Fortress Investment Group — at the helm of Canada’s Intrawest — may be crumbling from the credit crisis, the New York Times Business Feed said Thursday…In ‘Fortress, the Hedge Fund, Is Crumbling’, Michael J. De La Merced comments on the company’s major downward slide in the markets Wednesday and continued downward spiral as a leading player in hedge funds and levereged buyouts.

“Fortress dodged a major setback when it managed to refinance IntraWest, the big Canadian ski resort,” writes De La Merced. ”But investors worry that Fortress has taken damage from its exposure to the commercial real estate market, which is coming under severe stress. Fortress was a major lender to Harry Macklowe, the real estate mogul, who had to sell off trophy properties like the General Motors Building in Manhattan to pay back his creditors.”

Read the article in its entirety at: www.blueridgenow.com/article/20081204/ZNYT01/812043017/1170?Title=Fortress__the_Hedge_Fund__Is_Crumbling

Fernie’s Freeride skiers had fantastic results at the recent 2009 Canadian Open Freeskiing Championships that took place at Red Mountain Resort, January 14 – 18, 2009. Janina Kuzma won the Women’s event, and Luke Nelson placed 4th in the Men’s event. Martha Burley, Ross Janzen and Aaron Schmidt also competed. A proud parent reported that all the skiers showed off superb talent including Aaron who completed the run with one ski (after losing the other part way down) but did not score as it is a requirement to finish with all gear in tact.

Video footage

Fernie has become renowned for the excellent skiers and riders who call Fernie “home”. You may have seen these athletes on Ride Guide TV, in Snowboard Canada Magazine, or even on the cover of Powder Magazine. The talent found in this part of the BC is amazing considering the town of Fernie is home to only 4,000 residents.
The following is a list of the 2008-09 Fernie Freeride skiers and their most recent accomplishments:
Martha Burley (telemark skier)
- 2008 Vice Champion World Extreme Telemark Championships (Alaska)
- 2008 4th Smith Optics Fernie Freeski
- Telemark Movie: “Harmless”  (release winter 08/09) -Tough Guy Productions
- Scarpa Catalogue 2008 – Feature Athlete

Janina Kuzma (skier)
- Competes in various ski disciplines (freeski, big air, super pipe,
slopestyle)
- Appearing on the Ride Guide
- 2nd place – 2008 Fernie Freeski Competition
- 2nd place – 2008 World Freeski Tour Championships (Alyeska, Alaska)
- 1st place – 2008 Volkl NZ Freeski Open
- 1st place – 2008 Export Extremes Mt Ruapehu
- 1st place – 2008 Morro Big Air Turoa
- 1st place – 2008 Electric Quarter Pipe Battle

Jeremie Duchaine-Haley (skier)
- Invited athlete to Cold Rush 09 (one of 20 best all round athletes from
around the world)
- Published photos in NZ Freeski magazine
- 5th overall at Lake Louise Big Mountain Challenge
- Finalist at Canadian Open
Ross Janzen (skier)
-Winner: Best Line, Golden Big Mountain Test Centre Grand Opening
- 12th Canadian Freeskiing Championships at Red Mountin 2008
- Full Page photo – Merit Badge, Winter Issue SBC Skier 2008
- Featured in Ski Movie: Such is Life (release winter 08/09) -Rage Films

Luke Nelson (skier)
- 1st place – 2008 Fernie Freeski Competition
- 2nd place – 2008 Canadian Open (Red Mtn)
- 5th place – 2008 Lake Louise Big Mtn Challenge
- 4th place – 2008 World Freeski Tour Championships (Alyeska, Alaska)
- Summer – numerous downhill mountain biking podium finishes

Aaron Schmidt (skier)
- 3rd place – 2008 Fernie Freeski Competition
- 1st place – 2008 Lake Louise Big Mtn Challenge
- Best Athlete Performance – 2008 Island Lake Lodge Photo Shootout
- 3rd place – 2008 World Freeski Tour Championships (Alyeska, Alaska)

Some of the best ski racers in North America will battle as Canada takes on the United States in a unique head-to-head race format at the Pontiac GMC Nations Cup taking place Feb. 1 at Nakiska, AB at 3 p.m.

This dual slalom format event will see eight Canadian skiers take on eight American skiers, each selected from the national teams participating in the upcoming Northwest Funds Coupe Nor-Am Cup races.

The event will have a Canadian paired with an American, with each pairing doing two slalom runs. The racer with the best overall time will score points for their nation and the nation with the most points at the end of the event is declared the winner with $5000 in prize money up for grabs.

“It’s a true pleasure to support the Pontiac GMC Nations Cup dual slalom, a unique event that encourages the exciting rivalry between the Canadian and US ski teams,” said Fred Lautenschalger, Manager of Promotions & Sponsorships with General Motors of Canada.  “Come check out the event, wave your country’s flag, and support alpine’s rising stars.”

