By Hope S. Philbrick

What are couples to do if one partner loves to ski but the other person doesn’t? Of course separate vacations are one option (and, until this year, what Dean and I chose), but Ski Utah has another suggestion: Travel together and while one person enjoys world-class skiing in what’s billed as “the greatest snow on earth” the other person can enjoy various other amenities and activities the region has to offer.

I’ve been married to an avid skier for 15 years, but until this February we never vacationed together at a ski resort. It’s not that I refused to go; it just didn’t seem to make sense to spend the extra money for me since I don’t ski. (When I was six years old I broke my leg in three places running across an icy playground and I’ve never been too eager to replicate the experience.) So Dean went alone. But this year, lured by curiosity and cost-saving “hot deals,” we decided to visit Utah’s ski region together. It’s something we should have done long ago.

In less than an hour it’s possible to drive to any of the 11 different ski resorts located in the Wasatch Mountains surrounding the Salt Lake City International Airport. This makes it easy to make the most of your first day of travel.

Gorgeous Mt. Superior. Courtesy Alta Ski Area

As an example, we departed Atlanta on a 6:30 a.m. non-stop Delta flight and were checked into our room at the Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge in Alta before Noon. (I’d called ahead and requested early check-in; we lucked out and the folks who’d occupied the room the previous night departed early that morning.) After grabbing a quick lunch together in the Saloon, Dean hit the slopes. I went back to the room, plugged in my laptop and then decided against work in favor of a nap. Ahhh, vacation!

For the next two days I accomplished not very much while Dean swooshed down black-diamond runs. It’s been years since I’ve so thoroughly relaxed and in that dreamy state I had an epiphany: Doing nothing is highly underrated. Even if accompanying Dean on ski trips is merely a way to give myself permission to veg out, that alone is reason enough for me to sign up for as many as possible. I heartily recommend downtime as a viable vacation option. But, thinking of you, dear readers, I did eventually motivate myself to get up and explore other options plus a few different resorts, just in case you’re the restless type.

While surrounded by the spectacular vista of snow-covered pine trees, steep mountains and clear blue skies, an overwhelming urge to get outdoors takes hold. (Wear the right gear and you’ll stay surprisingly warm.) Beyond downhill skiing, options include snowboarding, cross-country skiing, tubing or sledding, hiking, snowmobiling, ice skating and even dog sledding.

Vista at the start of the snowshoe trail from Brighton to Solitude. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

I opted for snowshoeing, and chose a 1.5-mile route from Brighton to Solitude. A worker at the Nordic Center at Solitude Mountain Resort outfitted me with the necessary gear, handed me a map and pointed at a trail outside the door. As a beginner, didn’t I need a lesson? “Just walk,” he said. Sure enough, it’s that easy.

The air was clean and crisp. The only sounds were chirping birds, snow falling from trees and the crunchy-squeak of snow underfoot. I can’t remember ever being so completely alone (though I was comforted in the knowledge that my cell phone did have service if I needed it). I took pictures and stepped at my own pace. It was a great experience.

Another day I wandered along the quaint Main Street of Park City, which boasts dozens of interesting boutiques and restaurants and thus provides a compelling daytime excursion for the non-skier. The new Park City Museum boasts several well-executed, diverse exhibits to showcase the city’s frontier days, law enforcement history, silver mining industry, transition into a ski town, role in theater (this is home of the annual Sundance Film Festival, after all), saloons and more. The high-tech display of past criminals is unforgettable and the wall model of a mine will certainly ramp up your appreciation of ore.

It’s possible to ski-in/ski-out of the High West Distillery & Saloon, so you could potentially meet your skiing spouse there for lunch or après ski dinner and cocktails. Or just head there on your own for an insightful behind-the-scenes tour of Utah’s first distillery since Prohibition. High West is housed in two buildings (a livery stable and a Victorian house) that date from Park City’s mining period and are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At Utah Olympic Park it’s free to peruse the Alf Engen Ski Museum and 2002 Eccles Olympic Winter Games museum. Exhibits about avalanches and the unique composition of Utah snow are especially interesting. Most days it’s possible to watch national and international competitions (and aspiring youths) train at the facility. Guided tours are also available. For $200, daredevils can also experience riding in the 4-person “Comet” bobsled down the Olympic track reaching speeds up to 80 mph. Billed as “the most intense minute of your life,” you’ll gain new appreciation for the sport.

Also fast-paced, the Alpine Coaster at Park City Mountain Resort is like a one-car roller coaster. What’s unique is the ability to control the speed of your individual toboggan-like car. The slow ride up the course provides an opportunity to enjoy the scenery; on the ride down apply the brake or go as fast as possible. The 4,000-foot long course is comprised of graceful curves, switchback bends and moderate hills.

Skiers get a lift at The Canyons in Park City, Utah. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

When I first agreed to this ski trip, I envisioned sitting in the resort hot tub and basking in the luxury of a day at the spa. It’s certainly possible to realize this dream at most of Utah’s ski resorts. At The Canyons Grand Summit Spa & Health Club the hot stone massage is a wonderful treatment choice. It left me feeling thoroughly de-stressed and energized. Arriving early provided time to savor the sauna, steam room and heated indoor/outdoor pool.

Of course, one option for any non-skier while visiting a ski resort is to take ski lessons. All the Utah ski resorts that we visited offered ski lessons for individuals and groups. This trip, I specifically avoided that option in favor of researching non-ski activities. But after several days spent watching skiers thoroughly enjoy themselves, I may be persuaded to take a few ski lessons on my next visit to Utah’s ski region.

One Skier’s Perspective of Two Ski Resorts: Alta & Deer Valley

The tagline for Ski Utah is “the greatest snow on earth.” That’s quite a boast. Since I don’t ski and thus can’t vouch for the honesty of that claim, I asked my husband for his opinion. Dean has skied around the world, from Minnesota to Austria, Colorado to Vermont and beyond. His take: “Skiing in Utah is awesome.”

Dean ends a run at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

“Alta has a good mix of runs,” says Dean. “The way it’s laid out, skiers of different skill levels could ride the lift together then ski down on separate runs and meet up at the bottom. Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the world that does not allow snowboarding, so it’s a more pure way to experience the way ski resorts used to be. The intermediate group ski lesson that I took was great. Skiing is very technical so no matter your skill level taking a lesson is helpful; the instructors evaluate what you’re doing, break it down and give you something to work on. I could feel myself getting more efficient in my turns. I especially liked the examples the instructor used, such as ‘Ski like the snow: If it’s powder, ski soft. If it’s icy, be aggressive.’”

He goes on to say, “I’m not surprised Deer Valley has been rated the No. 1 ski resort in the world by Ski Magazine for three years in a row. The groomed runs were amazing. Coincidentally, it’s another resort that doesn’t allow snowboarding. It happened that I started skiing just when a free mountain guide tour was getting ready to start, so I joined the group. I thought it was really fun to ski down with a guide and get a history lesson about the resort and Park City.”

There are 13 different ski resorts in Utah; visit www.SkiUtah.com for a complete comparison with details on average snowfall, vertical drop, skiable acres, number of runs, lift price and more.

If You Go

Where2Stay

Opt for a ski lodge for the most convenient access to skiing:

Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge
Alta
800.453.4573
www.skigmd.com

Just 25 miles from Salt Lake City, this ski-in/ski-out lodging option is located in the heart of the Alta ski area in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Pleasantly rustic, it’s ideal for skiers and anyone who wants to enjoy the winter wonder of a national mountain park. Rates from $140/night include breakfast and dinner.

The Escala Lodges
The Canyons, Park City
866.604.4171
www.thecanyons.com/escalahome

This ski-in/ski-out property is located in the Resort Village of Utah’s largest ski and summer resort. It’s new and ultra-luxurious. With easy access to downtown Park City via free bus service, this resort blends pampering and convenience. Rates at Escala start at $185/night during spring/summer, $500/night before Dec. 24 and $700/night during winter. The Canyons boasts several other lodging options as well, including Sundial Lodge where rates start at $119/night spring/summer, $256/night before Dec. 24 and $294/night during winter. Special packages are often available.

Opt for a Salt Lake City hotel to mix downtown shopping, dining and sightseeing with skiing, or if you’d prefer to rent a car and visit a different ski resort each day:

Hotel Monaco
Salt Lake City
801.595.0000
www.monaco-saltlakecity.com

Eye-popping décor and top-notch service make this a hotel to remember. Rates from $129/night.

