Ski Holidays in New Zealand

With the Southern Alps running down the entire South Island and a huge snow covered volcano in the North, there are plenty of ski areas dotted around New Zealand. Whether you plan to come across especially for the skiing, or want to squeeze in a couple of days on your sightseeing trip there are no shortage of places to choose from.

However, if you do come to New Zealand expecting lifts with heated seats and 5 star restaurants on the snow you will be looking for a long time! New Zealand skiing is no frills skiing at its best. No furry animal ski suits here (unless you count people in Yeti suits).

Ski areas in New Zealand are generally located up some pretty hairy roads which are predominantly dirt or gravel, and pretty steep with huge drop-offs - don't worry though, this all adds to the sense of adventure and excitement! Other than the club lodges at Whakapapa in the North Island and a few on mountain apartments at Cardrona there is no ski-in ski-out accommodation at any of the commercial fields. Club fields are a different kettle of fish but more about them another time.

Arriving at the car parks you will come to the base areas which generally consist of a couple of buildings in which are housed lift ticket and ski school sales, a café or two, maybe a small shop, and a place to hire your equipment. If you usually ski in North America or Europe and are used to entire villages at the base of the mountain then New Zealand is pretty much the opposite!

What the resorts lack in terms of infrastructure they definitely make up for in other ways. The ski areas themselves are fantastic. Although much smaller than most Northern Hemisphere resorts, they manage to pack a wide range of terrain into the space they occupy. All of the ski areas are above the tree line which means that the terrain is completely open. You can encounter anything from wide rolling bowls, to natural half pipes, to steep drop-offs, chutes, and cliffs. The areas are jam-packed with natural terrain features so if you like to cruise around and have fun this is the perfect playground. There are good groomers and beginner areas too for those that prefer a more sedate snow holiday.

There are a couple of world class terrain parks in the South Island with Cardrona and Snow Park both boasting some huge hits, half pipes, and a variety of rails and boxes. Cardrona and Snow Park use the Global Cutter to cut their pipes, the same machine used to make the pipe in Whistler for the Olympics earlier this year (designed by Kiwi John Melville). If you like chucking yourself off big things you won't be disappointed. In fact Wanaka is the favourite place for many Northern Hemisphere riders to train during their summer. Don't be surprised if you catch a glimpse of Shaun White at the top of the pipe, or practicing his cricket in town.

The views and scenery from all of the ski areas are absolutely stunning. The atmosphere is chilled and relaxed, and ski area staff are exceptionally friendly. There are endless opportunities for off-piste, out-of bounds skiing and snowboarding - but as always, make sure you know what you are doing and have all the right avalanche gear before heading out of bounds, and check with Ski Patrol first.

If you are the type of skier or snowboarder that doesn't need pampering, and likes a challenge then New Zealand is definitely worth checking out. From the epic club fields in Canterbury (Glen Plake is a regular) to the magnificence of the ski areas in the Wanaka/Queenstown area you will be amazed by the South Island. At Mt Ruapehu in the North Island you have the opportunity to ski or ride on an active volcano. With a bit of a hike you can even ski right down next to the crater lake.

If you can get some reasonably priced flights then you will find that a snow holiday in New Zealand is very affordable and is definitely a once in a life time experience!

Skiing In California - Big Bear Mountain

One of the most popular ski areas in California is Big Bear Mountain in the Big Bear Lake area of the San Bernardino National Forest. It is about 100 miles north east of Los Angeles. The Big Bear winter season runs from December until March, and there are two ski resorts in the area: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. Between them, these resorts offer more than 435 skiing areas and there are runs to suit skiers of all levels.

If you drive from Los Angeles International Airport, you can reach Big Bear Lake in just over two hours (although it could take more than three hours if traffic is heavy).

Accommodation is available in the city of Big Bear Lake and you will also find plenty of shops and restaurants there. If you want to take a break from the slopes, you can visit the Moonridge Animal Park, where you'll find many different species of animal including timber wolves, snow leopards and black bears. You can also visit the Big Bear Solar Observatory or find out more about the history of the area at the Big Bear Historical Museum.

As part of a USA travel guide, Big Bear Mountain is a great place to visit during a winter holiday in California. If you try car hiring during your stay, you can also spend a few days visiting some of the other fantastic attractions in California such as the Disneyland Resort at Anaheim, Universal Studios, Venice beach, Santa Monica and Malibu.

The beach and Disneyland are probably best visited in the summer however they are great options to consider at anytime of the year.

