Each week Yahoo! brings the most interesting and quirky trends to the forefront. Web Trend Expert Pam Woon highlights these trends on local and national broadcast. This week searchers seemed very saddened by the loss of Elizabeth Edwards and turned online to get more information. We also saw tremendous interest in searches this week on holiday shopping and preparation for the ski season.

The Loss of Elizabeth Edwards
Sadly this week Elizabeth Edwards lost her battle with breast cancer. Online we’re seeing loads of searches related to her passing – growing every day leading into this weekend. People are interested in her family, her biography, and images from her life. We have also seen a big spike in searches on Yahoo! related to mammograms. Women – and men – are searching for info on where to get them.

Free Shipping During The Holidays
A hot topic this holiday is holiday shipping.  According to the National Retail Federation free shipping is higher than in years past. Yahoo! uncovered a great resource for finding free shipping. This site gives many details about retailers. And whether you’re shopping online or in the stores, remember… December 20th is the last day you’ll be able to use first class mail for holiday packages.

Grab Your Skis And Head To The Slopes
Ok, so it’s that time of year when searches start snowballing here at Yahoo! for skiing and snowboarding.  The top-searched destinations?  Mammoth Mountain in California. And #2 and #3?  Northstar Resort and Heavenly Ski Resort, both in Tahoe. Of course it’s still early in the season, so how do you really know if there’s snow on the mountains? Ski Report includes real-time, on-the-slope reports from skiers and boarders, delivered via smart phone apps.  You can’t get any more accurate than that.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week and if you are in Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, Seattle or Atlanta, catch us on Fridays!