CNN runs a bit on the
trend towards fake snow skiiing.
For skiers in Europe and parts of Asia who don’t have any of the real freshie, they can hit indoor runs
at the local snow dome. What are snow domes, you ask? Snow domes are like stadia that house realistic snow and ski
slopes to slake the powder jones of skiers who seek year-round fixes. They are often just one slope with a
couple of runs. No double blacks, is my bet. And no “gang”ola to be sure.
St. Patty’s Day Ski
Well, while most of us are ensconced in our offices or cubes whiling away the day, some people are spending the day
outside…skiiing on what may be some of the last snow of the year. And then afterwards, they will head to their favorite
apres ski abode and sip hot toddys as they discuss the day’s conditions. Sadly, that does not describe my day at
all.
But along these lines, MSNBC has got a feature on apres ski
favorites in New England. No word on which ones are selling green beer, but if you happen to be at the
Wobbly Barn Steakhouse at Killington today, put one back for all of us cube
slaves.
The Surface Lift Experience
Ahh, the low tech surface lift. Harking back to a day before the fancy chairlifts came into being. Ski Magazine
contributor Alex Wells recently wrote of his
experiences seeking out ski areas which
used surface lifts (i.e. ropetows, T-bars, J-bars and poma lifts which keep your skis in contact with the snow) as
a means to get people up the slopes. Many of the spots he found, such as
Snowhaven in Idaho, require directions which
are sometimes akin to telling someone to turn right at the haystack. Needless to say, Wells found the down to earth
experiences he sought.
Top Ten Non-Fiction Adventure Travel DVDs
OK…so yesterday, we listed our top ten fiction DVDs of
all-time, and now here’s our list for top ten NON-fiction adventure DVDs of all time. This was a very tough list to
make, actually, as there really are many fine films out there.
10. The Dream is Alive (one of the earliest, and still best, IMAX films)
9. Endless Summer (the best surfing documentary ever…though I might add Riding Giants here as well.)
8. Steep and Deep (so many Warren Miller films…but this is one of my favorites)
7. Underwaterworld Trilogy (great for underwater film buffs)
6. Everest (the film, and the book Into Thin Air should be consumed together)
5. Touching the Void (even with re-enactmments, this is an incredibly riveting film)
4. Kon Tiki (even if Thor Heyerdahl was wrong, this is still a great film)
3. The Jacques Cousteau Odyssey – The Complete Series (sorry…a compendium, but Cousteau is one of the greatest figures
in non-fiction film-making ever)
2. Pole to Pole (OK, apparently not on DVD yet…at least not on Amazon. But this is my favorite of the Michael Palin
travel series…all of which are amazing)
1. Blue Planet (this is a REMARKABLE film EVERY single school kid should watch)
Surf Channel
Hey folks, check this out. The Surf Channel offers online videos on surfing
with some really cool stuff. From snow boarding to surfing the videos are well-produced and a great way to pass the
time during lunch.