ALBANY, New York — Advance tickets are now on sale exclusively at Hannaford Supermarkets for the nation’s longest running consumer snow expo, the 45th annual Ski & Snowboard Expo, featuring United States Olympic Gold Medalist Ross Powers whose celebrity transcends the rugged sport of snowboarding.

Presented by Alpin Haus and sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, the Ski & Snowboard Expo will return to the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, N.Y., on November 3 ??“ 5, 2006.

Powers, a native of Vermont who captured gold in the halfpipe at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, will meet with fans and sign autographs at the Ski & Snowboard Expo on Saturday and Sunday. The expo will also include for the first time a runway fashion show on Friday night featuring the hottest new clothes for the winter sports enthusiast.

Advance discount tickets will go on sale at Hannaford Supermarkets on Sunday, October 15 at stores throughout the Capital-Saratoga region, Glens Falls, Amsterdam, Gloversville, Kingston, Kinderhook and at all Hannaford stores in Vermont including Bennington, Brattleboro, Rutland and Burlington.

Tickets can be purchased at the customer service desks for $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 4 ??“ 11 (tickets at the gate are $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 4 ??“ 11).

On Sunday, all children under 12 who are accompanied by a paying adult will be admitted free, courtesy of Hannaford Supermarkets. Sunday is Hannaford Family Day and will feature an array of family frosty activities for children and parents.

The Ski & Snowboard Expo offers winter sports enthusiasts an opportunity to get great early season deals on a wide array of ski and snowboard equipment, plus will include representatives of the most popular mountains and winter vacation destinations from throughout the Northeast, Canada and West (Jackson Hole, Park City and Crested Butte).

Powers, a native of South Londonderry, VT, and resident of Stratton, first broke onto the snowboarding scene at age nine and then broke through in a major way at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano when he won the bronze medal in the halfpipe. Today, Powers heads up the Ross Powers Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises money through snowboarding events for young athletes in financial need.

The 45th annual Ski & Snowboard Expo will take place Friday, November 3 from 4 p.m. ??“ 9 p.m.; Saturday, November 4 from 10 a.m. ??“ 6 p.m.; and Sunday, November 5 from 11 a.m. ??“ 6 p.m.

Door prizes will be given away every 15 minutes. A coupon book, with hundreds of dollars in discounts and free lift tickets, will be distributed to each patron with paid admission.

Expo visitors can enter to win the Ultimate Snow Package, offering the winner a complete ski or snowboard adventure. The prize includes five nights lodging in a deluxe condo at Killington Resort Village; five lift tickets for two people to Killington or PICO; Fischer Cx 2.2 skis, Salomon C609 boots and bindings and Masters poles or an Axis Dragon snowboard, Axis Cruiser boots and Axis bindings, courtesy of Alpin Haus.

Patrons can register for the Ultimate Snow Package at the Ski & Snowboard Expo. The winner will be announced at the expo on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Alpin Haus will donate a portion of the proceeds from the expo to the adaptive ski program at the Double H Ranch. The ranch, located in Lake Luzerne, N.Y., offers free ski, snowboard and snowshoe lessons to children ages 6 ??“ 21, who suffer from cancer, serious blood disorders and other chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

For more information about the Ski and Snowboard Expo, e-mail log onto www.albanyskiandsnowboardexpo.com.