Police spokesman Renato Kalbermatten said authorities were trying to find Rey-Bellet's husband, who lived with her and their...

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. - Three members of a ski patrol died after two plunged into a volcanic fissure at the Mammoth Mountain resort and the third fell trying to rescue them, a resort official said. Four other would-be rescuers were hospitalized for exposure to carbon dioxide but were doing well, said Rusty Gregory, chief executive officer of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. The patrol team had been on the mountain after a snowstorms checking on a fence surrounding a fumarole, a natural vent that releases volcanic gas from deep within the Earth, Gregory said. "It's not like they were out there...

Three members of the Mammoth Mountain ski patrol were killed today while clearing snow on the upper mountain after this week's record snowfall, authorities said. The accident occurred in the early morning while the three were performing maintenance work, said Shannon Kendall, a spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the accident. Details of the accident were not available, but authorities said they planned to provide more details in the coming hours. The accident is the latest chapter in a deadly winter in Mammoth. In late January and early February, five skiers died over a seven-day period. Mammoth...

SNOWMASS, Colo., April 6, 2006 – Michael Brickert is a man of three services, three conflicts, two paralyzed legs, and one can-do spirit that's inspired other disabled veterans. Michael Brickert, a retired Air National Guard first sergeant, soars down the slopes during the 20th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, at Snowmass, Colo. Photo by Robert Turtil  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Brickert, 58, of Wise River, Mont., was a Navy diver during the Vietnam War. During Operation Desert Storm, he went from being an Army Reserve drill sergeant to pulling personal security detail. During Operation Enduring Freedom,...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 5, 2006 – When he was undergoing treatment 16 years ago following a near-fatal accident in Germany, Paul Miosek asked Red Cross volunteer Jim Mayer for just two things: a poster of Madonna and a milkshake. Disabled Army veteran Paul Miosek (left) reunites with Jim Mayer, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee and long-time volunteer at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, at the 20th Annual Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, in Snowmass Village, Colo. Miosek credits Mayer with opening his eyes to new possibilities while living with a disability. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo., April 3, 2006 – Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson and former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz opened the 20th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic here last night, praising participants for their sacrifices and their focus on their abilities, not their disabilities. Former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz speaks April 2 to disabled veterans at the opening ceremony for the 20th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. Photo by John Sokolowski  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Nicholson saluted this year's 350 participants, including about 50 wounded during operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, for...

Before Scandinavia: These could be the first skiers By Robert Marquand | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor BEIJING – Move over Bode. You may have competition you don't know about - among a sturdy skiing clan in northwest China. They are central Asians, Mongols, and Kazaks, living in the remote Altay mountains of Xinjiang province, where some claim skiing was first conceived. Using curved planks whose design dates back 2,000 years, the Altaic peoples are formidable skiers. They might not win a medal on perfectly groomed Olympic trails. But they can break their own paths, track elk for...

VAIL, Colo., March 6, 2006 – Amputees being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., wrapped up the third annual Vail Veterans Program here yesterday, having taken another step ahead in their rehabilitation and more convinced than ever that they have the support of the American people. Army Sgt. Tim Gustafson, a Tennessee National Guardsman participating in the Vail Veterans Program at Vail, Colo., gets instruction on how to traverse the slopes on a "bi-ski" from Carl Desrosiers, of the Vail Adaptive Ski Program. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The 24...

Rumsfeld Pays Surprise Visit as Wounded Troops Hit the Slopes By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 5, 2006 – Wounded troops participating in the third annual Vail Veterans Program here got a surprise visit on the ski slopes today when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived to cheer them on and congratulate them for their accomplishments. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld poses with wounded troops participating in the Vail Veterans Program just before they begin their third and final day of skiing in the program at Vail, Colo. Photo by Donna Miles   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

VAIL, Colo., March 3, 2006 – Twenty-four servicemembers who lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan are here reaping the hospitality of a community first established by returning World War II veterans and to schuss down the slopes of this world-class ski resort. The guests, all patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., along with their spouses or guests, are participating in the third annual Vail Veterans Program that kicked off March 1 and continues through March 5. The all-expenses-paid program is hosted by Vail Mountain and the Vail community and gives wounded war veterans an opportunity to...

TORINO, Italy -- The annual spring meetings of the U.S. Ski Team are going to be pretty ugly in April. You're going to see a lot of administration and coaching changes, particularly on the men's side. Picabo Street retired from competitive Alpine skiing racing in 2002. The two-time Olympic medalist will file reports for NBCOlympics.com throughout the Torino Games. Coming out of these Olympics, the federation is going to struggle for support, and it's not because they didn't win enough medals. It's because of the behavior of the athletes. On The Today Show earlier this week, I addressed the problems...

