Saturday, May 25, 2013

Nowhere is Off-Limits—Choosing a Destination for Your Next Trip


Our world is a topsy-turvy place, with no end of unforeseen events sent to try us. War, internal strife, natural and man-made disasters arrive unbidden and deliver untold disruption and suffering. Headlines are typically so dramatic we often overlook some of the less obvious outcomes. Among these, the death of tourism is generally instantaneous, often wildly out of synch with reality, and historically hard to reverse.


But we’ve come a long way since the days where our local travel agent and the daily papers were our only sources of guidance on whether a place was “safe to visit.” Those sources, both unwilling to put their customers (or readers) in harm’s way, would generally take a conservative line; after all, it’s easy to suggest Hawaii as an alternative to Mexico, or Turkey as an option to Egypt.


But today’s travelers are much, much better informed, and can draw on a myriad of sources when making decisions about whether they should try a “risky” destination. Mexico is a good case in point: it doesn’t take much research to see that the majority of the violence has been restricted to certain border areas, well away from the key resort towns. Reaching out to friends on Facebook or other travelers on Tripadvisor et al you can quickly establish—first-hand, from people like you—that the sun is shining, hotel rates are attractive, and there’s no sign of trouble.


Mexico: usually plenty of tacos, but no narcos in sight.

Mexico: usually plenty of tacos, but no narcos in sight.



Greece is another good example of a formerly top-tier destination fallen on hard times. But now? The days of demonstrations are over, the country has settled down with a new government, and everyone is looking forward to a summer where every visitor will be welcomed with open arms. Not only is it “back to business,” but prices have fallen and travelers have more options within the reach of their budget than they would have found a few years ago.


In fact, tourism is so important to the Greek economy that politicians there are talking about a three percent jump in GDP driven by growing tourism numbers from their current levels of 16 million arrivals per year, to 20 million per year. The Greek National Tourism Organization wants you to visit, and they’ll be using Twitter, Facebook and every other means at their disposal to convince you their troubles are a distant memory.


Some troubled destinations present more complex challenges. Christchurch, New Zealand suffered two major earthquakes in 2011 and saw much of its hotel accommodation disappear overnight. It’s hard to recover from a shock of that nature, but tourism companies and savvy travelers quickly found alternative accommodation outside the centre of town or in neighboring cities; after all, this is New Zealand, and nothing is very far away. Walk around Christchurch today and you’ll be surrounded by tourists who have rejigged their itineraries to spend more time in Auckland, Wellington or Queenstown, but were not so put off by 2011’s quakes that they would miss this beautiful city.


Christchurch: after the quakes, still beautiful.

Christchurch: after the quakes, still beautiful.



Japan is another destination that suffered a catastrophe which we, on the outside, saw as being “in Japan.” Inside the country, though, it was always understood to affect a region of about 50 miles around the Fukushima Power Plant, which, frankly, was never a big tourist draw anyway. But the spillover effect took hold and overseas visitors cancelled their trips to Tokyo and Kyoto, even though both are hundreds of miles away and in no danger from the earthquake, tsunami, or subsequent events at the power plant.


While 2011 was a terrible year for Japan tourism, the passage of time has been kind, and 2012 travelers are dusting off their Japan itineraries, apparently secure in the knowledge that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. Japan’s very nature—it’s part of Asia, but more unlike the rest of Asia than any other Asian country—means it’s not a country you can easily take off your list of “must-sees.”


Kyoto... a long, long way from Fukushima.

Kyoto... a long, long way from Fukushima.



I have one more destination to consider in this random rundown of “tourism-troubled” destinations: Colombia, where tourist numbers for the last 12 months are up 300% on 2006. Three hundred! The Government’s relentless war on FARC (the communist insurgents) has seen the civil war relegated to the inside pages of the newspapers, replaced by news of economic growth, football, and the evening activities of visiting Secret Service Agents. And we tourists have responded, lured by the beauty—and apparent safety—of Bogotá, Medellin, and Cartagena.


Nowadays, it seems, nowhere is off limits, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what the catastrophe. There always was some brave soul who wanted to travel in war zones, to see the hot lava as it spewed down the mountain-side, or watch the revolution unfold. Now that brave soul is being followed close at heel by you and me… and that’s a good thing, for all concerned.



Nowhere is Off-Limits—Choosing a Destination for Your Next Trip

Istanbul Insider Tips from a Local Expert


Licensed tour guide Cem Balsun has been leading tours in Istanbul, Bursa, and Canakkale for five years, offering personalized tours and transportation around his home and showing visitors the effusive hospitality found in Turkey. Offering insight into the culture, history, religion, and economy of Istanbul and Turkey, he also loves to help tourists to discover what daily life in Istanbul is really like.


We asked Cem for an insider look at his favorite things in Istanbul, and here’s what he had to say:


One of the best things about visiting Istanbul is that in one city you can visit two continents, Asia and Europe, all in the same day.


Take a Bosphorus cruise.

Take a Bosphorus cruise.



To save money, I recommend that all visitors who come to Istanbul buy one “Istanbulkart” (It is a transit pass card for all vehicles of public transport in Istanbul; bus, tram, metro, funicular, metrobus, ferry). You must use this card especially for buses because cash payment is not accepted on a bus. Traffic is a serious problem in Istanbul. So, to travel, it will be better to use tram, metro or metrobus to not waste your time in traffic.


Many people don’t know about the terrace of Sapphire Istanbul (the highest building of Turkey) but I recommend it for the largest panoramic view of Istanbul. Another great thing to try is the “Skyride” (4D Helicopter simulation).


It is very difficult to recommend just one thing from Turkish Cuisine but a few of my favorite local foods are Manti (Turkish Ravioli with yogurt sauce), Hunkarbegendi “Sultan’s favorite,” and Baklava (Turkish sweet).


Istanbul night life

Istanbul night life



If you only have one day in Istanbul, divide it into three parts; in the morning check out the Sultanahmet area and Grand Bazaar, then do a Bosphorus Cruise, and end your day discovering Istanbul’s night life.

Istanbul Insider Tips from a Local Expert

#FriFotos: Space Oddity


The view down the tunnel of CERN's Large Hadron Collider. (Photograph Rainer Hungershausen, My Shot)


This week’s #FriFotos theme.

#FriFotos: Space Oddity

Traveling CLEAR: the secure ID program for travelers



Clear skies: The CLEAR security program has expanded to four airports.



Within the past two months, airports in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Francisco became the latest facilities to introduce CLEAR, the secure ID program that allows members to pass through their own security lanes. That brings the service to a total of four U.S. airports, including Denver and Orlando. And in late June, CLEAR received Safety Act Certification from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But what exactly is this program, and how can it help travelers?


