Embrace the Cold: How Snowboarding Turns Winter Weather into Fun

 Do you like winter? Or, rather, do you like being outside in the cold winter weather? If so, and you're looking for a great new sport to try out this winter, consider snowboarding.

To a lot of people, the idea of snowboarding is dangerous, like it's something only crazy teenage boys do. The idea of sliding down a large mountain or hill is daunting enough and doing it on a snowboard sounds too hard to try. If these are your thoughts, you must rethink. Whether you are an avid skier or never quite made it down the mountain in the winter, snowboarding is a great way to spend winter days.

If you are a skier and are looking to transition your skills to the snowboarding realm, congratulations. The only advice I can give is to be patient. Because snowboarding is similar to skiing and yet so different, some people who are decent skiers will find that snowboarding will be a natural and easy transition while others will have a frustrating and painful learning process. Persevere because sooner or later the snowboarding tricks can come to almost anyone. 

In case you have never been a skier, never mind. A skiing background is not always necessary or even useful in learning the art of snowboarding. You, the non-ski expert, may well pick up the snowboarding moves pretty easily as opposed to your skiing friends. After some time you may find that snowboarding fits you to a T.

Allow me to offer some words of wisdom to any skiing pro or not who wishes to be part of the snowboarding ranks. First, do not attempt to get on a board and learn the skill on your own. Most will find that they fare much better taking snowboarding lessons at a bare minimum to learn the basics of the sport. So don't hesitate to book yourself up for a lesson or two prior to taking to the slopes.

A second, and perhaps more worthwhile, recommendation is simple: rent. Resist the temptation to run out and buy the latest board and snowboarding gear simply so you'll look like an old veteran on the mountain. For your initial few times out you should rent equipment and take the opportunity to find out what kind of boards are best for you. By renting you can avoid a costly mistake that will plague you later on.

So, whether you've been skiing for years or not, this winter when it comes around again make the choice to learn a new skill. Who knows, snowboarding can soon become your number one winter pleasure.

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Preserving Your Ice Climbing Experiences

Ice climbing is a great way to escape the rat race and live on the edge. Alas, your ice climbing experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a ice climbing journal for your adventures.

Ice Climbing Journals

Take a minute to give some consideration to your most recent ice climbing experience. What sticks out in your mind besides the fact it was cold? Did you climb a waterfall? Now think about the first time you went ice climbing. Chances are, you remember very little about the geography, others who were with you, particular ice climbing routes and stunning scenery. The memories that you cannot remember are lost to the ages. If you keep an ice climbing log, this will not occur.

There are famous instances of people keeping diaries throughout the centuries. Of course, Anne Franks Diary is the classic example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary on the two years her family was in hiding from the Nazis. While your ice climbing exploits should be much less dire, keeping a journal will enable you to remember them as the years pass.

A good ice climbing journal has a few things. One, it has to be compact so you don't have to sacrifice space for other gear. Two, it has to have a cover to protect it from the elements and so on. Three, the journal needs to have open areas for you to record your notes. Four, the journal needs to have cue areas to remind you to write down some things. Cues should include:

1. Who you went ice climbing with,

2. The character and quality of the ice,

3. Who you met and their contact information,

4. The geographical and weather conditions, and

5. Any out-of-the-ordinary events that occurred during ice climbing.

6. The routes you took up the ice and alternatives.

7. Local information from experienced locals.

At the end of the ice climbing experience, you should be able to get the following from your journal:

1. Names and contacts of other climbers whom you met,

2. Enough information to act as a guide for yourself or your friend in the event that you climb the location for a second time,

3. Memories to reflect on years later, and

4. Something to show your friends, children, and grandchildren.

To gain maximum advantage of your ice climbing journal, you must write in it just before climbing, at the top and on return. In doing so, you will have an honest image of your mind while climbing.

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Winter Park : Colorado's Hidden Gem Ski Resort You Need to Visit

If you are a potential skier planning a ski vacation look no further than Winter Park Resort in the state of Colorado. Yes there are all sorts of well-known resorts here in Colorado that are house hold names throughout the United States, but these popular resorts are beset with crowded ski runs and lift lines. Which is precisely why Winter Park Resort is Colorados Favorite. Coloradoans frequent this ski resort more than any other resort in the state, as it is one of the biggest resorts, with the most snowfall and the fewest tourists. It doesn't hurt that it is only 67 miles from Denver.

Winter Park Resort also contains the notorious Mary Jane. Mary Jane has been rated among the top 5 resorts in North America to bump ski by Snow Country Magazine. It is not for the faint of heart, as there are no green runs anywhere on the Jane.

Parsons Bowl takes you above the cloud level and the treetop line. The bowl offers intermediate and expert ski runs, and just so happens to be a favorite among locals. Once you are at the top you will be grabbing for your camera, and a warming lodge.

Ski Magazine ranks Winter Park Resort's terrain parks & pipes among the top 10 in the nation. The Railyard is Colorado's longest terrain park and covers 15 acres on a 3,650 foot rail-grinding spectacle. Then there is the Jack Kendrick for beginners of the sport, with wider rails and easy jumps to enable progress to the next step.

