The famous Swiss resort of Crans-Montana has launched a ‘virtual visit’ option around the resort’s streets and ski slopes. Visitors to Crans-montana.ch will find themselves at the top of the Plaine Morte, admiring the most stunning 4000 metre high mountains of the Alps In just a few clicks.

Japan’s Kazuhiro Kokubo won the men’s halfpipe at the snowboard World Cup event in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, while Australian Torah Jane won the women’s event.

Kokubo produced a superb display run to score 46.1 in his first run, and though he crashed to a 7.3 in his second run his opening score was good enough to give him victory.

France’s Mathiue Crepel was second and Finland’s Peetu Piiroinen third.

The London-born rapper will be playing one night only at Switzerland’s hottest snowboard hang-out — Riders Palace in LAAX, Switzerland.

The 1000-person venue offers ticketholders an intimate concert experience with Dizzee Rascal set to own the place with an eclectic mix of garage and hip-hop beats from 10pm to the early hours of the morning.

Riders Palace combines a hotel, bar and club venue at the base station of LAAX, Switzerland. The lobby bar is open 21 hours a day (7.00am to 4.00am) but down on the lower level, in the club, is where the party really takes off.

Despite the economic crisis, the Berbahnen Destination Gstaad (BDG) company is continuing to invest heavily in their winter sports improvement plan, with the next stage already underway — an extension to the number of artificial snow machines in the resort. The total improvement plan (which runs through to 2018) has a budget of 160 million Swiss francs. After the snow machines are in operation, the focus will switch to increasing the number of ski lifts in the area with that alone amounting to close to 20 million Swiss francs.

Swiss Travel Service have teamed up with award winning ski operator Neilson. The 2009/10 Swiss Travel Service Ski and Snowboard brochure includes 67 properties in 16 resorts from glitzy St. Moritz to traditional Wengen and offers some of the best skiing in Europe suitable for all levels, ages and wallets.

8 of the best high-altitude resorts are also featured in the Neilson Ski and Snowboard brochure for 2009/10.

Many hotels offer a range of free night deals throughout the season (indicated by a ‘free night’ box in the brochure) and some feature rooms with no single supplement – perfect for the solo traveller.

The FIS Autumn Meetings will again take place at the Hotel Hilton Zurich Airport (SUI) beginning next Wednesday 23rd September 2009.

Besides hundreds of hours of regular meetings of the various Committees, Sub-Committees and Working Groups during the four full days of meetings until Saturday 26th September, numerous other formal and informal meetings will be taking place among some 500 members of the extended ski family.