SkiStar AB: Winter news - even more fun in your skiing holiday

This winter, the focus at SkiStar destinations will be firmly on making skiing even more fun. A dear friend is returning to the mountains as this year, the Donald Duck & Co. Winter Games will be taking place in Sälen. For the first time ever, Åre will be hosting no fewer than three World Cup competitions. Vemdalen will be focusing on boosting train travel to the resort and will be opening a new mountain hotel. Trysil is building on last year’s hotel success – Park Inn Mountain Trysil Resort – by focusing on expanding evening skiing options and introducing new skiing attractions. Hemsedal will be ensuring that guests can spend more time on the slopes with new skiing experiences and longer opening hours. Development of last year’s bit hit, the free service MySkiStar, will continue with the aim of inspiring guests to spend more time skiing – and to have more fun at the same time! The big news this year is free WiFi in selected sections of SkiStar’s skiing areas.

“We have noticed that guests of all ages are increasingly expressing an interest in developing as skiers. We have picked up on this desire and created a number of new skiing attractions and additions at our destinations. We hope that this will add a new dimension to the skiing experience, provide our guests with added value and make skiing even more fun,” explains Linda Morell, Head of Communication & PR SkiStar AB.

More entertaining skiing

SkiStar destinations are focusing intensively on encouraging more skiing – and making skiing more fun. The popular snow-based attractions that were opened in Sälen last season have been developed and are now to be introduced in Vemdalen, Trysil and Hemsedal, too. Snow-based attractions are a supplement to “ordinary skiing” and have quite simply been prepared to make skiing even more fun. The attractions are self-activating and available during the normal opening hours of the lifts. They include everything from Ski Cross courses to self-timer runs, and from parallel slalom courses to big air bags. Attractions of this type are also to be found in the parks at Åre. What is more, this destination is continuing work to develop the LED light experience called “In the footsteps of giants”, in that an audio element is now being added to this popular run.

Maximum skiing experience in two countries

One of the big initiatives this year is SkiStar’s decision to take the unique step of packaging two nearby destinations – Sälen and Trysil – in a single holiday week. The package will provide SkiStar guests with the opportunity to experience the biggest skiing destinations in Norway and Sweden during a single week of holiday – and with one and the same SkiPass.

SkiStar Experience at all destinations

The SkiStar Experience concept is based on giving downhill skiers added value in the form of knowledge, excitement and wonderful skiing experiences. It features a “menu” packed with activities centred on adventure, camaraderie and pure enjoyment. The range of options includes everything from guided off-piste tours, randonées, and combined skiing and SPA packages, to opportunities for children to go skiing with some of the SkiStar mascots. SkiStar Experience has already been introduced in Åre, Hemsedal and Trysil, and this season it will be launched with special emphasis on children and families in Sälen and Vemdalen.

More food on the hill – simple and convenient

In Sälen, work is underway to build seven new fast food outlets and laybys directly linked to the skiing area. The new areas, which are scheduled to open this winter, will be equipped with benches, tables and barbecues, where guests can enjoy packed lunches. Skiers can also eat their packed lunches in Vintras Raststuga that will soon be opening in the Hundfjällstorget area. A completely new restaurant built of uniquely combined old timber panels will be opening on Sälfjällstorget hill. The restaurant will have 100 seats and a genuine ski in/ski out option. It will serve lunches and coffee during the day, après ski in the afternoon and an authentic Austrian-style menu in the evening. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Tandådalen, we will be inaugurating a special heated shelter in genuine 1960s style. The shelter, which will be located right by the big hills, will provide a cosy setting for guests to enjoy packed lunches and to buy light refreshments and coffee. In addition a barbecue area is being established right next to the shelter on Vemdalsskalet, where guests can prepare and enjoy their own food, and a restaurant and sports bar are being built in the new Hovde Hotel. In Åre, hill restaurant 720 – directly opposite Bräcke Fun Park – has changed owners. The restaurant is set to be extended this winter, with a new and even broader menu. The hill restaurant Bramwells WigWam, which has long been a fixture in Tegefjäll, will be expanding this winter with yet another great eatery in Åre Björnen.

Snow guarantee – confidence for our guests

Our snow guarantee is a service for all SkiStar guests. It means that you can confidently book your holiday well in advance, and that you will not be adversely affected if the skiing product is unfavourable when holiday time rolls around. For the coming season, SkiStar will be improving its much-appreciated snow guarantee even further. We are introducing free cancellation and rebooking options during the period from the season opening until the snow guarantee date at each destination. This means that true skiing enthusiasts can book during the early pre-season without any worries.

Continued development of MySkiStar

The big news this year is MySkiStar service points with free WiFi in selected sections of SkiStar’s skiing areas. At these points, guests can register on MySkiStar and surf the Net free of charge. Users who have already registered can use digital monitors to view their statistics (number of runs, total metres of vertical drop, pins collected, challenges completed, etc.) in real time. In addition, the free service MySkiStar will be launched in Hammarbybacken before the start of the season. This means that skiers in Stockholm, Sweden, can try out MySkiStar on their home snow and make a start on training before their skiing holidays.

Since its launch, the popular MySkiStar concept has welcomed more than 60,000 registered skiers who, together, have completed around 1 billion metres of vertical drop. These figures clearly show that the new free service makes skiing more fun and more social. MySkiStar allows users to view their skiing statistics, compare skiing feats, challenge one another and check how many calories they are burning off on the slopes. Last season, MySkiStar members burned off a whopping 145 million calories at SkiStar destinations. Development of the concept is set to continue over the coming season, with even more services to provide even more inspiration on the skiing slopes. Through MySkiStar, members can access great additional value from SkiStar simply by skiing as much as possible!

