Burton Offers Free Lift Tickets and Lessons
If you've been talking about learning how to snowboard, but never actually put words into action, Burton might be able to push you over the edge. This leading snowboard company continues its "Go Snowboarding" program. Purchase one from a group of select boards and you can go online to obtain a free lift ticket and lesson, which are also transferable to other friends or family members.
Seasoned riders may also find the reason they've been looking for to get a new board. Burton's "Get Lifted" program, which applies to most boards in their line, gives you a free lift ticket to top resorts including ones in California, Utah, Alaska, Vermont, West Virginia, and throughout Canada.
So get going. You're running out of excuses.
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November 13, 2009
Hotel Spotlight: Ahwahnee, Yosemite
The Great Lounge in Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel (courtesy, Delaware North Companies)
The summer months draw 50 percent of Yosemite National Park's overnight visitor stays; that stat drops to less than three percent once winter rolls round. Concession lodging in the park, like the classic 123-room Ahwahnee Hotel, sees a corresponding drop in visitor nights, with overnight occupancy dropping to about a third of its summer peak throughout the park. And while the Ahwahnee, considered by many to be the country's finest national-park lodging, in one of the country's most beautiful settings, Yosemite Valley, is still relatively full and pricey (rates from as low as $265 per night), the real lure is being able to enjoy the park in its winter glory without the crowds. Go for a snowshoe trek in the glorious shadow of Half Dome, take the kids snowboarding and cross-country skiing at nearby Badger Pass (all-day adult passes only $42), or just curl up with a good book in front of a roaring fire in the lodge's Great Lounge, with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing snow-clad Yosemite Valley.
Browse more of the country's top national park lodges in Away.com's Guide to the World's Best Resorts & Lodges.
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November 09, 2009
Ski Resort Smackdown: Defend Your Favorite!
SICK DAY: Skier at Jackson Hole, Wyoming (courtesy, JHMR)
Based on a wide variety of attributes, input from an army of snow-a-holic freelance writers, and our own not-so-humble opinions, we’ve selected our top 10 ski resorts in North America (see below). But, the Web being a democratic place, we know our say isn’t the final word. So, if you think we missed one, let us know—DEFEND YOUR FAVORITE RESORT in 150 words or less and the snow enthusiast who makes the most convincing case will win over $400 worth of ski apparel from Outdoor Research.
Join the fray in the comments section below. Did your fave make our list? Great, then tell us how we got it right—and then some. Don't see your hill? Convince us why we're wrong. You have until midnight on Friday, November 20 to make your case. (Click here to download a copy of the official rules.)
Top North American Ski Resorts:
Alta (UT)
Arapahoe Basin (CO)
Jackson Hole (WY)
Killington (VT)
Mammoth Mountain (CA)
Sun Valley (ID)
Taos (NM)
The Canyons (UT)
Vail (CO)
Whistler-Blackcomb (British Columbia)
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October 30, 2009
Ski Season Starts Early!
Solitude Ski Resort, Utah (courtesy of the resort)
The pre-Halloween snowstorm that hit the Western states this week means that the much-anticipated start of ski season will be here sooner than we all thought.
Solitude Resort, in Utah, announced yesterday that opening day will be moved up one week to Friday, November 6. Season-pass holders can get on the mountain even sooner; Link Lift will be open for Halloween Day, October 31. Get your "pass-holder appreciation day" voucher here.
Keystone Resort, in Colorado, announced today that it will also open early this season. On Thursday, November 5, skiers and snowboarders can hit the mountain for top-to-bottom runs.
Also the pleased recipient of recent snows, many British Columbia resorts have upped their opening days. You can make tracks at Sun Peaks, for one, starting on Saturday, November 14.
Know of any other early ski-area openings? Tell us in the comments section below.
Check out Away.com's Ski Guide for profiles of the world's best ski areas.
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October 09, 2009
Mountain Hardwear's New Battery-Heated Jacket
Endlessly reliable gear and apparel manufacturer Mountain Hardwear has partnered with Ardica Moshi Power System to introduce the first jacket to offer electrically-powered heating on demand that's also prewired to power and recharge all variety of handheld electronics, from GPS devices, cell and smart phones, mp3 players, and digital cameras.
Available as of October 8, the jacket comes in men's and women's models (Refugium and Radiance, respectively) and retails for $240. The design includes a bevy of MH-approved tech features like a quilted body with ultra-thin insulation, fleece-lined hand pockets, laminated cuff tabs with Velcro closure, and a micro-chamois-lined chin guard in a refreshingly fashion-forward design. Moshi's standalone power system sells for $145, along with a $50 tech connector kit.
Depending on your tolerance for cold and your love of pocket electronics, this new product will either be the holy grail of snow-sports apparel or... just odd. But I suspect backcountry skiers and 'boarders, heli-skiers, and Gen Next resort-goers will eagerly embrace this latest advance.
