Countdown to winter...skiing and snow!

Don't you love this time of year?! August is a beautiful month for boating, biking, and of course buying back to school supplies for the kids. Yippee..it's a time of anticipation for school kids, parents and skiers most of all! While you won't find us skipping through the aisles at Staples and Walmart...you will see we have been checking out all the snow report prognostications on ski resort websites, facebook and twitter and of course the Farmer's Almanac!

Check out these ski and snow predictions we compiled, these ski season indicators are optomistic if not entirely objective (or based in any meteoroligical fact).

Which of these ski forecasts for 2012-13 winter do you "like" best? Let us know on facebook ....

With less than 100 days away till skiing in New England and many Rocky Mountain ski resorts, it is time to start planning your winter ski season.

Where are you planning to ski this season?

Did you buy a season pass at your usual place?

Or are you planning a big ski trip out west, heli skiing in the Canadian Rockies or a ski vacation in the  European Alps?

Let us know and keep those skis tuned and the snow thoughts optomistic...see you on the slopes soon!

Your friends at Family Ski Trips and Luxury Ski Trips !

Beat the heat - Think Winter and Skiing!

When mid summer heat hits, there are a few sure ways for skiers and riders to cool off. White wintry thoughts and plans will help you get through those dog days of summer when downhill skiing and riding seems far off. No need to fear ski friends, snow season will soon be here. Until then...

Here are 5 ways to beat the heat in summer!

1.       Watch our ski videos to cool off!

2.       Ride your bike to exercise those quads and glutes as a primer for winter!

3.    Plan your next ski vacation with these helpful ski trip planning tips!

4.     Read about our recent trip to ski the Alps of Austria! 

5.       Follow Family Ski Trips on twitter and facebook for a daily dose of snow and ski anticipation!

And of course, snow dance often and with enthusiasm!

Snowboarding...its all about change!

Snowboarding is a sport of continuous evolution. It changed the way we thought about the sport of skiing back in the early 80’s. It changed our terrain with the emergence of jumps, halfpipes, rails and staircases, and changed the style of events on the slopes from ski racing in gates to rail jams, terrain park sessions and big air contests.  Snowboarding has changed ski slope apparel, vocabulary, the shape and size of skis, you name it. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the definitive snowboard competition, the Burton US Open, is switching its venue. After 27 years at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont, Burton’s US Open is changing it up and moving out west to Vail Colorado.

The first US Open snowboarding competition occurred in 1982 at Suicide Six, a traditionally small race hill in Woodstock Vermont. Competitors had to hike up Snow Valley in Manchester Vermont in the 2nd and 3rd year of the National Snowboarding Championships. In 1985, nearby Stratton became the host of the US Open Snowboarding Championships, where the venue was officially named and remained through its 30th anniversary in 2012, making it the longest-running snowboarding competition in the world.
The US Open changed the way we looked at snowboarding - not just a new snow toy to throw tricks, but serious competition with a high caliber of athletes. Backed by the godfather of snowboarding himself, Jake Burton, the event put riding on the map. In fact, IOC judges attended the US Open as part of their deliberation over allowing snowboarding in the Winter Games, It was determined in 1996 that snowboarding would be featured in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The US Open draws over 30,000 fans and riders from all over the globe. It is also traditionally a big party for fans and high flying riders alike. At Stratton, you would see Vermont snowboard heroes Kelly Clark, Ross Powers and Hannah Teter, and big names like Danny Kass, Gretchen Bleiler, and Shaun White.

Now Vail will have the honors, and has plans to construct a slopestyle course and huge 22-foot superpipe on Golden Peak, a bigger – potentially better venue than Stratton with more a festival atmosphere and free live music concerts for spectators and riders alike.

Read more about Snowboarding Evolution and the biggest events in Snowboarding on www.LuxurySkiTrips.com