Bonnier Mountain Group Returns To SIA With Gold Medal Ski Shop Awards And Live Photography Studio

Returning to SIA to engage the industry with a live photo studio and the Gold Medial Ski Shop Awards, Bonnier’s Mountain Group including SKI and Skiing magazines, Warren Miller Entertainment and NASTAR, took on a larger presence at the 2010 SnowSports Industry America (SIA) Snow Show this past weekend, January 28-31, 2010.

SKI Magazine reinstated their Gold Medal Ski Shop Award program with the SIA show’s move to Denver, CO. The Gold Medal Ski Shop Awards are given to ski retailers and are determined by a panel of manufacturers and suppliers. The awards party hosted 200 industry leaders Thursday night at the Peaks Lounge on the top floor of the SIA host hotel, Denver’s Hyatt Regency. It was an inspired night for local shops as SKI Magazine Senior Editor Joe Cutts awarded over 60 plaques to dozens of retailers.

The National and Regional Shop Award Winners include:

National Shop of the Year: Sturtevant's Sports, Bellevue, WA

National E-tailer of the Year: Evo Gear, Seattle

Regional Shop of the Year, Rockies: Cole Sport, Park City, UT

Regional Shop of the Year, Far West: Sturtevant's Sports, Bellevue, WA

Regional Shop of the Year, Midwest: Pierce Skate &Ski Shop, Bloomington, MN

Regional Shop of the Year, New England: Aspen East Ski Shop, Killington, VT

Regional Shop of the Year, East: Ski Center, Washington, DC

BMG also hosted a live photo and video studio for SKI and Skiing Magazines to capture the industry’s latest gear and fashions during the show. “What’s New” features appeared on SkiMag.com and SkiingMag.com, and the shoot helped the magazines and partners get ahead of the curve for the annual Gear Tests.

To find more about Bonnier's Mountain Group and the individual brands visit bonniermountaingroup.com.

“Tracking Down James Bond,” Ski Magazine story Recognized In Prominent Travel Anthology

For the third time in six years, a SKI Magazine story has been included in the prestigious The Best American Travel Writing 2009 anthology. Written by longtime SKI contributor Jay Cowan, “Tracking Down James Bond” retraces the adventures of the world’s most celebrated secret agent across some of the world’s most glamorous ski resorts and mountain peaks.

“This is a nice honor,” Said SKI Magazine Editor-in-Chief Greg Ditrinco. “SKI Magazine is both a travel book for skiers and a ski book for travelers. “Tracking Down James Bond” is a great example of the kind of story readers will find in our pages – insightful, fun, exotic.”

The piece appeared in the November 2008 issue of SKI and includes interviews with stuntmen involved in several of the Bond films’ famous cinematic skiing sequences. Other publications represented in the 2009 anthology include The New Yorker, Harpers and National Geographic. The 2009 anthology is edited by acclaimed writer Simon Winchester.

Feature stories from SKI also appeared in the 2005 and 2006 anthologies of the Best American Travel Writing series. Additionally, SKI has received numerous awards in recent years that honor excellence in design, writing, service, and photography.

For more information go to www.SkiMag.com.

Warren Miller Entertainment 60th Anniversary World Tour

Warren Miller Entertainment (WME), celebrated it’s 60th anniversary Film Tour this fall and early winter, concluding to positive reviews, near-record numbers and the most ski community participation the company’s history.

Warren Miller’s Dynasty saw a U.S. attendance of approximately 300,000 and a total audience of over 500,000 including international distribution during the ten-week run. Beginning October 16, the US Tour spanned over 81 cities and 190 shows, with an additional 140 cities and 280 shows independently promoted, many in support of local ski programs. Professional skiers featured within the film attended over 70 screenings.

WME’s success as the winter action sports leader over the years comes hand-in-hand with long running industry partnerships and support, including more than 45 retail outlets, 35 resorts, dozens of ski clubs, and several equipment manufactures on this year’s tour. The goal of WME is to excite skiers’ passion, generate interest in the sport, champion the industry and offer partners a chance to speak directly to their public.