“We are really proud of how popular and appreciated MySkiStar has become among our guests. It makes skiing more fun, generates more camaraderie on the slopes, and provides hard evidence that downhill skiing is healthy exercise. MySkiStar really does offer something for everyone. This is evidenced by the fact that the highest number of metres of vertical drop was skied by a 74-year-old pensioner, the most pins were collected by a mother of two, and the most runs were completed by a student. Our goal for the coming season is to double – at least – the number of registered guests,” says Linda Morell, Head of Communication & PR SkiStar AB.

Facts about MySkiStar:

• Links your SkiPass to the internet and your mobile phone
• Makes it simpler to share skiing experiences via social media
• Provides an overview of number of metres of vertical drop, top lists and calorie consumption
• Allows you to challenge friends and acquaintances and to set up fun competitions
• Features training tips from expert coaches such as Aksel Lund Svindal
• Publishes the latest available information about the weather, lift queues and skiing conditions via your mobile phone

News at SkiStar destinations

More fun skiing for guests of all ages in Sälen
New this year are the Donald Duck Winter Games, which feature a programme packed with fun activities for children of all ages. At “Children’s Sälen”, with Valle’s World in Lindvallen & Högfjället, and Vintra’s World in Tandådalen & Hundfjället, the winter will be filled with entertaining skiing activities for families with children. Valle the Snowman will have is very own downhill run, making it quick and easy to reach Valletorget in Lindvallen. In Hundfjället, Vintra’s Ski Land is being developed into a snowy adventure park for our youngest guests. Vintra’s Rail Park is being built here, too, with experience lighting to make the arena a delight when darkness falls. Attractions on snow, the big hit last year, will be expanded with new self-activating attractions for young and old alike.

Experium
Experium is a world of experiences packed with all kinds of adventures, activities and entertainment to complement skiing. This winter, Experium will be presenting a range of new attractions: the well-known chains O’Learys and Wayne’s Coffee will be moving in, and the café section will be remodelled as a completely new bar. The interactive show – Vrickade Varietéer – with its exotic mix of music, comedy and acrobatics, will be adding an extra performance a week to accommodate demand.

Full speed ahead in Åre
For the first time ever, Åre will be hosting no fewer than three World Cup competitions. The women’s alpine world cup will take place here in December, while in March the resort will be the venue for the World Cup in Freestyle (moguls). Finally, Åre will be hosting a World Cup event in Ski Cross for the first time. Last season, SkiStar Åre chose to apply well-thought-out lighting to the natural setting and snow to create the mystical world “In the footsteps of giants” next to the VM8 lift. The lighting concept, which has attracted international attention and won a number of awards, references the sagas that exist about the giants who were said to have lived on Åreskutan. This winter, more lights will be added as well as an audio element in the form of eight stations where guests can listen to sagas from ages past. Åre will also be focusing a little more intently on Duved this winter. Guests at the resort will be offered an even broader range of activities, along with a reduction in the SkiPass price on the Duved Card. As a new initiative this year, guests can buy a season pass exclusively for the Duved skiing area, which also includes Tegefjäll. This is a good, economical option for guests who do not need access to the full Åre range.

Vemdalen continues to expand

The big news in Vemdalen this year is the campaign centred on train traffic from Southern Sweden. With both day and night departures, Vemdalen guests have a comfortable and convenient transport option for their holidays in the mountains. This winter will also see the opening of Hovde Hotel with 22 double rooms, a restaurant and sports bar. The hotel is the fourth of eight planned construction projects at Vemdalsskalet. The intention was to built a classic mountain hotel with the emphasis on well-being. The Skalet Express – last year’s new 6-chair express lift in the children’s area – will be supplemented this year with a carpet lift running straight from the car park to the skiing area. A new lift will be opening in Klövsjö, with a downhill run next to the newly built Klövsjö Panorama apartment complex, which is designed to accommodate three generations.

Trysil to build on last year’s success

Last winter’s big new addition – the Park Inn Trysil Mountain Resort – was a resounding success. The hotel has added a completely new dimension to the ski in/ski out concept. This winter, three pistes linked to the hotel will be illuminated and thus added to the evening skiing options in Fageråsen. Also this winter, the resort will be opening up new attractions on snow to make skiing even more fun. The new attractions will give all the family access to speed and excitement, along with the option to challenge one another. The children’s areas by the Tourist Centre and Högfjällscentret will also be developed in time for the winter season, and each will be fitted with a new carpet lift.

More time on the slopes in Hemsedal

This winter, Hemsedal will be extending its opening hours by keeping the lifts open for an extra hour every day, and by expanding the morning and evening skiing programmes. Hemsedal’s new attractions on snow – the Hemsedal Ski Safari – provide a range of exciting options centred on wonderful skiing experiences. The attractions are self-activating, and guests can also take part in the Star Hunt, which gives them the chance to win great prizes. Simply put, more skiing experiences and longer opening hours mean more time on the slopes for guests.

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For additional information about SkiStar AB, please contact:

Linda Morell, Head of Communication & PR SkiStar AB
Mobile: +46 76 11 860 02
E-mail: linda.morell@skistar.com

Linda Wasell, PR Manager SkiStar AB
Mobile: +46 70 674 74 74
E-mail: linda.wasell@skistar.com