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Tear Up California's Mammoth Mountain On Your 10-Speed

June 26, 2009 at 9:17 AM | 0 Comments

Everyone knows that residents of California love their cars, but they’re probably stuck in them a little too much. That’s why we're looking to some offroading at Mammoth Mountain, just of the two-wheeled, human-powered variety. The ski resort has a lot to offer when the weather is warmer, and their mountain bike park has just opened for the season. Even without your car, you’ll be able to fulfill your need for speed with their downhill runs.

Of the different trails and runs for cyclists of all levels, both the Paper Route and Downtown runs will take it easy on you, while the Twilight Zone and Kamikaze represent the more black diamond options. With over 90 miles of trails, you should be able to find one you like, just remember your helmet and pads.

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Winter Down Under Starts Early at Mount Buller

May 14, 2009 at 4:55 PM | 0 Comments

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]

Beaver Creek Travel: Unparalleled Frisbee Golf

September 2, 2008 at 2:45 PM | 0 Comments

A mountain escape to Beaver Creek, Colorado was an awesome way to wind down the summer, although we packed so much into four days this Labor Day weekend that we actually returned home, um, a little tired. One of the highlights? Amazing frisbee golf at Beaver Creek Resort. OK, so the (well-experienced) locals refer to it as "disc golf," but the equipment's pretty frisbee-esque.

The Rocky Mountain views from the top make the game unbelievable and the 18-"hole" course is a challenge to say the least. We overestimated a few downhill throws and greatly increased our score. Take the open-air chairlift up to the top from Beaver Creek Village ($20 per person) and borrow the discs from the lodge (credit card deposit plus $11 per disc if any don't make it back). Then traverse the stunning mountainside course and be aware of the towering aspens and pines--they will eat up discs quickly, trust us.

Another insider tip? Snag a cold soda or beer from the lodge before you head out. We didn't notice any cops in the trees, so with a few brews you'll be set for quite an enjoyable afternoon.

Related Stories:
· Beaver Creek Resort: Summer [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

Summer Vacation with an Edge: Skiing the Andes

July 15, 2008 at 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

The summer months don't exactly scream skiing and mountaineering, but if you head to the Andes Mountains in Chile that's exactly what the summer is all about. Just wait until you get back home and tell all you friends about the world-class ski trip you took over Labor Day Weekend.

ChileMontaña offers a tour of Portillo, El Arpa, La Parva and Valle Nevado over a week. You'll start off in Santiago and you'll return there at the end of your summer/winter vacation. Each ski area offers something different--huge mountain peaks, steep and deep terrain and even a 3,000-foot decent at El Arpa.

The trip offers opportunities for both skiers and snowboarders alike. You'll spend your evenings in high-end accommodations, and cultural interaction and cuisine are also on the agenda. The tour will set you back $2,800 per person, but that price does cover pretty much everything including airport transfers, dinner and lift tickets. All you need to do is get your flight and pack a pair or two of skis.

Related Stories:
· ChileMontaña [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer: Skiing Edition [Jaunted]
· Summer Vacations with an Edge coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ChileMontaña]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Telluride Blues and Brews Festival

July 2, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 0 Comments

Although this 3-day weekend of live music and great microbrews from the southwest and beyond is not technically at the resort, the town of Telluride, Colorado wouldn't be much more than a tumbleweed museum and billy goat hang out without the mountain destination.

You can expect lots of great blues and roots bands at the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival starting September 12, including Canned Heat, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, G. Love and Special Sauce and Gov't Mule. The list of brewers is 56 strong and will include heavy hitters and little-knowns alike from as far way as Georgia. Big names to look for include Sierra Nevada, Moab Brewery and Santa Fe Brewing Company.

There are lots of hotel options available in town and there is camping available for $40. Entrance to the festival can be purchased day-to-day or you can go for the full monty for $155. Birkenstocks, patchouli and dreadlocks will not get you any discounts either, hippies!

Related Stories:
· Telluride Blues and Brews Festival [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]
· Summer Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of The Black Crowes at Blues '07: Barry Brecheisen]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Skiing Edition!?

June 18, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

While we sweat it out here in the States, going to cook outs, forming relationships that won't last past Labor Day and crashing on our friends' couch at their beach house, life in the deep Southern hemisphere is in full-on winter mode. Argentina has been having a moment the last couple years with lots of coverage about super-cool Buenos Aires. But a lesser known feather in the old Argentine cap is the Las Leñas ski area.

Located just 90 minutes by air from Buenos Aires, the Las Leñas Valley is a hot spot for South American ski nuts as well as North Americans looking for the perfect year-round snow buzz. The base area of the resort is pretty much the whole town, where you'll find cheap-to-five-star dining options and lodging, as well as clubs and bars that go off all night.

For people from North America, the mountain definitely has a much different look and feel: This stretch of the Andes has craggy, cathedral-esque formations full of open snowfields and tight, steep chutes. So whether you're headed down to experience a different culture or the rush of your life, Las Leñas has you covered.

Related Stories:
· Las Leñas [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Powderruns]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Food & Wine Classic

June 11, 2008 at 12:17 PM | 0 Comments

The Food & Wine Classic, takes place this weekend in the swellest mountain town in the USA, Aspen, Colorado. It's the Art Basel of American cuisine, a place where you can sample some of the country's finest wines, attend a "Future of Flavor" seasoning seminar by high cuisine juggernaut McCormick and steal away to the US Open viewing lounge to gripe to other dudes about how all you want to do is play some golf and get away from your wife and her drunk friends.

Beginning this Friday afternoon, there are some really quality events such as the Sam Adams beer pairing with food and a documentary about Spanish wine country held at the Aspen Opera House. (We're pretty sure Aspen is the only ski town with an opera house.)

