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Travel

You Can Ski All Summer If You Know Where to Go

Traumatized by the end of ski season? There's always the southern hemisphere. Also — who knew? — Mt. Hood in Oregon, which has enough snow to keep runs open year round. Outside Magazine is out with a list of the top ten places to ski in the summer. The abbreviated version: 

1. Ski Portillo, Chile  
2. Timberline Lodge & Ski Area, Mt. Hood, Oregon 
3. Zermatt, Switzerland
4. Las Leñas, Argentina 
5. Valle Nevado, Chile  

Travel

Late Winter Yoga, Snowshoeing, and Cross-Country Skiing Retreat

• Who: Adirondack Connections Guide Service, with weekend hosts Lynne Malerba, a New York State licensed guide and Wilderness First Responder, and Mary Bartel, a Stuctural Yoga Therapist and owner of Inner Quest Yoga and Wellness Studio. 
• What: A three-day yoga, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing retreat in the Adirondacks.
• Where: Lake Saranac, New York with accommodations at the country-cozy Doctor's Inn.
• When: February 28 - March 2, 2010
• Why: You're not going to go snowshoeing unless you book a trip. Winter seems truly, bleakly endless in March, so you need something fun. Three activities are better than one. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are built for meditation. The price isn't killer. And trip leaders Mary and Lynne are clearly true believers, so you can expect an entertaining streak of upstate granola alongside the beautiful snowy solitude.
• How Much: $695. Includes lodging, meals, all activities and equipment.
• Link: Adirondack Connections Winter Weekend

Travel

Ashley Borden's Balanced Wellness Retreat

• Who: Ashley Borden, celebrity trainer for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, and Natasha Bedingfield and author of the book Your Perfect Fit. 
• What: Three day "educational and motivational" wellness retreat. Includes fitness classes, hikes, nutrition planning, cooking demonstrations, and lots of spa treatments. 
• Where: "The Spa at Pelican Hill," a luxury resort in Newport Coast, California.
• When: January 12-15, 2010; February 16-19, 2090; and subsequent days every month.
• Why: Spa, beautiful location, blah blah blah. The real reason is that Borden is famously motivating. Her clients rave about fitness breakthroughs. Plus the whole three days is geared toward kicking off a new, healthier era in your life, so you should come away much more revved up than you would if you just went somewhere for three straight days of Pilates and massages.  
• How Much: $2,800, includes bungalow, spa treatments, all meals and activities. 
• Link: www.pelicanhill.com or call 1-800-820-6800.

Travel

Spa Porn: The Golden Door

It's an impromptu art show in a Greenpoint apartment. Among the crowd is a friend freshly back from a week at the Golden Door, a resort near San Diego in California. Work has been tough, she says, but she is glowing. She's a former investment banker, in her late 30s, and is choosing her words carefully to describe the resort experience: "You have to write about it," she says. "Deborah Szekeley invented the modern spa."

Travel

Bike Across China

• Who: Interprid Travel, one of National Geographic Adventure's "Best Travel Companies on Earth," 2009.  
• What: Two weeks of hiking and biking through China.
• Where: Trek from Hong Kong to Beijing, through villages, rice fields, and along remote sections of the Great Wall. 
• When: Departure dates throughout the year.
• Why: Forget some little weekend retreat. Go epic. You need to see China, and pedaling across the country gets you up close and personal. Not to mention builds quads of steel. Plus, Intrepid is known for running well-organized, fun, and reasonably-priced trips. Butwhatifido swears by them.  
• How Much: $2325 + $300 for local payments. Includes accommodations for 14 nights, all travel within China, and most meals.
• Link: China Hike and Bike. 

Travel

Horseback Riding and Whiskey Tasting in the "Gunks"

Not every "retreat" is yoga in a Mexican palapa near a killer surf break. 50,000 technical rock climbers visit the Shawagunk Ridge just a few hours outside of New York every year to climb. And, turns out, some other people go there to ride horses and drink whiskey...

• Who: Outdoor Bound, an "adventure company" that offers hiking, rafting, snow-shoeing, and other outdoor day and weekend trips in the New York City area. Plus their "lively but well-mannered horses."
• What: A two-hour horseback ride through the fields and woods around Shawangunk Ridge, followed by horse grooming, picnicking, and a visit to a whiskey distillery. 
• Where: Meet at 73rd and Broadway, transportation upstate provided from there.
• When: December 12, 7:45 A.M. - 5:30 P.M.
• Why: This tripped is billed "Singles Gunks Horseback Riding and Whiskey Tasting." We believe "singles" means the trip is for people without current sexual partners. So maybe you'll meet someone. Happy Holidays! But if "singles gunks" is some sort of rock-climbing term, that'll be an entertaining surprise as well. Riding horses is one of the world's great pleasures, and a surprisingly good workout. Hit the whiskey once safely out of the saddle.
  
