NovaStorm

At the age of 29, Sarah Burke was one of the most iconic athletes in her field. She has been compared to athletes like Wayne Gretsky and Michael Jordan, because she contributed more to freeskiing than just anyone else. Her inspirational and promising life was brought to an end in a tragic accident at Park City, Utah on January 19.

The 2012 X Games, which were dedicated to Sarah Burke, brought a flood of memories, memorials, and milestones.

To start things off–two-time Olympic gold medalist–Shaun White set a record for being the first person ever to get a perfect score: 100 out of 100. During the competition, White unleashed his newest move: a frontside double cork 1260. He finished the run off with a double McTwist 1260. And he managed to do all of this with a sprained ankle. White has been working towards a perfect score for years and finally accomplished it on Sunday night.

Shaun White’s perfect routine wasn’t the only record breaking feat to be performed on Sunday night. Heath Frisby became the first person ever to land a front-flip on a snowmobile at the X Games. He managed to perform the trick successfully after watching his friend, Justin Hoyer, fail a landing and get sent to the hospital.

One of the most successful performance, during the X Games, came from was eighteen-year-old Mark McMorris. The young Canadian snowboarder took gold in Big Air on Friday and then the Snowboard Slopestyle on Saturday. Despite tough competition and a perfect triple cork 1440 by a competitor, McMorris managed to fend off all challengers and seal his two victories.

To honor of Sarah Burke, her two teammates Roz Groenewoud and Kay Turski won gold in their respective events–halfpipe and Women’s Ski Slopestyle–with runs that were highly technical and near perfect.

These were only some of the victories and performances that were seen during these X Games dedicated to the life and memory of Sarah Burke. Although Burke will no longer compete in the sport she loved and dedicated her life to, she will live on in the memory of those who knew her and her example will continue to shape and cultivate this great sport.

Mardi Gras is not just a day. To the citizens of New Orleans, it encompasses the entire month of February.

If you are thinking about taking part in a Mardi Gras celebration – especially in this region – you need to know a few things about how Mardi Gras works and what kinds of celebrations there are.

Costumes

Whether you are attending a formal party or just taking part in the festivities and you want to stand out, you might consider investing in a Mardi Gras costume. This is not simply an off-season Halloween, however. Mardi Gras follows a certain theme.

There are three general themes you can follow – carnival, royalty, or traditional New Orleans style.

Carnival
There are several options for this theme. The most popular involve dressing up like a joker or a clown, though many women opt for something a little more ambiguous, like a dress in the Mardi Gras colors – green, purple, and gold.

Masks and gloves give these costumes more of a masquerade feeling, and don’t forget to top your outfit with plenty of plastic beads.

Royalty
These costumes are very much wrapped up in the culture of Mardi Gras. Every year, the King and Queen of Mardi Gras are selected in secret, and revealed at a big celebration. Even if you are not invited to these exclusive parties or part of a Krewe, you can still dress up as a king or queen for Mardi Gras.

Traditional New Orleans
The 1920’s and jazz music are a huge part of the culture of New Orleans. If you want to find a costume that incorporates these themes, some options are the flapper girl dress or a suit with a fedora – in the traditional colors of course.

Other Mardi Gras Fashions

If you don’t feel like spending a fortune buying or renting a fancy costume, don’t worry. There are definitely more low-key options that will still let other people know that you are a festive, fun person.

You can wear a simple, homemade mask to add intrigue to your outfit and appearance, and wear any or all of the Mardi Gras colors.

You can even find online stores that sell funny Mardi Gras shirts, so you can keep in the spirit of the celebration without spending a fortune.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt about it – to truly celebrate Mardi Gras, you need to plan what you will wear and be informed about the traditions surrounding the festivities. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend a fortune; you just need to find the perfect costume or outfit for you.

We’ve hit that time of the year when its time to hit the slopes and shred up some snow. Of course, in order to have fun while doing so, you’ll want the latest and best snow gear available.

Of course, the latest and best may mean that you’ll have to spend more than your budget can afford. To save yourself the hassle of having to pick and choose, there are some great deals online that will allow you to pay for all your snowboard, skiing, and winter gear/equipment without having to break the bank.

