A porcupine has become a regular at Telluride Ski Resort, looking and begging for handouts from skiers and snowboarders, KMGH-TV in Denver reported. The porcupine, dubbed Stickers, has confronted so many skiers that the ski patrol has erected a warning sign that says “Caution: leaping attack porcupine.”

Skiers should give Vancouver a swerve if they want to stay in the black as the Canadian city is the most expensive destination, according to analysis for Virgin Money’s Travel Insurance. And if they are looking for a bargain skiers should head for the slopes of Slovakia, according to Virgin Money Travel Insurance’s value for travel research.

Helmets reduce the risk of head injuries among skiers and snowboarders by 35% and do not appear to increase the risk of neck injuries, new research indicates. Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities – at least 40,000 Irish people take to the slopes in countries such as Austria and France every year.

Two professors compared snowfall as reported by ski resorts with that in government weather records. The resorts had seemingly found an astonishing new meteorological phenomenon: Regular, unusually large deposits of fresh powder on weekends, just when most skiers are inclined to head to the slopes and just when resort prices are higher! Of course, the weekend-powder pattern didn’t show up in the weather-service reports.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics will represent the 14th Winter Olympic Games broadcast by the BBC, a sequence that has run unbroken since the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California, USA. Viewers will be able to access live coverage, the latest news updates and any of those missed magical moments, regardless of the time of day and where they are, through the BBC’s extensive TV, radio, online, red button, mobile and BBC iPlayer services.

The recent cold snap in the UK has lead to a surge in bookings for European ski accommodation specialist Pierre & Vacances, particularly in the lesser-known ski resorts across the Alps and Pyrenees, where sales have increased on average by 17%.