The skiers are in Nakiska for a technical race as part of the Northwest Funds Coupe Nor-Am Cup series. The event, which will include two giant slalom and slalom races each for both men and ladies over the course of six days, gets underway Saturday with a ladies GS.

ABOUT THE COUPE PONTIAC GMC CUP
The Coupe Pontiac GMC Cup, which is celebrating 40 years of providing amateur ski racers in Canada with essential competitive experience in 2008/09, is a developmental ski racing program sanctioned by Alpine Canada Alpin and the International Ski Federation (FIS). The series includes 39 races in three provinces this season culminating with the Coupe Pontiac GMC Canadian Championships from March 19 to March 25 in Le Massif and Mont Sainte-Anne, QC. For more information, click on the official Coupe Pontiac GMC Cup website.

Fresh on the heels of a huge weekend at Ski Mont Gabriel, the world’s best Freestyle Ski Team is set to compete again this weekend in Deer Valley, UT.

Sabrina Guérin
Last weekend the Canadian team dominated in moguls, with the men’s team making history by sweeping the podium and Jenn Heil earning her second silver in two starts this season.

When Steve Omischl added his gold in men’s aerials to last weekend’s cache, the team had topped the FIS 2009 Freestyle World Cup standings with 2,051 points – almost doubling the points of the next best nation, France, that has 1,144.

Three Canadian team members will wear the yellow leader’s bib at Deer Valley, veteran team member Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau, from Drummondville, Que. is tied with Alex Bilodeau, from Rosemère, Que. for the top spot in men’s moguls while Steve Omischl, from North Bay, Ont. is back on top as the men’s aerials leader.

The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association’s high performance director, David Mirota, is excited with the team’s results at this early stage in the season. “The team is really coming together and performing well,” he said, and added, “What’s especially great is that not only are our experienced skiers getting good results, but our up and coming Development Team members are achieving personal bests week after week.”

Soot from pollution causes winter snowpacks to warm, shrink and warm some more. This continuous cycle sends snowmelt streaming down mountains as much as a month early, a new study finds. How pollution affects a mountain range’s natural water reservoirs is important for water resource managers in the western United States and Canada who plan for hydroelectricity generation, fisheries and farming.

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted the first-ever study of soot on snow in the western states at a scale that predicted impacts along mountain ranges. They found that soot warms up the snow and the air above it by up to 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit, causing snow to melt.

“If we can project the future — how much water we’ll be getting from the rivers and when — then we can better plan for its many uses,” said atmospheric scientist Yun Qian. “Snowmelt can be up to 75 percent of the water supply, in some regions. These changes can affect the water supply, as well as aggravate winter flooding and summer droughts.”

The soot-snow cycle starts when soot, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels, darkens snow it lands upon, which then absorbs more of the sun’s energy than clean white snow. The resulting thinner snowpack reflects less sunlight back into the atmosphere and further warms the area, continuing the snowmelt cycle.

This study revealed regional changes to the snowpack caused by soot, whereas other studies looked at the uniform changes brought by higher air temperatures due to greenhouse gases.

Previous studies have examined the effect of airborne or snowbound soot on global climate and temperatures. Qian and his colleagues at PNNL used a climate computer model to zoom in on the Rocky Mountain, Cascade, and other western United States mountain ranges. They modeled how soot from diesel engines, power plants and other sources affected snowpacks it landed on.

“They found that changes to snow’s brightness results in its melting weeks earlier in spring than with pristine snow. In addition, less mountain snow going into late spring means reduced runoff in late spring and summer. They will report their findings in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research — Atmospheres.

Making Snowhills from Mountains
Researchers know that soot settles on snow. And like an asphalt street compared to a concrete sidewalk, dirty snow retains more heat from the sun than bright white snow. Qian and colleagues wanted to determine to what degree dark snow contributes to the declining snowpack.

To get the kind of detail from their computer model that they needed, the PNNL team used a regional model called the Weather Research and Forecasting model — or WRF, developed in part at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Compared to planet-scale models that can distinguish land features 200 kilometers apart, this computer model zooms in on the landscape, increasing resolution to 15 kilometers. At 15 kilometers, features such as mountain ranges and soot deposition are better defined.

Recently, PNNL researchers added a software component to WRF that models the chemistry of tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols and their interaction with clouds and sunlight. Using the WRF-chem model, the team first examined how much soot in the form of so-called black carbon would land on snow in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Rocky Mountains.

Then the team simulated how that soot would affect the snow’s brightness throughout the year. Finally, they translated the brightness into snow accumulation and melting over time.