Here are a few of our favorite places to shop online for winter gear/equipment, including:

Dogfunk.com

When it comes to extreme sports, dogfunk.com has it all. Carrying name barnds such as Burton, Volcom, Foursquare, Oakley, and more, you can find anything you want on this website. Not only that, but dogfunk always has great deals. Just click on the “sort by” drop box and select “% off” to find the best deals that their currently offering.

On top of all that, this website also offers free, 2-day shipping. I just barely ordered a nice snowboarding jacket and was able to wear it just two days after making my purchase! Not a bad perk huh?!

Eternalsnow.com

Speaking of free shipping, eternalsnow.com offers free shipping on all continental purchases that are over $99. As for bargains, this website actually offers a “Steal of the Day” item(s). Just click on the icon at the top of the screen to find out what kind of discounts they are offering for the day.

Today, the “steal” is a Burton Hoodie that is 66% off! Eternalsnow.com also has a bevy and wide variety of kids wear and equipment as well.

Backcountry.com

One of the most popular websites for ski and snowboarding bums to visit, backcountry.com may just have the largest inventory available when it comes to online ski and snowboard stores. If you need further proof, just visit there website and check out their 17,000+ items currently on sale.

As for sales, backcountry.com is always doing special deals – especially during the holidays. Currently, they’re offering a 40% off Thanksgiving Sale on all of their items!

If you purchase an order over $50, you’ll also get free, 2-day shipping as well.

Last Thought

These online winter gear and equipment stores are just a few of the many possibilities that you can choose from. If you do decide to check out other options, be sure to see what reviews have to say about their quality.

After all, shopping online can be a little dicey since you can’t see and touch your item of purchase before paying for it. Another way to mitigate the risk of getting something you don’t end up wanting is to look for deals that offer a money-back guarantee as well.

This way, a less-than-ideal item can always be returned for a full refund if need be.

If you thought it was hard to hit for the cycle in baseball, or to win all four majors in tennis or golf….think again. These athletic accomplishments seem like a walk in the park compared to what American downhill skier, Lindsey Vonn, accomplished back on October 22 in Soelden, Austria.

5 for 5

Soelden was the site of the season-opening World Cup Skiing event, which happened to take place on October 22. And on the slopes of Soelden, Vonn became just the 5th female skier to “ski for the cycle.” In other words, Vonn has become the latest in a string of very few skiers to win in all five Alpine racing disciplines, and only the second American to do so alongside Bode Miller.

This includes at least one victory in the Giant Slalom (which Vonn took in Soldean), Downhill, Super G, Super Combined, and Slalom events for Vonn over the course of a storied career.

Altogether, since December of 2004, Vonn has won 21 downhill races, 14 Super G races, 2 Slalom races, 4 Combined races, and now 1 Giant Slalom race for a grand total of 42 World Cup victories. On top of all that, Vonn has also collected 12 season titles since 2008, and a gold medal in the downhill event of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

How She Did It

As for the GS race result in Soleden, Vonn just barely edged reigning GS Olympic Champion, Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany, by just 0.04 seconds to claim the gold.

More amazingly, she did so on a bum hip that she bruised during a practice session, causing her to skip all of her training sessions in preparation for the race.

That being said, luck was also on Vonn’s side as well in Soleden.

The reigning GS World Cup Champion, Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany, had one of the worst runs of her career as she finished well off the pace in 24th place. Hoefl-Riesch’s first run was poor, and her second run even worse as she lost precious time while misjudging a turn.

“I came into this race with not much confidence,” said Vonn in an interview after the race with the Associated Press. “I just tried to have two good runs, to ski fast, but not to do something special.”

With the victory, Vonn sits at 100 points and 20 points clear of Rebensburg after one event of the Women’s 2011-12 World Cup of Skiing.

If you’re an avid snowboarder or enjoy watching the sport and witnessing the boundaries an barriers that professional boarders are breaking these days, you’ll have to check out the Red Bull-sponsored documentary, ‘The Art Of Flight.’

Traveling around the world to sites such as Alaska, Patagonia, Chile, and Romania, the boarders and film crew in this documentary will take you with them to some of the most amazing, white-washed, snow-capped, landscapes you’ll ever see.