Sheraton
Salt Lake City
801.401.2000
www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1327

This hotel recently underwent a $14 million renovation, so rooms are cozy and attractive. Rates from $89/night.

What2Do (Beyond Skiing)

Alpine Coaster at the Park City Mountain Resort
435.649.8111
www.parkcitymountain.com/winter/activities/alpine_coaster

The Canyons Grand Summit Spa & Health Club
435.615.8035
www.thecanyons.com/health_club.html

Nordic Center at Solitude Mountain Resort
801.536-.774
www.skisolitude.com/winter/nordic_center.php

Park City Museum
435.649.7457
www.parkcityhistory.org

Utah Olympic Park
435.658.4200
www.olyparks.com

Where2Eat

Alpine House
The Canyon’s Resort Village in Park City
435.615.4828
www.thecanyons.com/dining.html?dinid=10451

The menu bills the upscale fare as “small bites,” but the servings might be considered small only by those famished after a day spent skiing.

Eating Establishment
Park City
435.649.8284
www.theeatingestablishment.net

Breakfast may be a skier’s most important meal, but the food here will inspire even a non-skier to jump out of bed.

The Thanksgiving Sandwich with sweet potato fries at High West Distillery & Saloon in Park City, Utah. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

High West Distillery & Saloon
Park City
435.649.8300
www.highwest.com

Relax and refuel with hearty fare like the Thanksgiving Sandwich and tasty cocktails featuring spirits distilled on-site.

Log Haven
Salt Lake City (20 minutes from downtown)
801.272.8255
www.log-haven.com

Consistently awarded “Most Romantic Restaurant” by various Utah publications, the ambiance, upscale service and food quality are the definition of destination dining.

Pago
Salt Lake City
801.532.0777
www.pagoslc.com

Farm-to-table neighborhood dining at its delicious best.

Talisker on Main
Park City
435.658.5479
www.taliskeronmain.com

Exceptional surroundings, service and cuisine. Opt for the elk whenever it’s available and don’t skip dessert unless you’re aching to deprive yourself of something truly special.

Top of the Lodge
Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge in Alta
801.742.2300
www.skigmd.com/restaurants

Enjoy tasty fare in pleasant surroundings. Don’t miss the carrot and ginger soup when it’s available.

How2Save

Park City resorts (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons) offer a free half-day lift ticket to guests who fly into Salt Lake City on day of arrival. Ask for details when booking your reservation.

Ski ‘N See offers discounts on rentals and lift tickets to most Utah resorts. The store has several locations throughout the Wasatch Front.
www.skinsee.com

4MoreInfo

Ski Utah
Check out their “Hot Deals”, too.
www.skiutah.com

Top photo: The Supreme Lift at Alta. Courtesy of Alta Ski Area.

Where2Stay

Opt for a ski lodge for the most convenient access to skiing:

Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge
Alta
800.453.4573
www.skigmd.com

Just 25 miles from Salt Lake City, this ski-in/ski-out lodging option is located in the heart of the Alta ski area in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Pleasantly rustic, it’s ideal for skiers and anyone who wants to enjoy the winter wonder of a national mountain park. Rates from $140/night include breakfast and dinner.

The Escala Lodges
The Canyons, Park City
866.604.4171
www.thecanyons.com/escalahome

This ski-in/ski-out property is located in the Resort Village of Utah’s largest ski and summer resort. It’s new and ultra-luxurious. With easy access to downtown Park City via free bus service, this resort blends pampering and convenience. Rates at Escala start at $185/night during spring/summer, $500/night before Dec. 24 and $700/night during winter. The Canyons boasts several other lodging options as well, including Sundial Lodge where rates start at $119/night spring/summer, $256/night before Dec. 24 and $294/night during winter. Special packages are often available.

Opt for a Salt Lake City hotel to mix downtown shopping, dining and sightseeing with skiing, or if you’d prefer to rent a car and visit a different ski resort each day:

Hotel Monaco
Salt Lake City
801.595.0000
www.monaco-saltlakecity.com

Eye-popping décor and top-notch service make this a hotel to remember. Rates from $129/night.

Sheraton
Salt Lake City
801.401.2000
www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1327

This hotel recently underwent a $14 million renovation, so rooms are cozy and attractive. Rates from $89/night.

What2Do (Beyond Skiing)

Alpine Coaster at the Park City Mountain Resort
435.649.8111
www.parkcitymountain.com/winter/activities/alpine_coaster

The Canyons Grand Summit Spa & Health Club
435.615.8035
www.thecanyons.com/health_club.html

Nordic Center at Solitude Mountain Resort
801.536-.774
www.skisolitude.com/winter/nordic_center.php

Park City Museum
435.649.7457
www.parkcityhistory.org

Utah Olympic Park
435.658.4200
www.olyparks.com

Where2Eat

Alpine House
The Canyon’s Resort Village in Park City
435.615.4828
www.thecanyons.com/dining.html?dinid=10451

The menu bills the upscale fare as “small bites,” but the servings might be considered small only by those famished after a day spent skiing.

Eating Establishment
Park City
435.649.8284
www.theeatingestablishment.net

Breakfast may be a skier’s most important meal, but the food here will inspire even a non-skier to jump out of bed.

The Thanksgiving Sandwich with sweet potato fries at High West Distillery & Saloon in Park City, Utah. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

High West Distillery & Saloon
Park City
435.649.8300
www.highwest.com

Relax and refuel with hearty fare like the Thanksgiving Sandwich and tasty cocktails featuring spirits distilled on-site.

Log Haven
Salt Lake City (20 minutes from downtown)
801.272.8255
www.log-haven.com

Consistently awarded “Most Romantic Restaurant” by various Utah publications, the ambiance, upscale service and food quality are the definition of destination dining.

Pago
Salt Lake City
801.532.0777
www.pagoslc.com

Farm-to-table neighborhood dining at its delicious best.

Talisker on Main
Park City
435.658.5479
www.taliskeronmain.com

Exceptional surroundings, service and cuisine. Opt for the elk whenever it’s available and don’t skip dessert unless you’re aching to deprive yourself of something truly special.

Top of the Lodge
Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge in Alta
801.742.2300
www.skigmd.com/restaurants

Enjoy tasty fare in pleasant surroundings. Don’t miss the carrot and ginger soup when it’s available.

How2Save

Park City resorts (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons) offer a free half-day lift ticket to guests who fly into Salt Lake City on day of arrival. Ask for details when booking your reservation.

Ski ‘N See offers discounts on rentals and lift tickets to most Utah resorts. The store has several locations throughout the Wasatch Front.
www.skinsee.com

4MoreInfo

Ski Utah
Check out their “Hot Deals”, too.
www.skiutah.com

By John Griffin

Planning a safari takes time. You have to research the camp options available as well as the best time of year to travel. Most of all you have to decide the reasons you are going. Is it for the animals? The thrill of the kill?

I did none of these. I left it all up to Jean, my 84-year-old friend who gladly did all the work. She knew what she wanted to see, and that was the point of the trip. Her research was exhaustive and the planning part was almost as much fun as the trip itself.

Though I was along for the ride, I discovered that no amount of planning can provide you with a direct route from the United States to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, one of the most remote regions of the country and the world’s largest inland delta.

Aerial view of silt flowing south into the Okavango Delta. Photo by Justin Hall

The trip there included six flights spread out over a few days to allow Jean, another friend, Virginia, and me the chance to recover from any jet lag that might interfere with our trip.

The last flight was on a rickety Cessna that seemed held together by duct tape and a prayer. The 70-minute jump from Maun, the country’s capital, to the wilderness, included bumping into every air pocket imaginable, leaving us jumpy as well as nervous about what lay in store.

It was like flying into Oz on a tornado.

All of us had been to Africa before. But the northern Africa of Morocco and Egypt is one of large cities teaming with a swarm of people. In the Delta, the only other people around are those who work for the safari camps. The rest of the area is populated with who knows what type of wild beasts.

Which ones would we see? Elephants? Lions? Zebras? Would they attack us? Or was our winter visit when all of the animals had left for better climes?

We were too tired to inquire further as we loaded our luggage into the jeep that took us to our first camp, Lagoon.

It was a quick drive from the airstrip, and the bumpiness of the sandy road added to our disorientation. We saw nothing, not even a bird, before reaching the facility, where we were told to wait until we had been briefed on how the camp operates.

