"Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon."Susan Ertz
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Navigating On The Mountain, In Water, Or In Woods There Is An Etrex Unit For You.
Truly a small wonder, the eTrex takes the best features of a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver and put them into a six ounce package that is only four inches high and two inches wide. The result is a unit that will literally fit in the palm of your hand. ...
So you want to climb a Colorado “Fourteener”
Have you caught the bug yet? The desire to climb a mountain with a summit rising at least 14,000 feet above sea level has reached near-epidemic proportions in Colorado, with estimates of roughly 500,000 hikers and climbers making their way up a ...
Things You Must Do If You Want To Make That Perfect Camera Shot
Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand. Margaret Bourke-WhiteThese tips should help you relive those moments back where you've said "if only I had a camera." Now you will have it captured on film. These tips ...
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Colorado, Vermont, Whistler? Ski publications have a grand ol' time pumping the virtues of one ski destination over another. Come fall, their pages are full of the glories of "this" mountain, "that" village and the joys of dumping cash at either. Of course, it's pretty much all meaningless.
As most skiers will attest, the ski experience is dependant on a whole raft of factors, destination being only one of them. This is something a wise vacationer will keep in mind before blithely submitting a non-negotiable deposit for this year's ski vacation. What are these factors?:
skier's ability
skier's temperament
skier's demographic
skier's pocket book
Skier's Ability
All else being equal, a novice skier will be happier at Mont Tremblant, than Jay Peak. Likewise, SilverStar will treat the novice better than Whistler and vice-versa. No matter what a resort's brochure will tell you, every mountain has its own character and suits a particular ability of skier.
Never rely on the ski press or marketing machines as your primary source of information ... it's just not in their interests to tell anybody to not go somewhere. This of course means work ... there are legitimate online consumer review sources that pretty much shoot the straight goods.
Skier's Temperament
Skier, know thyself.
If you hate crowds stay away from any resort ranked #1 by any ski-publication. Mont Tremblant during any holiday week is a prime example ... you won't be able to move, much less turn.
If marketing excess turns you off, stay away from any resort ranked #1 by any ski-publication. 'Nuff said.
If you're a fashion plate (or enjoy ogling fashion plates) any resort with direct air connections to a major airport should suffice. If the opposite applies, it needn't be said ... the harder a hill is to get to, the fewer people will make the attempt.
If you've got a tender tush stay away from the east in mid-winter and stay away from the coastal resorts
during the early season. Horrible weather will apply in either case. Conversely, spring is warm anywhere, but be aware, it arrives at different times in different places.
Skier's Demographic
This one is easy ... young people ski at big mountains with busy bars; families ski at mountains with great kids programs; and empty-nesters ski at mountains with good restaurants and groomed runs. If you know yourself, you'll know your mountain. Ignore this advice and you'll feel as uncomfortable as a fish out of water.
Skier's Pocket Book
The best ski vacation is the one that where your expectations and pocket book align. Don't go to Beaver Creek if you're on a hamburger budget; you won't eat. And likewise, don't go to Jay Peak if you're after anything more than pizza and a family buffet; your cash will burn a hole in your precious Prada one piece.
Once the package has been paid for, it's the cost of the extras we all remember ... and remember, there is a hell of a difference in the price of a beer between Aspen and Le Massif.
The truth is, a ski-vacation is a great way to spend a week, and in my opinion wins out over a week on the beach anytime. I also know, however, that of all the vacations I've had, the good ones are the ones where everything has been in alignment. It's not always easy or obvious but a bit of self-awareness, research and ability to ignore the ski-industry's marketing magic should put most vacationers in the right ball-bark (or ski-hill as the case may be).
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 Annual RV and boat show set to dock in Chicago - Batavia Sun
The 79th annual Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show will take place at McCormick Place Jan. 14 to 18. "In its 79th year, the Chicago Boat, RV & Outdoors Show continues to provide visitors with the unique opportunity in the middle of winter to experience ...
GazOutdoors poll: Was it a fair chase hunt? - Billings Gazette
Last week’s announcement by the Boone and Crockett Club that Idaho hunter Denny Austad’s huge “Spider Bull” is its new world record for elk has certainly caused quite a stir. The story on the bull, as related in my Montana Outdoors column on ...
Dibaba to return to Boston for another 3000m outing - IAAF
Tirunesh Dibaba, the 2008 Olympic champion at 5000 and 10,000 metres will return to the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston, USA on 7 February, a venue which has twice witnessed her successfully break the World indoor record for 5000m ...
Take heart, frozen citizens, our winter will soon be over - Anchorage Daily News
Are you shivering through our long, dark nights and moaning about the bitter below-zero temperatures, wearily reciting Robert W. Service lines like "it's the cursed cold and it's caught right hold 'till I'm chilled clean through to the bone ..."? Don ...
Poultry is doing its part for bay - Chincoteague Beacon
Maryland's new statewide poultry regulations will take effect Monday. The new rules will affect about 200 of the state's largest poultry-growing operations. These farms --about a quarter of all poultry growers in the state --produce about half of the ...
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