Tricks You Could Never Imagine

Red Bull put together a nice team of boarders for this documentary including the Olympic-medal winning, Scotty Lago, and the mega-popular, Travis Rice, among many others who are the best in the business.

On a side note, sadly “The Flying Tomato,” a.k.a Shaun White, is not featured in this film because his contract ended and was not picked up before filming began.

But that’s truly the only downside to this documentary. For about an hour-and-a-half, viewers are treated to amazing tricks, jumps, and stunts pulled-off by these athletes.

From death-defying runs down the steepest mountain slopes to death-defying, big air jumps, this film will have you on the edge of your seat and your heart pumping right along with those boarders as they test the limits of their body and the sport.

In-depth Look

Now, snowboarding is more than just glitz and glamor. Things don’t always go the way they are supposed to be planned. And when that happens, injuries happen and spirits are beaten down. Viewers will get an in-depth look at the hardships that professional boarders must face day-in and day-out.

They’ll get to see just how dangerous the sport of snowboarding is. From avalanches, to storms, to horrible crashes, ‘The Art Of Flight’ lets it all out in terms of what these athletes have to put up with in order to achieve fame.

Along the lines of an in-depth look, viewers will also get to know on a personal level, the boarders and crew which make up the ‘The Art of Flight’ and its cast. Through interviews and just being able to “hang out” with the cast as they film the documentary, viewers will be surprised at just how down-to-earth their favorite snowboarders are.

Check It Out Yourself

If you want to learn more about ‘The Art of Flight’ and take a look at its trailer, click on this link and it’ll send you to the documentary’s official website. Be sure to do this when you get a chance.

Also, you can check out schedules and dates for when the documentary will be premiering in a city near you, on the website. Attending a premier will be your best bet in terms of watching ‘The Art of Flight’ in its entirety.

Have you ever had the desire to hit all the top ski resorts in the world?

Well, here are 10 resorts that any avid skier needs to experience before they pass on from this life, including:

#10: Aspen, Colorado

This ski resort is found in the super-posh town of Aspen. If you’re into back-country skiing, Aspen is the place to be. Also, Aspen is known for its tip-top intermediate runs.

#9: Cortina, Italy

Cortina was actually host to the 1956 Winter Games, and also claims to be one of the oldest ski resorts ever. If you ever make it to Cortina, you’ll also have to check out its traffic-less streets which are perfect for tourists.

#8: Mont-Tremblant, Quebec

This is Eastern Canada’s best-known and most popular resort – and that’s saying something. Mont-Tremblant opened in 1939 and is the second oldest resort in North America. If you travel to this part of the world, you’ll have to go see Montreal as well, which is only an hour away from this resort.

#7: Stowe, Vermont

This resort actually links to another resort in the area, one of the only one’s to do so. Stowe is known for its array of 90+ shops and 60+ restaurants. The scenery at this quaint, New England resort is beautiful as well.

#6: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Oh, those French know how to ski don’t they? This resort hosted the first-ever Winter Olympic Games in 1924 and boasts of the greatest vertical drop – 9,209 feet to be exact.

#5: Banff, Alberta

Banff is unique in the fact that there are 3 different ski areas to enjoy if you decide to head to this resort. This resort is also known for its killer moguls that will be sure to have your sore by days end.

#4: Vail, colorado

Known as “America’s Favorite Resort,” Vail is the largest ski resort in the United States with over 5,300 acres of skiable area for visitors to enjoy. The town itself also has a ton to do from museums to dog sledding lessons.

#3: Zermatt, Switzerland

You’ve probably heard of Zermatt before…if you’re truly an avid skier. This town is host to 3 five-star hotels that are very close to the resort. The snow is wonderful at Zermatt and you’ll also be treated to the second biggest vertical drop in the world if you visit this resort.

#2: Kitzbuhel, Austria

This holiday resort is situated in the town of Kitzbuhel, which is over 700 years old. The charm and tradition of this resort is second-to-none, which is why you must ski at Kitzbuhel if you consider yourself an avid skier.