The short lecture, when it finally occurred, included all kinds of useful information, none of which we in our exhaustion could comprehend. If the tents were only a few hundred feet away, why did we have to have a guide escort us to them after dark? And why couldn’t we go there now to relax for a while before our afternoon trek?

We finally made it to the tents, zippered from top to bottom to keep out mosquitoes and monkeys, we were told. But there was little chance for rest. Our afternoon drive was to begin shortly.

Velvet monkeys are beautiful, if mischievous creatures who will take things from tents that are not properly locked.

We trudged sleepily off to the jeep, where our guide, Alson, and our tracker, A.J., were waiting. They had packed a sundowner snack for us, and we would be gone for several hours.

It was all rather disorienting. The day was hot and humid, with temperatures in the upper 80s. A storm seemed to be brewing off to one side, with enormous bolts of lightening shooting off in all directions. Were we going to be caught in the rain? Were we going to bump all afternoon in the jeep, or would we ever stop for pictures?

The exhaustion melted away about five minutes later, as we spotted our first herd of impala, a graceful deer-like creature that becomes even more beautiful when it is in flight. This herd was largely female, Alson told us, because they had need of only one male. The rest of the males, often called “losers” by the various guides we would have, would form their own small herds.

We were all eyes and ears from that point on. No jangled nerves or droopy eyes. No more worries about jostling about in the jeep. We had found what we had come to Africa for: seeing amazing creatures in their natural habitat.

We could have stayed all afternoon watching the impala, but our guides had more in store for us. They received a call from another jeep that cheetahs were in the area. We were off. We soon came upon three brothers, fresh off a hunt. Their bellies were full, and they were ready for a nap. And that’s what they did, while we drove around them and snapped photos from every angle. The cats were as regal as you could imagine – and docile, too, because they had been well fed. No fears of being cheetah bait.

A trio of cheetah brothers don’t seemed to bothered by the Cape buffalo, often considered the meanest, most unpredictable creature in the delta region.

When they got tired of the attention, the cats slunk off, leaving us to drive around a bit further, where we discovered giraffes and zebras eating together with a pair of ostriches. We saw elephants and tsessebe, a dark, elegant antelope that is second only to the cheetah in terms of swiftness.

We would encounter dazzles of zebras (as groups of the striped animals are called) frequently thereafter, and we noticed something hilarious about their behavior. Though the striped creatures have been exposed to humans from the day they were born, they aren’t too fond of our kind, and they show it by turning their backs to us as soon as they’ve had enough of the cameras. As a result, I have dozens of pictures of zebra rumps, prompting one friend to suggest I start Buttbook as a means of commiserating with friends.

As the sun began to set, an enormous orange-colored moon began to rise in the sky. I felt as if I were taking Linus’ place in meeting the Great Pumpkin, and all I wanted to do was watch it ascend into the night sky.

A young zebra is darker colored, with touches of fawn, before turning whiter with age.

I was in luck. The moon was our cue to stop the jeep and stretch our legs. Our guides set up an attractive display of snacks and cocktails, but they failed to bring along the right libation for my friends. Instead of the vodka they had requested – no, demanded — the bottle said gin. That mistake was never made again on the trip.

But my friends muddled through, more impressed with seeing elephants and giraffes and cheetahs than anything else.

Only one thing could make the day even more perfect in my book: I had wanted to see the Southern Cross. In all my trips south of the equator, I had never seen this constellation. Alson stopped on the way back to camp to point it out as well as the false Southern Cross that also appears in the night sky.

The storm still rumbled off in the distance, never moving near us, but it lit the sky on one side with brilliant pyrotechnics.

We made it back to camp in time for Jean to get a vodka martini before dinner, but only just barely. The dinner bell had rung, and we didn’t even have time to head back to the tents. So, we sat down to our dinner of beef and vegetables, all prepared in a classic European manner.

What? No local fare? Except for the vegetables that were in season – squashes, pumpkin and the like – the answer was no. The tourists over the years have decreed what they will eat, and the local penchant for chiles is not acceptable.

To please the guides, a couple of bottles of red and green Tabasco sauce could be found on each table. And they doused their food with it, as did I, to their amazement. No tourist had ever gone near a bottle, in their memory. I guess Texans like myself don’t make it to their part of the world regularly.

After dinner, we sat around a camp fire with drinks and dessert, swapping stories of how perfect the first day had been. But the exhaustion we had felt earlier settled in again on us, and we started off for our tents. A cry went up. We hadn’t waited for our guide. We couldn’t go back without him.

Alson quickly showed up with flashlight in hand, but he stopped after about 50 feet. We had to go back, he said. An elephant was in our path.

An elephant? All we could see was blackness.

Well, OK, we’ll go back to the fire and have another drink. Maybe this was just our lesson for not waiting for the guide, we said to one another.

The drink poured for us was Amarula, a sweet and creamy liqueur with an elephant on the label. The heady libation was made from the marula fruit, which elephants are said to dote on. Good story, great nightcap. But we really needed some sleep.
This time we were good to go. Or, so our guide said, as we were allowed back to our tents for a few hours’ sleep.

Guest writer, John Griffin, is editor of the food e-zine www.SavorSA.com and of the upcoming magazine, San Antonio Taste. All the photos in this article are by John, except the aerial shot of the Okavango Delta.

Highlands, North Carolina – Special Mid-Winter Offer through March 31 at Fire Mountain Inn, Cabins and Treehouses. Stay 2 nights and get the 3rd night FREE! This special offer is valid for any accommodation and includes complimentary wine and cheese in your accommodation upon arrival. Click here to reserve or call 800.775.4446.

Africa – Starwood Hotels and Resorts has launched an African travel promotion offering discounts of up to 40% off the best available rates for early bookings. The promotion is in anticipation of the football fans expected to converge on South Africa this summer for one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Over twenty Sheraton, Le Meridien, The Luxury Collection and Four Points by Sheraton hotels and resorts in destinations such as Algeria, Egypt, Gambia, Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa are included. Rates start from an amazing €46 per room per night at the Sheraton Dahab in Egypt or €53 per room per night at the Sheraton Dreamland Hotel & Conference Centre, located just over 10 miles from the Pyramids in Cairo. Bookings must be made by March 31, 2010 with travel valid until the end of August. The earlier you book the higher your discount, up to 40% at selected properties. Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply at individual hotels. The offer is not applicable for group bookings. To book and more information, click here.

Galapagos Islands – Book and travel on the Adventure Center’s 10-day Galapagos in Depth small group tour before April 30, 2010 and choose either free Quito-Galapagos roundtrip flights (valued at $460) OR 50% off our 4-day or 5-day Amazon Wilderness extension (valued up to $660). Click here for details.

London – Antiques aficionados can stay in style when attending The British Antique Dealers’ Association Antiques & Fine
Art Fair, from March 17-23, 2010. Five top boutique hotels in Knightsbridge and Chelsea offer special rates and packages to fairgoers. All packages include admission to the BADA Fair. The rates apply to a range of guest rooms and suites. All are located within walking distance of the Duke of York Square where the BADA Fair is held, and are close to London’s most stylish shops, restaurants and cultural attractions. Rates are per room per night, based on double occupancy. Hotels include The Cadogaon, The Sloane Square, The Draycott, The Capital and the Jumeireh Lowndes. Links for all the specials can be found here.

Lake Tahoe – Deals are everywhere this winter at Camp Richardson Historic Resort & Marina. From an incredible Winemaker Dinner and Lodging Special for $175 per couple to Ski/Board Winter Packages for two nights for 2 from $160-$285. Choices include cross-country at the resort or ski/snowboard Heavenly, Homewood or Sierra-at-Tahoe. For details and more info, click here.

Sequoia National Park – Wuksachi Lodge at Sequoia is offering various packages including romance and cross country ski specials for as little as $115 per night. Available through April 1, 2010. Non-package room rates start as low as $91 per night. Details here.

Story and photos by Lynn DeBruin

In college, when nobody had any money, we’d wait until noon to get the best golf deals, and end up dragging our pull carts nine holes for a mere $2. It was a steal, even if we were playing in 110-degree temperatures.

While the $2 nine went out with disco, golfers these days can still get a smoking deal without having to play in searing heat. Blame the downturn in the economy, the glut of courses and saturation of hotel rooms. Altogether, that means deals are to be had just about anywhere in Arizona.