Some travelers may recall that in 2009, the CLEAR program declared bankruptcy and closed completely, leaving some 200,000 members without benefits. But new investors have bought the company and relaunched it, with plans for continued expansion. The new owners are even crediting former members of the company’s earlier incarnation, for the amount of time left on their original memberships.


Given its limited reach so far, the CLEAR program will help you most if you frequent the four airports where it’s currently offered. Billed as the “nation’s pre-eminent biometric secure ID program,” CLEAR is a privately-owned company.  Travelers who sign up can use members-only lanes to go through security, presenting a CLEARcard ID and confirming their identity with the touch of a finger, with an average processing time of five minutes or less, according to company officials.


CLEAR membership costs $179 for a one-year membership with unlimited use. Members can add their spouse or significant other to their account with the family plan, for an additional $50. Children under the age of 18 can use the CLEAR lane free of charge when accompanied by an adult member. Corporate discounts are also available.


At Dallas/Fort Worth, CLEAR lanes are located at Terminal E, which serves Alaska, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, United, US Airways and Virgin America. The program operates in every terminal at San Francisco International Airport.


 

Traveling CLEAR: the secure ID program for travelers

Off the Beaten Path


 

Like many of us seniors, I am no longer interested in scrambling into uncharted territory just so I can view something most everyone else hasn't already seen and photographed. I prefer the attractions that are easily reachable, even though thousands have been there before me. But I have also come across a good sampling of lesser-knowns that have been well worth exploring.

Devils Tower in Wyoming, for example, is overshadowed by such nearby wonders as Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons and Mount Rushmore, so it's not as popular as the others. It is, however, well worth a relatively short drive from any of its peers. The huge rock formation towers over pristine forest areas where, if your timing is right, you can spot a mother deer nursing its fawn.

The Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, isn't high on the list of "must sees" but those who take the time to go there are well-rewarded. The building is an architectural delight; the surrounding grounds are perfectly manicured, divided by a small stream and dotted with excellent statuary.

Budapest is a premier destination for both European and international travelers, and most gaze in wonder at the ornate Parliament building on the Pest side, then cross the Chain Bridge to visit St. Matthias Cathedral and the Fisherman's Bastion on the Buda side. But a short distance away, the Budapest Opera House sits as a monument to the nation's love for fine art and its ability to withstand enemy occupation. Both the interior and exterior are spectacular, worth extended gaping and countless camera clicks.

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is home to an excellent variety of museums, but my favorite is the Unser Racing Museum. Although it's not in the Old Town area as are most of the others, those who find it, especially those who like the roar of high-powered engines, will pat themselves on the back for their determination. The building is built in the shape of a tire, and the interior houses an excellent collection of memorabilia associated with the famous racing family.

Among my most pleasant memories is one of a lunch hour spent on the Marienplatz in Munich, Germany. I was among thousands who gathered there that day, and still meet there every day, to watch the glockenspiel at the New Town Hall go through its motions. With a giant beer stein in one hand and a camera in the other, I viewed this spectacular array of mechanical genius with undisguised awe. The soldiers marched, the bell clanged, the ladies danced, just as they have been doing for decades. Although it's not really an off-the-beaten-path attraction, it is not well-publicized outside of Munich so you'll be rubbing elbows and quaffing lager mainly with the locals. Off the Beaten Path

Urban Safari Adventure in San Francisco


Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge



In a city as diverse and exciting as San Francisco, the idea of going on “safari” through this hilly jungle is actually sort of perfect. Each neighborhood has its own distinct landscape, character, and, yes, even “wildlife” to see and learn about. And on the Urban Safari Adventure tour, you get a unique glimpse of the City by the Bay that you don’t necessarily get on other city tours.


Urban Safari bus

Urban Safari bus



This “unique” glimpse is made possible by the character and vibe that goes along with these tours. The Urban Safari is a small tour company with a big personality. With zebra-striped vehicles, safari hats for each guest, a driver who’s been growing out dreadlocks for 30 years, and enthusiastic tour guides armed with plenty of knowledge and corny jokes, this is a tour that is just as much about the experience as it is the sites you’ll see.


With Mfalme, the driver

With Mfalme, the driver



You’ll see plenty of San Francisco sites; on the Urban Safari, you can expect stops at the Palace of Fine Arts, Fort Point to view the famous Golden Gate Bridge up close, Twin Peaks for some awesome views out over San Francisco, and the quirky Castro District for lunch.


Palace of Fine Arts

Palace of Fine Arts



The tour also drives through the North Beach Italian neighborhood, past Chinatown, through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, past the impressive City Hall building, and down streets lined with Victorian houses in Alamo Square. You’ll soon realize that San Francisco is about so much more than just Fisherman’s Wharf.


Castro District

Castro District



What the Urban Safari does a good job of is mirroring San Francisco’s strong personalities with its own. This is the type of tour where you have to tuck away your pride and embarrassment before boarding the safari vehicle—in the best way possible.


Near Alamo Square

Near Alamo Square



Your guide will have you singing “That’s Amore” as you drive through North Beach, posing for silly “falling-off-a-cliff” photos at Twin Peaks, and jogging with him at Fort Point as you learn about Hopper’s Hands. At lunch, you’re likely to meet the company’s owner, decked out in a fez and perhaps a smoking jacket, and this is exactly the sort of thing that helps set the Urban Safari apart.


Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks



San Francisco may be a jungle, but it’s fun and easy to explore with these guys.


Note: Lunch is not included in the price of the tour, but the corny jokes and sing-alongs are.

Urban Safari Adventure in San Francisco

The Men Who Jump Off Cliffs


I never want to witness a suicide, but I think I just did.


My hands are shaking, my knees wobbly. I am too scared to look over the edge—not only because of what I might see but because the edge of the cliff is nearly 2,000 feet high.


One minute there were five of us up there, a bunch of guys laughing and joking on a precipice of grey rock. The next minute, I am alone—the air silent, only my heart thumping in my chest.


My toes rustle an inch closer, and pebbles tumble from the edge. My eyes follow, and squinting I can see them all down there, four swirling skirts of color—neon orange, fluorescent pink, ink black, and then bright yellow. The parachutes spin down at different heights, then collapse like falling flower petals onto the green farmer’s field so far below.


It is all very beautiful—I almost want to jump down after them. I want to be a part of what just happened—men diving from the edge of this cliff like it’s the highest high dive on Earth, falling from the sky, soaring out over the valley and then, one by one, the colorful bouquet of parachutes exploding into life.


It is so beautiful because they are all alive. So am I, but I am still on the edge of a cliff and must take the long way back—uphill on foot for twenty minutes and then by cable car back down to the Alpine town of Lauterbrunnen.