#1: Whistler, British Columbia

The best (and we truly mean it this time) skiing in perhaps the world, but at least North America, is found at Whistler. Boasting of the biggest vertical drop in North America, Whistler is not only known for its skiing, but for its food as well. From Chinese, to Mexican, to Thai, visitors to this resort town will understand what food in heaven will probably taste like after their adventure.

3 World-Class Resorts

If you’re a world-class skier or just love to ski for fun and haven’t been to Park City, Utah to check out its three amazing resorts – you’re really missing out.

To help you plan your ski trip to this cozy town just east of Salt Lake City that’s situated cozily against the Wasatch Mountains, here are quick bios on Park City Ski Resort, The Canyons Resort, and Deer Valley Resort for you to look over.

Park City Ski Resort

This resort hosted numerous events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and for good reason. Opened in 1963, Park City has been home to several training courses for the U.S. Ski Team and is actually featured on the video game, ‘Shaun White Snowboarding’.

In terms of numbers, Park City includes 8 total mountains with 114 different runs for skiers and boarders alike to navigate. The longest run on the mountain is known as ‘Homerun’ and stretches about 3.5 miles from the top of the mountain down to the bottom. Also important to note: over 30% of the mountain’s 114 runs are black diamonds for any of you out there feeling adventurous.

We should also mention that there are 3 terrain parks, and a Superpipe for those who are trying to hone their tricks and looking for some good air.

In terms of lifts available to take skiers and boarders to their desired destinations on the mountain, there are 17 in total including:

•4 6-person chairs
•3 high-speed quads
•6 triples
•3 doubles

And if you’re looking for a decently-sized resort that won’t get overly crowded, the resort itself includes 3,300 acres of skiable area.

Lastly, this resort averages about 360 inches of snowfall a season due to its base elevation of 6,900 feet.

You can visit the website, www.parkcitymountain.com, for lift ticket prices and other deals. Lessons are also offered in the form of children-specific classes, adult-specific classes, and general classes for anyone who wants to get better at either skiing or snowboarding.

The Canyons Ski Resort

This sister resort of Park City, actually opened just a few years later in 1968 and includes more skiable terrain with over 4,000 acres worth of skiable area for visitors to take advantage of.

Along the lines of this resort’s size, it also includes 9 mountain peaks, 23 lifts in total, and 2 terrain parks. Most importantly, backcountry skiing is one of the main reasons many people come to visit The Canyons. If you want to ski backcountry, there are two different lifts – Ninety-Nine 90 and Peak 5 – which you’ll have to take to gain access to the back of the mountain.

This resort also includes an eye-popping number of runs, 182 to be exact. Here is the breakdown of the runs by skill level:

•Beginner (Green Circles and Double Green Circles) – 10%
•Intermediate (Blue Squares and Double Blues) – 44%
•Expert (Black Diamonds and Double Blacks) – 46%

The only downsides to this gargantuan ski resort are the fact that they close promptly at 5 pm and do not offer night skiing. Also, although there are terrain parks as mentioned above, no Superpipe has been erected just yet.

You can visit the website, www.thecanyons.com, for more information about classes and ticket pricing.

Deer Valley Ski Resort

If you’re a skier and want a taste of what it means to ski “posh,” then Deer Valley is the place for you. This ski-only resort is not quite as large as Park City and The Canyons, but it’s definitely fancier than the other two in terms of its amenities to say the least.

Catering towards their upscale brand and reputation, Deer Valley treats its guests too:

•Free parking shuttles
•Free ski valets
•Fine shopping and dining
•The Stein Eriksen Lodge, a top-class lodge with luxury accommodations and world-class spa facilities

In terms of the numbers, Deer Valley includes 2,000 acres of skiable area, 113 runs, and 21 different chairlifts. The resorts lift capacity actually comes in 50% higher than that of the other two resorts. If each lift was filled to capacity, 46,500 skiers per hour could be going up the mountain at Deer Valley.

If you like the park over the mountain, Deer Valley includes several as well. No night skiing is available here either. For more information, visit www.deervalley.com for ticket pricing, ski classes, and more.

Even though we might be sweating in our bathing suits in this hemisphere, the lovely land down under is enjoying a white winter wonderland with a shred-fest of epic proportions taking place in New Zealand.

