December 1, 2008 - Woo Hoo! Over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, traditionally the first long weekend of the ski season, a winter storm made its way across Colorado, leaving more than 48 inches of new snow at Loveland, 37 inches at Arapahoe Basin, and 31 inches at Copper Mountain.  Now that there’s a great base, Copper Women’s Wednesdays are a great way for you to improve your skiing or riding in a supportive female-only environment.  

The early storm stretched from Winter Park, which received more than 19 inches of powder, to Steamboat, which received 18 inches. The multi-day storm brought 16 inches of fresh snow to Aspen and 15 to Silverton. Eldora, Wolf Creek and Crested Butte all received 13 inches of powder and 12 inches fell at Telluride. At Snowmass the storm left more than half of a foot of new snow.

As snow continues to fall, more Colorado ski and snowboard resorts open and are able to offer more terrain. Echo Mountain hosted a pre-opening snowboard competition on Saturday that drew more than 100 competitors and spectators. Echo Mountain, Sunlight Mountain Resort and Monarch Mountain, with 12 inches of fresh snow, are scheduled to open on December 5th, and Howelsen Hill on December 6th. Powderhorn, with eight inches of new snow, is slated to open on December 11th, and both Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk are set to open on December 13th. SolVista Basin will plan to open on December 17th. Ski Cooper and Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, which received nearly nine inches from the storm, will welcome skiers and riders later in the month.

Introducing the Aspen/Snowmass Luggage Express - With many airlines now charging extra for bags, skiers and snowboarders traveling to Aspen/Snowmass can skip the hassle and cost of taking their bags to the airport. The resort has partnered with UPS to create Aspens Snowmass Luggage Express.

Ship ahead of time and your bags will be delivered right to your hotel. In addition to saving money and hassle, you’ll also appreciate the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing your gear is waiting for you when you arrive.

To find a women’s snowboard or ski program in your area visit our camp/clinic finder.
 

Filed under: Fun Stuff, General, Ski, Snowboard, Travel by jane
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November 25, 2008 - Connecticut started out the season as No. 1 and today they remain at the top of the ESPN/USA Today women’s basketball Top 25.  Meanwhile, Rutgers slipped from second to 11th due to a pair of losses to ranked teams. North Carolina moved up one spot to second and is 5-0, followed by California (3-0), Oklahoma (3-1) and Texas A&M (3-0).

As UConn embarks on their first road trip of the season, coach Geno Auriemma reminisces about the way the team used to travel. Before they flew on chartered flights and ate in fine restaurants, the team traveled by bus and pooled their money for dinner. A road trip in the old days most certainly meant you missed a class or two; now private planes that depart immediately after a game assure players they’re back in time for morning classes.

To get a sense of just how much the Huskies now travel, the New Haven Register reports that when UConn plays tonight at Brigham Young in Utah, it will be the 34th state in which the team has played since coach Geno Auriemma’s arrival in 1985.

Next month, UConn will play three games in Cancun, Mexico, and in the last three seasons,  the Huskies have also enjoyed a trip to Italy and took part in a tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It’s a long way from Auriemma’s first season, when 25 of the 27 games where either in New England or the tri-state area. In the last four seasons, UConn either has played, or will play, games in 22 states.

Yes, it’s good to be a Husky - as long as you like to travel.

Filed under: Basketball, College Athletics, College Basketball, Student-Athlete, Travel by jane
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November 14, 2008 - If you’re one of those who likes to plan far in advance, then you’ll want to know that New Orleans was just awarded the 2013 Women’s Final Four by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

New Orleans will become the first city to play host to three Women’s Final Fours.  It previously hosted the event in 1991 and 2004. The 2013 event will be played at the New Orleans Arena.

Hopefully by then New Orleans - one of the best places on earth - will once again be the shining City of the South. 

The NCAA has also picked Denver, Nashville, Tampa and Indianapolis to host women’s basketball Final Fours.

Denver (2012) and Nashville (2014) will be hosting the event for the first time.

Tampa will host in 2015 and Indianapolis, the home of the NCAA headquarters, in 2016.  So women’s basketball fans - start saving those frequent flyer miles and get started on your future travel plans!

For those more interested in the now, today is opening day of the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball season!  Who will make it to St. Louis for the 2009 Women’s Final Four?  UConn gets the nod in preseason rankings but who will join them?

Filed under: College Athletics, College Basketball, Student-Athlete, Travel by jane
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by Chantelle Heroux
October 1, 2008 - Sometimes you just have to trust yourself.

If I hadn’t, I would’ve missed out on one of my greatest experiences in New Zealand.

Going with what your heart says isn’t always easy. In fact, most of the time it’s illogical in every sense. But there is a saying that goes, “it’s better to regret something you’ve done, than regret something you didn’t do.” With that in mind, it’s easier to let loose and start an adventure - and that is exactly what I did.

First, I had to convince myself I made the right decision to rent a car that had over 200,000 kilometers on it and a funny rattle that you could hear over the ‘Hit’s of 1997′ mixtape included with the vehicle (I know what you’re thinking – 1997 - there were no hits in 1997.  Actually, there was a whole tape full of them - think Hanson!). 

Amazingly enough, I made it to where I needed to go. It only took an hour to find out the emergency brake was on (may or may not have contributed to the funny rattle), about seven hours to figure out how to drive on the opposite side of the road, and a couple of wombats’ lives (were they wombats?!). Needless to say, I made it. Gratefully.

