Latest news with #ski
Travel Daily News
3 days ago
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Jet2.com adds Verona to ski programme from Edinburgh Airport
adds Verona to its ski destinations from Edinburgh for Winter 25/26 and 26/27, expanding access to Italian Alps. Following continued demand from skiers and snowboarders, has expanded its ski programme by adding Verona to its line-up of ski destinations from Edinburgh Airport. The leading leisure airline has put new ski services on sale to Verona for both Winter 25/26 and Winter 26/27, representing an additional 4,000 ski seats on sale. Verona is an exclusive destination to from Edinburgh Airport in winter. New weekly Saturday services will be available from Edinburgh Airport from 7th February 2026 for Winter 25/26, which are perfectly timed for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and for Winter 26/27 from 26th December 2026, meaning customers can slope off to the snow during the Christmas holidays. The flights are scheduled to operate in the morning, offering friendly flight times for snow enthusiasts looking to make the most of their winter escape. has ski flights on sale to six ski destinations from Edinburgh Airport for both Winter 25/26 and Winter 26/27 – Verona, Chambery, Geneva, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Turin. The addition of Verona to ski programme from Edinburgh Airport means customers can access the Italian Alps and the many ski resorts, slopes and views it offers. Skiers and snowboarders can take advantage of several popular ski resorts located close to Verona, including Val di Fassa, nestled in the Trentino region and one of Italy's largest ski areas, Madonna di Campiglio, situated in the Brenta Dolomites of Northern Italy, and Cortina d'Ampezzo, a charming ski resort in the Dolomites offering stunning scenery and world-class ski runs. As a result of this expansion, will operate to Verona from two UK bases in Winter 25/26 and Winter 26/27 – Edinburgh Airport and Manchester Airport, giving customers access to some of the country's top ski and snowboarding resorts located close to the popular winter sports destination. ski programme is on sale from across ten of its UK bases (Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle International and London Stansted) and gives snow sports fans plenty of choice and flexibility when it comes to hitting the slopes this winter and next. In addition to this wide choice of destinations, dates and flights, customers booking and travelling on ski flights with get to enjoy VIP customer service which has seen the UK's third largest airline win numerous awards and accolades. Customers can also enjoy a 10kg hand luggage and 22kg baggage and 22kg ski carriage with Steve Heapy, CEO of and Jet2holidays, said: 'We are experiencing continued demand from skiers and snowboarders clamouring to book the best of the action for this winter and next and our ski flights are selling very well. As a result, we are delighted to be expanding our ski programme even further and giving snow sports fans more choice, with the addition of Verona from Edinburgh Airport for Winter 25/26 and Winter 26/27. Verona provides fantastic access to the best ski resorts in the Italian Alps, whether you are a beginner or an expert, with several resorts within easy reach. With perfectly timed flights, we are giving skiers access to the best ski resorts across Europe, and we know our new ski services to Verona from Edinburgh Airport, along with those already on sale, will be a huge hit with snow sports enthusiasts.'
