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Norway ski pioneer Stein Eriksen dies at 88

Stein Eriksen, a Norwegian credited as the founder of modern skiing, died on Sunday at his home in Utah, the ski resort he was long associated with said. He was 88.

Norway ski pioneer Stein Eriksen dies at 88
Stein Eriksen at the Oslo Winter Olympics in 1952. Photo: NTB Scanpix

Eriksen, a well-known figure in the skiing community, rose to fame winning gold and silver in the giant slalom and slalom at the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics.

He then went on to win three gold medals at the 1954 World Championships in Sweden, “making him the first alpine skier to win the world championship triple gold,'” the Deer Valley Resort said in a statement.

Eriksen's status “was enhanced by his spectacular forward somersault…..credited as the forerunner of the inverted aerials performed by freestyle skiers today,” Deer Valley said.

Eriksen had been living in the United States for the last six decades, including stints in ski-related ventures or as an instructor in Colorado, California, Michigan and Vermont.

He had been at the upscale Deer Valley ski resort since it opened in 1981.

“Stein has been an integral part of the Deer Valley family since the resort's inception and his presence on the mountain will be profoundly missed,” said Bob Wheaton, the current head of the resort located just outside Park City, Utah.

Eriksen's awards and honors include Norway's Knight First Class honor, the Pioneer Award from the Intermountain Ski Areas Association, and a place in the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame and the Professional Ski Instructors of America Hall of Fame.

Eriksen is survived by his wife of 35 years, Francoise, a son, three daughters and five grandchildren, though was preceded in death by son Stein junior.

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SKIING

Snow report: What’s the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

Good news for skiers in France, as a mild December has given way to a cold blast in early January that's bringing some much-needed snow.

Snow report: What's the latest outlook for French ski resorts this winter?

After a mostly dry and mild December, snow returned to the the Pyrenees on Friday.

Meanwhile most resorts in the Alps have been able to stay open after a promising early start to the ski season, thanks to fresh snowfalls, with more on the way this weekend.

Pyrenees

Snow has returned in the Pyrenees. Some 5cm fell overnight into Friday, January 5th in eastern parts of the mountain range, with forecasts predicting a further 15cm to 20cm to be on the ground 24 hours later. The region had not seen any snow since December 2nd.

In Angles, 20cm of snow had fallen at higher altitudes by mid-morning on Friday.

Further west, numerous resorts in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département remained closed this week after early December snow had melted in mild conditions that have dominated France in recent weeks, but significant snowfall is expected over the weekend into Monday, and resorts are hoping that they will see enough to open.

One resort, Artouste, has been unable to offer skiing since the start of the season on December 23rd due to a lack of snow. A scenic rail service – usually reserved for warmer months – has kept the resort going. It is set to stop running on Friday, amid expectations of enough snow to finally open the slopes.

READ ALSO Climate crisis: ’90 percent’ of Europe’s ski resorts face critical snow shortages

Alps 

Many ski resorts opened on time, or even a little earlier than scheduled last month, after significant early snow fall, and have enjoyed deposits in the first days of 2024. But, even here, resort managers welcomed the promise of more significant snow this weekend.

Some resorts weren’t so fortunate. Ski areas in Gérardmer, in the Vosges, were still closed in the week leading up to Christmas because of poor snow conditions, but they are hoping for enough snow to finally get started this weekend, while La Bresse-Honeck was using ‘stocked snow’ made by using snow that fell earlier in the winter months to stay open as recently as December 30th.

In the Northern Alps, resorts such as Alpe d’Huez benefited from fresh snowfall on December 22nd, while Val d’Isère had new snow on December 29th. In the Southern Alps, Les Orres’ last pre-New Year snow was on December 8th.

And the French Alps have enjoyed more snow since the start of the year. There’s at least 50cm of fresh snow on the higher slopes of Les Gets and Morzine, for example, a significant improvement on the same time last year, when the resorts were among several that had very little snow to speak of.

In Chamonix, meanwhile, snow has fallen on eight of the last 14 days, with more expected every day between Friday and Monday.

Massif Central

As the post on X / Twitter shows, the Massif Central has not had the best of winters for snow so far. But between 30cm and 50cm is expected in Le Lioran by Monday. 

READ ALSO ‘So many barriers since Brexit’: The French ski businesses no longer willing to hire Brits

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