The village of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.



 


“This is a BASE jumping mecca,” explains Justin Miller, an avid skydiver and BASE jumper from my own hometown of Washington, D.C. I ran into Justin the day before when he was walking back from a jump and he and his friends were kind enough to let me tag along for a day.


Justin claims that Switzerland is one of the best places in the world to BASE jump.


“You have at least 40 exit points in this valley alone,” says Justin. An exit point is a determined spot where jumpers can launch from a cliff and the landscape of Lauterbrunnen is one-of-a-kind. Vertical cliff walls hang on either side of this narrow glacial valley in the Swiss Alps, just outside Interlaken.


Adding to the perfect topography is the bonus of public transportation. The wide-reaching system of cable cars and trains allows jumpers to practically ride to the exit points. Nowhere else on earth offers that kind of access—typically BASE jumpers must first climb any mountain they hope to launch from.


That explains why Lauterbrunnen is a dream destination for BASE jumpers. Official numbers suggest there are at least 25,000 jumps per year in this valley (unofficial estimates peg it closer to 35,000). The jumpers come from all over the world and they form a rather strange and close-knit brotherhood.


“Everybody knows everybody,” says Justin. “We all get along because we have the same thirst for life.”


At night, the jumpers take over the Horner Pub in the middle of tiny Lauterbrunnen. Some are younger—almost teenagers it seems—and some are much older. They come from Australia, France, Belgium, Russia, and Spain. They come from America and they come from Canada, too.


“I live in Canada, which is extremely beautiful, but this place is just breathtaking,” says BASE jumper Gabriel Hubert, from Edmonton, Alberta. He is on vacation with his wife—after a week or so of jumping off cliffs in Switzerland, they will head to Paris for a “more romantic trip.” The couple have young children back home and I wonder what that’s like for them. My own dad likes to oil paint, but their father jumps off cliffs.


Another Canadian jumper, Kris Watson, explains the balance of his home life and what participating in one of the most dangerous sposrt on earth. “I have two young children and a wife and a home—a real life. But this is what I love to do. So I’m careful, I’m very conservative.”


Kris is not who I expected to find jumping off cliffs—an engineer from Calgary, one might quickly explain his BASE jumping hobby as a typical male reaction to turning forty, but watching Kris jump shows me that it’s more of a mid-life celebration than a crisis.


For Kris, BASE jumping is a ritual, from beginning to end. He packs his parachute with the scrupulous care of—well, an engineer—and checks and double checks every line, strap, flap and fold. As we ride up the cable car and train towards the exit point, he is already in another world, listening to jubilant and outdated pop music on his headphones, closing his eyes and imagining the jump to come.


High up on the cliff, he sings along to his headphones and mimics his launching pose—a stationary dive into nothingness.


“It’s about accepting one’s vulnerabilities,” he explains, and at the edge of this 2,000 foot-high jump known as “the High Nose,” Kris readily shows his fear. All of them do—their voices tense, their movements become careful. In a way, I am comforted to see that every single one of these BASE jumpers is a little bit terrified. Feeling the fear is part of the sport.


“There are no beginner cliffs here,” says Justin, “So you have to put yourself in a category.” Good BASE jumpers assess their own ability and stick to jumps within their range. Overestimate your skills and you might die.


“My goal was to come to Switzerland and fly my wingsuit,” admits Gabriel, “but I didn’t feel comfortable with it yet and I don’t want to risk my life for it. The cliffs are here forever. I can always come back.”


“It’s not like skydiving where there’s a regulating body,” Justin pipes in. Like most BASE jumpers, Justin is a very experienced skydiver who first completed about hundreds of jumps from an airplane before he ever attempted parachuting from a stationary object.



Posters in Lauterbrunnen promote BASE jumper awareness. (Photo by Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler)



“BASE jumping in Switzerland is self-regulated—everyone here plays by the rules.” Then he shakes his head, “I wish back home was more like this.”


Back home (in the USA), BASE jumping is mostly illegal with a few noted exceptions. The sport is only a few decades old and because of the obvious dangers and history of fatalities, BASE jumping is not without controversy.  In a place like Lauterbrunnen though, the community welcomes the jumpers and asks only that they abide by local rules. This includes purchasing a 25 CHF “landing card” and calling in for clearance to fly before each jump.


“Everyone shares this airspace, “explains Gabriel, as he phones the local air service for clearance. “There are tandems [skydivers], helicopters, and paragliders—and us BASE jumpers.”


The “B.A.S.E.” of BASE jumping is an acronym listing the objects the parachutists can jump off: Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth. Once a jumper has completed successful jumps from all four categories, he or she writes a letter to some of the veteran practitioners of BASE, who issue an official number. Justin Miller’s BASE number is 1,511, which reveals exactly how limited a band of brothers this is.


For the record, there are plenty of women in the sport, but the presence of female enthusiasts does not change the underlying testosterone that is inherent to BASE jumping. Up on the High Nose, staring at the guys dressed in their purple and orange wingsuits, its hard not to see a resemblance to the superhero dream every one of us had as kids.


I think all of us want to fly deep down inside—and BASE jumpers have come about as close as humans ever will to real flight. From the 1,910-ft High Nose, a jumper can expect about ten seconds of freefall before pulling his chute.


“It’s reasonable to pull at about 300 to 400 feet—that’s about average,” says Gabriel. Wingsuits are relatively new to the sport and the gear continues to evolve, allowing jumpers to become human aircraft that zip across the landscape. In a wingsuit, a jumper might increase his airtime to around 45 seconds.



BASE jumper Gabriel Hubert shows his "Tracking" pose. (Photo by Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler)



So what’s it like? Jumping off a cliff?


“You go through a series of feelings,” Gabriel ponders. “A bit of nervousness and anticipation on the exit to when you launch—you get a surge of confidence,” he smiles for a moment, then explains the science of falling objects. “When you jump off you start at zero speed, then you freefall and you build speed as you go—you speed up exponentially. One of my favorite parts is when the speed builds up, you instinctively start tracking or flying. It’s business time—you gotta get away from that wall. That wall is your number one obstacle.”


Tracking—or projecting forward in freefall—is critical when BASE jumping from cliffs. The large majority of BASE fatalities occur on cliffs, since jumpers must compensate the slope of the cliff and clear lower ledges. The attraction to jumping in Lauterbrunnen are the cliffs are relatively vertical—some even inverted with overhanging shelves.


But despite the optimal cliffs, several people have died jumping from this very spot.


“The cliff I jumped off today has killed people before,” reflects Gabriel. Not one of the BASE jumpers I talk to ever flinches at the mention of death in their sport.