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Ski Areas in Summer: President Bush Not a Fan of Bromley Mountain

June 3, 2008 at 12:45 PM | 0 Comments

Bromley Mountain is having quite the political summer. Vermont's senior senator, Democrat Patrick Leahy, snuck a provision into a recent farm bill that would have had the federal government sell some national forest land to the ski resort in his state. But President Bush--or more likely one of his aides--caught the earmark; Bush specifically cited the proposed sale as one reason he vetoed the farm bill.

Congress didn't care for that, and they overrode the veto--only to find out that a paperwork mistake will force a re-vote on the entire thing. So Bush may have yet another chance to stick it to Leahy and Bromley Mountain.

In the meantime, the resort has plenty of summer activities on its current property. A three-track alpine slide is the main draw, but the zip line, "space bikes" and water slide also look pretty decent. If they ever get that extra land from the national forest, who knows what might be added... Maybe a statue of a senator?

Related Stories:
· Bromley Mountain [Official Site]
· Farm Bill Background [NC Mountain Times]
· President Bush's Message on Farm Bill Veto [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Silver Rapids Water Park

June 2, 2008 at 1:01 PM | 0 Comments

There's great hope for agoraphobic water slide enthusiasts this summer at Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho. The Silver Rapids indoor water park has thrills for everyone from toddlers to those taller than 42" inches that want to get their butts handed to them via the FlowRider, an artificial wave that moves at 35 mph.

We like this faux-wave not only for its overall water park bar-raising but also for its resemblance in name to one of our current favorite hip hop stars, FloRida. There's tons of great footage on YouTube of people getting absolutely wrecked on this "ride," but there's also some cool footage of pro surfers killing it.

For those of us that don't want to risk bodily injury, the 315-foot North Fork Lazy River is an option, and there's a variety of traditional water slides to try. And we couldn't help but notice Trestles Surfside Grill & Hot Tubs: Nothing speaks to us like the potential for enjoying a cold one while sitting in 105 degree bubbling water with some strangers from Idaho.

The water park in an airplane hanger costs nothing if you're staying at The Morning Star Lodge at Silver Mountain, otherwise it's $27. Rain, shine or crippling fear of the outdoors, it's time to slide.

Related Stories:
· Silver Mountain [Official Site]
· Water Parks coverage [Jaunted]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Safely Seeing Bears

May 28, 2008 at 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

We love that scene in "The Great Outdoors" when John Candy takes the kids to the dump to watch the bears feed off garbage. Things start getting a little out hand after the bears mount the hood of their car, remember? Funny, sure, but it's not necessarily the way we'd go about bear watching. Luckily the folks at Whistler/Blackcomb resort have come up with a better way to do some wildlife spotting.

Bear expert Michael Allen has been studying the animals in British Columbia for the last 15 years. His work with bears has been internationally recognized, and he's the host of the BBC's Natural World program "In the Company of Bears." For $190, Mike will take you out at sunset--in a 4x4 and on foot--to see bears in their natural habitat without having to worry about being disemboweled or otherwise maimed.

You'll drive and walk through old growth Hemlock forests and high-alpine meadows to see bear dens, bear daybeds and--if you're lucky--a mother and cub playing together. Something this precious is usually only reserved for the fronts of Hallmark sympathy cards, so steel your nerves to fend off the tears.

Related Stories:
· Whistler Bear Viewing tours [Official Site]
· Ski Resorts in Summer coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Kradlum]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Training to Be a Bobsled Hero

May 23, 2008 at 1:00 PM | 1 Comment

We've always been curious about bobsledding and the Olympians who make up the US team. The entire sport seems to be shrouded in mystery: Who are these people that become Olympic-level bobsledders? Seems like a serious boarding school sport, up there with fencing, badminton and sneering.

For us non-blue bloods, the Park City Mountain Resort offers a moderately daring and inexpensive alternative with the summertime Alpine Slide. For $11, you can select one of four different courses to race down on your own sled. Unlike bobsledding no helmets are required and if it gets too scary, you can pull the brake.

The 3,000 foot course down the banked concrete track is not exactly like racing 90 degrees up an ice wall at 60 mph, but for a casual summer afternoon, it does the trick. As long as you're over four feet tall, you can be the captain of your alpine slide ship.

We recommend arranging a four-person race with your friends, adding a fifth to stand on the side mid-course somewhere and wildly ring a cowbell for that Olympic rush. After about 27 of those 3.2 Utah beers, you'll be raising the stars and stripes and belting out the national anthem in no time.

Related Stories:
· PCMR Alpine Slide [Official Site]
· Jaunted at Sundance: Riding at Park City Mountain Resort [Jaunted]
· Park City Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PCMR]

Ski Resorts in Summer: Actually Worth Visiting?

May 15, 2008 at 5:00 PM | 1 Comment

Going to a ski resort in the summer sounds like a half-baked idea that your dad comes up with to save a couple bucks while getting some fresh air. Can't you just imagine standing at the base of a mountain while dear old dad waxes on about how beautiful it must be all covered in snow? Next year, kids!

But what if your old man was craftier than that and took you to the new 3,100-foot Heavenly Flyer zip line at Heavenly Mountain Resort? It's the longest zip line in the lower 48 and hits speeds of 50 mph on the way down. It would be a lot cooler if you had to hold on for dear life like on the zip lines you grew up with, but insurance companies get kind of grouchy about stuff like that: You'll have to settle for being strapped into a seat.

For $30 a ride, this is a unique way to experience some of the best views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains. No doubt taking in the sights from 50 feet up at 50 mph will make for unforgettable daddy issues for decades to come.

(Btw, the Flyer doesn't re-open for the summer season until Friday, June 13.)

Related Stories:
· Heavenly Flyer [Official Site]
· Summer Travel coverage [Jaunted]