There are plenty of great restaurants and bars on the mountain, and as with the lines at the lifts, never are crowds an issue. You can also venture into the actual town of Winter Park when the lifts shut down. It is a little small stretch of restaurants, bars and shops. There is actually a very good sushi bar in town that is not likely to surprise folks with its good food and reasonable prices.

Finish out the day with a trip to the Fraser lighted tubing hill. They provide the lift, warming hut and the tubes. And if you're in the mood for a day on the sidelines of the slopes, you can go on a snowmobile tour up to the Continental Divide summit, or go low down right old fashioned and ride along on a dog sled.

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Skiing vs. Snowboarding: Which is More Dangerous? Facts & Stats

 Skiing and snowboarding continue to increase in popularity annually. As the numbers increase, so do the injuries. More and more focus is being placed on ski safety and snowboard safety.

Within the span of one year, the number of skiers and snowboarders in the United States alone who hit the slopes at least once is about 11 million and 4 million, respectively. The visits to the slopes are 60 million on average. For every 1000 visits by skiers, there are on average 2.5 serious medical injuries. This is an average of an injury for every 430 days of skiing and snowboarding.

The fatality rate of snowboarders is 40 percent lower than that of alpine skiers, and snowboarders are more apt to be hit by out-of-control skiers than the other way around.

Skiers slide a great deal when they fall, and this makes them 3 or 4 times more likely to hit something or somebody. A snowboard, however, is somewhat of a seat anchor and does not permit sliding. Death is usually the result of hitting something.

The most common injury for skiers is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains. Skiers who were injured skied more years but fewer days per year, were more likely to be female, are older, and fell less often.

Before you go snowboarding or skiing take a few lessons from a qualified instructor. Also make sure you have proper equipment. Lastly you are in charge of your own safety. The safer you are the more fun you will have on the slopes.

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Winter Park Colorado Fishing: A Rocky Mountain Trout Adventure

Fishing has never been simpler than it is here in the Fraser Valley. You can wade creeks for 1,000 miles, range 1,000 acres of high mountain lakes, or troll 11,000 acres of reservoirs.

Whatever you use, whether you are fly-fishing or sporting a night crawler on the end of your rod, you will be able to catch all sorts of differing species of fish in Grand County. Rainbow, cutthroat, brown & brook trout are found in most of the rivers, and mackinaw and kokanee salmon guard the depths of the larger lakes.

The Colorado River has gold medal trout fishing and the state's largest browns and rainbows. The Fraser River flows through Winter Park town and resort and is supplied by numerous other fine little hidden creeks with secluded pools of trout. St. Louis Creek and Willow Creek have brookies, bows and browns with scattered creek-side campgrounds.

The region's four biggest lakes are located in the Granby area, and offer sufficient ramps & marinas for boating recreation. With 40 miles of shoreline and 7,250 surface acres, Lake Granby is world famous for its big mackinaws. Grand Lake, Colorado's largest natural lake, and nearby Shadow Mountain Lake can also produce 20 pounds macks. The region's lakes are also known for excellent ice fishing during winter months.

You just never know what the snowmelt will bring up in the high country, but one thing for sure, it will provide you with an overabundance of lakes and streams to choose from. The isolation and surrounding wilderness will have you feeling like an early American explorer discovering your own trout heaven.

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Family Friendly to Extreme: Your Guide to Whitewater Rafting Vacations

Whitewater rafting is a wonderful way of combining an appreciation of the outdoors and the raw thrill of defying natures power. There is nothing quite like hurtling down a whirl of turbulent water, having it splash against your face, careening up and down in your seat believing that you are seconds away from doom. Best of all, whitewater rafting is among the safest adventure sports in the world, with national safety standards followed by all large North American outfitters.

Numerous whitewater rafting possibilities exist in nearly every state and province of North America, on numerous different river routes. Beginners can try the small rapids, Class I-III, and adventure seekers can try rapids IV and V. If you're an ultra-adventure addict, though, you might be out of luck. North America does have a few of the most dangerous Class VI rapids, but they're not tried by even the most experienced rafting enthusiasts and no outfitters offer tours on them. If you truly desire to defy death, then there are other locations on the planet that do offer very perilous raft rides. Africa, for example, boasts several Class VI river excursions, where the thrill-seeker not only has to contend with deadly rapids but wildlife threats such as crocodiles and hippopotami even in the less treacherous sections.

For those who want to have a safe, home-based rafting experience, numerous options of rafting trip length and cost exist. The well-established and highly used whitewater rafting outfitters all have highly trained guides and the best equipment, both personal protective equipment and raft equipment. The guides, however, know their routes and rapids like the back of their hands, and can be trusted to take you along your tour in safety and are trustworthy in case of an emergency, should that arise.

There are few things that the person who decides to try a whitewater rafting experience must not overlook, however. They must wear suitable footwear to the site. These shoes must be comfortable and dry and become wet easily. Whitewater rafters need to pay attention to the destructive power of ultraviolet light as well, and include sun glasses and sun screen. These can usually be obtained in the outfitters store if you forget, but they will set you back a considerable amount more than if you had not forgotten to bring them along.

