Straight to Vegas.

I will not be posting much this week -- I'm going here instead.

I hope skiers and snowboarders like to have a good time . . . some of 'em may even drink booze!

Planet warms, ski resort industry cools.

A ski resort in the Swiss Alps just sold for 90 cents.

Global warming? What global warming?

Effectively giving the ski operation away was an act of desperation on the part of Ernen, which, like hundreds of other small Alpine ski stations at medium altitudes, faces dire times.

Because . . . they hate freedom? I'm gonna go with freedom-hating. It's a Swiss resort, so they're probably "neutral" on freedom, but you know deep in their efficient little hearts, they HATE it.

As global warming brings less snow, lower-altitude stations rely more on costly snow machines.

Okay, maybe there are a few different factors at work here. It's far too complicated to reduce to any one problem, though, right? This is just ONE resort we're talking about, after all.

Examples of Swiss ski resorts facing economic hardship abound. This year, three mountain villages in the southern canton, or state, of Ticino warded off bankruptcy proceedings after the canton offered interim financing.

La la la la la! Can't hear you! Off to stare at the Olympic mountain range for a while! All sorts of snow up there! Everything's just FINE!

La la la la la!

Cycling news? Does it involve doping?

What a silly question. Of course it involves doping.

ROME - Tour de France champion Alberto Contador could be barred from defending his title and Alejandro Valverde might also be banned from the year’s top cycling races if the Italian Olympic Committee has its way.

The Italians have some extra leverage because next year's Tour de France will include a small stretch of Italian roads. And Italy's hosting the 2008 World Championships.

I'm not gonna pretend to understand the political machinations of rival athletic governing entities, but here's the lowdown: Spain and Italy are PISSED at one another.

I know, I know. They're usually so reserved and circumspect.

The guy I'm rooting for in next year's Tour remains the same.

Friday random video: Martindale madness!

Here's a little BMX action from Chris Martindale. I think I like the first part best.



Have a good long weekend. Bloggy goodness will resume on Tuesday.

Hydrogen + Oxygen + Pedals = Winner!

I like bicycles, and I like smart people. So I'm loving this new invention, courtesy of the "Innovate or Die" campaign.

It addresses a huge problem in developing countries: access to safe drinking water. It relies solely on pedal power. And it combines the task of transporting water with the chore of purifying it.



Okay, I guess it's technically a tricycle. But still, it's a great idea that addresses a fundamental need.

Congratulations to the winning team. It would be great to see someone step up and buy a few thousand of these to donate, just to get things started. I'm guessing this invention is a little more expensive than malaria netting.

When mom leaves for a few minutes . . .

. . . the Web gets another funny video.

Safety fans, I give you "Small Child on a Rocket Skateboard." I'm not sure, but it looks like dad is running the show.



I'm sure in dad's mind, he's being EXTRA safe, because the kid's wearing a helmet. Fortunately, the kid also has the good sense to keep stepping off the board, in case the rocket actually works. He must get it from his mother.

Remembering Sir Edmund.

There are a lot of good posts today about the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to summit Mt. Everest. Hillary died this morning in New Zealand.

The Adventure Blog, in particular, has a nice write-up:

Sir Ed's passing also marks the passing of another era. Hillary climbed Everest at a time when mountaineers were seen as heroes doing great things for their countries. They made front page news and were on television for their exploits as they did things that no one thought was possible.

In an age where Mt. Everest becomes choked with climbers during every summit season -- and passengers enjoy a nice glass of wine while they fly across the Atlantic reading a magazine -- it's nice to step back and recognize that such feats were hailed as heroic not too long ago.

The "first-man-to-______" status of icons like Hillary and Charles Lindbergh always overshadows whatever else they accomplished with their lives. Hillary spent decades working to improve conditions in Nepal, but historically speaking, he'll always be this guy:


That's Hillary returning to Everest base camp after having "knocked the bastard off," in his memorable phrase. Here's how he described making the summit with Tenzing Norgay:

Once there, "I put out my hand, in sort of stuffy old Anglo-Saxon fashion, to shake his hand, but that wasn't enough for him," Hillary later said of Norgay. "He threw his arms around my shoulders, and I threw my arms around him."

Awww. Here's the famous duo:


It's a lot tougher to affix the "hero" label to anyone nowadays. We know so much about famous people (especially their mishaps, drunken exploits, baby's mamas, etc.), and no reputation can withstand such close scrutiny without becoming tarnished.