Check back soon—we'll test it and give our input.
What do you think? Too much? Not enough?
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October 08, 2009
Colorado's Loveland Resort Opens!
Yesterday at 9 a.m. Colorado's Loveland Ski Resort became North America's first resort to open for the 2009-10 season, boasting an 18-inch base and a hearty group of ski enthusiasts ready to link 2009's first turns down the 1,000-vertical-foot, top-to-bottom run off Chair 1.
And so it begins...
Check out our detailed Ski and Snowboard Resort Guide.
Photo credit: First tracks of 2009 at Loveland Ski Resort (courtesy, Colorado Ski Country U.S.A.)
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September 10, 2009
Vermont's Bolton Valley Ski Resort Announces New Wind Turbine
WHITE MAGIC: Snowboarder at Bolton Valley, Vermont (courtesy, Bolton Valley Resort)
Vermont's Bolton Valley ski resort took a step into the green future with an announcement today that a 121-foot-high wind turbine will be coming online this fall to power the resort's operations. It will be the first wind turbine to be constructed at a Vermont ski area, and only the third at a ski area in the United States. The turbine is expected to provide upwards of 300,000 kilowatts of power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity used to power up to 45 Vermont households each year.
Locally owned and operated, Bolton Valley is a popular local hill within close proximity to Burlington, Vermont. The 165-acre resort offers 64 trails to suit skiers of all levels, plus boasts some of the cheaper skiing in the region, with adult lift tickets going for around $50.
Planning a skiing vacation this winter? Visit Away.com's Ski & Snowboard Guide for profiles of the best ski resorts in the world, plus check out our roundup of the best ski lodges.
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August 20, 2009
Guide to the World's Best Resorts & Lodges
Cayo Espanto, a private luxury all-inclusive in Belize (courtesy, Cayo Espanto)
For the past 12 months, I have been neck-deep in one of the toughest assignments a travel editor can expect: Scouring the globe for the world's best destination resorts and lodges. I know, it's a hard job gazing at images of unspoiled, faraway places (like the one above), but I wasn't alone for my journey. We assigned a crack squad of travel writers with clips in publications including National Geographic Adventure, Travel+Leisure, and Lonely Planet to track down the cream of the crop, including their selections for the best family resorts, beach resorts, national park lodges, all-inclusive resorts, and six other distinct travel categories. One year later, with my list of must-visit places in a state of morbid obesity, we're excited to announce the launch of Away.com's new Resorts & Lodges Guide, featuring 200 of the world's ultimate destination-resort experiences. If you're looking for inspiration about where to stay next, this is the place to start.
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August 14, 2009
Dreaming of Gold in Park City's Utah Olympic Park
A young clinic-goer preps to run the freestyle jump (courtesy, Utah Olympic Park)
Next February, the glow of Olympic competition will alight upon Vancouver, British Columbia, for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but you don't have to wait until then to get into the competitive spirit. The Utah Olympic Park just outside of Park City, Utah, hosted the Winter Games back in 2002, and today serves as both the training facility for the U.S. teams and one of the country's more alluring activity-centric locales, especially for families, during the warmer months of the year.
The facility boasts a spectacular interactive museum, the ski jump ramp—where you can peer over the ledge and get that vertiginous rush that comes from seeing what these astounding athletes willingly ski—and a variety of fun, low-adrenaline rides like the zipline and the Quicksilver alpine slide. But speed freaks will definitely want to hop on the Comet, the Olympic bobsled. Dubbed the "fastest minute of your life," you'll tear through 15 curves at speeds of 70 miles per hour, pulling close to four G's. But don't worry—Olympic athletes handle the steering and the brakes.
Continue reading "Dreaming of Gold in Park City's Utah Olympic Park" »
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August 07, 2009
Utah's First Legal Distillery Since Prohibition: High West Distillery
(courtesy, High West Distillery)
In honor of Utah recently shunning one of its antiquated drinking laws, celebrate by heading to Park City’s High West Distillery. The first legal distillery since prohibition in the state, High West opened its doors this July.
David Perkins, the man behind High West, first got the idea to build his own distillery after touring the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky back in 2002. Leaving unsatisfied and yearning for a more educational and sophisticated approach to whiskey, David returned home with a notion that he could build a great western distillery.
Later, he met Jim Rutledge, the COO and Master Distiller at Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky and one of eight masters of bourbon distilling, who taught him the ways of making truly good whiskey. David moved to Utah, uprooted his family from Northern California, made several batches of tasty whiskey, and found a 100-year-old livery stable in Park City to house his distillery.
Continue reading "Utah's First Legal Distillery Since Prohibition: High West Distillery" »
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