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Filed under: Skiing, Business, Oceania, Australia, Hotels and Accommodations

Ski resorts in the Australian state of Victoria are experiencing some of the heaviest snowfall in years, and it’s paving the way for the best late season skiing and snowboarding the region has seen in the past two decades. This great snow base is prompting Aussie’s to flock to the slopes before the spring melt puts an end to winter fun, and they’re finding some of the best all around conditions in recent memory.

For instance, popular resort Falls Creek has received more than their fair share of the white stuff, with 89 inches of accumulation for the season thus far. That’s their highest total since 1992. Similarly, Mount Hotham, another resort in the region, has topped 90 inches just for August, and has seen more than a meter of snow fall this week alone. Meanwhile, Mt. Buller has received over 13 inches of snow this past week too, with forecasts saying more could fall soon. When added to their already impressive totals for the year, it gives them their best season, in terms of accumulations, since 1985.

This all bodes well for the tourism economy in Victoria, where they expect visitors to be hitting the slopes will into the spring, With a considerable base already on the ground and more snow still falling, it looks like it is going to be a great time to be a ski bum down under.

[Photo credit: Alex Cohen via WikiMedia Commons]

Heavy snow delivers great late season skiiing down under originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was a beautiful day at the Curacao Marriott, and an hour-long massage had been booked for me at the spa. When I arrived at the spa, I was delighted to hear that my massage would take place right on the beach. How fabulous!

I followed my masseuse, who carried a large pile of towels, across the property. I assumed we’d be going to a secluded cabana somewhere, but as we continued walking, I found we were headed toward the side of the resort where my room was — and there was certainly no cabana there. We approached a sunlit area with a few ineffectual bushes and a gazebo-like structure (above) where I understand weddings are often held. Weddings, as in, declaring your love for all to see in public. We entered the gazebo and I examined the roof and sides. There were no shades, no blinds; there was absolutely no privacy. People were lying on the beach (and even on the deck) on three sides of the gazebo, and the fourth side faced the open ocean, where resort guests were swimming and playing paddleball. I pretended this was normal to me for as long as I could.

It was only after she had covered the table with towels and said, “Okay, lie on your stomach facing this way,” that I blurted out, “Um, I don’t have any clothes on under this robe, you know, right?”

Continue reading I Had a Public Massage – True Story of a Beachside Spa Treatment

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

I Had a Public Massage – True Story of a Beachside Spa Treatment originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Festivals and Events, North America, United States

The 29th annual Hood to Coast Relay will take place today when more than 12,000 runners will descend on Mt. Hood in Oregon to take part in the largest relay race in the world. The event gets underway with the first wave of runners setting out from Timberline Lodge, located at 6000 feet on the mountain, at 6:30 AM. After that, more teams will follow every 15 minutes until the final runners hit the course at 6:45 PM this evening. The race will end tomorrow when the final teams reach the town of Seaside on the Pacific Coast.

The Hood to Coast Relay more than lives up to its moniker as “the mother of all relays.” The race runs for 197 miles and is broken up into 36 different legs, each between 3.7 and 7.4 miles in length. The teams taking part in the race consist of 8 to 12 member, and each member must run at least three of the legs. The number of teams that can take part in the event is limited to 1000, and in a testament to how popular the relay is, the event has filled its capacity, on the first day that registration opens, for the past 12 years running.

While the Hood to Coast looks like it would be a lot of fun in and of itself, the entire event is also used to raise funds for their charity of choice, the American Cancer Society. Last year the event raised more than $360,000 for that charity, and fans of the race can contribute to that worthy cause on their donations page.

And when the race is finished tomorrow, organizers wrap up the weekend with the largest beach part on the west coast, which includes live music, dancing, and an awards ceremony, not to mention plenty of things to eat and drink.

Anyone want to organize a Gadling team for next year?

[Photo credit: Hood to Coast Relay]

Mother of all relay races takes place today originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hiking, North America, United States, Camping, News

Last weekend, 29-year old Swiss hiker Claire Jane Ackermann died while crossing the Teklanika River along the Stampede Trail in Alaska. She was attempting to cross the stream, along with another hiker from France, in the hopes of reaching the Fairbanks bus made famous in the book and movie Into the Wild, a popular destination for trekkers in the region.

Ackermann and her male companion tied themselves to a guide rope that had been strung across the river earlier in the summer. But the water was swollen, and moving fast, with the late summer melt off, and when they both lost their footing, the powerful current forced them under. The unidentified man was able to cut his rope and drag himself to shore, where he dropped his backpack and turned back for Ackermann, who was already submerged. He returned to retrieve her, but after cutting her safety rope, the pair were washed downstream for half a mile. By the time they reached the safety of the shore, the Swiss woman was unresponsive, and all attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.

The bus that the two hikers were trying to reach is the same spot where Chris McCandless starved to death back in 1992. The 24-year old vagabond had traveled across the U.S., Canada, and parts of Mexico before hiking into the Alaskan backcountry, where he would eventually meet his fate while staying in Bus 142. The old vehicle was parked in the wilderness to serve as a shelter for backpackers, but Chris became trapped there when he was unable to cross the same river that claimed Ackermann’s life.

In 1996, bestselling author Jon Krakauer wrote the biography Into the Wild about McCandless, exploring the reasons why a young man from an upper class family would give up his comfortable life in order to wander across North America. Eventually that wanderlust would lead him into the Alaskan wilderness where he eventually perished. That book helped turned McCandless into a folk hero for many, sparking a trend of other hikers going in search of the infamous bus, and in 2007, the book was turned into a film, which brought even more attention to McCandless’ story, and spurred a surge in people looking to follow in his footsteps.

For many of the local residents, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone died making the trek to the bus. Since the release of the movie, traffic along the Stampede Trail has increased sharply, with most going in search of McCandless’ final resting place. The young traveler has been soundly criticized in some circles for going into the backcountry unprepared, and it seems that many of those that follow him are equally lacking in skills and gear. Perhaps this unfortunate story will get future hikers to respect the challenges of the trail a bit more fully, and approach the region with more caution.

[Photo credit: Paramount Vantage Films]

Hiker dies trekking to ‘into the wild’ bus originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charles Pinckney Darby III, aka BUDDY, is the CEO of Kiawah Development Partners. His family has been from and of South Carolina for multiple generations. When I was on Kiawah Island recently, the same island he purchased from the Kuwaitis in 1988, I had a chance to meet and talk with him at the old ( approximately late 1700’s), but restored, Vanderhorst Plantation. This residence exudes the grace and affective evenness of the South: live oaks with Spanish Moss hanging low, a view of the Kiawah River, the marshland beyond, and the ocean beyond that. Buddy’s vision also stretches in two diverse directions, combining great resorts with a deep commitment to the environment.

Continue reading Of Elegance With Eco-Sensitivity: “Buddy” Darby on Kiawah, Doonbeg and his newest, Christophe Harbor

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Of Elegance With Eco-Sensitivity: “Buddy” Darby on Kiawah, Doonbeg and his newest, Christophe Harbor originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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