• How Much: $139. Transportation and three whiskey samples included.
• Link: Singles Gunks Horeseback Riding and Whiskey Tasting
• Related: Yoga Retreats, Travel

Travel

Explore the Core with Exhale in Turks and Caicos

• Who: Elizabeth Halfpapp and Fred Devito, Co-Founders of Exhale's Core Fusion program.
• What: A three-day Exhale Core Fusion retreat with "an emphasis on luminescence and movement of water," whatever that means. What's clear is you'll take a lot of Core Fusion classes.
• Where: Gansevoort Turks + Caicos resort on the island of Providenciales. 
• When: January 14 - 17, 2010.
• Why: Luxury. This is an expensive weekend. You could spend a week, two weeks, some places for the cost. But then you'd be in a hut on the beach. No huts here. You're at the Gansevoort. At the same time you're being otherwise coddled, you're getting your butt kicked by Lotte Berk afficionados with 20+ years experience. You're guaranteed to come back sore, yet thoroughly massaged. 
• How Much: $1,880 alone, $1190 if you share a room with a friend. 
• Link: Explore the Core
• Related: Yoga Retreats, Travel

Travel

New York Day Tripping with Wild Earth Adventures

• Who: Wild Earth Adventures and Charles Cook, local hiking guru. Cook has led roughly one wild hiking adventure a week for the last 30 years all over New York State. He's also written a bunch of hiking books, like Awakening to Nature: Renewing Your Life by Connecting with the Natural World. 
• What: Guided day-long hikes within striking distance of New York City, almost every Saturday and Sunday, throughout the year.
• Where: More than 100 different itineraries. Upcoming trips include Pine Meadow Lake in Harriman State Park, and Butler Sanctuary in Westchester County.
• When: Any given weekend, but December's options look appealing. Exit the frenzy of holiday shopping, and spend a day inhaling the scent of real live evergreens. Depart NYC between before 8:00 A.M.  Return between 4:00 and 9:00 P.M., depending on the trip. 
• Why: With Wild Adventures you're likely to hike trails you wouldn't otherwise. Scratch that. You're likely simply to hike! When else are you going to get your act together to rent a car, find maps, etc. etc. Wild Adventures takes care of all that, and the groups are limited to 20 (though they're usually smaller), so you still get the quiet of nature. Plus, you'll likely meet interesting, outdoorsy people. Finally, Charlie Cook is an original.
• How Much: Between $60 and $110, depending on your transportation needs and whether or not you're a member of the Wild Earth Adventures Hiking Club (membership rates on special through November 30: $95 for individuals, $145 for couples)
• Link: Wild Earth Adventures

New York

Travel

Laughing Lotus Road Trips to the Big Easy

• Who: Laughing Lotus Co-Director Dana Flynn and instructors Sean, Gwendolyn, and Alison join forces with Wild Lotus Yoga of New Orleans.
• What: A weekend of Kirtan, chanting, singing, and yoga. The chanting and rhythm sessions outweigh the yoga sessions, so if Kirtan's your thing, this weekend's for you. Housing isn't provided, but they'll hook you up with a local yogis if you're amenable to couch surfing. Otherwise, you're on your own.  
• Where: New Orleans. Classes held at Wild Lotus Yoga, in Audobon Park, and elsewhere out and about.
• When: Easter Weekend, Friday, April 2 - Sunday April 4, 2010. 
• Why: If you haven't made it back to Nola since Katrina, this is an affordable, healthy, and karmically promising way to make the visit. Dana, the Co-Director of Laughing Lotus, is a force, and music is an anti-depressant. At least one white dude playing the sitar guaranteed. 
• How Much: $108
• Link: Big Soak Nola.

Travel

Sayulita Mexico Surf Camp

• Who: 20-something would-be surfer types. All Star Adventures runs "instructional trips" in snowboarding, skate boarding, surfing, skiing, and mountain biking. 
• What: Week long surf camp in a Mexican beach village. Gentle warm water surf breaks ideal for beginners and beginner/intermediates minutes from your doorstep. Daily surf lessons. When you're all surfed out, snorkeling, sea kayaking, and mountain biking.
• Where: Sayulita, Mexico on the Pacific coast. Ground transportation provided from Puerta Vallarta Airport.
• When: January 7 - 13, 2010 (with additional trips in February and March). 
• Why:  Yes, you could fly to a remote break, rent a board, and sleep on the beach with your thermos; but you might be miserable and never catch a wave. Before you go deep into surf culture, you might try a package deal. All Star limits these camps to just eight people, so plenty of personal attention from true surf-fanatic instructors. Also, all of the company's trips are focused around some sort of X-Games type activity, so their crowd skews cool, and more male than some yoga centric surf retreats. Just sayin.
• How Much: $1999. Breakfasts and accommodations included. Ground transport and all activity and excursion costs also covered.
• Link: Sayulita Mexico Surf Camp