ABC News
7 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
How to make the most of snow season in Australia without breaking the bank
Australia's ski season is underway, but fewer people are hitting the slopes. According to Snow Resorts Australia, visits have dropped by nearly 30 per cent since the pandemic began, with the cost of a ski holiday here in Australia simply too expensive for many. For example, a one-day lift ticket at NSW's Perisher during peak season could set you back $264, while in Japan and New Zealand, it's considerably cheaper. But for those still keen to get out onto the fields, is there a way to do it without breaking the bank? In part, it comes down to Australia's particularly short snow season. Resorts have only about 12 to 16 weeks to cover big operating costs, including paying lift operators, ski instructors, snowmakers, admin staff and emergency responders. In addition, most ski resorts are privately operated, despite the land managed by the states as national parks. "Lift prices are part of it, but it's everything. Resort entry, food, parking. There's an Alpine tax on everything," said Steve Belli, a local Chamber of Commerce chair who also owns several businesses in Victoria's Mount Hotham. Resort entry fees — often misunderstood as a so-called ski tax — fund public services like road clearing, emergency services, environmental protection, signage, toilets and waste collection. "There's a lot of expense because there's no local manufacturing for ski infrastructure — we import everything. And we just don't get the same volume of visitors as places like Japan," Mr Belli said. Put it this way — it's going to cost you to fly outside of Australia. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth it. In fact, more Australians than ever are heading overseas for snow holidays — especially to Japan, where visits from Aussies rose by more than 50 per cent in 2024 alone. Niseko in Japan New Zealand Perisher Valley It is possible, if you're up for a little creativity and planning. Mark, a Victorian skier who runs a popular Instagram account on local ski culture, is passionate about showing people how to do it affordably. "People love to bag our mountains, but when you do that, you weaken the case to protect them," he said. Here's Mark's tips for where to stay, when to buy lift passes, and how to travel to the slopes: With on-mountain accommodation regularly topping $1,000 a night, Snow Resort Australia's CEO Josh Elliot recommended going for smaller resorts, visiting during the shoulder seasons (like June or September) and skipping weekends. Possibly. Mr Belli said the right investment and policy changes, such as abolishing short-stay accommodation taxes on the mountains, could turn the tide. "People still want to come, we just have to make it possible," he said. But there are big challenges ahead. Some resorts are still in limbo — the Victorian government is yet to find long-term leaseholders for Lake Mountain and Mount Baw Baw, which it took over after both ran at a combined loss of $8 million. And then there's the bigger question — how long can the season even last? The CSIRO has warned Australia's ski season could shrink by up to 55 days by 2050 due to climate change, putting pressure on resorts to make the most of every snowflake while they can. Mark said the focus on affordability was important, but time is ticking. For him, it's just as much about protecting the experience as it is about the price. "Our high country is truly unique," he said. "You won't find snow-covered snow gums anywhere else in the world."
CNA
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Singapore Hour - Island Life, City Vibes
46:45 Min Get exclusive access to Sentosa's thrills, ski or surf in the tropics, wander through a foodie's fav neighbourhood and meet a British comic finding laughs, love and life in Singapore. Singapore Hour About the show: Welcome to Singapore Hour: your all-access pass to the city that never stops surprising. From iconic eats to cutting-edge tech, vibrant culture to hidden local gems – we bring you the best of Singapore through the eyes of those who know it best. Whether you're here to travel, work, or just soak up the vibe, Singapore Hour is your definitive guide to what's hot, what's next and what you absolutely can't miss.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Netflix founder saddled with $76M in EB-5 debt at North America's biggest ski resort: lawsuit
Netflix founder Reed Hastings may need to dig himself out of a $75.9 million crevasse at North America's biggest ski resort. The streaming giant's former CEO is wrangling with a group of EB-5 investors who say he's on the hook for unpaid debt tied to Utah's Powder Mountain, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court in April. The immigrant-backed fund has been fighting since 2021 to recoup its $42 million investment, plus interest, in Powder Summit, a floundering utopian ski venture launched more than a decade ago by tech entrepreneur Greg Mauro and Elliott Bisnow, the co-founder of media and events company Bisnow Media. The focus shifted abruptly to Hastings after he took the helm of the development in 2023, something the EB-5 investors say they should have been consulted about, according to proceedings in Utah and New York. 'Like any kind of real estate transaction, we just want our money back,' said Alexander Shing, the CEO of Los Angeles-based Cottonwood, the loan servicer representing the EB-5 investors in litigation. 