Living in Lovely Park City, Utah

Hidden in the scenic mountainside of the Summit and Wasatch counties of the state of Utah is a one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains--Park City. Famous as both a site for some of the world's best ski resorts, site for many of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games events, as well as home to the most famous independent film festival in the world and the largest in the United States, Park City's growth in recent years has been substantial. Tourists from all over the world make Park City one of their top destinations in order to enjoy the city's many attractions. However, it's not just tourists that enjoy. With its beautiful scenery, excellent dining and shopping, ski resorts, and festivals and events, many people have happily decided to call Park City home.

It has become an upscale resort town, it started as a rustic mining community, originally settled in 1870 after the discovery of metals like silver, gold, and lead. After the discovery of these lucrative metals, began to attract settlers and miners to the area looking for work and sources of income. As one of the few settlements in Utah not established by members of the Mormon faith, it became a prime location for saloons and drinking establishments. As silver prices began to fall and mines became flooded after reaching the water table, mining began to disappear in the town, causing some to think it might become a ghost town. However, the town was saved by its prime ski areas, which began to take off in the 1950s.

Today one of Utah's top two resort town's with three major ski resorts providing enjoyment for both residents, visitors, and tourists. As host to some of the major events in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Park City, as a prime location for winter sports, was thrust further into spotlight. Today, residents can enjoy year-round entertainment as these resorts offer hundreds of prime hiking and biking trails during the summer season. Another benefit to residents is the prevalence of great places to shop. Park City boasts the largest number of factory retail stores in Northern Utah.

But perhaps best quality is its serenity. Tucked into the serene Wasatch mountain range, Park City seems like a haven away from the bustle of daily life, though it is located only thirty-two miles east of downtown Salt Lake City. Residents enjoy the feel and history of a small old mining community with all the luxuries and conveniences of a resort town.

The Benefits of Fractional Ownership in Private Residence Clubs

A new way of owning a home - for the few: fractional ownership of apartments, as a Private Residence Club is a relatively new concept that allows you to enjoy an elegant four to 12 weeks of home ownership privileges per year, resort luxury, but at a fraction of the cost of total operating costs.

If you have an impressive second home complete with personalized service and is located in an expensive town, but not quite justify the expensebecause you use only a few weeks or months a year, this type of appeal real estate agreement for you.

Services Galore

Most Private Residence Club provide many services. This can be an extravagant clubhouse and spa, as well as the services of a five-star hotels are, could not as expected, a wholly owned vacation home, apartment or timeshare high-level people.

Imagine this: you go on vacation and you call in advance to staff in privateresidence club home. At your request, the staff shops for your groceries, dry-cleans your clothing, makes your restaurant reservations, heats your private splash pool, and places knick-knacks and favorite pictures of family members around your residence. You are met at the airport by a staff person who shuttles you to your home where a just-detailed Jaguar is sitting in your parking space for use at your disposal.

Get the picture? Private residence clubs are NOT your ordinary second home.

Outstanding Locations

Fractionals or residence clubs have sprung up in exclusive, world-class resort destinations worldwide. St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Puerta Vallarta and Mexico are popular locations.

In the U.S., the first fractionals were in major ski areas out west, particularly Colorado where real estate was so costly that wholly-owned second homes were out of the question for most people. Eventually they spread to northeastern ski areas. Since then fractionals have begun appearing in golf-oriented communities like Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and popular beach states like Florida.

Some of the most popular fractionals can be found in Jupiter, FL; Aspen Highlands, Bachelor Gulch, and Aspen Snowmass, CO; Lake Tahoe, CA; and Whistler, British Columbia. Fractionals located in the U.S. usually offer good access to major airports that allows for easy transportation arrangements.

Management by Five-Star Companies

The key to the success of fractionals is their professional management. Most are operated by well-respected hospitality companies known worldwide for their world-class resorts. Among them are Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Starwood, Intrawest and Millennium, brands known for their five-star services and amenities.

Hassle-free Ownership

Part of the appeal of fractionals is that they are completely hassle free. In addition to having a staff for personalized service at your disposal, at a private residence club you never have to worry about repairs, maintenance or housekeeping. Everything is included in the price and annual fees and taken care of by the professional management company.

Appreciation Potential

To date there have been very few fractional resort developments. The demand is high. As a result, it is likely there will be substantial appreciation, rather than the depreciation that usually occurs with timeshares.

Real estate experts say that the outlook for investment appreciation appears excellent. You can expect at the very least an appreciation parity against other real estate in the resort area in which the fractional is located.

Prices

To buy a fractional, you pay a one-time purchase price and then a yearly upkeep fee that covers all of the expenses associated with property ownership and its use and services.

What do fractionals cost? Prices vary based on the size, amenities and location of the individual property. But most are in the $100,000-$500,000 range. Keep in mind that these are truly top-of-the-line homes that would cost you two to five times as much if purchased outright as wholly-owned vacation homes.

