Park City, UT - For most World Cup skiing athletes, winter is a season to focus on training and competing. But for two U.S. Ski Team athletes, this past winter season held other responsibilities as well. Three-time Olympian Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) and the U.S. Disabled Cross Country Team's Monica Bascio (sit-ski; Evergreen, CO) each spent their first winter last year as mothers.

Zermatt, Switzerland - In 1988, nine ski vacation villages in Switzerland came together to create the Gemeinschaft Autofreier Schweizer Tourismusorte (GAST), the community of car-free tourism cities in Switzerland. This year, GAST celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Telluride, CO - Winterstick Snowboards has tapped legendary rider athlete Tom Burt to promote and bolster the brand’s presence nationwide. Burt has been the face of Winterstick since 2002, and now steps into a role as part-owner, dedicated rider, and stake-holding brand ambassador.

Falls Creek, Australia - The 4Star Oakley Stylewars had a major impact on the 08/09 Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour Rankings with tour veterans, young guns, and Southern Hemisphere up-and-comers staking their claims for the title early on. American Chas Guldemond, who recently lost the tour lead in New Zealand, took back the World No. 1 spot, followed closely by the two Kiwi rivals, James Hamilton in World No. 2 and Stef Zeestraten in World No. 3.

Calgary, Canada - Para-alpine sit skier Brad Lennea (Whistler, BC) and guide Emily Glossop (Ottawa, ON), who guided Kathleen Forestell (Ottawa, ON) to a World Cup medal in 2006, have announced that they will not be competing with the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team this season.

Queenstown, New Zealand - Members of New Zealand's Volkswagen National Team went head-to-head in their bid for the country's men's national giant slalom honors at the Volkswagen National Ski Championships at Coronet Peak ski area on Friday, with 22 year-old Mark Bridgwater of Chistchurch just edging out Queenstown's Tim Cafe to win the 2008 title.

Denver, CO - For the 2008-09 ski season, Colorado ski and snowboard resorts will invest millions in resort enhancements. The results will include acres of new terrain, several new chairlifts, numerous lodging rooms, improved snowmaking, new parking spots, some new restaurants, and a cabriolet lift.

Queenstown, New Zealand - Twenty-one-year-old Volkswagen National Team member Tim Cafe of Queenstown put in a solid performance in an international field, to finish second equal overall and win the national title, at the Volkswagen National Ski Championships Super G at Coronet Peak ski area today.

Mt. Hood, OR - Whether it is more off-piste access or the new ticket scanning technology installed at the chairlifts, improvements at Mt. Hood Meadows this season will enhance the guest and staff experience on the mountain.

Baar, Germany - Austrian ski racer Nicole Hosp is set to continue her World Cup point and medal on Völkl as the 24-year-old has already signed on for another three winters with the German ski maker.

Cle Elum, WA - With seven top 10 World Cup finishes, three of which were podiums, Cle Elum native Patrick Deneen's rookie season on the international World Cup moguls skiing circuit was nothing short of exceptional. That fact didn't go unnoticed by the international coaching community which voted the young member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team as a FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year. After having such an incredible season, Deneen plans to use his experiences to raise the bar in 2009.

Whistler (BC), Canada - Whistler-based Prior Snowboards has completely redesigned its flagship WCR Metal model for 2009 as the company acknowledges durability issues with earlier models.

Huntington Beach, CA - Quiksilver, Inc. today announced that it has received a binding offer for the acquisition of 100% of ski and snowboard equipment and clothing maker Rossignol Group. The offer is made by Chartreuse & Mont Blanc, headed by Bruno Cercley, a former CEO of Rossignol, returning the company to French ownership. Chartreuse & Mont Blanc is majority owned by Macquarie Group and supported by a non-voting minority interest by Jarden Corporation, owner of skiwear and ski equipment brands K2, Marker, Marmot and Volkl.

Lake Wanaka, New Zealand - The Volkl NZ Freeski Open by the Royal NZ Air Force came to a spectacular close at Treble Cone ski area today with New Zealanders Alastair Eason of Dunedin and Wanaka's own Janina Kuzma crowned champions of The Big Mountain Event.

Queenstown, New Zealand - A high-caliber international field will be competing alongside the cream of New Zealand's ski racing community at the Volkswagen National Ski Championships at Coronet Peak ski area from Thursday through Saturday.

Dubai, UAE - Former U.S. Ski Team member, current skier cross sensation and three-time Olympian Daron Rahlves of Sugar Bowl, Calif. has skied all around the world, but he's about to check a new destination off his list as he departs to assist with a ski camp in Dubai.

Park City, UT - Deer Valley Resort’s food and beverage operation has long been lauded and appreciated for being on the cutting edge of what is fresh, savory and delicious. Now the Utah ski resort has created homemade gourmet mustards, which are served at some of the resort’s ten on-mountain restaurants. One of the creations, the Fireside Fig Mustard, is now available for purchase through Deer Valley’s "Signatures stores" in person, by telephone or online.

New Zealand - Two years ago the New Zealand snowboarding scene was beginning to lose it governing body, the New Zealand Snowboard Association (NZSBA). As this decline in the NZSBA’s ability to govern and support the sport of snowboarding in New Zealand continued a few people began talking about the future of snowboarding in New Zealand and came to the conclusion that the New Zealand Snowboarding scene needed a voice to take over from the NZSBA.

El Colorado, Chile - U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls skiers are experiencing flawless slope conditions during a two week camp in Chile where, according to Moguls Head Coach Scott Rawles, the athletes have all made improvements on their skills.

Wilmington, NY - A 44 year old electrical contractor was killed early Tuesday morning while performing annual maintenance at a transformer site at Whiteface Mountain Ski Center in Wilmington.