Video: “Stuff” skiers say

by Laurel Miller on

I’m in Lake Tahoe–California and Nevada’s premier ski destination–visiting my brother and his family. My teenage nephew, a member of the Olympic Valley Freeride & Freestyle Team, turned me on to this farcical video about things skiers say. If you’re a skier–or snowboarder–you’re fully aware that there are certain phrases ubiquitous to those who spend their days on the slopes–even if the language between the two sports differs slightly.

Even if you don’t dig snow, you’ll likely appreciate this. And if you’re a flatlander heading to the mountains for a weekend of shreddin’….please…don’t act like a gaper. “Now go get your sesh on.”

Warning: this clip contains language that may be offensive to some.


Pacific Rowing Race announced

by Kraig Becker on

Adventurers and extreme sports athletes looking for a new challenge may well find what they’re looking for in the newly announced Pacific Rowing Race. The event, which isn’t scheduled to take place until June of 2014, will cover more than 2100 nautical miles, beginning in Monterey Bay, California and ending in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Organizers of the event expect that it will take around 30 to 35 days for the fastest two- and four-person crews to row the entire length of the course. The current record for an individual rower is 64 days, and was set back in 1997, but due to advances in technology and better boat design, a solo racer could easily break that record. On the other hand, teams who are more interested in enjoying the experience of being out on the ocean, and aren’t trying to set new speed records, could take as much as 100 days to reach the finish line.

Along the way, racers will face a host of weather conditions, ranging from clear, calm days to potentially dangerous storms. They’ll also have to contend with seas that can be both extremely turbulent or smooth as glass. And while they’re out on the water, they’ll experience breathtaking sunrises and sunsets and a peaceful solitude that is broken from time to time by a passing dolphin, whale, or other sea creature.

Some of the details on the race are still being worked out, but if you’re interested in taking part in the event, there is an online form that you can fill out by clicking here. Completing that form will ensure that you receive the latest news on the event and keep you updated on any announcements from the race organizers.

Online entry for the Pacific Rowing Race is scheduled to open on April 2nd of this year, giving participants more than two years to prepare.

[Photo credit: Roz Savage]

Video of the Day: A tour of 1955 San Francisco

by Jessica Marati on

Today’s featured video offers a rare glimpse at the city of San Francisco as it looked in 1955. Filmed by amateur filmmaker Tullio Pellegrini, the video provides a narrated tour of the city and its surroundings, complete with a gloriously vintage soundtrack. Pellegrini was also an inventor and tinkerer, and the video’s quality is due to his merging of a 16mm Bell & Howell Cinemascope lens with Kodachrome film. This gem was recently discovered in the Prelinger Archives‘ collection of more than 60,000 advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films. Watch and wait as the nostalgia hits you.

[via StreetsBlog]

Mammoth Mountain offers guaranteed snow

by Kraig Becker on

It has been a real hit-and-miss season for skiers so far this winter. Some regions of the U.S. have received plenty of snow, but large sections of the country are still waiting for for the sizable accumulations that will allow them to hit the slopes in style. But visitors to Mammoth Mountain in California can rest assured that they’ll have plenty of powder to play in, as the resort is even offering a snow guarantee for pass holders.

The Mammoth Mid-Winter Pass is currently on sale for just $299 and allows skiing or snowboarding everyday of the week between January 9 and February 10. That averages out to just $12 per day, which is an amazing deal for anyone who wants to ski one of the premiere resorts in all of North America. But, it gets even better. Starting yesterday, for every day that goes by in which the resort doesn’t receive 24 inches of new snowfall, they’ll extend the length of the pass for an additional day.

I’m told that the current snow base on the mountain is between 1.5 and 2 feet, and daily measurements will be provided by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol to keep track of how much new snow falls. A running ticker will also be added to the Mammoth website to keep pass holders informed of those measurements and how many extra days are being added to their pass. So while you’re lamenting the fact that no fresh snow has fallen on the mountain, the value of that Mid-Winter Pass will continue to go up.

There is one small caveat however. In order to take advantage of this deal, you’ll need to purchase the Mid-Winter Pass by Monday, January 9th. To find out more and order your pass online, click here.

[Photo Courtesy of Mammoth Mountain]

San Francisco’s most exciting 2012 opening: The Inn at The Presidio

by McLean Robbins on
Just one hotel is planned for a 2012 opening in San Francisco, but it’s a rather exciting venture. The INN AT THE PRESIDIO, the first hotel in the Presidio of San Francisco. Located in a national park, The Inn will be located in historic Pershing Hall, previously the post’s bachelor officers’ quarters, The Inn will will feature 22 spacious guest rooms – 17 of which are one bedroom suites for the low price of just $195-$350 a night.

Established in 1776 by Spain, the Presidio served as the northernmost outpost of colonial power in the New World. Today the Presidio is a unique urban national park spanning 1,491 acres at the tip of the San Francisco peninsula.

Historic touches like memorabilia and photos as well as modern regional art will add a local touch. Guests will have access to the Presidio’s wide variety of recreational opportunities including a golf course, wedding and event facilities, bowling, a YMCA gym/indoor pool, urban spa, fitness/Pilates/yoga studio, indoor rock-climbing studio, trampoline park, and hiking and biking trails.

The hotel is expected to open in April 2012 – we’ll mark this on our “must visit” list.