About 30 BASE jumpers have died jumping in Lauterbrunnen—a sobering statistic, yes, though 65 mountain climbers have died attempting to scale the north wall of the famed Eiger, a nearby mountain in the Bernese Alps.


“I had a good friend who died,” says Justin, explaining how the man’s gear malfunctioned on a jump. Even with all the technical preparation that goes into BASE jumping and the special attention that goes into a jumper’s “pack job,” accidents still happen.


Gabriel frankly points out that, “Mistakes in BASE jumping are not very forgiving.” One small oversight or mishap can be fatal. Nearly every BASE jumper I speak with knows someone who has died jumping, or had a few close calls themselves, yet they all accept the risk of what they do.


“Sometimes one of them dies, and that’s just part of it,” shrugs local athlete Phillip Bohren, who lives in neighboring town of Grindewald. Although he’s never done it himself, he views BASE jumping as just another of the many adventure sports that people practice in the Alps.


In the nearby mountain village of Mürren, I ask tour guide Anne-Marie Götschi what she thinks of all these people traveling to her valley to jump off the cliffs.


“We like the jumpers!” she exclaims—it’s become part of the valley’s identity. Then she points out how more and more Swiss are taking up the sport.


“You know, our lives are so regulated nowadays, I think is this is how they choose to spend their free time—by being totally free.”


Whatever the reason, BASE jumping is becoming more popular. Chris Mort, also from Washington, D.C., is fairly new to the sport, but sill prepared for many years before coming to jump in Switzerland.


“After a lot of skydiving, I went and got instruction in BASE. I began jumping off bridges, because those are the safest.”



BASE jumper Chris Mort prepares to launch from the 1,910 ft "High Nose" in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. (Photo by Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler)



 


This trip to Switzerland marks Chris’s first time Europe and he says he loves it. Part of the fun is that all the jumpers in Lauterbrunnen knows everyone, at most by one degree of separation. “We’re all brothers now,” says Gabriel, then points to his forearms, “That just gave me goosebumps.” Indeed, these BASE jumpers are brothers, and call each other just that: brother.


A minute before he jumps off the High Nose in his bright purple wingsuit, Kris Watson explains the strong and mysterious bond that ties BASE jumpers together.


“Sharing vulnerabilities causes this deep connection,” he says. Kris cannot hide the fact that he is afraid. Neither can the other jumpers waiting to jump from the High Nose. Each one has his own style of launching himself off the cliff: some wait poised at the edge, inhaling deeply, bending slowly at the knee and then slowly pushing off into a swan dive. Others countdown quickly and just go.


“I’m actually afraid of heights,” confesses Gabriel. “I don’t like to hang around on the ledge—once I’ve jumped, I’m fine, I feel in total control.”


The four men jump, Chris and Justin separately, then Kris and Gabriel together. I am still afraid for them, suffering the anxiety off negative possibilities as I listen to the whistle of bodies in the air, the instantly relieved when I hear the snap of parachutes opening far below.


After they’ve landed, the men are giddy and swearing like schoolboys—like a high school football team that just won a game. Less than one minute has passed, but in those few seconds, these men have sped through the cycle of mortality: the great fall, the sureness of death, and just at the point of no return, a sudden second chance of life—the thrill of rebirth, the radical joy of being alive.


I don’t think any of us can really understand BASE jumping until we try it, and most of us will never try it because we wouldn’t be very good at it. But after spending a day with these men who jump off cliffs in Switzerland, I can report that they are not insane lunatics with a death wish. On the contrary, these guys love life.


Suicidal maniacs don’t pleat their parachutes with the precision of a nurse making hospital corners. They don’t plan out their survival in such great detail and check one another again and again to make sure every little thing is in order.


Real lunatics do not chase life downhill—They do not thrill at the joy of flight, and they do not smile and rejoice when life rushes at them like the hard earth below, slowing down just in time for them to float gently back down and land on two feet.


Now I am alone on the High Nose, still terrified of the precarious edge, yet deeply content. After hearing so much about this thing—I have finally witnessed a real BASE jump. More importantly, I feel like I have witnessed the miracle of life.


All four jumpers are alive.


All of us are alive.

The Men Who Jump Off Cliffs

Food Fridays: A Slice of Heaven in Salamanca


Thin slices of Jamon Iberico. (Photograph by Yosoynuts, Flickr)


In a country where ham is king, Spain’s jamón ibérico reigns supreme.


Though other dry-cured Spanish hams abound, the pricey, rosy-hued, and deeply flavored Ibérico ham comes from a unique source: native Iberian pigs raised in Salamanca province and two other regions in Spain.


Sold throughout the country, the hams are on full, delectable display in the historic heart of Salamanca city at the Mercado Central, a 1909 public market next to plaza Mayor. Here, 17 butchers carve thin, off-the-hoof slices from a range of Ibéricos, including top-of-the-line bellota hams from free-range pigs on an acorn diet (about $59 per pound). For the best selection, locals recommend the counters of Javier Vicente or Hijos de Nicolás Hernández.


One block away, in the modern dining room of Restaurante Tablanca, chef Carlos Barco goes whole hog—literally—offering ham by the slice but also Ibérico pork dishes like an entire roast suckling pig and slow-cooked cheeks flavored with vanilla.


Thirty miles south, the faint fruity and nutty whiff of ham on the streets of Guijuelo is one clue that Ibérico production happens in this workaday town. During Spanish-language tours of ham-maker Julián Martín ($40, reservations required), you’ll enter a virtual cathedral of ham suspended in dark cellars, try your hand at carving, and sample bellota ham—washed down with good Spanish red wine.

Food Fridays: A Slice of Heaven in Salamanca

Calgary Stampede: Here we come!


A3.jpgThe countdown has been on for months in my house as we get set for a fantastic summer vacation in 2012. We are heading to Calgary this afternoon to start a nine-day getaway with lots of action.


The first cool point is the "we". Leaving from Toronto are my wife, Ruth and I with our two kids, daughter Caira who is nine and my son, Ethan who is 8 along with my mother-in-law, Mary. We are meeting up with my Mom and Dad in Calgary and my sister and her family. She has two girls, Alicia who is 4 and Julia who is almost 2. My Aunt and Uncle are also in Calgary, so for some of the events there will be thirteen of us!


 

Next noteworthy point is the "where". Our itinerary is awesome! We arrive later today in Calgary and have tickets for opening parade of the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede first thing tomorrow morning! We stay in Calgary for 4 nights and I am super excited for my inaugural stay at a BEST WESTERN PREMIER! We are staying at the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Freeport Inn and Suites and it looks amazing! The kids are salivating about the indoor pool with a water slide. I can't wait to see the spacious rooms complete with a fridge and microwave. I have also been working to get back in shape and the fitness facility looks great and will go a long way to help me stay on track.


