You’ve heard the saying before: “She’s not your girlfriend. It’s just your turn.” Welcome to mountain town dating politics. While the post après string-free flings and bed-hopping can be fun—there is an obvious downside. No, we’re not talking about the fact that you and your best friend have crossed swords more times that can care to count. We’re talking about STDs. And since April was STD-awareness month, everyone has the taboo topic on the brain.

Did you know that in 2006, Alaska had the highest rate of Chlamydia in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention? Fernie, British Columbia’s online Survival Guide sites B.C. as having one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in Canada.

Don’t fret. There is a solution. And no, it’s not the Ski Condom, a neoprene sleeve that slides over your ski tip. In the midst of spring off-season trips to Nicaragua, breaking your bike out of hibernation, and warming up the BBQ, get tested. Because in our little mountain towns, the saying “It’s such a small world” really takes on a whole new meaning.

Megan is a former editor at Outside Magazine, and now an associate editor at Skiing and was crowned Telemark Freeskiing Champion in Alyeska in March. She lives in Boulder.

As the 2007/ 2008 winter season was winding down in Big Sky, spring snowfalls continued to add to an already epic winter. Throughout the west, everybody seemed to be experiencing what would appear to be a ten year cycle. Just when everybody was sure the run must be coming to an end, another storm would roll in creating yet another powder day. I had gone into this season with a fairly big winter event schedule, a couple of randonee races, a few nordic races and possibly a trip down to the Grand Traverse Race. In addition, to this busy schedule, I was trying to finish a large addition on my house, which proved to be a much larger tax on my winter plans then I had expected. It became brutally clear early on that finding “training time”, even with my usual night time and pre-dawn headlamp missions was going to be difficult to maintain. I quietly resolved, after several storms made the backcountry sketchy and the ski area awesome, that I was going to be riding chairlifts a lot this winter.
Read More »

Face it, powder skiing is easy. It is elation, beautiful to capture on film and just plain fun. Problem is this time of year, powder skiing is pretty much over.

( That said as I write this it is currently snowing out my window…)

Steep skiing is the stronger, silent, older brother of powder skiing. You know, that guy, somewhat intimidating, quixotic and a bit misunderstood. Steep skiing is hard. It is dangerous, approaches tend to be heinous and it is alive and well in the Rockies this spring.

Capitol Peak, the hardest ski over 14,000 feet in Colorado has seen two new routes on it. Led by Ted Mahon of Aspen and Frank Konsella of Crested Butte, both parties have added proud descents and agreed they would likely never go back up and ski those lines again.

The Landry line on Pyramid saw multiple repeats, a new line on Thunder ( a sub peak of Pyramid ) was skied as was the Otter Body on the Grand Teton. There have been countless others, some purposely kept off the radar.

So what is it about steep skiing?

Well, it combines risk, challenge and physical exertion - all in a breathtaking alpine coliseum. And it’s intensity is shared among friends.Toque’s off to steep skiers, but remember she is a harsh mistress. Ski for yourself as the margin of error doesn’t equal bragging rights at the bar.

From SNEWS 04/24/2008- This year’s Capitol Summit, held April 15-17 in Washington D.C., brought to mind the 1964 song “A Change is Gonna Come” by the great Sam Cooke. “It’s been a long time coming, … but I know a change is gonna come,” he sang.

After two days of joining outdoor leaders in lobbying meetings with members of Congress and staff, it was clear to SNEWS® that folks on “The Hill” are hoping for big changes in government funding when the new president is sworn into office, be it Clinton, Obama or McCain.

At a breakfast held during the Summit, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) told members of the outdoor industry and the National Parks Conservation Association that the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been “thrown overboard” by the Bush Administration. However, he added, “With a new president, we have a better chance to deal with bigger issues, such as re-baselining.” Basically, this means rearranging priorities and re-setting the base funding levels for things such as the LWCF, which provides funds to federal agencies and states to acquire and develop outdoor recreation areas and facilities.
Read More »

The January Classics - Wengen

As a freelance journalist / itinerant ski bum, I am lucky enough to get to see the world’s most incredible mountains, sort of eking out a living. My usual beat: the Alps. For the last decade, I’ve spent the better part of my winters exploring mega-resorts that would dwarf my home hill (sometimes referred to laughingly as the “Big One”), as well as little-known mom-and-pop resorts with nothing but a few dodgy lifts and unparalleled access to big, uncrowded peaks. The feeling of exploration, and the amount of ground you can cover in Europe - be it by train, car, tram, poma lift, and of course, your skis – is staggering.

But this January, I had a different assignment: the World Cup. Hitting the ground in Geneva on Christmas day, I was on a month-long trail of “the classics”, the oldest and most revered races of the circuit. Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel were all names I had heard and places I had seen on Wide World of Sports, but never in person. With a fresh press pass and course credentials, I was off to follow the White Circus for a month.

Read More »

Ever wonder when you sit down in your cube in the morning if you’ve picked the right job? Do you dread getting up knowing your day consists of waiting on tourists at the local pizza joint, or subconsciously mumble obscenities under your breathe when your hotel guests ask for a fluffier pillow?

Maybe its time for a change. There are a handful of companies now offering the opportunity to test drive your dream job over the weekend and still be back at the office on Monday, and your boss will be none the wiser.
VOCATION VACATIONS is a Portland, Oregon-based company started by Brian Kurth. He came up with the idea for the company concept during one of his daily, two-to-three hour, round-trip commutes on the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. His corporate career was going quite well, but he was continually struck by a certain emptiness about his overall lifestyle. It was then that he started fantasizing about the “dream” and when planning for an upcoming vacation decided to test the waters in one of his own dream jobs. Vocation Vacations now offers over 125 “holidays” including Chocolatier, Film Producer, Composer, Park Ranger, Pro Wrestler, Boat Captain, Alpaca Farmer, and my favorite, cheesemonger, among many many others. Full List of available vacations
CLOUD 9 LIVING, the US‘s leading Experience Gift Company, offers an incredible selection of the country‘s most unique and memorable experiences.
If you have always dreamed of being a DJ, take some private lessons and learn to spin, scratch and skip like a champ. Jet pilot courses, stock car racing, mountain climbing, bull riding, VIP dinners with sommeliers, or scuba diving with Great Whites, they offer it all, even my personal favorite, a day of bulldozer training. Sign me up!