There’s a new way to relax after a long day on the ski slopes, and we’re not talking about downing a hot toddy by the lodge fireplace. The town of Breckenridge, Colorado recently voted to legalize marijuana within the ski town. For those that spend more time rolling down the mountain rather than remaining on two feet—this is excellent news.

The town voted overwhelmingly to allow snowboarders, skiers, and all others over 21 years old to have up to an ounce of ghanja. However, there is a slight catch, so hold off on heading to your friendly neighborhood head shop. In case you aren’t too familiar with state law, marijuana is still technically illegal in Colorado. So the measure that was approved was more of a local opinion than anything else. ]]> kjb 2009-11-11T08:59:25-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/2/0730/23367

Experience the Australian Alps from the comfort of a movie theater

Film, at its best, has the ability to transport us to a different time, place or state of mind. The great leisure of cinematic travel is that you do so parked in a plush theater chair for two or so hours, with a jumbo pack of Milk Duds and Red Vines by your side. The Fifth Annual Backcountry Film Festival aims to take theatergoers on a tour of wintry locations the world over, from Vermont to Japan.

Your lift ticket to mountainous and blistering-cold regions comes in the form of films shot in the backcountry of different nations, including unlikely places such as Australia. It's a little-known fact that there is snowboarding along with surfing down under. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-02T15:34:20-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/16/105430/91

Skiing in Southern California sounds like a horrible oxymoron, or a poorly conceived of joke. But it's true, Golden State foreigners: There's snow to be found around our usually heat-stricken climes, namely at Mammoth Mountain.

In recent years we've heard reports of poor snowfall and late season starts in some California skiing regions, Lake Tahoe in particular. That isn't the case at Mammoth in 2009, though; the mountain was hit with two-to-six feet of snow ahead of schedule, according to a report from the Los Angeles Examiner, boding well for ski bunnies itching to hit the slopes early. The Examiner states that Mammoth's current "26 inches of snow is the highest October total since the 2004-05 season," with "warm temperatures approaching 60 degrees" around the mountain. Now that's oxymoronic. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-16T11:41:51-05:00 37.6500824 -118.99772 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/14/72258/120

Many people are still putting the final touches on their jack-o-lanterns, but it’s already time to break out the skis from the storage unit. Winter has arrived extra early in some parts of Colorado this year. Last week a baseball playoff game was canceled due to a little snow and sleet, and the Loveland Ski Area fired up the lifts for the first time this season on October 7. It’s been cold enough and they've had the snow-making machines running at full force to get everything ready for the beginning of the season.

The resort is about 50 miles outside Denver and this is the first time they’ve opened this early in about 40 years—guess there’s no trouble with global warming up on the slopes. Unless some other ski resort sneakily opened their facility without any fanfare, Loveland is the first ski resort to open in North America this year. ]]> kjb 2009-10-14T08:58:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/3/133543/633

A polar explorer named Eric Larsen is about to embark on an ambitious adventure that will bring him to the North Pole, South Pole, and summit of Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, all within 365 days. The Save the Poles Expedition, as he's calling it, is designed to bring awareness to the problem of global warming by traveling to the most notorious frozen places on earth, reporting the latest climate data, and using the platform to advocate strategies for reducing carbon emissions. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-10-03T13:35:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/14/73457/0581

Winter is coming to Australia, but that's definitely no reason to avoid planning a Down Under trip, especially not with the crazy off-season airfare sales going on. Half the country's still warm in winter anyway, and if you're a snow enthusiast, then you'll be pleasantly surprised at the ski resorts in the states of New South Wales and Victoria.

This year in particular looks fantastic for the Victorian snowfields. The Mount Buller resort region has already had a weekend opening for skiers, making it the earliest start to the season in history, and five weeks ahead of the usual schedule.

The official season (along with all the appropriate celebrations) will launch on June 6, 2009, with a big festival over that weekend. The fact that the resort website mentions free hot chocolate during the opening weekend is enough to entice us, without hearing how snowfalls should make for some excellent skiing and snowboarding this winter.

You can reach Mt Buller most easily from Melbourne - it's a three and a half hour drive, or a bit longer on the bus, in the Alpine National Park. We like it because it's not quite as corny as going to the snow in the Snowy Mountains further north.

Related Stories:
· Mt Buller Ski Resort [Official Resort]
· Buller to Open for Skiing After Cold Snap Snowfall [The Age]
· Australia Travel: Sand, Surf and … Snow? [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mariyath] ]]> amandak 2009-05-14T16:55:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/4/72640/74454

If you’re trying to fill up that US map on the back of the Winnebago with state stickers, you should head to Montana this winter. Besides getting to say you’ve been to Montana, there’s some pretty good skiing at the Big Sky Resort. The resort is only a 45-minute rental car disaster away from the Gallatin Airport in Bozeman. There’s daily service on most of the major airlines, and a couple of smaller ones as well, so you should be all set. ]]> kjb 2009-02-04T10:04:05-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/