The 2011 Burton New Zealand Open (BNZO) kicked off on a high note with both the men’s and the women’s Slopestyle pre-qualifiers and qualifiers arriving under perfectly bluebird skies at the Cardona Alpine Resort.

With just 56 men and 25 women all battling for 10 and 5 spots, (respectively) the competition was purely with the best of the best.

The course was custom-built and in the most pristine condition and started with the Burton bonk tank. Then it moved into two rail features: a flat down box and a flat down rail. After that there was the custom made MINI Creative Use of Space feature, a cannon rail to gap jump and then a double jump line measuring in at 45 feet and 55 feet.

The 2011 Burton New Zealand Open marks the first stop on the prestigious Burton Global Open Series which features the best athletes of the day on the best courses. The BNZO is also a 5Star event on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, making it an unforgettable event.

So, despite the fact that we won’t see any of our slopes turning white any time soon, we can rev up our enthusiasm for this season by reveling in the success of pros. If anything, it’s a good break from reality TV.

If you’re like us, then you’re already getting sick of this “good weather.” You’re bored with the BBQs, you’ve had enough of the beach, and you’re even over wearing short sleeved shirts outside and not freezing to death. You’re ready for it to be below freezing without factoring in the wind-chill, you want the freeway to close on the way to work on account of snow conditions so that you can justify turning your car around and up to the mountains.

Sadly, we can’t control the weather and force the slopes to turn from brown to white for at least another few months. But don’t despair just yet! That doesn’t mean that you can’t use your excitement to make sure you’re in the best shape you can be in by the time ski season finally does roll around. We’ve gathered a few exercises you can do to turn your body from its soft summer shape into a mean skiing machine:

Legs

Classic squats, 3 sets, 12-15 reps
This will maintain those knee-bending muscles that will ensure that you can absorb the shock of even the highest moguls.
Calf raises, 3 sets, 10-12 reps
Strong calves will help you transition between turns, helping you hop off the snow and produce the least amount of drag.
Wall sits, 2 sets, 1 minute
This will develop stamina that will help you hit those double blacks from the time the lifts open until they close, not wasting any time resting in the lodge with the old guys.

Core

Plank
Hanging Crunch
Side Plank
Decline push-ups
All of these exercises will develop muscles that will give you more control as you take turns, and if this is your cup of tea, will seriously boost your ability and control in aerials.

Hopefully these exercises will give you some sort of outlet for your pent-up skiing angst, and they will improve your skiing game so much your friends will think you’ve spent all summer in exotic places with summer skiing.

For most ski and snowboard enthusiasts, the summer always comes at a bit of a price. Sure, it’s nice to have proper road conditions, and we’ve got a serious goggle tan line that needs to be evened out a little bit, but there’s always a heavy dose of nostalgia as we pull out our shorts and tank-tops.

There are always the people that try to make you feel better by telling you that there are plenty of water sports that are just as good as skiing or snowboarding, in fact they even have water-skiing and wake-boarding, but they just don’t get it. Those people will never understand the irreplaceable rush you get at the top of an exceptional run. They don’t get the fact that it’s supposed to be cold so that it can feel so good when you finally get a mug of hot chocolate and the blood comes back to your toes.

But before you get so nostalgic that you book a flight to Siberia to find your winter wonderland, there are still decent resorts open in the North-Western Hemisphere! Not only will staying here mean that you don’t have to fight massive amounts of jet-lag, but it will also save you enough money that you can buy one of those ridiculously expensive lunches at the lodge.

Thanks to global warming, there have been enough erratic weather patterns this year that the snow-base has remained relatively high. Resorts all around the United States and Canada are promising you decent snow conditions well into the summer.

Don’t be expecting gnarly powder conditions, but they are promising that the runs will be white and not brown. Snowbird Resort, located in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, plans to be open on the 4th of July. It has only done so two other times in its past, and if it succeeds this year, it will have its longest season yet with 202 days open. “It’s very exciting for our guests who started skiing in November and will be on the slopes in July,” said Dave Fields, Vice President of Resort Operations.

So for all of you who have woefully packed away anything with wool or gortex in it, turn that frown upside down and pull it back out—ski season never dies.