MSNBC runs a fine piece on family ski
areas. Fine, I say, because they give Mammoth the props it Jdeserves as one of our nation’s best ski areas (yes, I’m
biased). Give it a read. They also cover Jackon
(GREAT area), Alta, Crested Butte and Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont. All these areas are family-friendly, but also killer
for unattached ski dogs (trust me).
The Ultra Hard Race
Check out this series of dispatches
coming from the Alaska Ultra, a very nasty race. The Ultra follows the same route as the Iditarod. Contestants do
not mush dogs, however. Nor do they eat them. They either ski, bike or run their way from Knick Lake (near Anchorage)
to Nome. 1,100 miles of serious attitude adjustment. Cyclist Elliot McAllister is filing dispatches on the cold
and hardship…emphasis on hard.
Mammoth Snow Shoeing
One of my all time favorite places in the country to ski and
mountain bike (and yes, I’m from California and so very biased), Mammoth
Mountain has been getting some nice attention lately. They are still building like mad at this killer Sierra
resort. And there is so much more to do there than ride lifts all day.
As this
article points out, the
Tamarack Lodge
offers some great snowsoeing, cross country skiing and general snow frolic. Despite the fact that much of this
development is beginning to make Mammoth almost Disneyesque, it is still an amazing place to go.
Avalanche Captured in Photos
Check out this site by with footage of a huge natural
avalanche near Sundance in Utah. The scenes were captured by Bruce Tremper, who was driving
with professional photographer Matt Turley as they drove near the base of Sundance, and pulled over to the side of
the road to catch this incredible footage. There’s a whole series of great photos here worth checking out.
On Akio Shinya
Akio Shinya is one of Japan’s most legendary guides and mountaineers. When he’s not out rescuing lost snow boarders,
he is barrelling down some of Japan’s and the world’s biggest mountains. In
this article from
Ski Magazine, we meet Shinya, and learn a bit about how this master of disaster
deals with saving lives, climbing the world’s tallest peaks, and playing the violin.
The article also examines the Japanese resort of Niseko, the largest ski area
on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. The resort squats just a few hundred miles off the coast of Russia
where powerful Siberian storms slam into the mountain and create some of the world’s best snow. it is a popular
destination for Asian and European skiers who lust for great snow, great skiing, and something new.