Comparison of Fractionals to Timeshares

How do fractionals compare with timeshares? They really don't. Fractionals are far more exclusive and include many more luxury amenities and services than timeshares. They tend to be larger homes, usually three to five bedrooms. Timeshares usually allow you use for just one to two weeks per year. Fractionals offer from two to 13 weeks, and those don't necessarily have to be consecutive weeks. Pick the weeks you want.
With regard to financing, obtaining a bank or mortgage company loan on a timeshare is difficult. Rates are high, regardless of how good your credit. That's because it's a well-known fact that most timeshares depreciate over time. Conversely, banks and mortgage firms consider fractionals to be appreciating assets and will often treat them like any other second-home purchase.

Why do fractionals tend to appreciate while timeshares usually depreciate? There are a couple of reasons. With fractionals, more of the buyer's dollar goes to high quality finishes and "bricks and mortar" vs. sales commissions which can be as high as 40%-50% with timeshares.
Furthermore, timeshare values have historically been poor because of the large number of resales on the market, not to mention a continuous stream of new developments. The fact is the secondary market for timeshares has never really developed.

Conversely, there are a limited number of fractionals on the market. Most likely, that number will stay small because fractionals are built in only the very best, most highly desirable locations. Therefore, demand outpaces supply and results in property appreciation.
Comparison of Fractionals to Condo Hotels

Fractionals (private residence clubs) differ from condo hotels in that you have a set amount of time when you can use your vacation home. Condo hotels are in fact, condos located within hotels. You can use your unit whenever you want, and place it in the rental program when not using it. Fractionals do not offer rental program participation.

Fractionals tend to be larger than most condo hotel units. Most fractionals offer three to five bedrooms, while most condo hotel units are studios, one bedrooms or two bedrooms. Currently, most condo hotels are located in Miami and other surrounding cities in South Florida. Fractionals are most prevalent on the West Coast, particularly in ski areas. However, both types of real estate are rapidly gaining popularity and soon there will likely be more of a supply across the country to meet the growing demand.

Critical Areas of Skills Development For Marketers

In the challenging world marketers need to develop many competencies and skills. These will help them to perform well in the competitive environment. Following are the important competencies that the marketers need to concentrate on.

One- Computer literacy to capitalize on the vast potential of e-marketing and e-commerce . In addition, mobile marketing knowledge and application are important because currently there are growing importance for these tools. Specially thorough knowledge about the online world is also important because now the market competition goes to the online world as well.

Two -Excellent presentation and communication are integral areas for a successful marketing career. Marketers are called upon to make presentations to varied audiences and stakeholders. The way they perform will bring them more leads. Further, marketers are also required to conduct media briefings as well.

Three- Taxation and legal aspects relevant to marketing are very important. Laws Related to patents, trade marks, copyrights, media and marketing communication are important to understand.

Four- Contemporary marketing has emerged with a lot of new thinking and theories that marketers must absorb and be well versed in, such as Social Marketing g, Permission Marketing, e-Marketing, Mobile Marketing and Hospitality Marketing.

Five- Marketing research and application techniques are important parts for marketers and required to be skillful in research methods and techniques. The capability to undertake research studies, evaluate research proposals and interpret research findings are vital requirement.

Six- Project management knowledge and application of concept and theories in managing marketing projects are other vital area. Many marketing activities can be thought of as a major or minor project.

Seven -Human Resource Management is important to marketers, as marketing is all about fulfilling internal and external customers' needs and wants. Hence, the ability to manage people and get the best from the team is also essential

Eight- Financial literacy and understanding of financial implications of marketing decisions is critical. In general, marketers are not finance-savvy and make recommendations without regard for financial consequences. Marketers need to also appreciate the concept of shareholder value.Marketers also need to be capable to apply marketing knowledge across different industries

Ontario Ski Resorts

The heart of Ontario's downhill ski areas is the Blue Mountain ski resort near Collingwood, about two hours drive north from Toronto. It faces north toward Georgian Bay, on Lake Huron, so the snow arrives early and leaves late -- making for a long season.

There are three resorts along the 'mountain (it's a ridge really) -- Blue Mountain, Toronto Ski Club (a private club), and Georgian Peaks. Blue Mountain has become so popular that Club Intrawest, one of the largest leisure developers around, has built a European-style ski village at the base of the hill, which contains all the ski resort amenities you'd expect or want.

Blue Mountain is the biggest resort and, including the Toronto Ski Club (TSC) ski area, has 36 runs, of which 9 are for beginners. To be sure you get back to the top as quickly as possible, it also has 14 lifts, seven of them for beginners.

Nowadays there's also an extensive Snowboard Park. The runs and lifts are open to both Blue Mountain and TSC guests.