Gray Outlook
“Earlier studies didn’t talk about snowpack changes due to soot for two reasons,” said atmospheric scientist and co-author William Gustafson. “Soot hasn’t been widely measured in snowpack, and it’s hard to accurately simulate snowpack in global models. The Cascades have lost 60 percent of their snowpack since the 1950s, most of that due to rising temperatures. We wanted to see if we could quantify the impact of soot.”

Their simulations compared well to data collected on snowpack distribution and water runoff. But their first experiment did not include all sources of soot, so they modeled what would happen if enough soot landed on snow to double the loss of brightness. In this computer simulation, the regional climate and snowpack changed significantly, and not in a simply predictable way.

Overall, doubling the dimming of the snow did not lead to twice as high temperature changes — it led to an approximate 50 percent increase in the snow surface temperature. The drop in snow accumulation, however, more than doubled in some areas. Snowpack over the central Rockies and southern Alberta, for example, dropped two to 50 millimeters over the mountains during late spring and early winter. The most drastic changes occurred in March, the model showed.

This work was supported by PNNL Laboratory-Directed Research and Development and computational resources at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which are supported by the DOE’s Office of Science. Yun Qian, William I. Gustafson Jr., L. Ruby Leung, Steven J. Ghan. Effects of soot-induced snow albedo change on snowpack and hydrological cycle in western U.S. based on WRF chemistry and regional climate simulations. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 2009 DOI.

There are three Canadians scheduled to race the legendary downhill in Kitzbühel, AUT on Saturday as the 69th edition of the Hahnenkamm-Rennen, known to some as ‘the Superbowl of ski racing,’ grips the attention of the ski racing world once again this week.

World Cup winners Erik Guay (Mont-Tremblant, QC) and John Kucera (Calgary, AB), along with four-time World Cup podium finisher Manuel Osborne-Paradis (Vancouver, BC) will attack the treacherous Strief course in Saturday’s DH.

Things got of to somewhat of a slow start today as downhill training had to be canceled because of persistent snowfall in Kitzbühel, AUT throughout the day. Racers did, however, get their first look at the course during the early morning inspection.

“With all the snow, the course is going to be easier. I didn’t say ‘easy,’ after all it’s Kitzbühel,” said Osborne-Paradis, who will compete here for the third time in his career. He said that experience will serve him well this week.

“It’s still looks tough and it’s going to be hard to win. You will have to risk a lot but as far as it being icy, it’s not going to happen,” said Osborne-Paradis, who will compete here for the third time in his career. He said that experience will serve him well this week.

“It teaches you a lot. Experience is something that you need on all the harder courses, for sure. Just getting time on the track, even inspecting, it’s very important,” he said.

“You have to wrap it around your head that it’s just Kitzbühel, it’s just another race.”

Kyle Nissen and Warren Shouldice, both of Calgary, won the silver and bronze medal respectively on Sunday evening in men’s aerials at the Lake Placid aerials World Cup.

Jeret Peterson of the U.S., took the gold with 252.59 points. Nissen, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, followed with 244.92 and Shouldice snared his second bronze in two events this season with a 243.03 score.

Nissen reached a major goal stepping on the podium early in his comeback season.

“I got some good training in the last few weeks and it paid off,” said Nissen. “I felt a lot more comfortable and was able to do my two hardest jumps for the first time this season. It was a bit stressful but I had an excellent performance. I’m so happy to be back on the podium.”

Shouldice, who battled the flu all week in training, executed his most difficult jump in the final, a lay triple full-full which is a quadruple twisting triple back flip with three twists in the second flip.

Emily Brydon, of Fernie,  finished fifth as the ladies FIS Alpine World Cup completed just its second downhill event of the 2008/09 season.

Brydon finished the Weltcupstrecke Zauchensee piste in a time of one minute 48.23 seconds.

“If I can keep in the top 5 I have to think that’s a strong performance,” said Brydon, who was seventh in Lake Louise at the only other DH this season. (There have been two super combined events, which combine one downhill with a slalom.)

Brydon, currently seventh in the ladies overall DH standings, has been in the top 10 in five of six World Cup races she has participated this season.

Britt Janyk (Whistler, BC) finished 11th today with Kelly VanderBeek (Kitchener, ON), who had the fastest opening training time on Thursday, placing 19th.

“We are a solid team, any one of us can be on the podium. Last year was really special, having a podium every weekend. You always strive for that but it’s not necessarily going to happen. I think we still have the same attitude, we have the same momentum and it’s just a matter of time before we are back on the podium,” said Brydon, comparing last season’s team to this season’s.

Sweden’s Anja Paerson will share the 40th World Cup victory of her career with Dominique Gisin of Switzerland as both finished today with a winning time of one minute 47.52 seconds. American Lindsey Vonn was third.