A4.jpgAfter four days of Stampede parties and events we leave Calgary next Monday and are heading to Banff. Banff is consistently voted the best destination in Canada and it really is breath taking. I hope we have time to also take in Lake Louise, which is about 30 minutes from Banff.


Tuesday we head further north to Jasper to two nights. We have lots planned there too. Thursday we start to make our way back to Calgary but will stop in Canmore for a night and for me hopefully a round of golf in Kananaskis!


A2.jpgFriday we return to Calgary for a final night before heading home on Saturday!


I will be blogging as we go and look forward to sharing our experiences with you!
Stay tuned! Any tips for me as we make our way West?

Calgary Stampede: Here we come!

Tips For Luxury Travel In Jamaica


Jamaica’s superior service and amenities have earned it a place among the Caribbean’s premier luxury travel destinations.

But spending more on your stay does not a guarantee a better value, which is why we’ve come up with this list of tips to ensure you have a great vacation – VIP style…

Make Yourself At Home




Like most North Americans, you’ve probably worked very hard all year and your significant other has convinced you to finally take a vacation.

The best way to get the most out of your precious vacation time and get some serious undisturbed R&R, is to rent a villa.

While nightly rates are typically higher than a single hotel room, villas offers a great value for groups of friends and large families, and will often be cheaper than renting cramped hotel rooms for the whole group.

Besides, the vast majority of villas in Jamaica include staff, gourmet kitchens and some even are located directly on the beach.

And as for couples, it’s hard the beat the romance factor of your own private pool ;)

Look For The Extras




Instead of staring yourself blind comparing prices, compare the value and the extras that each villa provide.

If you’re a boat enthusiast, you might want to consider a villa that has private boat slips allowing you to use the boat as much as you like.

Other extras and bonuses villas often offer is a private beach, tennis court, bicycle, car etc.

Also ask yourself if you will use what’s included, and if you need something which isn’t.

Hire A Driver




Jamaica is one of the largest islands in the Caribbean which means there’s plenty to see.

After a few days on the beach with a Red Stripe or Appleton and coke in hand, you’ll probably want to venture further afield and see what life in Jamaica is really like.

You can basically go about this two ways:

a) Rent a car which will cost roughly $600 US / week plus gas and insurance.

b) Hire a driver for roughly $800 US / week which includes airport transfers and one tank of gas. Most drivers are available for up to 10 hours / day – yes, that’s a lot of exploring!

When it comes to your valuable vacation time, every minute counts.

Next time you’re in Jamaica, I hope these three luxury travel tips will help you make the most of your stay!

BIO: a Montreal-based blogger and entrepreneur, Jazz Poulin is a regular contributor to the Luxury Retreats travel blog – when he’s not writing about villas in Jamaica you’ll most likely find him traveling or on the rugby pitch. Tips For Luxury Travel In Jamaica

5 Free Things To Do In Los Angeles


When we think of Los Angeles, we generally see long stretches of beach meeting urban sprawl, sunny skies, famous people and a big Hollywood sign.

The city is full of a great sites and attractions, restaurants with all types of cuisine, and it is the world capital of film entertainment. Cheap LA hotels and hostels can be found spread across the city.

Despite a reputation of being expensive, there are lots of things you can do for free – check out the stuff below for some ideas…

Hollywood Walk of Fame




One of the most popular things to do in LA is to visit Hollywood’s walk of fame.

15 city blocks make up the black sidewalk within which the pinkish stars are embedded. This is the best way to appreciate the talents that have brought us film, television and music for many decades.

Some 10 million people visit the Walk of Fame a year, not counting the locals who walk over the stars daily. You will find some 2,400 stars, many of which have names you might not recognize.

But don’t worry; there are tons that you will recognize, from Frank Sinatra and Charles Chaplin to Matt Damon, Mickey Mouse and Michael Jackson.

Griffith Observatory




Located atop the hill park of the same name, the observatory is a great place to check out for all ages, but especially for kids.

Inside you’ll not only find a free astronomy museum, but also a giant telescope.

The telescope is called Zeiss, and in the evenings they offer the option to look through the telescope.

There’s really nothing like seeing the stars through some of the thickest smog in the country!

California Science Center




If the observatory sparked your interest, head over to the California Science Center, another superb place for people of all ages.

The place is very interactive, which makes it popular for families with small kids, but adults who are not afraid of letting their inner child come out will have a good time as well.

It’s one of the best science museums in the United States, and the exhibits change regularly to provide fresh reasons to return.

There is also a large 7-story IMAX theatre inside, though you’ll have to pay to enter.

Venice Beach


Finally, and without further ado, the Venice Beach boardwalk is a must-see and free attraction.

The vibe the neighborhood gives is comfortable and different, and the roller-skating bathing suited bodies make for a distinctly Southern California atmosphere – you simply can’t see LA without checking out Venice Beach.

The Getty Center




If fine art is your cup of tea, then head to one of the most involved galleries in the world, The Getty Center. The building itself is beautiful to look at, and inside you’ll find plenty of priceless works of art.

The collection is quite impressive, with works from Van Gogh and Monet, and the gardens are wonderful to stroll around in.

This place also has concerts on some nights, so if you plan to visit it’s always worth checking out if there is any event happening.

Another good reason to visit is the spectacular view you get from there, overlooking LA and the ocean.

On a side note, another way to get a good view is to hike to the Hollywood sign, which might take a bit more effort, but it’s also free, and totally worth it.

What’s your favorite things to do in Los Angeles for free? 5 Free Things To Do In Los Angeles

Friday, May 24, 2013

Deep Survival #1: Gut Instincts


 


Survival


FATALLY FALSE POSITIVES
On December 6, 1988, Todd Frankiewicz was on Tincan Mountain in Alaska, making his comeback as a top-notch skier. The previous summer, a serious auto accident had left him hospitalized, and after months of rehabilitation, he felt ready. The day before, he had gone to city hall for a license to marry his girlfriend of nine years, Jenny Zimmerman.


That weekend the Anchorage Daily News ran headlines warning of avalanches. But Frankiewicz had skied Turnagain Pass before and took reasonable precautions, first discussing the danger with Zimmerman and then calling Doug Fesler, a friend and one of the top avalanche experts in the area. As Fesler’s wife, Jill Fredston, wrote in Snowstruck: In the Grip of Avalanches, “Todd asked careful, intelligent questions.” Significantly, “he’d never before phoned us at home to ask for a personal update.” Fesler told him to “avoid steep north-facing slopes like the plague.”
Continue reading this post >>

Deep Survival #1: Gut Instincts

The Love Test: Inside a Yoga Ashram


Yoga


Just the suggestion of a "love test" is enough to send most relationships into a downward spiral. However, writer John Falk, a reformed commitment-phobe, and his girlfriend Mara McFalls decided to do just this: test their relationship at a yoga ashram in Kerala, India, for "Downward Facing Boyfriend" (March 2008 issue). Let us know what you think of it.