Feb. 23, 2006 - Four months ago, Bode Miller sat across from me in the bar of a New York City hotel and shared his idea of what a perfect two weeks in Torino would look like. “For me,” he said, “the ideal Olympics would be to go in with all that pressure, all that attention and have performances that are literally tear-jerking, that make people put their heads down because they’re embarrassed at how emotional they’re getting, that make people want to try sports, talk to their kids, call their f---ing ex-wives—and come away with no medals. I think...

TORINO, Italy (AP) -- An Austrian ski coach who bolted the Winter Games following a surprise anti-doping raid wound up in a psychiatric hospital -- the latest stop on his bizarre flight from Torino, where authorities were still analyzing 100 syringes and other material seized from athletes' housing. Authorities took Walter Mayer into custody Sunday after he crashed his car into a police blockade 15 miles inside Austria's border with Italy. Police later took him to a psychiatric facility, Austria's ski federation president Peter Schroecksnadel told The Associated Press. "Apparently he's still in there,'' Schroecksnadel said Monday night. "I believe...

The next time you see a kid skateboarding down the railings at the post office or zipping around the shopping carts at the supermarket, don't throw a can of cling peaches at him. Instead, put your hand over your heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. These youngsters are our Olympic future. Many of them go on to become snowboarders. And snowboarding is about the only thing we can do right here in Turin. Nearly half of the USA's medals are the result of our snowboarding expertise. We pour millions of dollars into developing Olympic athletes. But it's the kids...

Imagine an Olympics without mountain sports. No more bad-boy Bode Millers. No dramatic Lindsey Kildow wipeouts and comebacks. No "Flying Tomato" performing gnarly backside 900s. Sure, there'd still be skating, hockey and curling. But what's a rink sport to hurtling downhill at 80 miles per hour?If global warming continues unabated, fewer mountains will have sufficient snow - even man-made - to train athletes or host Winter Games. Skiing and snowboarding will slowly melt away.A 2003 United Nations Environment Programme report has concluded that because of climate change, resorts below 5,000 feet, including most in the Northeastern United States, will no...

A futuristic flexible material that instantly hardens into armour upon impact will protect US and Canadian skiers from injury on the slalom runs at this year's Winter Olympics. The lightweight bendable material, known as d3o, can be worn under normal ski clothing. It will provide protection for US and Canadian skiers taking part in slalom and giant slalom races in Turin, Italy. Skiers normally have to wear bulky arm and leg guards to protect themselves from poles placed along the slalom run. Skiwear company Spyder, based in Colorado, US, developed racing suits incorporating d3o along the shins and forearms and...

SAN SICARIO, Italy — American gold medal contender Lindsey Kildow somehow escaped serious injury in a frightening free-fall crash on her downhill training run Monday, moments after defending Olympic champion Carole Montillet-Carles of France was hurt in a spectacular fall. It was a day of crashes - four in all, including one that knocked a Canadian skier out of the Olympics with a torn knee ligament - on a course that was changed after skiers including Kildow complained it was too easy. Kildow was taken by helicopter to a hospital trauma center in Turin, the games' host city about 50...

Growing up on the side of a mountain in ski-crazy Park City, Utah, didn't hurt. Lindsay Van says she couldn’t help falling in love with ski jumping. Now Van is a 21-year-old University of Utah student with a passion – and undeniable talent – for jumping off mountains at highway speeds. Her coach, Casey Colby, trains Van almost every day, and estimates Van has jumped 13,000 times in her life off of Olympic-sized hills. It’s paid off: Van is ranked second in the world in women’s ski jumping. But Van won’t be jumping next month in the Torino Olympics. Nor...

Colo. man arrested for punching 16-year-old on ski slope By Associated Press Wednesday, February 1, 2006 - Updated: 07:22 AM EST STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - Police said a man accused of attacking a teenager after she collided with his daughter at a ski resort told authorities that he lost control. Randell Berg, 52, of Littleton, punched the 16-year-old girl in the head and neck and yelled profanities after Sunday’s collision at Steamboat Ski Area, said police Capt. Joel Rae. The teen was not seriously injured in the alleged attack, but told police she was sore afterward. She was snowboarding near...

