Lost Valley Ski Vacations

Lost Valley Ski Vacations

If you will be traveling to the North East, you must not miss Lost Valley Ski Resort. Located on 300 acres in the middle of Maine, the resort offers many different types of terrain, hills, streams, bridges, and fifteen well maintained trail systems.

The Lost Valley Resort is best suited to beginners and intermediate skiers, but there are more thrilling trails available for expert skiers as well. There are
three lifts to accommodate skiers, including two chair lifts and one surface lift.

Equipment can be rented for all sports that are catered to at Lost Valley Resort, including ski equipment, snowboarding equipment, mountain bikes, and paintball equipment. Ski and snowboarding lessons are also available for private parties and
groups.

At the lodge, you will experience a warm family environment with outstanding food and beverages. This is an absolutely wonderful place to bring a family. There are training programs, adaptive ski programs, racing events, a snowboard terrain park, mountain biking, and a huge twenty acre paintball park. Lost Valley Resort is also a great place to hold meetings, family reunions, weddings, and other special events. Catering is available.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Holiday Mountain Ski Vacations

Holiday Mountain Ski Vacations

Holiday Mountain, located in New York, is a popular area for skiing. Even though the highest elevation is only 1300 feet, and the vertical drop is only 400 feet,
this area is a popular place for the younger crowd, and it is definitely a great place to learn how to ski.

There are eight lifts, including three chair lifts and five surface lifts. There are 15 trails for beginners, intermediate skiers, and expert skiers. While skiing
and snowboarding are the main attractions, there is much more here as well, including bumper cars, an arcade, and a mechanical bull. There is always something to do at Holiday Mountain Ski Resort.

The best place to stay when visiting Holiday Mountain Ski Resort is the Villa Roma Resort Hotel, which is located in the Sullivan County Catskills. Villa Roma was named as one of America’s 50 Best Family Resorts by Better Homes & Garden Magazine, and with the amazing amount of fun activities, it is easy to see why. The resort features a rail park for snowboarders, birthday packages, snow tubing, and of course skiing.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Nub’s Nob Ski Vacations

Nub’s Nob Ski Vacations

If you will be in Michigan, you should definitely visit Nub’s Nob Ski Resort. Nub’s Nob has what is considered to be the Midwest’s best snow, and the resort has a reputation for being a family friendly mountain. Generations of families have brought their children here for their very first ski run.

The mountain layout is fairly simple with an elevation of 1338 feet and a vertical drop of 427 feet. There are 43 trails serviced by eight chair lifts. Boasting one of the best skiing and snowboarding schools in the country, both private and group lessons are available. If you are brand new to the sport, you can even learn to ski free, and take advantage of Nub’s Cubs Childcare Center while you learn.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that intermediate or expert skiers won’t find any challenges waiting for them at Nub’s Nob! The terrain is varied, and you will
find challenges. Night Skiing is also available. The Ski School offers training programs for advanced skiers who are interested in racing, and many racing events are held at the resort. You can signup for race leagues at the resort, and many league events are planned each season.

Equipment rental is available, and there is a General Store right inside the lodge, where you can purchase gloves, hats, and neck warmers among a variety of other items. You should also visit the technology center to have your ski’s tuned or repaired.

You won’t go hungry either! Nub’s Nob Cafeteria is open for breakfast and lunch, and if you brought your own lunch, you can eat in the ‘brown bag’ room. Nub’s Winter Garden serves grilled burgers when the weather allows. Pintail Peak Warming Hut is located at the top of the Black Lift. Here, you can enjoy amazing views while enjoying home made soups and sandwiches.

Nub’s Nob is the place to go if you want to have a great family ski vacation – or if you are already an expert skier interested in racing and skill events. There is plenty to do and see. In fact, you may find that you have a problem deciding which activity to participate in first! Don’t worry about missing anything, though – if you want to ski now and board later, you can do that. Most events are planned for the weekends, so arrange your schedule so that you are able to attend or participate in the planned events.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Hosting the Winter Olympic Games

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Hosting the Winter Olympic Games

Hosting the Winter Olympic Games is something that is tremendous honor, but there is quite an investment that has to take place on the behalf of the host city. This is why Denver, Colorado declined to host the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. The voters of the city decided not to approve a $5 million bond in order to pay for updates, improvements, and promotions for the Winter Olympic Games.

Yet the initial investment for getting ready to host the Winter Olympic Games is something that many areas are willing to do. The amount of revenue they reap during the Olympic Games as well as after that due to the publicity for their city more than pays for the initial cost to get ready for the event. A large portion of the money they earn comes from the television rights to air the Olympic events from their city.

Those cities that want to host the Winter Olympic Games have to place a bid for it. The committee will then review each bid and narrow the options down to three or four. From there a full evaluation of the city will be conducted in order to determine where the best possible location will be.

It is very common for cities that want to host the Winter Olympic Games to submit a bid each time they are open until they are awarded the honor of hosting the event. If they aren’t accepted because they don’t have the facilities to successfully host the games then they continue working on constructing them and having them in place before the next bidding session.

