OK,
we’re back on schedule now with our Photo of the day selections. Time to dig around the gadling Flickr site and see what kind of amazing stuff that people are
posting. There is a bunch of cool new photos at the top of the list, so I had several to choose from. I’ll start with
this peaceful, nicely composed shot by
crafterm.
He titles it "a pristine snow covered field in Switzerland", and it is our POTD today.
Makes you want to break out your boards and hit the slopes.
Hey, there’s nothing like a
shameless pitch. This site called the Travel Bloggers
Network is holding a "Best Travel Blog" contest where readers can select the best site out there…or at
least among the ones listed.
Gadling is one
of the listed sites and we’d be mighty grateful if you could feel it in your hearts to go there and vote for us. Why?
Because every day we work our fingers down to the cuticle to bring you the best news and recommendations for travel.
Travel is something we are passionate about, and we hope it shows.
So do us a favor if you are able and go
over and vote. From all of us here at Gadling: thank you!
If I were to heard out tomorrow
to do some skiing, the most likely place I’d head would be Salt Lake City. Colorado remains one of my favorite states to ski, no doubt, and
Whistler in British Columbia is probably the best place around as a whole, but Salt lake has got like six areas right
around the town that you can mix and match over the course of, say, a week of skiing. Not just that, but in just a few
weeks Sundance will be there and, well, I’ve always wanted to see Sundance.
But let’s just stick with Salt
Lake a moment, and consider
this piece from CNN that extols the town’s virtues, such as they are….this is, if we can call virtues any place
that still serves 3.2 beer. That, my friends, borders on criminal. But put such things aside, and consider that within
just a 45 minute drive from Salt Lake, up either Big or Little Cottonwood Canyons you can hit Alta, Snowbird,
Brighton and Solitude. The article here tests out a couple of areas. The writer is partial to Snowbird, or
"Bird" as he calls it. But I have to say I’m an Alta fan myself. Still, I’d ht the Bird ay day if offered the
opportunity.
One of my first jobs out of college was working as a
photographer at Squaw Valley. No, not for some glossy magazine like Ski. Rather I
was one of those guys standing at the top of the lift asking if you want your picture taken…or I’d follow you and
your family around to shoot you for an hour, and then you’d presumably tip me well and pay me for the pics. It was kind
lame work, but helped sharpen my eye and got me on the slopes every day. You can ‘t bear that.
Well, at the
time Squaw was kind of run down, but it was still probably the best place to ski in Tahoe. Heavenly, I’m sorry to say, was a joke. But it seems things have changed and
both areas have gotten or are getting a serious face lift. Squaw’s backers are the same dudes who are now running
Winter Park and Whistler Blackcomb The Intrawest ski conglomerate. Heavenly is run by the gargantuan Vail corporation.
So the question in this article is: which is better? Now you can make
all the improvements you like, add new lifts, bigger hotels and a latte bar, but I have to say I think the overall
terrain at Squaw beats Heavenly handily. Still, I haven’t been to Heavenly in a long while, so I really
can’t say for sure. But I do have to say that if price is any indication, I fall firmly on the Squaw side of
things. An adult ticket this year at heavenly runs $73 in peak season, while you can shred the wicked bowls of Squaw
for $65.
So there you have it. I’m sticking with Squaw.
Way to go Oregon for keeping the last day in 05′ live! Last minute planners in the state should check out these
events happening all over the place. Events listed are for families and the 21 crowd. In Portland the fun begins at
10PM at the Pioneer Courthouse Square which features food music
and dancing. At midnight interested participants can take part in a 3-mile run or 1.5-mile walk. That my friends sounds
like an unbeatable healthy way to start the new year. I thought that one in particular was the best, plus it’s in a
pretty big city. There are many to choose from like ski events, gourmet dinners, magic shows, and dancing so take a
gander!
via Medford
News