Down in the village, you'll find restaurants, clothes and sporting supply shops, as well as bars and clubs to while away the apres-ski hours. The village also provides indoor and outdoor entertainment for kids, with events around the fireplace in the village square and swimming pools with slides and other features to work off any energy left over from skiing and boarding. For adults, there's also an outdoor sports rental store that rents snowmobiles and All-Terrain-Vehicles for those who aren't totally focused on the slopes.

Away from Blue Mountain are other Ontario Ski Resorts such as:

Talisman Resort, near Kimberley in the Beaver Valley, a UNESCO Heritage site, is about two hours drive north of Toronto off Highway 10 or by taking Hwys 400, 89 and then 10. Its slopes provide for skiing, snowboarding and tubing, with dogsledding also available from the resort. There is a good mix of beginner, intermediate, and expert runs -- something for all the family.

Just north of Barrie, Ontario, and also about two hours drive from Toronto is Mount St. Louis Moonstone, a great family Ontario ski and snowboarding resort. It boasts the largest beginner ski area in Ontario. Intermediate and experts are also well-served with over 40 runs and twelve lifts, of which three are high-speed express lifts. For snowboarders, there are two Terrain Parks and also Super Pipes for the boarders and extreme skiers.

Hidden Valley Highlands ski area is in Ontario's Muskoka region, near Huntsville -- three hours drive from Toronto on Highways 400, 11 and 169. Hidden Valley is smaller resort with 12 runs and one Terrain Park. There are three chair lifts and one tow at 'Beginners Hill'.

Deerhurst Resort is also nearby and both resorts provide a range of winter amenities and events for the whole family, such as snowmobiling, tobogganing, skating, and spas.

Calabogie Peaks resort is farther away to the east, nearer Ottawa than Toronto. It's about a four to five hour drive from Toronto or an hour's drive from Ottawa. The mountain there has an almost 800 ft vertical drop and a 2 km longest run. With three lifts serving 20 runs and two Terrain Parks, there's plenty of capacity to get you quickly back to the summit. For those who prefer their winter fun on the quieter side, a chance for some winter wonderland photos maybe, snowshoeing is also available.

For an hour's skiing, the local ski hill will do. For a week or a weekend, you need a bigger resort and these all fit the bill.

Top 5 Colorado Ski Resorts for Snow Lovers

When it comes to wintertime activities, is skiing at the top of your list? If so, have you ever planned a ski vacation? If not, you may want to take the time to examine Colorado and all it has to offer. Colorado is known among professional and recreational skiers as having some of the best ski resorts in the country. To get you started in your planning, five widely recommended Colorado ski resorts are outlined below.

Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge, located less than one hundred miles outside of Denver, is known as one of Colorado top ski resorts. Here, you will find over two thousand acres of terrain ideal for skiing. Whether you are just starting to enjoy skiing or if it is a passion of yours, Breckenridge has what you need to have the time of your life.

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Breckenridge is also known for its other fun winter activities, including shopping, dining, snowmobiling, and fly-fishing.

Aspen, Colorado

With four great mountains and over five thousand acres of land perfect for skiing, you are sure to have the ski adventure of your dreams in Aspen, Colorado. With the ability to fly in no less than ten miles from the slopes, you can spend your next vacation focusing on skiing and skiing alone.

In addition to adventurous slopes, Aspen is one of the premier destinations for luxury vacations.

Vail, Colorado

Vail, Colorado is commonly referred to as North Americas Premier Resort Community, and there is good reason for that. With over five thousand acres of land perfect for all levels of ski and breathtaking views, Vail is considered paradise for ski lovers.

When visiting Vail, Colorado, you may enjoy the old European feel created, which can make for the perfect vacation setting.

Crested Butte, Colorado

Although off the beaten path, Crested Butte is a top Colorado ski resort. If you are an avid skier, then Crested Butte, Colorado is a must see for you. With great grooming, safe steeps, and all around perfect conditions, it is ideal for all skiers, but it is most known for its challenging terrain.

Coupled with amazing skiing conditions and fine dining restaurants and shopping centers, you will never find a moment of boredom in Crested Butte, Colorado.

Steamboat, Colorado

With six mountain ranges and a little less than three thousands acres of ski-able land, Steamboat Colorado makes for the perfect ski resort. Whether you are ready to hop right on the slopes or improve your skiing techniques, you are able to do so at the Steamboat resort in Colorado. The Steamboat resort area is commonly referred to as "Ski Town, U.S.A."

For a skiing adventure, with a touch of a Wild West theme, Steamboat, Colorado is the perfect winter vacation destination.

When examining the above mentioned Colorado ski resorts, consider booking a stay at a private vacation home rental to get the most out of your vacation. You can examine all options, many of which have private, home-like feels, at MojoVacationRentals.com.