The Love Test: Inside a Yoga Ashram

Banff’s Radical Reels Reigns on YouTube




With its 2008 incarnation now touring theaters around the globe, the Banff Mountain Film Festival is generating a web buzz as well.

Users on our favorite guilty pleasure video sharing site, YouTube, voted last year’s trailer promoting the festival’s Radical Reels category one of the best sports videos. With almost 26,000 views, 2007 Radical Reels video is a dramatic montage of outdoor action sports featuring athletes in some of the most extreme conditions imaginable–underground ice cave climbing and downhill mountain unicycling to name a few. But there’s substance, too: The trailer also shows snippets from some of the festival’s longer, more thought-provoking films to counterbalance the archetypical footage of daredevils’ antics that we love to watch.


Still undiscovered by the YouTube audience (for now, at least), the 2008 Radicals Reels trailer (which we embedded above) is definitely worth a watch. This year’s films can be viewed in their entirety during the Radical Reels tour, hitting 13 states and four Canadian provinces this year.


–Lucas Pollock

Banff’s Radical Reels Reigns on YouTube

Psyching Up: Adventure Therapy on Film


Blindsight2


The mountain is high, the ocean is wide, and that which does not kill us makes us stronger—at least according to Nietzsche, and to a spate of newly released documentaries that put this premise to the test.


Everest: A Climb for Peace contrives to solve geopolitics through mountaineering as Israelis and Palestinians scale the peak together ($20). While bonding proves inevitable, the film’s most honest moment comes when Israeli alpinist Micha Yaniv admits: "I’m basically just here to climb."


Mountaintop enlightenment makes for compelling drama in Blindsight (in theaters in April). Erik Weihenmayer—the first sightless man to summit Everest—leads six blind Tibetan teenagers and their teacher up Everest’s neighbor, 23,114-foot Lhakpa Ri, to show the world what they’re made of. The teacher (also blind) frets for their safety, and Weihenmayer urges them onward, while the kids are caught in the middle, in the dark, and on high.


An equally tense ordeal plays out in Deep Water—one of the best documentaries of 2007 ($16). In 1968 Donald Crowhurst entered the first nonstop, solo around-the-world sailing race despite an utter lack of experience; the film traces his quixotic voyage and his descent into madness at sea.


Do you have an all-time favorite adventure therapy flick? Let us know.


Photograph courtesy Robson Entertainment

Psyching Up: Adventure Therapy on Film

From the Field: Kayaking Antarctica


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Just back from paddling at the bottom of the world, we asked the intrepid Jon Bowermaster to tell us about his trip. Stay tuned for the upcoming feature story.


The Explorer: New York-based ADVENTURE Contributing Editor Jon Bowermaster 


The Adventure: Five weeks sea kayaking the Antarctic Peninsula, the final of expedition of his OCEANS 8 project, a decade-long endeavor to explore the world’s oceans and coastlines. In January, the team went to Antarctica for an up-close look at how climate change is impacting this very rugged, fragile part of the world.


Most Exciting Moment: "We were at about 66 degrees south, past the Antarctic Circle, when we spotted a sizable iceberg with a beautiful sculpted arch when we decided to get closer for a look. By incredible coincidence, as we sat in our boats, the iceberg the arch began to collapse, ice block by ice block, dropping with a huge bang into the sea. As we watched the entire arch collapsed in front of our eyes, which none of us–-with more than 100 collected years in Antarctica-–had ever seen before."


Most Underappreciated Piece of Gear: "Thermos. Nothing like a hot drink in the middle of a cold paddle to revive fingers, toes, energy, and psyche."


Leopard_3


Strangest Animal Encounter:"We paddled through the beautiful Lemaire Channel, known as “Kodak Channel” by many for its incredible picturesque qualities, and passed an ice floe bearing an 800-pound leopard seal. Initially we were cautious about paddling too close, knowing that it could split our kayaks in two with a single bite, but eventually we did get close enough to hear him snoring. At one point he lifted his head and stared us down, but with the knowledge that he was definitely at the top of the food chain … he went straight back to sleep."


Favorite Expedition Meal: "The advantage of traveling in sea kayaks is that you can take lots of stuff. A memorable tent-side meal was spring vegetable soup, with rice and parmesan cheese accompanied by chorizo and pate. More typical, of course, was a handful of nuts and hunk of jerky."


Best Way to Keep Warm: "Don’t change clothes. Despite the temptation after a long, cold paddle, it’s best to stay in your paddling gear while your tent is set up, camp is made, etc. That way you are left with one wet set of clothing and another that remains perfectly dry until you get into your tent and change. Though I don’t use them, several of my teammates are firm believers in hand and toe warmers, the kind you put inside gloves and shoes. Just make sure the expiration dates are still valid!"


Photographs, from top, by: Fiona Stewart; Sean Farrell

From the Field: Kayaking Antarctica

Young Explorers Prepare for Ellesmere


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This week, legendary polar explorer Will Steger (our Lifetime Achievement award recipient, along with Richard Branson) brought news of his upcoming Ellesmere Island emerging leaders expedition to the New York City ADVENTURE editorial office. In tow were teammates Sam Branson, 22, the down-to-Earth son of Sir Richard, and champion Norwegian musher Sigrid Ekran, 27. Dog_sledder_and_branson_2


In March, while retracing the footsteps of Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and Otto Sverdrup, Steger’s team of six young leaders (no one is over 28) will be dogsledding 1,400 miles over 60 days to document the sorry state of ice in the Arctic. As they cross fjords, mountain ranges, ice shelves, and sea ice, they will be sending in daily dispatches to Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace networks via Globalwarming101.com. "It all has to do with social engagement. We don’t have ten years to take action against global warming," said Steger, who hopes his hand-picked team (which includes Nat Geo Young Explorer grantees Ben Horton, 24, and Sarah McNair-Landry, 21) can bring the message to a new audience. "My bets are on the 17- to 24-year-olds making the necessary lifestyle changes."Sam_branson2_3


Young Branson, who joined Steger and his dad on last year’s Global Warming 101 Baffin Island expedition, spoke about wanting to bring this message to his generation. "It would be a shame to win people’s minds only to find out that it was too late," he noted at the Explorer’s Club on Wednesday night. Branson, no stranger to the media circus surrounding pops, commented on how his time on the Baffin expedition, without cell phones, TVs, or other distractions, brought a clarity of mind missing from daily life.