'Why are you stiffing 80 families that clearly loaned money and have recourse against this company?' After retiring from Netflix in 2023, Hastings paid $100 million for a controlling stake in Summit Mountain Holding Group, the subsidiary that owns the mountain and its debt, according to court filings obtained by The Real Deal in the New York case, which is under seal. Publicly, Hastings has set out to bring a bit of St. Moritz to Utah, announcing the launch of Powder Haven, a high-altitude private ski colony for the ultra-wealthy. With Hastings in charge, Powder Mountain's new slogan is 'Escape the Masses.' The project's developers have so far added a few chair lifts to the mountain and raised the price of admission dramatically from $750 in 2023 to $1,599 for an adult season pass while closing off sections of the property to the public to provide exclusive access to families purchasing homes in the future private ski village. (The nearby Park City resort, which has double the number of slopes as Powder Mountain, charges only $1,051 for a season pass.) The new vision replaces Mauro and Bisnow's defunct Powder Summit, which, for its part, was the latest in a line of failed efforts to develop the pristine expanse of mountain slopes spanning 8,464 acres about 50 miles north of Salt Lake City. The partners bought Powder Mountain in 2013 for $40 million. The site is 'a hidden gem literally between the towns of Eden and paradise,' Mauro said in a 2017 TED talk promoting the venture. The plan back then was to make Powder Mountain the new homebase for Summit Series, a conference series founded in 2008 billing itself as a sort of bohemian version of Davos. The Powder Summit partners soon found a lender that believed in their vision to make a rugged mountain town prosper: KT Capital's Tang Tang, a regional fund manager who saw Powder Mountain as a prime candidate for the cash-for-greencard program known as EB-5. Tang, who is now part of the legal effort to claw back the funds he helped raise, declined to comment on the case. The visa program, which went through regulatory changes to increase oversight in 2022, has been a popular source of capital for real estate developers, with ski resorts like Vermont's Jay Peak forming a specialized subgenre. Powder Summit's partners signed a loan agreement in 2016 to receive up to $120 million in EB-5 funding, with concessionary terms that encouraged matching capital from outside sources. The fund would be overseen by Mountain States Center for Foreign Investment, Utah's first EB-5 regional center, with KT Capital serving as the fund manager and Cottonwood acting as the loan servicer. Crucially, the loan provides a completion guarantee and recourse indemnity, which would soon come into play. Powder Summit started heading downhill a few years after the EB-5 fund launched. The developers managed to add a road and several structures on the high-altitude site, but the promised 80 condos and townhouses plus 214 hotel keys never came to fruition. Instead, Powder Summit stopped making payments on its EB-5 loan in January 2019 after raising just $42 million worth of investment, almost all of it from families in China, according to court filings. The debt came due in June 2021 and workout talks quickly fell apart, triggering a default notice later that year. Things became more acriminious from there, with Powder Summit filing suit against its EB-5 lenders and putting off its debt obligations longer as the litigation played out. The EB-5 investors successfully fought off Powder Summit's accusations of unfair business dealings, then hit back with counterclaims. The case was still winding its way through a Utah Supreme Court in 2023 when Hastings bought the flailing development. A spokesperson for Summit Mountain Holding Group did not make anyone from the company available for an interview and declined to answer specific questions about the EB-5 investors' claims. 'The pending litigation relates to claims that predate the current ownership's acquisition of the company,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'Ownership has always been aware of these claims, however, no individual owner is personally liable for potential obligations of the company.' Powder Haven's development timeline will not be impacted by the litigation, regardless of its outcome, the spokesperson added. Lawyers for Hasting's firm are asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, according to a motion filed in June. 'There are good things that come out of EB-5,' Cottonwood's Shing said. 'Then there are some people that abuse the program, thinking that this is free money and you don't have to pay it back.' 'Nobody saw this coming': Trump's plans to kill EB-5 shocks industry Chinese investors sue SECO Development for fraud in hotel project Trump admin grants EB-5 visa to Kushner's Jersey towers This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
E&E News
16-07-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Forest Service considers ski resort expansion on Utah public lands
A portion of Utah's Dixie National Forest could be turned into ski slopes under a proposal under consideration by the Forest Service. The owner of Brian Head Resort, one of Utah's largest ski areas, wants to absorb 1,651 acres of national forest land under a special use permit, nearly tripling the resort's current use of Dixie National Forest from 887 acres to 2,538 acres. The Forest Service announced this week that agency officials will begin work on an environmental impact statement, which will examine the potential implications of the new development. 'The project is being reviewed for its potential to support sustainable recreation objectives on the Cedar City Ranger District,' Dixie National Forest Supervisor Kevin Wright said in a news release. 'We encourage the public to share their input on this important process.' Advertisement The project could have harmful impacts on wildlife, water, cultural resources and forest scenery, according to the Forest Service's notice in the Federal Register.