“We’re back to seeing rates where they were 10 years ago,” said Steve Nicodemus, golf group sales manager for Xona Resort in north Scottsdale.

Bud Garmany, who organizes golf trips primarily for groups from the Bay Area, called the deals unbelievable. In March, considered prime season for golf in Arizona, he has groups of 24-32 players paying $1,000 apiece to stay four nights at Xona and play three rounds at top-rated courses like Grayhawk. That includes a daily buffet breakfast, a dinner at Phil Mickelson’s restaurant at Grayhawk, all ground transportation and a Giants spring training game with VIP all-you-can-eat-and-drink tickets.

Gold Canyon’s Dinosaur Mountain, with its panoramic views, high Sonoran desert and abundant wildlife, offers more than just great golf. It has been rated the No.1 public course in Arizona.

Ed Gowan, executive director at Arizona Golf, said it’s possible to spend a week in Arizona for about half of what it cost just two years ago. As for golf in general, he said those rates are down about 25 percent across the board. “There’s an awful lot of opportunities to play some really great golf courses for reasonable prices, mostly between $80 and $125,” he said.

Some higher-end courses still get away with charging over $200 for prime tee times. But unlike in recent years, golfers will find room on the tee sheets when prices are discounted.

For those considering moving to Arizona, the deals on housing are just as eye-opening. Gowan said indications are the prices will bottom out in April or May, meaning buyers can get into a home for about 50 percent of what it sold for just three years ago.

“We’re a boom or bust real estate economy here and in five years it will probably be booming again because there’s so much demand and so many people moving here,” he said. “But that’s a pretty good five-year investment.”

Years ago the epicenter of golf in the Valley of the Sun was further south, where courses such as McCormick Ranch and Orange Tree were located. Now it’s north Scottsdale, with Grayhawk, Troon North and TPC Scottsdale just a few minutes from resorts like Xona. There are about two dozen premier courses within 20 minutes of Xona and a dozen within just a few miles.

“You hear a lot about Myrtle Beach, but there are as many or more golf courses here, and quality courses,” said Tedd Maitland, director of golf and marketing at Xona Resorts. Plus, the Sonoran Desert gives the courses a totally different feel and look.

And, as a group from Nebraska pointed out recently, there’s no snow on the ground right now.

For others, it’s not about saving money but socializing.

“Like everywhere else, we’ve seen a big drop-off in corporate groups, but we’re still getting groups of buddies that make a golf trip every year. And they keep coming back because it’s a great setup,” Maitland said.

What else?

Shopping

If golfing isn’t your idea of fun, Scottsdale has plenty of other activities to pass the time.

Start with power shopping. Scottsdale Fashion Square is now home to a Barneys New York, putting it on par with Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas and Beverly Hills. The $130 million renovation made Fashion Square the largest shopping mall in the Southwest.

In downtown Scottsdale, the ancient Indian canal system has been transformed into the $3.3 billion hub of pedestrian activity and urban vitality, with more than 50 lounges, bars and nightclubs, 90-plus restaurants and more than 30,000 visitors on any given weekend night. The development includes the Scottsdale Waterfront and $41 million SouthBridge district, which features many one-of-a-kind boutiques.

Taste of the Desert

Walker Remington has been giving open-air Jeep tours into the desert for 18 years, but the former mortgage banker recently discovered another gold mine in moonlight tours.

Walker Remington sets out for the desert in his Jeep. Photo courtesy Walker Remington

“On some nights it was so bright we had moon shadows,” he said.

And before the moon rises, the star-filled sky offers glimpses of the Milky Way.
Along the way, the colorful Remington does his best to entertain with stories of the old west, and the history, culture and nature of Arizona.

“It’s a great chance to get away from the shopping malls and hustle and bustle of town. You get to the outskirts to see what it used to be like,” Remington said. “A lot of folks are expecting rolling sand dunes and you get them out in the greenest desert in the world and they’re amazed at how beautiful it is and lush, with a variety of life out there.”

Desert sunset.

On any given trip, one can see thousands of giant saguaros, some pushing 150 and 200 years, teddy bear cholla and barrel cactus. It’s also not unusual to spot rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, desert tortoises and coyotes along the way, with visits to old mine shafts providing a glimpse into the past.

Often, it’s nature that gets top billing.

“I’ve got a spot where there are thousands of saguaros in view and no roads or buildings (in sight),” he said.

Remington does four-hour day tours much of the year but when it’s too hot for that in summer, the full moon tours are one’s best bet. He got the idea for the night tours from a friend who was conducting sunset-moonlit walking tours. When his wife suggested he do similar Jeep tours, he balked.

“Being the intelligent man that I am, I said, ‘That will never work.’ But the amount of response I got was completely humbling. I thought I might get a dozen phone calls and I got close to 90,” he said.

The full moon tours will start again in June. All tours are 3-4 hours, and cost $80 per adult and $70 for children. For more information visit Arizonaterritorialadventures.com or call 480-215-0027.

Soak away the day

Scottsdale has an assortment of luxurious spa retreats, some using indigenous elements such as Arizona river rocks, Sonoran Desert clay and muds, and Arizona-grown honey. A few even incorporate heated golf balls to reinvigorate guests.

The Boulders Resort also has been offering an all-inclusive package that includes daily hikes, meals, a fitness evaluation and lectures on health, wellness and nutrition. For more information visit www.ExperienceScottsdale.com/spas.

The TPC Stadium Course in Scottsdale, once home to the Phoenix Open, was the firstt golf course in Arizona to be designated an Audubon International Cooperative.

Golf

There are about 200 golf courses in the greater Phoenix area, which includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and surrounding cities. Visit azgolf.org for information and specials.

Celebrity watch

With its world class shopping and glitzy nightclubs, celebs such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z ditched the beaches of San-Tropez to celebrate their honeymoon at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort. Hollywood’s Jessica Alba, Kristin Cavallari and Vanessa Minnillo also have been spotted partying with Nick Lachey and Brody Jenner at Mondrian Scottsdale. Even former VP Al Gore found his way to Scottsdale, celebrating his Nobel Peace Prize at the urban resort.
Because there are so many premier courses here, dozens of PGA Touring pros also are based in the Valley of the Sun.

If You Go

Where2Stay

Boulders Resort
N. Tom Darlington Drive
Carefree, AZ 85377
Reservations: 888.579.2631
www.theboulders.com

Xona Resort Suites
What sets them apart is having 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom suites that can be either single or double occupancy. Each suite also has a full kitchen, living room and dining area. Their Grip it and Rip it Package offers a free round at TPC Stadium Course for $229. The Cactus League package offers a two-bedroom suite for $249 per night, with a $50 food and beverage credit per day and additional rooms for $129. Visit Xonaresort.com or call 480-585-1234.

Other accommodations and deals can be found at www.scottsdalecvb.com

Lynn DeBruin is a freelance writer/photographer based in Denver and former sportswriter for the Rocky Mountain News. She is an 8 handicap.

February 13, 2010 – We Are the World 25 for Haiti made its world premiere last night at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics and it’s up on YouTube now. Please watch it, share it with your friends and donate what you can. Even the smallest donation can have a huge impact when you add them all together.  Please give what you can. We ARE the world and we CAN make a difference. For more information and to donate now, please go to http://wearetheworldfoundation.org/.

By Hope S. Philbrick

In one episode of Seinfeld, Elaine befriends three guys similar to Jerry, George and Kramer except they’re much nicer and well mannered. The eerie coincidences convince her she’s stepped into a “Bizzaro World.” At first she’s enamored with the cleaner crew; by the end she grows bored with them and returns to her original pals.

On my first few visits to Charleston, South Carolina, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d stumbled into Bizzaro New Orleans. The two southern port cities share many similarities: both have historic French quarters with cobbled streets and distinctive ironwork, copious markets and boutiques, art galleries and restaurants serving renowned regional cuisine, horse-drawn carriage tours, rich histories and intense local pride among other things.

Yet Charleston is like the subtle cousin to New Orleans’ sassy flirt. On the day before Lent you’re far less likely to find anyone strolling down the street sporting only body paint in Charleston than in New Orleans. On any given day in Charleston, you’ll pass fewer boisterous well-wishers, hear fewer jazz musicians on street corners and sniff fewer whiffs of hot pepper sauce wafting out of cafés. It felt like something was missing.