For Ekran, who lives without running water or electricity in the company of her dog team in the Alaskan outback, the Ellesmere lifestyle will be familiar territory. "I spend 90 percent of my time with my dogs, which is probably why I am not so good at talking to people." Chatterbox skills aside, her expert mushing will be an invaluable addition to the team.


Stay tuned for more on this expedition.

Young Explorers Prepare for Ellesmere

Alive Survivors Look Back


Alive


It’s one of the 20th century’s greatest survival epics: A plane crashes high in the Andes leaving 32 people stranded with little food except the bodies of the dead. As even that supply dwindles, three survivors embark on an impossible journey to find help.


This timeless survival story spurred the book and film Alive. In April 2006, we published Contributing Editor James Vlahos’s account of the first retracing of the escape route used in 1972 by Uruguayan rugby players Roberto Canessa, Nando Parrado, and Antonio Vizintín two months after their Fairchild 571 crashed in the Andes. Online, see a 3-D escape route map, photo gallery, and, most poignant, hear audio from the survivors themselves as they reflect on their ordeal.


“I was seeing how my friends were melting and vanishing and getting weaker. The fuselage was getting very depressing and miserable," says Canessa. "I felt it was much more pure to die walking in the snow… . I had the idea that I would walk to the last bit of energy that I had." (Listen to the audio clip >>)


These remarkable people had the clarity of mind and perseverance to survive the most unbelievable circumstances. Their actions embody the "rules of survival" that Laurence Gonzales defines in his new Deep Survival column. It’s worth listening to their insights.

Alive Survivors Look Back

Deep Survival: #2 Folk Wisdom


Survival3FOLK WISDOM
By Contributing Editor Laurence Gonzales, author of the book Deep Survival


One of the most respected psychologists of our time is Steven Pinker, a professor at Harvard and the author of numerous books on human behavior and evolutionary biology. Pinker says that our brains contain a “baloney-generator” that offers up explanations of our behavior. Often those explanations have nothing to do with reality. They’re simply the stories we tell ourselves that help us get around in the world. “The conscious mind,” he says, “is a spin doctor.”


Joseph LeDoux, an author and neuroscientist at New York University, demonstrated that “people normally do all sorts of things for reasons they are not consciously aware of . . .” and that “[o]ne of the main jobs of consciousness is to keep our life tied together into a coherent story.” LeDoux and Pinker confirm a long line of research going back to William James concerning how well we can know ourselves and how that knowledge—or lack of it—influences the decisions we make. The results aren’t encouraging. “If the human mind is a formal logic machine,” LeDoux adds, “it is a pretty poor one.”


Research in neuroscience confirms that we turn experience into stories—simple narratives about what we’re doing and why—and then use those stories to explain our past behavior and to shape what we do in the future. The most useful stories have emotional impact. And emotions, scientists have learned, are immensely important in helping us to act. Because we are human and have language, we not only generate our own stories, we also acquire them from others through legends, books, movies, and songs. Sometimes, if we are paying attention, we even acquire them from school. When our narratives reflect the world as it really is, we do well. When they don’t, we find ourselves in trouble.
Continue reading this post >>

Deep Survival: #2 Folk Wisdom

What’s Your Favorite Hike?


Hiking1_2


Do you have an all-time favorite trail? Whether it’s a backcountry epic or an urban escape, your pick could be included with April’s America’s Best Hikes cover story. Tell us where the hike is and why it’s your tops on your list. Please post your picks in the comment area below.

What’s Your Favorite Hike?

ADVENTURE Photographer Wins World Press Award


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We were pleased to learn that photographer Brent Stirton just won a World Press Award–first prize in the Contemporary Issues category–for this intense photo of a dead silverback gorilla near Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


We recently sent the conflict-zone photographer to try out a decidedly more tame adventure: a 4-day Andes trek to Machu Picchu along the Camino Salcantay. The catch: After roughing it all day through jungles and glacier, nights were spent resting up in luxe lodges. Check out his Camino Salcantay photo gallery >>

ADVENTURE Photographer Wins World Press Award

Reader Photo Contest Winners


Reader400


We’ve just announced the winners of our latest Life’s an Adventure Reader Photo Contest–with prizes from Columbia Sportswear. These shots are inspiring, particularly overall winner Vernon Wiley’s photo from California’s Mount Humphreys (pictured).

Reader Photo Contest Winners

Beyond Green Travel: In Vietnam, Emptied Graves Make Room for Mass Tourism


In "Beyond Green Travel," ADVENTURE Global Travel Editor Costas Christ gives an eye-witness account of the ups and downs of ecotourism in dispatches from around the world.

Vietnam


At Vietnam’s China Beach, local villagers must dig out family members’ remains from old burial grounds to make way for new resorts.


Over the last 15 years, tourism to Vietnam has grown by more than 1,000 percent, putting it among the fastest growing tourism economies in the world. The U.S. failed to win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese during the “American War,” as it is referred to here, but tourism seems to be succeeding in doing just that.


Historic towns like Hoi An, which I first visited in 1994 and was taken by the beauty of its narrow streets and ornate wooden bridges, are now lined with handicraft shops, souvenir stores, restaurants, cafes, and tailors (the best in town is “Yaly” on Tran Phu Street, where 15 dollars will buy you a perfectly fitted silk shirt made on site).


Wandering Hoi An’s streets, which still retain some of the charm that led to tourism’s growth here in the first place, I found most of the local people I spoke with echoing Mrs. Chuong, who sells hand-carved chop sticks in the central market: “Ten years ago we had nothing and today we have jobs from tourism and can raise our families and buy food and clothes for our children.” 


The local view on all this tourism expansion in Hoi An is overwhelmingly positive. But it does come with a price, literally.

Beyond Green Travel: In Vietnam, Emptied Graves Make Room for Mass Tourism

Environment: Putting Greenbacks Where the Green Is


Redwoodcreek
Good news for the good guys: $60,000 is up for grabs for two environmentally focused nonprofits.


As of today, March 15, Redwood Creek Wines, a Modesto, California-based vineyard, is accepting submissions from U.S. nonprofits with grand plans—but meager means—for their Greater Outdoors Project, an initiatve aimed to “help maintain or improve America’s wide-open spaces.”


The winning organization will get a $50,000 grant; the runner-up $10,000. In addition to the cash prize, the top nonprofit will land a national advertising campaign set to run in outdoors magazines—including ADVENTURE—in December.


Applications and guidelines are posted online today through May 15. After that, a panel of judges—including our 2007 Adventurer of the Year, long-distance hiker Andrew Skurka—will review the submissions.