THE 'BORED,' BEFUDDLED POLITICS OF JOHN KERRY RETURNSCALLS FOR ALITO FILIBUSTER FROM 'SKI SLOPES' POURQUOI JOHN KERRY EST DANGEREUX POUR L'AMÉRIQUE   by Mia T, 01.28.06 JIM LEHRER: To the analysis of Shields and Brooks, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times columnist David Brooks. Mark, how do you read the John Kerry sudden push for a filibuster, what is that about? MARK SHIELDS: Well, I think there an unfortunate call for it, the venue is not ideal -- JIM LEHRER: The ski slopes. MARK SHIELDS: Yeah, the Swiss connection.... Windsurfing in the Persian GulfPOURQUOI JOHN KERRY EST DANGEREUX...

The white slopes of Park City, Utah, had a distinctively different look. Everywhere I saw black: in groups on the bunny slopes, in line on the race course, in pairs ripping the steep trees of Jupiter Bowl. It was a significant role reversal: As a white skier, I was suddenly in the minority—a feeling that African-American skiers are accustomed to. "You would be surprised by how many white people still don't know that blacks ski," says Betty Smith, a member of the Sippers and Sliders Ski Club of Denver, Colo. But on the slopes this day, African-American skiers ruled with...

A spokesman for Bode Miller said he is unhappy with the way his interview with “60 Minutes,” in which he said partying had affected his performance in the past, was characterized in excerpts and media accounts. “We are very saddened to see that what is considered the pre-eminent news show in U.S. history has set off a firestorm by headlining a press release on a Bode Miller profile with an out-of-context and salacious headline involving drunkenness,” Lowell Taub, the ski star’s agent, said in a statement Saturday, issued from Adelboden, Switzerland. BODE MILLER Reaction from International Ski Federation President Gian...

NEW YORK - Bode Miller knows he puts his life at risk when he skis drunk, but the outspoken Olympic favorite admits he may try the dangerous activity again. "Talk about a hard challenge right there. ... If you ever tried to ski when you're wasted, it's not easy," Miller told "60 Minutes" for a segment that will air Sunday. "Try and ski a slalom when ... you hit a gate less than every one second, so it's risky. You're putting your life at risk. ... It's like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing."...

ADELBODEN, Switzerland - Bode Miller is unhappy with the way his interview with '60 Minutes' in which he said partying had affected his performance in the past was characterized in excerpts and media accounts. "We are very saddened to see that what is considered the pre-eminent news show in U.S. history has set off a firestorm by headlining a press release on a Bode Miller profile with an out-of-context and salacious headline involving drunkenness," Lowell Taub, the ski star's agent, said in a statement Saturday. Taub added that what appeared in the media "as a 'news story' was nothing more...

Novice skiers will be able to avoid experienced counterparts who treat the pistes like a race track thanks to a speed limit imposed at the Swiss Alpine resport of Grindelwald.The new, 30-kilometers per hour (19-miles per hour) restriction, a Swiss first, has been put in place by authorities in the Bernese Oberland winter sports hub. It covers a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) blue or intermediate run. Officials will check that the rules are being respected, although there are no plans to punish anyone who breaks them, authorities said. The piste will be reserved for children, elderly skiers and anyone else who wants...

Maryam swept expertly down the mountainside before swivelling to a halt, sending a spray of snow over her male companion who was waiting for her by the chair lift at the base of the slope. The 21-year-old lifted her Raybans from her eyes, ran her fingers through her bleached blonde tresses and leant towards him for a congratulatory kiss. Such coquettish behaviour, although officially banned, has become commonplace on the ski-slopes of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The country's middle classes fear that under the hardline fundamentalist presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was elected in June, their freedoms will soon...

Skiing has officially started at Dubai's new indoor Alpine ski resort, offering the world's first indoor black-run just minutes away from the Arabian desert emirate's sun-baked beaches. The lower level slopes started welcoming skiers on Friday, while the upper ones were due to be open on December 14, Ski Dubai chief executive Phil Taylor told AFP. Snowboarders can also test their skills on a 90-meter-long (300 feet) quarter pipe, as well as jumps and rails at the ski dome nestled inside the brand-new, gigantic Mall of the Emirates. "I am now rushing to take a skiing lesson before heading back...

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) - A ski gondola at Canada's famed Lake Louise resort malfunctioned on Sunday, trapping about 65 people on board for hours as darkness fell and temperatures dropped below freezing. One of the safety switches on the gondola tripped following the World Cup super-G race on the mountain, leaving the skiers stranded above the resort, said Rick Werner, operations manager at Lake Louise Mountain resort. He compared the malfunction to a flat tire and said officials were attempting to fix it. Eight teams of ski patrollers attached self-propelled pulley units to the gondola's cable to reach the...