Whitewater rafting is a great way to get your inner adrenaline junkie and expose you to areas of nature that you might not otherwise see. If you're on vacation with your family, however, make sure to call ahead to the outfitter and find out what the recommended age range is for their trips. Whitewater rafting is not really an activity for children under eight years of age.

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Hiking for Bonding: Unforgettable Family Trips and Romantic Getaways

Feel like taking a trip?  Whether you desire to take a traditional trip with your family or a couples' trip, have you ever thought about taking a hiking trip?  Hiking trips are enjoyable because they are suitable for nearly anyone, as well as nearly any type of occasion.

One of the reasons why hiking is so wonderful for romantic vacations as well as family vacations is because hiking trials are in a variety of formats.  In the United States, you will be able to find beginner hiking trails, expert hiking trails, and even the intermediate level of hiking trails. This is great if you are actually going hiking with your children because you should be able to see a lot of hiking trails that would be easy for them to hike.

For romantic getaways, one of the many reasons that hiking is perfect for a romantic getaway is because of the scenery. The scenery is one of the many reasons why hiking is such an excellent activity. No matter which hiking path you choose to trek, there is a possibility that you will get a good mix of landscape.  The majority of the hiking paths go along rivers; therefore, there is a chance that you will be able to enjoy some waterfalls. These waterfalls and other types of landscape that you will find are perfect for couples holiday.

In accordance with romantic getaways, hiking excursions can be as short as a couple of hours or as long as a full week.  Most individuals who hike like to stay onsite, generally at an onsite campground.  This is nice, as when you camp you are in harmony with nature.  The kind of setting that works for privacy, as well as romance. And for family vacation, an overnight camp at a hiking park is also nice, as it offers a different activity that you and your family can share.  If you are planning a hike with your children, chances are they would love the camping experience as much as the hike.

Mention of activities, and when you are hiking, you will likely find yourself at a hiking park. Hiking parks typically have many different types of hiking trails. In addition to being where there is many different types of hiking trails, as well as a campsite, you will likely also have a variety of other things that you and your family or you and your significant other can do. For instance, it is not rare for a hiking park to have a swimming pool or a playground. This is so that you and whoever you happen to be with can indulge in some fun playing a couple of outdoor games or going for a swim. Nowadays, hiking is no longer solely about hiking.

As you may observe, from what is explained above, hiking is the ideal way to spend your next family vacation or even your next weekend of love.  If you're interested in having a hiking adventure, you can possibly consider pre-booking your reservations. While you do not always need a reservation just to go hiking, you may need one if you plan on camping overnight.  Reserving your places ahead of time will make your next camping and hiking excursion as comfortable as possible.

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Essential Outdoor Survival Skills: A Guide to Thriving in the Wild

 

 

You enjoy outdoors but you lack the fundamental skills that you require in order to make your adventurous outdoor event outstanding. You want this outdoor event to be perfect for a certain reason but you are unaware of how to go about learning skills that you require to become an expert in outdoor events. Going on an outdoor adventure without the basic skills is disastrous, but that must not discourage you since below are on ways to develop your outdoor skills.

Equipment preparation

In outdoor activity, the use of equipment is always unavoidable and for that reason, expertise in their preparation. In order to learn outdoors skills, you have to first let go of some comforts and do it the ancient way. This may be in tent making where you will utilize tree branches and leaves in preparing shelter that can weather strong wind and at times rain.

Equipment like compasses and maps always come in handy while traveling and expertise is required in interpreting them to avoid mishaps like getting lost. The ability to understand direction and interpret the same on the map is the required expertise.

Fire making

No outdoor activity can pass by so easily without the mention of the word fire .These activities sometimes leave you in a situation where you may be required to utilize not just imagination but expertise in the field.

Expertise like how to make fire can be learned and mastered with time but their necessity before an outdoor activity is absent.

Matchboxes are never in sight and you may be compelled to use alternatives like rubbing dry wood together to create fire which is an ancient skill but useful in outdoor adventures.

Water purification-

Water is the most basic commodities to you, and being clean not only gives you health advantages but keeps your life going.

Even though water is easily available in areas where outdoor events are taking place, cleaning it is what requires the skill of purification.

The need for purified water can make you into practicing skills like boiling water that are hardly practiced in modern society.

Pottery

This is a skill whereby you make utensils out of clay for your consumption. You may wonder, why all the trouble when one can just buy utensils? The reason would be the desire for you to remember your outdoor adventure. The element of you being primitive makes it adventurous thereby promoting perfect outdoor adventure.

Fishing and hunting

Fishing is an outdoor activity that can be adventurous if one possesses the fishing skill. With fishing, one's food supply is guaranteed and the skill is therefore a necessity.

Hunting as opposed to fishing is an important skill; despite having food as the target, it can help protect you from harmful creatures by learning a trick or two about them.

Learning simple first aid skills

Eventuallyities can always take place and, with the knowledge of first aid like preventing excessive bleeding and elevating a hurt person, these can be quite beneficial.

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