Released on: June 11, 2008, 4:01 pm

Press Release Author: Paul Doherty

Industry: Media

Press Release Summary: Ski areas in the Southern Hemisphere are opening for the
winter season, and 2008 snow predictions bode well for Argentina and Chile.
OnTheSnow.com unveils RSS and Flash snow reports.

Press Release Body: Sydney, Australia - Chile and Argentina will be the first of the
Southern Hemisphere ski-resort regions to be hit with a cold front, although
Australia or New Zealand won\'t be far behind as the new upside-down ski season goes
into full swing this week. That\'s the 2008 snowfall prediction from Dr. Jeff
Masters, Director of Meteorology at The Weather Underground.

Complete coverage of snow conditions, weather provided by Weather Underground, and
news at ski areas in the Southern Hemisphere returns to OnTheSnow.com this month
with a new twist. Skiers and snowboarders may receive complimentary RSS and Flash
snow reports to keep them up to the minute on the changing snow conditions. This is
the Web site\'s 10th year of reporting on conditions in the region.

In South America, Chilean resort openings began with El Colorado, La Parva, and Ski
Arpa. Cerro Catedral leads off for Argentine resorts on June 12. All Australian
resorts were scheduled to open for the Queen\'s Day weekend June 6 and 7, but due to
warmer temps, only a handful were able. Historically, dry stutter-starts followed by
dumps later on are the norm. Ski season in New Zealand kicked off with Coronet Peak
and will be followed with the opening of Mt. Lyford on June 12 and Mt. Hutt, Turoa,
and Whakapapa on June 14.

Masters, who uses the Global Forecast System (GFS) computer model, said that the
southern regions of Argentina and Chile should expect some cold weather in the
coming weeks.

"The GFS gives a clue to what the jet stream pattern will be, and it\'s useful for
looking at what the two-week model will be for cold-air blasts," he said. "Argentina
and Chile should see some cold-weather patterns about June 10 and should stay cold
for about a week. It\'s showing a pretty extended cold-weather period for the
southern tip of Argentina, and it could very well just remain cold there."

While past and current climate gives only limited clues to the future, the GFS and
other snowfall prediction resources like Columbia University\'s International
Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) can be more reliable.

"The IRI is a little better than flipping a coin," Masters said. "The latest June,
July and Aug. forecasts (from the IRI Web site) show a good chance of above-average
temperatures for the major ski places in the Southern Hemisphere."

North America, which was also predicted to have above-average temperatures before
the 2007-08 season, had an extraordinary winter season, but Masters warns "weather
in the North is not necessarily a strong indicator of what\'s to come in the South
... the two hemispheres do things on their own."

Masters said there will likely be a short delay in the cold weather\'s arrival in New
Zealand.

"I don\'t see as much in the way of cold temps in June. There\'s nothing on the
horizon there," he said, indicating many ski areas in New Zealand and Australia will
rely on snow that\'s already fallen, and making snow to maintain fresh tracks for the
early season.

For complete coverage of 2008 snowfall in Chile, Argentina, Australia, and New
Zealand, visit OnTheSnow.com.

Visit RSS and Flash Directions for guidelines on receiving OnTheSnow.com\'s RSS or
Flash snow reports and news to stay updated on the Southern Hemisphere\'s ski season.

About OnTheSnow.com
OnTheSnow.com, the consumer Internet division of Mountain News Corporation, is the
Web\'s most visited snow report Web site with a Nielsen-audited 1.2 million monthly
unique visitors. OnTheSnow.com offers ski reports, resort reviews, Web cams, and
travel/lodging packages for ski resorts around the world. There are 13 international
editions of OnTheSnow.com in seven languages.

Web Site: http://www.onthesnow.com.au

Contact Details: Paul Doherty
doherty@mountainnews.com
925-254-4456