I adore New Orleans and so initially Charleston felt familiar yet off-kilter to me, more standoffish, reserved and dare I say, bland. A recent three-day-weekend visit spent wandering neighborhoods, touring museums, shopping, and even more mundane activities like getting my hair cut, provided an opportunity to shed the comparison and relish Charleston’s abundant, unique charms. Lucky for me, unlike Elaine I need not choose between friends: I am free to treasure both cities.

Here, I introduce my new friend, one I hope to visit again soon. Among Charleston’s compelling attributes:

Sweetgrass Baskets are known as one of the oldest African art forms still practiced in the United States. The 300-year-old tradition of basketmaking thrives in the Charleston area. Photo courtesy of Charleston CVB

Gullah History

Founded in 1670, the threads of Charleston history weave into the history of the United States. Of special interest is the Gullah, a group descended from enslaved Africans whose West African cultural heritage has been better preserved than any other group of African-Americans. (In Georgia, where they also live in small farming and fishing communities in the Sea Islands, these folks are called Geechee.)

“You da one of we people ya,” says Alphonso Brown, Gullah Tours guide and author of A Gullah Guide to Charleston, to each tourist boarding his 21-passenger bus as a way to demonstrate how the Gullah language is at once familiar yet distinct. “You’re one of us now!” he laughs in translation, assuring those with startled faces that the entire tour is not conducted in Gullah Creole language.

Brown’s two-hour tour, during which he shares stories both serious and funny, showcases Charleston’s history, architecture, personalities, traditions, contributions, artworks and more. Among the stops is Philip Simmons’ former studio (Simmons, who died on June 22, 2009, was the nation’s preeminent blacksmith and creator of many of Charleston’s iron gates).

Unfinished works inside the studio of the city’s most celebrated ironworker, Philip Simmons. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

Brown also doles out advice—about where to eat (he’s a fan of Magnolia’s), where to shop (don’t miss King Street), where it’s safe to wander alone after dark (most everywhere in the French Quarter) and how to choose among the Gullah sweetgrass baskets, which are counted among Charleston’s most unique and prized artworks (for starters, the weave should be tight.) It’s an educational tour both entertaining and practical.

Lowcountry Cuisine

“Our historic city has been preserved and our cuisine is an extension of that historic culture,” says Executive Chef Frank Lee of Maverick Southern Kitchens. Indeed, culinary styles grow out of what’s available in a region and who lives there—people’s taste preferences, cultures, cooking skills and recipes. The lowcountry (the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, including Charleston) was settled by a diverse population of French, Spanish, Scottish, English, African and Native American people with ready access to rice, seafood and abundant produce.

Chef Emily Kimbrough at Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen Store. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

Lowcountry cuisine is tasty, unpretentious fare like lowcountry boil (also known as frogmore stew), hoppin’ john, she-crab soup, huguenot torte and shrimp and grits. Arguably the best-known lowcountry dish, shrimp and grits originated as a common breakfast enjoyed by fishermen; today it’s on Charleston lunch and dinner menus in every price category. Chef Emily Kimbrough teaches a number of cooking classes at Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen Store yet the lowcountry class is by far the most popular.

At Middleton Place the mission is to “interpret history by serving many ingredients and dishes authentic to the area and culture of the Antebellum lowcountry,” says Douglas Beard, vice president of foodservice for Middleton Place Foundation. But culinary history is more often a foundation than literally on the menu. Today’s Charleston menus boast creations like grilled barbecue tuna (at Slightly North of Broad), duck confit and dirty grits with baby turnips and bacon sage gravy (at Charleston Grill), lump crab and avocado salad with grilled chayote squash (at Palmetto Café), and pork shoulder with Japanese pumpkin, Brussels sprouts and roasted apple (at FIG).

“We’ve got a hell of a restaurant scene here!” says Lee. “Extremely dedicated, talented chefs using all their skills and techniques in a modern way.” What’s more, Charleston continues to draw new restaurateurs such as Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked. In short, Charleston’s good eating is only getting better.

Luxury Accommodations

As a major entry port for Africans captured in the slave trade—between 1700 and 1775 nearly 40 percent of Africans imported into North America as slaves passed through its harbor—Charleston has long had a sizeable black population and yet very limited segregation. Former slave quarters (a.k.a., carriage houses, servant housing and dependencies) stand throughout the city alongside former owners’ mansions. Long since upgraded, remodeled and transformed into luxurious spaces, these structures are often now private residences or, as is the case at the 21 East Battery Bed & Breakfast, rental properties. (Yes, recommending former slave quarters as luxury accommodations feels surreal; however, lodging there feels like a way of respecting history while acknowledging humanity’s progress.)

Some of the most fantastic homes in the country stand on this stretch of land known as The High Battery, overlooking the Charleston Harbor. Each is unique in its architecture, history and personality. Many of these homes were erected before the Civil War. Photo courtesy of Charleston CVB

21 East Battery’s Carriage House, which is situated on the 1825 Edmondston-Alston House compound, is a spacious two-story separate structure—no worries about hearing noisy neighbors!—with a bedroom suite, one-and-a-half bathrooms, kitchen and dining room, two dens plus balcony with a view of the harbor. Inside the refrigerator juice, milk, healthy snacks and continental breakfast await arriving guests. Conveniently located across the street is “High Battery,” the city’s waterfront promenade. The Battery, a park where the Cooper and Ashley Rivers meet, is blocks away. Guests gain free admission to The Edmondston-Alston House Museum, which boasts antiques, original Audubon artworks and other treasures.

The popular Town and Country package pairs a bed and breakfast stay with additional nights at The Inn at Middleton Place, which is adjacent to Middleton Place plantation, America’s oldest landscaped gardens and a National Historic Landmark. Owned and operated by the same folks as 21 East Battery, the more rustic townhouse-style Inn accommodations include a deluxe breakfast plus admission to Middleton Place. At the restful Inn it’s possible to awaken to the sounds of rustling leaves and hoo-ing owls then later commune with nature while strolling through the 65-acre showy gardens.

Extensive Entertainment

There’s no excuse to be bored in Charleston. With 15 stops along Museum Mile—including historic homes as well as art, military, cultural and other museums—plus 12 historic places of worship and dozens of other points of interest, it’s possible to explore for a day, a week or longer. Go sailing, play a round of golf, visit the aquarium or take an eco-tour. Parks and squares offer restful areas to take a break, read a book or watch people. What’s more, the city is host to dozens of festivals throughout the year and folks’ upbeat, friendly attitude shows they know how to have a good time and hope you do, too.

BONUS

4HomeCooks

Carolina Rice and Vegetable Sauté
Serves 6-8

1 carrot, peeled
4 Tablespoons butter
½ onion, diced
1 cup corn, fresh off the cob or frozen kernels thawed
8-10 okra, sliced or half medium zucchini, chopped
½ cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked Carolina Plantation Aromatic rice (jasmine rice may be substituted)
½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade

1. Shred carrot on large holes of box grater and set aside.
2. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in the pan and add the onions. Sweat the onions until they are translucent.
3. Add the corn, zucchini and carrot to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook the vegetables in the stock until they are just tender, approx. 3-5 minutes.
5. Fold in the tomatoes, okra and cooked rice. Mix well. Cook for 1 minute more.
6. Remove pan from heat and stir in the remaining butter and the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Variation: Any vegetables in season can be substituted for the vegetables noted above.

—Recipe Courtesy Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen Store

If You Go

Where2Stay

21 East Battery Bed & Breakfast
21 East Battery in the Edmondston-Alston House
843-556-0500
www.21eastbattery.com

Charleston Place
205 Meeting St.
843-722-4900
www.charlestonplace.com

Middleton Place – A carefully preserved 18th century plantation and a National Historic Landmark, Middleton Place encompasses America’s oldest landscaped Gardens. Photo courtesy of Charleston CVB

The Inn at Middleton Place
4290 Ashley River Rd.
843-556-0500
www.theinnatmiddletonplace.com

Where2Eat

Baked Charleston
160 E. Bay St.
843-577-2180
http://bakednyc.com

Charleston Grill
224 King St.
843-577-4522
www.charlestongrill.com

FIG
232 Meeting St.
843-805-5900
www.eatatfig.com

Magnolia’s
185 E. Bay St.
843-577-7771
www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com

Middleton Place Restaurant
4300 Ashley River Rd.
843-556-6020
www.middletonplace.org

Palmetto Café
205 Meeting St.
843-722-4900
www.charlestonplace.com

Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.)
192 East Bay St.
843-723-3424
www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com

What2Do

Charleston Cooks! Maverick Kitchen Store
194 East Bay St.
843-722-1212
www.charlestoncooks.com
Cooking school course topic and cost varies; some classes are free. Visit website for details.

