Snake River Resort deal feels like stealing

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I love dirt-cheap deals. I like being able to go to some cool destination … and know that I’m absolutely screwing the place because the package is so cheap. The “Tram-tastic Ski Package” at the Snake River Lodge & Spa looks like one of these chances to feel like you are truly taking advantage of somebody. This Jackson Hole, WY RockResort is turning $106 a night into a gateway to pure decadence (average room rate for the package).

The deal includes access to the new Jackson Hole Mountain Resort tram – in its first season – before the festivities come to a close. So, the gig is only good through April 5, 2009. In addition to riding the damn tram, you’ll pick up four nights at the Snake River Lodge & Spa, three full-day adult ski passes for two at the resort, two 50-minute treatments at Avanyu Spa and breakfast daily at gamefish.

So, stick it to “the man” this month and extract a little extra value from RockResorts. Hell, they’re offering, so it must not be immoral.

Skiing in Maine offers bargains in March

by Jamie Rhein on

When I think of Maine, I think of leaping off barnacle covered rocks into the ocean and eating clams dipped in butter in Ogunquit like I did one summer when I went there to visit a high school friend. She was was working as a waitress at a hotel resort and I was a kitchen grunt and laundry girl at a kids camp–the only way I could afford making it to camp as a high schooler. Whenever else I’ve been to Maine, the theme has been the same–beach seafood,and leisurely strolls. Just recently I’ve thought of a different scene.

A friend of mine–a different one–just emailed me this week with news that he expected to be skiing in Maine until April. He lives near Portland. With the 70 degree weekend we’re having in Ohio, I’d say my one-day pass for tubing at Snow Trails will go unused. Maine is a different story. If I lived there, I’d go tubing and more. Perhaps, I’d dust off those cross-country skis of mine propped in a corner of our basement.

With the snow that socked in the northeast the beginning of this past week, the skiing in Maine has had an extra boost. The Ski Maine Association Web site offers links to each of the Alpine and Nordic ski areas and tells when it last snowed at each. Most places just got fresh snow.

The events page on the site offers a list of the myriad activities that are going on through the middle of April. I have to say the 22nd Annual Parrot Head/Bust N Burn Festival sounds intriguing. It’s taking place at Sunday River, April 3-5. Here’s an article in Boston.com from last year about the event. Key lime pie, Jimmy Buffet music and skiing are involved.

As a note, Sunday River is offering lodge and ski packages through March with an even greater price drop during the middle of the week. If you buy lift tickets ahead of time, you get a 10% discount. The Ski Maine Association also is offering discounts through the Maine Winter Activities Pass. Before you head somewhere, check out the deals.

The photo is of Sugar Loaf. College students who show ID can ski for $39 during mid-week days. That means Mon.-Thursday.

For those looking for skiing longer into the season, I’d seriously think about heading to Maine. Surely you can find steamed clams to dip in butter which could tide you over until summer.

Here’s an events page for what to do in Ogunquit in the winter. On Wednesday nights at Tapas and Tini’s there’s Divine and Dine–where you can have a choice of entrees that come with side dishes for $9.99. The deal ends the beginning of June.

The photo from Maine Coast Semester is of a winter trip to Holbrook Pond. Maine Coast Semester offers wilderness trips year round for adults and young people. Just another way to see Maine in the winter–or any season.

Snowboarder Twitters For Rescue

by Kraig Becker on

The “micro-blogging” phenomenon known as Twitter has captured the attention of many, while confounding others. In a nutshell, the service allows users to send out brief messages to friends, known as “Followers” in twitter-speak, sharing news and information or simply the minutia of your day.

The service came in especially handy for Jason Tavaria recently when he and a companion were snowboarding in the Swiss Alps and became lost in a snow storm. Despite being stranded in a blizzard, Tavaria’s iPhone still had reception, and he simply used his Twitter app to “tweet” his location, which he determined using the phone’s built in GPS. Rescue teams were able to locate Tavaria, who was unharmed and in good condition.

Tavaria’s companion, Rob Williams, was not so lucky. It is believed that while lost, and blinded by the snow, he fell of a 60 foot cliff and died. His body was later recovered from a stream at the foot of the cliff he went over.

The entire search and rescue operation played out over Twitter as well, with friends of the duo sending out messages and updates from the lodge while they waited for word on their rescue. At one point they sent out a request for Williams’ phone number in an attempt to call the young entrepreneur, who had founded the online music equipment site Dolphin Music.

This story is just another example of how connected we’ve all become and how technology is changing the way we communicate.

Exploring the Canadian Rockies on Cross Country Skis

by Kraig Becker on

Stretching into Alberta and British Columbia, the Canadian Rockies form the backdrop for one of the best settings for winter outdoor adventure in North America, if not the world. The region can be explored by sled dog or on snowshoes, and offers some of the best skiing, both downhill and cross country, anywhere.

With that in mind, outdoor enthusiast and writer Peter Potterfield recently made the trek up north to take in the amazing terrain and sample the best Canadian lodges in the area as well. He wrote about his expedition over at GreatOutdoors.com, sharing all the details of his mid-February cross country ski trip across miles of backcountry trails.

The trip begins with a flight into Calgary, followed by a quick one-hour drive to the mountains and the Num-TiJah Lodge, the first of five that Potterfield would visit on his journey. Over the course of the next few days, he spent the daylight hours exploring the trails, which range in difficulty from relaxed and easy to challenging and strenuous, depending on the chosen route. Evenings are spent in comfortable accomidations, sipping wine and dining on fine cuisine, with the beautiful, remote scenery just outside the window.

The article has all the details on how to get to the area, including links to all the lodges as well. There is also information on what equipment to bring or rent while you there, as the varying conditions allow for the use of a wide variety of winter gear.

Winter isn’t over for a few more weeks, and the skiing up north should be great for well into the spring. If you’re looking for a remote getaway for some backcountry skiing, the Canadian Rockies will offer everything you need.

Winter Adventures in the Pyrenees

by Kraig Becker on

Spain is seldom considered a great destination for skiers, but this story from the Wall Street Journal, says that the Pyrenees Mountains, found in the northern part of that country, are amongst Europe’s hidden gems when it comes to winter outdoor adventure.

Far from the crowds that are the norm for the top ski destinations in Europe, the Pyrenees of Spain offer plenty of solitude and untouched snow, along remote trails that wind their way between rock towers and hidden valleys. The area is almost completely lacking in ski resorts as they are traditionally known, so those looking to ski Spain’s northern mountains will generally need a guide to help them find the safest and best cross country or downhill routes. These trails generally aren’t as long as those found in the more developed resort areas of the Pyrenees or Alps, but they make up for it with their unique setting.

The fact that the region hasn’t been over developed yet by ski resorts doesn’t mean that visitors will have be lacking in other amenities. Over the past ten years, Northern Spain has been a growing destination for tourists in general, and that has led to the construction of a number of inns and weekend apartment complexes, as well as given rise to mountain guide services. Restaurants and clubs have added to the nightlife as well.

The region is also rich in culture and history, making the entire experience very different from the more overly commercialized skiing destinations in other European countries. Head here when you want to escape the crowds and have a ski adventure unlike any other.