The Tour launched with a multimedia “60 Days of Warren Miller” promotion. Partners SKI and Skiing Magazines brought together over 60 industry partners to celebrate the 60-year legacy of our film. The 60 Days of Warren Miller promotion was hosted on warrenmiller.com, skiingmag.com, and skimag.com, and included daily prizes from the likes of Vail, K2, Helly Hansen, and a grand prize of a five-day, five-night trip to Snowbird, UT. Approximately 80,000 users participated in the contest.

Addition promotional partnerships include WME’s longstanding relationship with resorts, specialty retail outlets, and ski clubs that create opportunities for both skiers and businesses while attending the film. “Sharing our love of the mountains, and the passion for the sport of skiing & snowboarding with our audience with what this is all about.” said Max Bervy, Managing Director of WME. “It’s how we help grow this industry and fuel the interest of skiing and riding in the ski community.”

Along with the many sponsors and partners, WME works with a number of cause-related programs both in and outside the ski community. Most notably, Warren Miller’s Dynasty teamed with Disabled Sports, USA, across the entire National Tour, also premiering at Craig Hospital in Denver with former patients and now Winter X Games mono-skier athletes Sam Ferguson and Felix Snow. Dynasty was given to the U.S. military in Iraq, where more than 17,000 soldiers saw the film this fall. Copies were also donated in support of the Vertical Express for MS and many individual fundraisers.

Gearing up for film #61, crews have all ready been to Antarctica, New Zealand, Europe and North America, and are currently working in British Columbia.

To find out more about Warren Miller Entertainment or sponsorship opportunities for the Warren Miller Film Tour, please contact Johnny Alamo at 303-253-6413 or Johnny.Alamo@BonnierCorp.com for more information.

Skiing Magazine and Warren Miller Entertainment travel to Antarctica to Pioneer New Terrain

“The voice of our Scottish expedition leader roused us through our in-room loudspeakers, calling us to the decks. A 30-knot wind blew straight over the bow, slowing our progress but calming the ship’s movements. And then the peaks of a brand new continent, Antarctica – legend made real in an instant.”

From November 1 through November 18, Skiing Magazine's Senior Editor Sam Bass, a camera crew and athletes from Warren Miller Entertainment, lived aboard a ship off the coast of Antarctica. Traversing Drake Passage, 80 skiers challenged themselves to explore the most unapproachable terrain imaginable.

Explorer and entrepreneur Doug Stoup, owner and operator of Ice Axe Expeditions, had a vision to pack the 300-foot Clipper Adventurer with the most influential skiers in the industry. Goal: to open this terrain to any skier with a sense of adventure. Editors like Sam, cinematography legend Tom Day of Warren Miller Entertainment, and ski-mountaineering pioneers including Andrew Mclean crossed miles of ocean to ski the most unexpected thing of all – spring-like conditions, perfect corn, bluebird skies.

“It’s the first trip of its kind.” said Bass. “A group of about 80 skiers with various levels of backcountry experience took a small cruise ship designed for penguin and iceberg tourists to the Antarctic Peninsula, with an itinerary based around skiing. It was unreal.”

Beginning and ending in Ushuaia, Argentina, the adventurers set sail down the Beagle Channel, through the rugged Drake Passage, arriving at Deception Island. Then onto ski and trekking objectives via Zodiac boats at Neko Harbour, Anvers and Wienke Islands, Port Lockroy, Paradise Bay, Mt. Demaria and Crystal Sound, to name a few stops.

Sam’s inspired journey illustrates the adventure-minded, go-anywhere spirit of Skiing Magazine and was followed by thousands online, including a group of 6th graders who had a chance to interview the editor. “There were so many stories,” Bass reminisced, “Cinematographers were hard at work documenting two kinds of life – the kind that lives aboard the ship and the kind following the ship’s stern. The latter includes several species of petrel and albatross.”

To read more from Sam’s expedition to Antarctica go to skiingmag.com/Antarctica

Opportunities for sponsorship and advertising are available for the Warren Miller Film Tour. Please contact Johnny Alamo at 303-253-6413 or Johnny.Alamo@BonnierCorp.com for more information.