Alphonso Brown leads the Gullah Tours. Photo by Hope S. Philbrick

Gullah Tours
843-763-7551
www.gullahtours.com
Two-hour tours run Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.; Sat. 11 a.m., 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. $18/adult; $15/middle- and high-school student; $12/elementary student.

Middleton Place Plantation
4290 Ashley River Rd.
843-556-6020
www.middletonplace.org

Admission $25/adult, $5/child age 7-15. House museum +$10. Carriage tour +$15.
Overview tours on the hour 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; tours with an African-American focus run daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Palmetto Carriage Works
40 North Market St.
843-723-8145
www.carriagetour.com
One-hour tours in a mule-drawn carriage explore 25-30 blocks of historic downtown Charleston. $20/person.

When2Go

Charleston is host to many festivals throughout the year. Among them:

March 4-7, 2010
Charleston Food + Wine Festival
www.charlestonfoodandwine.com

April 16-18, 20
10World Grits Festival
www.worldgritsfestival.com

June 5, 2010
Sweetgrass Festival
www.sweetgrassfestival.org

September 23-October 3, 2010
MOJA Arts Festival
www.mojafestival.com

4MoreInfo

Charleston Area SC Convention & Visitors Bureau
800-774-0006
www.charlestoncvb.com

Top photo: Several carriage tours are available downtown. Horse (or mule) drawn buggies take travelers back to a simpler time. Courtesy of the Charleston Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Hope S. Philbrick is a freelance writer because she doesn’t think work and fun should be mutually exclusive. For more of Hope’s writing on food, wine and travel visit her blog at www.insathope.blogspot.com.

Story and photos by Lynn DeBruin

The run was named FIS, but as I slid down it, headfirst on my back, my first thoughts were F%$# I’m Screwed.

While I would joke about renaming that bumped-up, black-diamond run on Aspen Mountain, not five minutes later I tackled it cleanly – a testament that an innovative program aimed at curing the terminally intermediate skier really works – if I slowed down and listened.

Granted, before I went to Aspen in January for a specialty four-day Bumps for Boomers clinic, I thought I could ski like the wind, flying down steep blue runs and even black ones at the best resorts the West had to offer. But mention a bump run, even a modest one, and I’d hightail it even faster in the opposite direction. That four-letter word, bump, to me translated to fear, and my surgically repaired left knee and I wanted no part of it.

Not anymore, not after surviving the clinic started by an original Boomer named Joe Nevin. Half a day in, after starting with baby steps and baby skis, our small group could be found navigating down runs like Midnight and Pumphouse, and eventually through black-diamond Reds and a double-black-diamond, Glades 3.

A classmate navigates a blue run on Day 1 of the clinic.

While the view from the top was stunning, looking back up at what we had just skied was what really sent the heart racing. Instead of aching legs from long days of skiing, I was energized at the prospect of breaking free from a 30-year skiing rut – all the while knowing my bad knee didn’t bother me one minute.

What clicked was instruction from a team assembled by Nevin, a former Apple exec, who followed the corporate mantra he preached in teaching boomers how to navigate the mogul world.

“I had just come out of 12 years at Apple where the corporate DNA is all about making complexity simple,” said Nevin, former chief information officer at the innovative high-tech company that revolutionized the industry with its iPods, iPhones and now iPads. In short, he wanted to turn terminally intermediate skiers into confident mogul and powder skiers – all in a matter of hours.

With help from instructors such as Alan Bush and Larry Feher, he has, turning this 47-year-old and hundreds of other boomer-groomers into bump and glade skiers. Now, instead of ignoring the egg-carton-like fields that generally are devoid of crowds, I’m drawn to them.

Mogul runs are often the least crowded on any mountain.

The biggest key for Nevin in starting the program seven years ago was identifying 20 percent of the information that would make 80 percent of the difference.

He began with ski boards – 98 centimeter carbon-fiber skis stubby enough to make macho men cringe. Nevin compared them to the old wooden Wilson tennis racquets before Prince came along with its oversized metal frames that drastically enlarged the sweet spot.

“They absolutely force good technique; they’re like truth serum,” Nevin, 63, said of the mini-skis. “You put them on and if you don’t have the proper stance, your feet will wiggle.” With no back seat, they magnify everything that’s going on between one’s feet and the snow. “If there’s a problem, we can immediately identify it,” Nevin added.

The shorties also provided a much smaller turning radius, something that went a long way toward instilling confidence while staring down a steep fall line and minefield of moguls.

Forget about skiing a zip line to the bottom through the troughs, knees bumping chests á la Olympic champions Dale Begg-Smith and Jennifer Heil. We would learn to ski the tops of moguls, where the snow is the softest, and at controlled speeds.

It was something Nevin felt crucial if he were to gain the trust of a largely untapped market on the slopes; boomers who don’t want to jump off cliffs or bang through a course with their knees in their face but want to explore the entire mountain.

“We were looking at a demographic that had certain attributes,” Nevin said of folks born between 1946 and 1964. “They’re getting older, maybe not in as good a shape as they were when they were younger and their reflexes are starting to decline a bit.”

Flat light only made listening more important as we navigated a mogul run on Day 2.

Also, unlike the 4-year-olds who take off from the top of a run without an ounce of fear, there tends to be greater apprehension about falling and getting hurt, and their ability to bounce back.

Cathy Godshall, a partner in an Akron law firm, admitted as much, especially knowing her basic technique needed some work. “After doing it a few times, the things that looked scary didn’t look scary any more,” said Godshall, 58, who came to Aspen with her husband, Doug, 63, and a third law partner/friend.

While their friend would suffer a freak accident on Day 1, falling and breaking a shoulder before we even hit the bumps, it didn’t affect their desire to push on.

Ditto for the couple from Australia who hadn’t skied in four years or an Amazon.com software developer who was determined to keep up with his buddies. “I’ve skied nastier runs before and gotten down without killing myself,” said Seattle’s Chris Jones. “But I never understood how to do it in a way that was safe and controlled, necessarily. Now I can because it’s been broken down into a set of measurable and learnable skills (where) you go, ‘OK, it’s this.’ I love solving puzzles and moguls are a very interesting puzzle to solve.”

That’s not to say we, namely me, didn’t take a few spills over the four days. But most were because I was going too fast, or threw my body out of balance with bad habits. With the instructors’ choice of words and constant scrutiny, I’d finally get it.

It was evidenced as we stood at the top of Glades, a 45-degree hill of bumps beneath us along with hundreds of pines but not one other skier. We couldn’t help but admire the peace, quiet and beauty of nature all the while harboring the knowledge that we were about to ski where we hadn’t dared venture before.

Off Ruthie’s Run we stumble upon the shrine to Jerry Garcia.

“With our technique, it’s safer skiing over here,” said Feher, who has a PHd in sports administration and has taught everywhere from Taos to Jackson Hole, including the last 16 years at Aspen/Snowmass. “There’s trees, but they’re not moving. Out on the (groomed) slopes, there might be 100 people racing by you.”

It’s true. Some 80 percent of the people ski on 20 percent of the runs.

“Those are the groomed runs, so if you can get off the groomed runs and get away from the people, it’s nice and quiet and peaceful,” Feher said.

And because we ventured off the groomers, we ended up seeing things we might not have known about – like the makeshift shrine to cult hero Jerry Garcia, complete with dozens of photos and a Stoner Avenue street sign, that has been erected amid the pines and aspens.

It’s something just about any boomer could appreciate.

Bumps for Boomers

Ski purists might object, but in this class Nevin and instructors tell students not to carve but to slide, drift or even skid from spot to spot. “You can carve in the bumps if you’re young and have lightning-fast reflexes. But when you get to be 45 and older, you really can’t move that fast,” Nevin said.

Instead, students are taught to ski independent of reflex speed, which means they won’t be penalized as their reflexes slow even further as they age. And they won’t have to speed up their reflexes the steeper the hill gets.

“Overall, we’re really showing people how to use the brakes before the accelerator pedal,” he said. And carving produces speed.