Emilie Desforges (Montréal, QC) finished 52nd. Larisa Yurkiw (Owen Sound, ON), who opened some eyes in Europe this week to her bright future with the fastest time in yesterday’s downhill portion of the super combined, did not finish a wild ride today. Yurkiw was third fastest in two of the first three split times but lost some control on a jump known as “Hot Air” and eventually left the course seconds later.

“(My style) is a little aggressive,” Yurkiw explained to reporters in the finish. “But I think we are all pushing our hardest. I tested the boundaries of the line today but that’s racing. I don’t want to ski safe and come down with an okay time, I want to push it.”

The ladies World Cup continues next week with two downhill’s, a super G and a giant slalom in Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA next week. Rogers Sportsnet is scheduled to televise races both Friday and Sunday.

You’ve seen it on TV and in the movies and also featured in music videos and popular video games. You’ve watched elite Canadian athletes compete on the slopes in Canada and around the world. You hear how much fun skiing and snowboarding is. Now you want to try skiing and snowboarding! Well, with the mountains so close, there’s no time like the present to get started on that path to greatness. Now is the time to visit the TELUS Winter Sports School at select RCR Resorts listed below and take a ski or snowboard lesson during TELUS National Learn to Ski and Ride Week – January 17th – January 25th, 2009

“Skiing or snowboarding is not only great exercise, it’s exciting and fun,” said Olympian Steve Podborski, TELUS director of Community Sports. “TELUS is glad to give a boost to Canadians of all ages and abilities and help them get out on the slopes to experience the amazing benefits these sports have to offer.”

Whether you have always wanted to learn or you just want to brush up your skills, now is a great time to pack up that gear and learn how to cruise the mountain! Each year when winter rolls around, there’s nothing better than grabbing your friends and family and heading to an RCR Resort or the affiliate resort, Lake Louise Ski Area, to play in the snow. Skiing and snowboarding are both great exercise and a fantastic way to get outside during the winter months. Why not take advantage of the mountains being right in your backyard?

Take a lesson from a pro! Your skills will improve faster and easier than learning on your own. You will have a blast learning along side others and making new friends, and once you’ve got the basics down you’ll be able to start exploring all the great mountain terrain that awaits you.

So, are you ready? What are you waiting for? Email FAR at info@skifernie.com to get your coupon then call the resort of your choice to book your  Lesson.

Emily Brydon of Fernie, BC continues to put down consistent super combined results, finishing a solid ninth in today’s FIS Alpine World Cup SC in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, AUT. Brydon’s performance was overshadowed somewhat by teammate Larisa Yurkiw (Owen Sound, ON), who stunned the field by posting the fastest time in today’s opening downhill run.

Yurkiw, who has been in the top 30 in a World Cup twice in her young racing career, finished the downhill in one minute 47.66 to post the fastest time.

“It was the same as I had skied before, it just all worked out in this run,” said Yurkiw, 20, about her DH run. “It’s never really been that far away. I really didn’t know that today was ‘going to happen’ so soon but by no means is the work done. Today I have made a huge jump, in confidence, in my start position, in everything. I am hoping for a lot more though, real soon.”

Yurkiw, who made her World Cup debut in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee almost two years to the day, straddled a gate early in her slalom run to end up 38th in the super combined. She admitted nerves were a factor in her second run.

“I was a mess,” Yurkiw admitted. “But I got some good advice from my teammates; they told me to just enjoy it. But I was really nervous. That’s what happens. I still get the points in the downhill so all in all it’s a pretty big jump.”

Yurkiw started with the 47th bib but today’s result will affect her FIS points, which are used to determine start order.

Brydon was impressed with Yurkiw’s performance.

“It’s definitely one of those ‘first’s’ in her career. It’s something you always dream about. That’s an experience in itself, learning to deal with that pressure and the expectations,” Brydon said.

“What a great experience and what a great achievement. She needs to remember this and build from there. It just shows the talent that she has. She is the next generation,” she added.

Brydon had the seventh best downhill run and followed that with the 13th fastest slalom.

“I have been struggling in the training runs (this week) so I was happy with this performance in the downhill. I am right in there with the best of them,” said Brydon, who was ninth in the super combined in St. Moritz earlier this season.

“My slalom was good. It was a fair race, a lot of fun. So I am happy with it,” she added.

American Lindsay Vonn won in a two-run time of 2:40.53, edging out Austria’s Kathrin Zettel by 0.3s with Sweden’s Anja’s Paerson third.

Emilie Desforges (Montréal, QC) finished 36th. Britt Janyk (Whistler, BC) competing in the downhill only today in order to train for tomorrow’s DH race, was 31st in the opening run.

The FIS Alpine World Cup in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee concludes Saturday with a downhill.