Hillary was a living embodiment of a remarkable age. He was a real-life hero: tough, talented and famous. I doubt we'll ever see such an adventurous figure gain such renown in our lifetimes -- unless Lance Armstrong becomes the first man on Mars.

I think it's fitting to give Sir Edmund the last word here:

"My life is not so much stepping on top of a peak that has never been stepped on before, or traveling to the South Pole, but, rather more, the building of schools and medical clinics for the very worthy people of the Himalayas."

Yosemite whistleblowers: "Who authorized this fun idea?"

There's gonna be a semi-pro hockey game at Yosemite National Park next week. And some people are freaking out.

Is this an attempt to compete with Disneyland?

I'm gonna go ahead and make this call myself: no. No, it is not. No more than my blog posts represent an attempt to compete with Deadspin.

Plus, the game will give Yosemite visitors a chance to spot an elusive species: the Googly-Eyed Half-Naked Hockey Mascot.


I think he's wearing a referee jersey, though. Maybe the league saves money by having mascots officiate the games.

Anyway, back to the (over)reaction online:

But if hockey goes over big in Yosemite, what's next? Will the Billings Mustangs be invited to make an appearance at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park? Perhaps the Colorado Rockies can head up the road to Rocky Mountain National Park for an event.

All right, I get it -- you don't want big events drawing big crowds at National Parks. I get it. I even AGREE.

But we're talking about Yosemite in January. This game sounds like fun. And fortunately for anyone who doesn't want to be around it, Yosemite has a lot of nice, empty spots this time of year.

So calm down, before I throw on a ref's jersey, discard my pants, and send you sports-hating park-purists to the penalty box.

I thought terrorists LIKED car chases.

Aw, geez -- I don't think I'll EVER understand violent Islamic fundamentalists. I thought they hated freedom. But it turns out they hate auto racing.

Terror threat leads to cancellation of Dakar Rally

Terrorists have ensured there will be no spectacular images this year of dune buggies throwing up clouds of dust and lone motorcycle riders spinning their wheels in Saharan sands.

It was the first time that the 30-year-old rally, one of the biggest competitions in automobile racing, has been called off.

Seriously, I don't understand this at all. Can't dudes worldwide agree that stuff like this is AWESOME?


Ka-bam! That guy totally crashed! Don't terrorists like car crashes? What the hell is going on over there?

Lance Armstrong: a regular Peyton Manning.

I like Lance Armstrong, but some of his fans can be a little . . . intense. So it's good to see that Lance actually has a sense of humor:



Kinda reminds me of when Peyton Manning started making ads. I had no idea he could be funny. Then he was pretty funny. And now he's on so many ads, it's just not funny anymore.

(Clip via The Adventure Blog.)

Where's a polite Canadian when you need one?

This guy went skiing out-of-bounds with his son, and things got a bit sticky. He called 911, and the cavalry came to the rescue.

Now the cavalry has sent him a bill.

Mountain spokesman Chris Dagenais said it's the first time a skier or snowboarder at any of the North Shore's three ski operations has been billed for a rescue.

"We are hoping to set a precedent here," Dagenais said.

Ouch.

"The invoice we have sent to the family covers snowcat time, patrol time and transport time," he said. "They knowingly went into an out-of-bounds area and we hope they do the right thing."

Run away? Give a fake name? Guilt-trip a bunch of Canadians into tearing up the bill? What does "right" mean in Canadian anyway? "Easy," probably. What an inscrutable people they are.

The father and son also had their Grouse Mountain ski passes cancelled.

I like to picture the scene when this pair gets home and mom asks what took them so long. In my mind, she just skates right up to them and douses them in maple syrup after they tell her. Instant Canadian justice!

Friday random video: Taking your jump lumps!

Tanner Hall is one tough mofo. He takes on this Utah ski jump backwards. It's a 130-foot gap, and he jumps about 128 of 'em.



For a guy who broke both of his ankles, he seems pretty matter-of-fact about it.

Let's start 2008 with an easy one.

Happy new year, y'all! (I have resolved to talk and blog more like Britney Spears in 2008. Fortunately for you, I am bad at sticking with my resolutions.)

I live in Seattle, and own a bicycle, so I feel I'm qualified to answer this question:

Should bicyclists in Seattle be required to have licenses?

The answer: HELL naw!

Woooo! Bloggin's easy! Where's my hard lemonade?