The program

The four-day clinic, with lift ticket, is $1,493 in February and March. Three-day clinics also are available for a slightly reduced fee. Classes are purposely kept small, with a maximum of four students per instructor. At times, our clinic provided almost one-on-one training. Ski boards are provided the first two days. Skiers simply need their boots and poles those days, and can either rent skis the final two days or provide their own. Find more information at www.bumpsforboomers.com or by calling 970-989-2529.

Face of Bells offers the ultimate in beauty and difficulty.

What we learned

On day 1, we learned proper balance, how to turn from a dead stop, to flatten our skis and sideslip or drift down to a spot where our eyes were focused. We also learned the parts of a mogul, from the spine to the trough, and secondary fault lines that we could parlay into green runs through the field or controlled blue runs.

We started slowly on small moguls. By Day 3, we ditched the short skis, and had pole touches and turns down, allowing us to ski controlled stretches of mid-to-large moguls.

Who are the students

Some 70 percent are men, and though the class is aimed at boomers, it has attracted senior fathers and 30-something daughters intent on skiing together, and one 84-year-old man who skied the double-black diamond Face of Bells both times he took the course.

The program also attracts a lot of couples.

“One of the most humorous things is when I get a call from a guy hemming and hawing a bit about how he’s an expert skier but his wife is pretty tentative, wondering if she’d be all right for the clinic. Around the end of Day 2, the guy is getting really upset because the wife is out-skiing him. I’ve actually had guys throw their poles down and get real (ticked) off,” Nevin said.

The reason is simple. Skiing the bumps using Nevin’s method is not about brute power. It’s about finesse and patience. He likened it to golf with a guy trying to whack the ball as hard as he can, only to slice or hook it badly.

“If you relax and do things smoothly, it’s much better. Less is more,” he said.

Writer Lynn DeBruin gears up before the four-day bumps clinic.

If You Go

Deals in Aspen

While Aspen still caters to the rich and famous, it isn’t immune to the bad economy, which means there are plenty of deals out there. February and March also are often the best months to ski. Not only is the base typically its deepest, but skiers might get a powder day one day and sunny blue skies the next.

“The promotions and deals they can get are better than they’ve been in the 22 years I’ve been here,” said Jeff Hanle, director of public relations for Aspen/Snowmass. “Everybody is trying to fill their rental property. If your dream is to come to Aspen, now is the best time to do it.”

Bill Tomcich, president of StayAspenSnowmass.com, said Aspen has never been more affordable, especially with lodging, airfare and lift ticket packages. Increased hotel inventory and airline capacity are key reasons.

How2GetThere

With Frontier jumping into the Aspen market a year-and-a-half ago, it brought airfares down.

Tomcich said that there are 10 percent more airline seats available now, with United adding nonstops from Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Delta serving Aspen nonstop from Salt Lake City and Atlanta through March 28. Tomcich’s website also contracts directly with airlines, meaning many packages don’t require a 14- or 21-day advance purchase. For more information, and last-minute deals, go to www.stayaspensnowmass.com.

Where2Stay

Last year the Limelight Lodge (www.limelightlodge.com), a pet-friendly, 125-room upscale moderate property, opened in Aspen. This season, the new upscale 151-room Viceroy (www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/snowmass) opened as well.

We stayed at Chateau Dumont (www.chateau-chaumont-dumont.com), just a two-minute walk to the gondola, with spacious rooms, full kitchen, free internet access and free street parking.

Also nearby are the Aspen Square Condominiums (www.aspensquarehotel.com). Though smaller than Dumont, they were very chic, some with gas fireplaces, balconies, terrific views of downtown Aspen and also very close to the gondola and shopping.

Pet motel

The Little Nell (www.thelittlenell.com)is one of the top-rated hotels in Aspen, and perfectly located next to the Gondola at Aspen Mountain – also known as Ajax.

It’s also dog-friendly. It offers brass ID tags for pets, fresh water bowls, dog walking and sitting on request and even a pet menu from the elegant Montagne restaurant, featuring tenderloin of beef and grilled salmon with eggs.

During our stay, while we warmed up with a delicious dish of Beef Bourguignon after a day on the slopes, a bulldog wandered carefree near its owner, taking in the Aprés scene himself.

An Italian visitor hams it up with dog Trixie at the lounge in the Little Nell, a pet-friendly hotel.

What else

Aspen offers a four-mountain pass with Ajax, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass all within nine miles. It also offers the largest free groomed Nordic system in North America, and another Nordic area, Ashcroft, which sits in a valley surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks.

Pine Creek Cookhouse (www.pinecreekcookhouse.com) offers a chance to dine and dash with a two-mile ski trail to the restaurant. One can also get there via snowshoe or horse-drawn sleigh. Nearby, T-Lazy-7 Ranch (www.tlazy7.com) offers guided snowmobile tours of the picturesque Maroon Bells – North America’s most photographed mountains.

The area also has three new ice-skating rinks, a 25,000-square- foot child-learning center and free shuttle service between the ski areas.

Top photo: Ski boards or mini-skis help shorten the learning curve in the Bumps for Boomers clinic.

Lynn DeBruin is a freelance writer/photographer based in Denver and former sportswriter for the Rocky Mountain News. She is an 8 handicap and she skis better now than ever.

February 2, 2010 – Several friends of mine received Kindles as gifts this past Christmas. All of them love their new toy and can’t imagine how they read without one, what with all those inconvenient pages you have to turn – with your hands! – and the booklights you need for reading in bed so you don’t disturb your significant other. Makes me laugh because when the Kindle first came out no one I knew had any idea what it was. I had to explain it to everyone I mentioned it to. The most ironic thing is that I still don’t have one.

When it first came out, I admit that the Kindle appealed to me. The ability to carry around dozens of books at a time and still have room in my suitcase for that extra pair of shoes I just might wear if the weather, the venue, the mood and the moonlight were all aligned precisely, was a huge plus.

Now that Apple has entered the fray with their new iPad, has the Kindle lost its allure?

Well, I don’t have an iPhone or an iPodTouch either, so I’ve only read about the ecstasy that some experience discovering new apps that will walk the dog, take out the garbage and mix the perfect martini. Don’t have it, so I wouldn’t miss it if I chose the Kindle. And now that the Kindle isn’t so new the price has come down quite a bit – almost half of what the cheapest iPad would set me back.

I already have a MacBook (that I LOVE) and though it’s bulkier than the iPad, I can run everything I need on it from Adobe CS to QuickBooks and the internet, just about anywhere I want. And I read all the news on it as well. Hmmm…dropping a minimum of $500 to duplicate a lot of what I do already seems so…what’s the word? Frivolous? Dumb? Elitist?

As for the Kindle, I just may not get around to ever getting one. I think I’m a lot like my mom. My sister and I got her the Kindle the first Mother’s Day it was available. She still hasn’t downloaded one book onto it. In the more than year-and-a-half that she’s had it, she’s probably brought her physical library up to 2,000 books, if not more. All stuffed in a small one-bedroom apartment. The woman spends more money at Barnes and Noble and Borders than at the supermarket. That’s where we part company. I give my library card a workout, not my wallet. Unless I can’t wait to get the new title I covet.

I still like the idea of an electronic reader, especially for traveling. I guess if you’re looking for one it all depends on your pocketbook and how many things you’d like it to do. A friend sent me this review article for the iPad that was hilarious. Whether you’re considering one or not, it’s a must read. And if you still prefer paper, you’re not alone. There’s a woman in Brooklyn getting ready to start her own private library once she retires from her day job.

Story and photos by John Griffin

New Orleans has long been known for its lively Cajun and Creole fare that mix seafood with spices in truly alchemical ways. But to limit your diet to gumbo or jambalaya is to miss out on the wealth of what the city has to offer.

On a recent trip, the call of the food world beyond the kitchens of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Legasse or the culinary stylings of Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace was too delicious to resist.

The first bites of the evening were at a Middle Eastern place called Mona’s Café, which had a comforting selection of expected dishes, including warm lentil soup, a mini-pizza made on pita bread with gyro meat and feta, and some briny Kalamata olives.

My friend Carol decided to hold off on dessert until we got to the Palm Court Jazz Café, where she indulged in some bread pudding while I made do, at least food-wise, with the cucumber garnish on my Pimm’s Cup. I discovered this elixir about a year ago, on my last visit to New Orleans, and drank it throughout a subsequent trip to Africa and then at home where its cooling blend of bitter Pimm’s No. 1 with ginger ale or lemonade can take the edge off a 110-degree day.