Arriving at the bottom of an access road in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, it was recommended that all two wheel drive vehicles and camper-vans park and drivers-passengers hitchhike up the mountain. So that’s what I did. I was glad to get in a car with a group of friendly skiers. I buckled my seatbelt, only to have the driver look at me in shock and say “Umm, you won’t want your seatbelt on. If I say bail, you’ll want to bail!”

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Filed under: Ski, Travel by chantelle
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June 20, 2008 - Good news! There is still room available in The Women’s Wilderness Institute upcoming Colorado fly-fishing trips. If you’ve never been fly-fishing, or don’t even know what it is, now’s your time to learn. Considered a sport or a hobby by some, and an art form by others, fly-fishing is a method that uses an almost feather-light fly as a lure. Rather than rely on the weight of the lure, fly-fishing relies on delicate casting of the line to attract the fish.

The Women’s Wilderness fly-fishing trips are designed for girls and women of all ages: mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, are all welcome. Everyone can get together and enjoy the beauty of fly-fishing. The trip ranges from advanced to beginning fly fishers. This allows the more advanced fisherwomen to help and support the less inexperienced women.

During the trip, participants learn basic fly fishing technique, language, and ethics. There are three different trips: A one day trip on July 13 and another on July 21 in the beautiful Boulder area of Colorado, and a three day trip from August 8-10 in Snowy Range, Wyoming.. The one-day trips are just 100.00 dollars and include lunch and fly fishing gear. The three-day trip is a little more expensive at 425.00 per woman, but is totally worth it.

Marketing director Wendy Wray says, “Fly fishing combines art, science, and the outdoors. It is a great way to appreciate the outdoors because it combines beautiful scenery and interaction with the fish. The trip is strictly catch and release. It is a wonderful opportunity to get to know ones surroundings and to see the wilderness in a whole new way. Fly-fishing is a lot of fun and it is a very graceful artistic sport. It is to see the fish’s behavior and be able to return it to its natural environment.”

Grace, beauty, outdoor scenery, cool water, interaction with nature, and lunch? If that doesn’t make you want to go fly-fishing, I don’t know what will. Cast away…

Filed under: Fishing, Travel by amo
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by Kim Russell
May 19, 2008 - Mid-May, my sister Christina Russell, and I took a trip up to Washington to check out the 2008 Canyon Creek Race, a downriver extreme whitewater kayaking race. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to race after one of our friends had a near-death experience on our warm up lap. We were fairly shaken up, and decided to take the day off from the river.

Despite missing the race, we kept our chins up and got back on the river the next day. Christina and I as well as four or five friends jumped on nearby Copper Creek, a class V creek in Southern Washington.

Check out the photos! 
  
Kim dropping the Big Falls on Canyon Creek, Washington
Photo by: Keel Brightman

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Filed under: General, Kayak, Travel by Kim Russell
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by Christina Russell
April 10, 2008 - This spring break, I headed North to Canada for a week of creek boating on Vancouver Island. I had never been paddling in Canada before but I had heard great things about it. Early Sunday morning, we began out twelve hour drive from Bend to the port at Twassen. We camped out at the loading dock prepared to board the next morning as an oversize load (we had five boats on the roof of the truck). The crew consisted of friends from Bend, Eugene, and Hood River- all eager for some classic paddling.

Photo by: Christina Russell

Austin Rathman, used his good karma to secure two cabins near the Gordon River system near Port Renfrew. All of us were used to camping out in the cold, rainy, snowy weather but this was a welcome change. We had a HOT TUB! WOO HOOO!

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Filed under: General, Kayak, Travel by christina_kayaker
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When in Rome … don’t play futbol. For 10 days in early November, Heather O’Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley and midfielder Leslie Osborne relinquished their U.S. women’s national team jerseys for Roma’s maroon and orange kit. But don’t think the trio will become devoted to fandom anytime soon — they would rather stick to the pitch.

After coaching decisions left the U.S. women polarized following a third-place finish in China, a Roman holiday was in order. Michelangelo’s statue of David might not be the FIFA World Cup trophy, but it wasn’t a bad substitute for Ozzy, Tarp and Heo.

Breakaway goals and flanking runs are no match for backpacking in Italy; These gals endured soccer riots, while surviving midnight swims, enigmatic bike tours, endless pasta and vast quantities of espresso. A few days fresh off their trip, the three travelers gave ESPNsoccernet the lowdown. 

Full story at ESPNsoccernet  

Filed under: General, Soccer, Travel by jane
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How do you maintain your six-pack abs while on the road? Most major hotels have a fitness center. Some even have pools. The latest trend is bringing the gym right into your room. The Westin Seattle (206-728-1000) will arrange to have a treadmill, Pilates and Yoga DVDs, dumbbells, a stability ball, a yoga mat and more at your disposal. There is an upcharge for the service but no more excuses!

Filed under: Exercise, Health, Travel by admin
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Hike, Bike, Kayak, etc.
New England gets all the props when it comes to fall foliage but wherever you live, you’ll likely find a full palette of fall color. From Colorado’s brilliant golden yellow aspens to the scenic forests in eastern states like North Carolina, it’s a great time of year to get out and experience the great outdoors. Not only do you treat yourself to a great visual display but you get your heart pumping at the same time. (more…)

Filed under: Travel by admin
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