But the public gets the final say: From June 15 through July 31, you can head to Redwood Creek’s site to check out the judges’ top five picks, then vote for your own favorite. The winning projects will be announced at the beginning of August, so stay tuned.


–Andrea Minarcek

Environment: Putting Greenbacks Where the Green Is

Kayakers Attempt First Descent of Tibet’s Last Unexplored Whitewater


Salween3


Loaded up with kayaks and filming equipment, the Rivers in Demand crew began making the overland journey across China this week en route to the Tibetan Plateau for the first part of their ambitious new expedition. Today (March 14) Trip Jennings (one of our 2007 Adventurers of the Year) and his teammates will begin a first descent attempt of the upper Salween, the last unexplored section of whitewater draining the Tibetan Plateau.


On its upper reaches, the crew expects to encounter severe Class V rapids with dangerous levels of commitment and exposure. The glacier-fed Salween cascades down from some of the highest mountains in the world, frothing through profound slot canyons, guarded by underwater boulders, torrential rapids, and waterfalls.


The last free-flowing major river in South Asia, the Salween flows between Myanmar and Thailand to the South China Sea, but controversial plans exist to build a Chinese-funded hydroelectric dam on its lower stretches. The group hopes to draw attention to the consequences that this development would have on the millions of people who depend on the river.


If all goes according to plan, the crew will drop in on the Salween today at an elevation of more than 11,000 feet (3,353 meters). Keep tabs on the their progress at china.riversindemand.com. The site features a bit of context for the Rivers in Demand project, along with regular audio and text reports from the crew as they descend through Tibet and China. We’ll keep you posted as they move on to the Great Bend in the Yangtze and the middle Salween.


–Lucas Pollock


Photograph by Travis Winn, taken on a 2007 scouting trip of the Salween

Kayakers Attempt First Descent of Tibet’s Last Unexplored Whitewater

Deep Survival: Brain Vs. Gadget


Headlamp


On a solo backpacking trip this winter, reader Nate Freund was stranded high on California’s Ontario Peak during a snowstorm. Read his story, then see Deep Survival author Laurence Gonzales’s analysis of the situation.


Submitted by Reader Nate Freund
After reading your article "Folk Wisdom" in National Geographic ADVENTURE [April 2008], I was inspired to write to the author whose concepts played a critical role in my survival.


On January 22, 2008, I set out for a solo backpacking trip to summit Ontario Peak of the Cucamonga Wilderness. I was rescued by Search and Rescue forces from the San Bernardino Mountains after a U.S. Air Force satellite detected my distress signal from my Personal Locator Beacon. It was the first successful rescue of this kind in California–one initiated from a legitimate activation of a personal EPIRP carried by a recreational hiker.


I had spent months staring into the snow-capped mountain range from the Claremont roads as I drove to school everyday. My third attempt to summit this season began on a clear Sunday morning. After hiking a mile above the city, I set up camp on top of Big Horn Peak. I woke up the next morning to see clouds covered everything below me.

Deep Survival: Brain Vs. Gadget

Cycling: A Meter for the Heart and Head


Heartratemonitor


Back when I began using heart-rate monitors for cycling training, I knew that power meters were better devices, but I didn’t care—the suckers cost $5,000. Power meters record how many watts your pedaling generates, an objective measure of effort in contrast to the beating of your heart, which varies with health, sleep, and training. Still, even as the gadgets dropped to $1,500, I stayed true to mi corazon. But now comes the $710 Polar CS600 with Power.


The CS600 works much like an electric guitar, with a small pickup strapped to your frame that measures chain vibration and converts it to wattage. At a glance, you see not just the watts you’ve generated but also cadence, speed, heart rate, and even slope incline. Regardless of whether you have a training plan, this is one useful gadget: It shows the power output for each leg, allowing you to correct an imbalance mid-ride, as well as the efficiency of your pedal stroke, which helps you focus on a rounder, better technique. Installation takes a couple hours, and the minimally insightful manual requires patience, but this power meter is the one to have. And that’s coming from both head and heart.


–West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro


Photograph by Joshua Scott

Cycling: A Meter for the Heart and Head

“Flushing” of Grand Canyon Causes Concern


Grandcanyon3
If you haven’t yet taken a rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, no doubt you want to before your days are done. In our national parks cover story last year, Contributing Editor Dan Duane wrote:


“To run the Grand Canyon on your own is one of the world’s genuine once-in-a-lifetime trips, a voyage that’s not only the best in our national parks—by a long mile—but also on par with walking the Inca Trail, trekking to Everest Base Camp, motorcycling across the Sahara, and sailing the South Pacific.”


On Wednesday (March 5), federal flood control managers released millions of cubic feet of water from Glen Canyon Dam to help restore the Big Ditch’s sandy beaches and pools for endangered species and campers. But, as reported by the L.A. Times, some are skeptical that this 60-hour surge, which will be followed by smaller flows this fall, is the right strategy:


“National park officials said that 10 years of research at a cost of $80 million ha[s] shown that the flooding as planned could irreparably harm the national park’s ecology and resources.”


We asked the Grand Canyon rafting experts at O.A.R.S. to weigh in on the debate. Here president and founder George Wendt and veteran river guide Michael Ghiglieri put the issue into context for adventure travelers.

“Flushing” of Grand Canyon Causes Concern

Photography: The Insta-Classic Camera


Leica2


Rarely is perfection achieved. But Leica cameras . . . well, put it this way: Henri Cartier-Bresson, the godfather of modern photojournalism, was obsessed with his. So was Alfred Eisenstaedt, who used his beloved Leica to shoot that sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day, 1945. Indeed, for the past 50 years, the venerated M series—known for its super-compact chassis, top-shelf optics, and supremely silent shutter—has accompanied some of the biggest names in the photo business (Sebastião Salgado, Ralph Gibson, countless National Geographic photographers).


Imagine the excitement, then, when the first digital iteration of the series, the M8, debuted in 2006. Camera connoisseurs went wild over its intuitive controls and über-crisp images produced by a 10.3-megapixel sensor, but most of us just gasped at the price ($5,500, body only).


Leica must have heard our rumblings of disapproval: In January a fledgling line of “budget” lenses called the Summarit-M hit stores, shaving about a grand off the camera kit. The new 35mm, for example, costs $1,500, compared with $2,600 for its cheapest predecessor. All four Summarits—35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm—are still handcrafted in Germany, but they are slightly slower, with the fastest f-stop at 2.5. I’d prefer the original with 2.0, but that’s a price worth paying to get your hands on greatness.


–West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

Photography: The Insta-Classic Camera