But the real joy of the evening was the musical ruckus raised by Lucian Barbarin and Mark Braud with the Sunday Night Swingsters. The city had just learned it had made the playoffs, and the citizens of Who Dat Nation had erupted in joyous song.

Beignets at Café du Monde.

Breakfast the following morning was our one nod to pure New Orleans tourist tradition: a stop at Café du Monde for beignets in a blizzard of powdered sugar. Monday morning is not a great time to visit this place, where the lengthy line moved as if it were in full hangover mode. Yet the light, puffy treats, sizzling hot from the fry vat, were irresistible.

The trolleys carried us from the Latin Quarter to Uptown; but though the setting changed, the lines remained the same. In fact, it was a lengthy line outside the Greek Revival structure dubbed Camellia Grill (top photo) that prompted us to take our place at the back.

Why? Because the woman ahead of us in line spoke with gusto about the omelets and the pecan waffles. Which would be better? An omelet with turkey, ham, bacon, potato, and American and Swiss cheeses and smothered in chili? Or a pecan waffle with plenty of butter and syrup on top?

We couldn’t decide, even as we finally earned a seat at the curved counter, so we had both and split them. Had we made the right choices? It’s never easy to answer that, unless you order the entire menu.

But we questioned our choices when we saw someone across the counter from us receive his burger piled high on a fluffy white bun. It was picture perfect, right down to the way the cheese melted over the edge of the patty. The petite woman next to me then received a double burger, which she proceeded to smash down to a size she could get her mouth around.

“Is it as good as it looks?” I asked.

I received no answer as she had become one with her lunch and didn’t reconnect with reality until she had finished the entire sandwich.

By then, we had gotten into the show that is as much a part of the Camellia Grill as the food itself. The bow-tied waiters whip the throngs of diners into fits of hoops and hollers as they hold up clean plates from other customers and lead groups into singing “Happy Birthday to You.”

The pecan waffles at Camellia Grill.

Then the omelet arrived. It wasn’t exactly a pretty sight, with char marks on the outside. (We had ordered the chili on the side.) Honest-to-goodness brown hash browns filled the rest of the plate. But the first taste let us know that the omelet tasted every bit as good as that burger looked. It disappeared in a matter of minutes, as if we had not eaten in days. We were almost embarrassed as how quickly we devoured it.

The same was true of the waffle. The true joy of this treat was that it wasn’t sweet, but it was loaded with pecans in every crisp bite. Melted butter from a pour jug and syrup weren’t even needed, though Carol and her sweet tooth took to both with glee.

Dessert again was a matter of choices. I opted for the chocolate pecan pie in keeping with how good the waffle was. And it was decidedly good, again because it wasn’t too sweet, as some pecan pies can be.

But Camellia Grill, we learned later, is known for its grilled apple pie. Ah, me. Another reason to return.

We had dinner with friends who live in the city and love to show off some of the more off-beat culinary gems. That evening, the choice was Jacques-Imo’s Cafe, a funky restaurant in a converted old house that was also in the Uptown area. On a Monday night, we needed reservations, so be prepared to wait. It’s worth it. The menu is a lively combination of Cajun, Creole and Southern specialties, all made the more wonderful by chef Jacques Leonardi.

We went with the fried green tomatoes topped with whole shrimp for a starter, followed by a spinach salad dressed in garlic and Worcestershire sauce. I couldn’t resist the fried chicken, which sang of the added richness that comes from frying in peanut oil. Chicken Pontalba, named after an indomitable New Orleans woman, features chicken mixed with ham, mushrooms and more under a lively béarnaise sauce.

For those who like to take money, Jacques-Imo’s was the most expensive place we visited, with entrée prices reaching into the $20s.

On the way back to the hotel, one of our friends pointed out a bar in the Quarter called Yo Mama’s that’s known for its Peanut Butter Burger. Though I was carrying several pieces of leftover fried chicken with me, I could have stopped for one right then and there.

Maitre D’ at a table at the Cake Café & Bakery.

Our first meal on Tuesday was a lengthy lunch at the Cake Café on Chartres (or “Charter,” as the locals call it, I learned on this trip). Yes, the place is known for its killer cakes and cupcakes (chocolate mousse filled chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache on top – need I say more?), but the savory items will surprise you with their depth of flavor.

Carol opted for a lovely, fresh salad with plenty of goat cheese on top. I went for the succulent pulled pork sandwich on house-made rye that was pure pleasure.

We had a visit during our meal from Maitre D’, a black cat who has adopted the café and will often drop by your table to see if you have a crumb to spare. He alone made the trip worth it, though the red velvet cupcake was mighty fine, too.

Praline Connection’s heaping fried seafood platter.

The Praline Connection that evening promised Southern soul food, and it delivered with excellent crowder peas, creamy lima beans, and macaroni and cheese that had no business being that good. A mix of fried seafood was delivered in abundance, and while the oysters and catfish strips were good, there were some elements just not up to snuff, or so my friend Carol said, basing her comments on a previous visit a few days before I arrived. She found out from our waitress that the restaurant does have two chefs, and we apparently had the one who tended to overcook the fried shrimp just ever so slightly.

Again, a bagful of leftovers went back to the hotel refrigerator (most were demolished as breakfast). But I wasn’t finished, even if Carol was. I had to have that Peanut Butter Burger, so off to Yo Mama’s I headed by myself.

The streets of the Quarter were surprisingly deserted for a Tuesday night at 9 p.m., and I thought the place might be closed, because so many of its neighbors were. But the doors to the bar were open and in a fairy tiny space, I found myself faced with a ½-pound patty of surpassing wonder. It may have had plenty of peanut butter and bacon on top, but it was the burger itself that was seasoned and grilled to perfection. My stomach was beginning to reject all the food I had eaten that day, but I was smart: I had the side salad packed up to go, so I wouldn’t overdo it. Every last crumb of that burger disappeared, though.

Next time — and that’s the wonderful thing about New Orleans, you are always planning a next time while enjoying the ride while you’re there – it will be the Burger Romanoff with sour cream and caviar.

For my last meal in the city, it was time to return to an old favorite, Elizabeth’s near the levees. The drive there is a reminder of the rebirth that the city continues to experience in the days since Katrina and the spirit that swells within the city limits even when the Saints aren’t playing as well as they have this season.

Elizabeth’s, the scene of our last meal.

Carol went for the panéed pork, a daily special that treated pork loin like chicken-fried steak, yet topped it with a shrimp-loaded white sauce. With sweet potato casserole and flat beans on the side, who could resist?

I opted for the cochon du lait po’boy, another variation on pulled pork. I don’t know if the pig was actually roasted in a pit according to tradition, but I can tell you that the sandwich was a success, especially in the way the hot sauce in the strands of meat was complemented by the cooling mayo slathered on the bun. Happy days, indeed.

The trip ended with a perfect slice of lemon chess pie, so tart and tangy that it made me want to forget obligations back home and lose myself in New Orleans a few more days.

If You Go

Café du Monde
1039 Decatur St.
(800) 772-2927
www.cafedumonde.com

...followed by the red velevet cupcake.

For lunch, the pulled pork sandwich at Cake Café & Bakery…

Cake Café & Bakery
2440 Chartres St.
(504) 943-0010
www.nolacakes.com

Camellia Grill
626 S. Carrollton Ave.
(504) 309-2679

Panéed pork at Elizabeth’s.

Elizabeth’s Restaurant
601 Gallier St.
(504) 944-9272
www.elizabeths-restaurant.com

Jacques-Imo’s Café
8324 Oak St.
(504) 861-0886
www.jacquesimoscafe.com

Mona’s Café & Deli
504 Frenchmen St.
(504) 949-4115‎

Palm Court Jazz Café
1206 Decatur St.
(504) 525-0200
www.palmcourtjazzcafe.com

Praline Connection
542 Frenchmen St.
(504) 943-3934
www.pralineconnection.com

The Peanut Butter Burger at Yo Mama’s.

Yo Mama’s Bar & Grill
727 Saint Peter St.
(504) 522-1125
www.yomamasbarandgrill.com

John Griffin has traveled the world and is the editor of the food e-zine www.SavorSA.com, an online resource for foodies in San Antonio, Texas. Watch out for his next article about his trip to South Africa.