Allowing the Winter Olympic Games to take place in various locations around the world offers more of a universal theme to the concept of the Olympic Games. Since it doesn’t always take place in the same country it doesn’t seem to belong to any one of them but to all of them collectively. It is a great experience though to have the Winter Olympic Games hosted close to where you live. This allows you to go to many of the events and see them live rather than just on TV.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games were held in Vancouver, Canada. This made it the third time that Canada has had the honor of hosting the Olympics and the second round for the Winter Olympic Games. It is estimated that it cost Canada approximately $1.4 billion to host this event. $200 million of this budget was directly spent on security measures for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Processing is already underway for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games as well which will be held in Sochi, Russia. This is an amazing feat when you consider only 20 years ago Russia was considered to be a very isolated and different form of government than others around the world.

Yet Russia has plenty to do before the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. More than $580 million will be spent on construction, to lay more than 2,000 miles of fiber optics for communication, and building four hydropower stations in order to ensure there is sufficient electricity for the event. Expansions of the railway and various airports is also part of the construction process to ensure they can handle the capacity of people coming in for the event.

So as you can see hosting the Winter Olympic Games is no small feet.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Frost Fire Mountain

Frost Fire Mountain

For the ultimate family ski vacation, you must visit Frost Fire Mountain in North Dakota. Located near Walhalla, the resort features three lifts, including two chair lifts and one surface lift, 25 acres, and ten trails for beginners, intermediates and experts. The top elevation is 1346 feet, with a vertical drop of 345 feet.

Although this is not a large ski resort, it is a great deal of fun, and perfect for family ski vacations. This is the perfect place to bring kids to learn how to ski.
Both ski and snowboard lessons are available at reasonable rates. There is a rental shop and ski maintenance area on the grounds, and many motel accommodations in the area to choose from. There is a separate terrain park for snowboarders as well.

There are many restaurants to choose from, and you can also visit the areas antique shops when you aren’t busy enjoying the slopes. There are many historical sites to see in the area as well, as Walhalla is the second oldest town in the state of North Dakota.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Buying the Right Ski Equipment

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Buying the Right Ski Equipment

Skiing is a fun winter sport but to get the full enjoyment from it you need to have the right ski equipment. This is also necessary in order to help you remain safe while you are skiing. While most ski resorts rent out equipment, you will find having your own makes it an entirely different experience.

You will need to dress in layers when you go skiing to preserve your body heat because the weather will likely be cold. The thermal underwear you buy needs to fit you snuggly so it isn’t moving around under your other clothing. You will need a ski suit or ski pants for your outer layer of protection. You want items that are waterproof so you won’t end up wet and cold as the day progresses.

One of the most important pieces of your ski equipment is what you will wear on your feet. Ski boots need to fit correctly or you will have a very difficult time. They need to be snugger than what you will wear for your normal shoes. Your ankles have a great deal of pressure on them while you are skiing so if your boots are too loose you risk twisting or breaking your ankle.

The socks you wear with your ski books are important to. You want them to be thin and made from merino wool. Too many people make the mistake of thinking heavy socks such as those you wear for hiking are a good idea but they aren’t going to keep your feet warm.

Keeping your hands warm is essential while skiing so look for gloves with a thermal lining. You also want those that offer you an excellent material for gripping so you won’t lose your ski poles. Gloves for skiing need to fit well or you risk losing them while you are skiing.

To keep your head and ears warm you want a hat that can also stay firmly in place. Ear muffs can be worn to cover your ears if you don’t want a long hat. And helmets are available for more safety.

You can purchase your skis and the poles as a set or separately. There are plenty of different types of skis to select from based on the type of skiing you plan on doing. Make sure you try on the skis to make sure they will securely hold your feet. It is a good idea to try them on with the gloves you will be using. This allows you to see if you can easily secure the skis with your gloves on or not.

The amount of skiing you will be doing should affect the amount of money you wish to spend on such equipment. Those that only ski a few times per year really need to look at moderately priced ski equipment that is durable but not expensive. Those that plan to hit the slopes on a regular basis really want to consider investing in the top merchandise as it will definitely provide them with a good return on their investment.

You can purchase quality ski equipment at sporting goods stores or online. Many items you want to be able to try on to ensure they are a good fit. If you aren’t able to do this make sure the company offers a money back guarantee. This way you can either exchange it or get your money back if it doesn’t work for you. You want your ski equipment to be durable so you can spend your time on the slopes instead of trying to get warm.

See you on the slopes,
Greg

Fun Valley

Fun Valley

If you are looking for a great place to go for your family ski vacation, Fun Valley, Iowa is the place to go. This resort caters to families and beginner level
skiers, but it is also great for intermediate and expert skiers as well. There is something to suit all levels at Fun Valley.

The top elevation at Fun Valley is 1201 feet, with a vertical drop of 200 feet. There are six lifts, including three chair lifts and three surface lifts. The new
learning center is something to see – and experience if you are a beginner. Tubers and snowboarders are welcome, and there is an excellent terrain park available. Rental equipment, including tubes and boards, is available.

Fun Valley offers outstanding group rates for groups of ten or more. Birthday packages are also outstanding for kids twelve and under. Every Wednesday and Thursday night, the resort offers a student night, with greatly reduced rates. Buddy Pass Friday’s are also popular – bring your friends and you will all save on lift tickets. Coca-Cola sponsors Sprite Saturday’s at Fun Valley, where you can participate in three activities for one flat affordable fee.

See you on the slopes,
Greg