Photo: (c) 50 Classic Ski Descents of North AmericaBook Cover Just in time for the seasonal trifecta of holiday shopping, pre-ski-season powder lust, and (maybe?) a year-end bonus at work comes "50 Classic Ski Descents of North America," a coffee-table tome with hundreds of color photos and more than 200 pages filled with words of worship to the best backcountry runs North America can offer. From classic Colorado lines and expeditionary descents in Alaska to Tuckerman Ravine out East, the book i…read more

Lots of options for DSLR cameras.While prepping for a recent travel assignment, I came to a quick realization that I wasn't completely prepared to document the trip with the camera equipment that I presently owned. I've shot a bit with DSLRs without actually owning one, and I have a Nikon SLR and a Sony point-and-shoot that I use regularly, but I've yet to commit to a specific DSLR camera. Panasonic's Lumix GH1 That said, I dug into the depths of online banter to call in the most apt travel-frie…read more

Thanks to the first substantial North American winter storm of 2010, which blizz'd and stalled conveniently over Teton Pass and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a few lucky 
pow-hounds were treated to just under three feet of early season snow. Pictured in this gallery -from Jackson's Facebook page- are Julie Weinberger, Patrick Nelson, Kerry Klauder, and Yeti - maybe. No doubt the envy of every North American skier and rider, from sea to shining sea.    Check out who else scored from this s…read more

Seb Michaud hucks it on big lines in the movie Respect.

Photo: wallpaper.comAs most of us will contest, a bicycle is not just a means to get from point A to point B. Although, at one point or another, we do use our trusty bi-wheel cycle for a specific mission: to the office, out for coffee, late-night joyride. When all's said and done, it's not always the mission that's paramount; instead, it's the bicycle as our chariot that makes the statement. Photo: Kinfolk / Jesse CarmodyKusaka doing what he does best: building frames.Leave it up to Tokyo-base…read more

With the buzzing news of Sunday River in Maine as the first resort to spin lifts in the 2010/11 season, a few Alaskan transplants from the Doom/Love crew tried their luck at hitting New Hampshire's Tuckerman Ravine on the southeast face of Mount Washington. They were looking for a bit more 'adventure', and coming from The Last Frontier this was basically a walk in the park for them. They shredded it, had fun, then moved on to Sunday River for some lighthearted lift-access playtime.    I…read more

Photo: TetonGravity.com / ArapahoeBasin.comArapahoe Basin, Colorado. Base Area Web Cam.It's that time of year again, when the entire mountain resort scene is jockeying for 'first opener' position. Sunday River opened over the weekend, claiming 'first' status for the 2010/11 season, but has since closed-up due to warmer weather. Loveland and Arapahoe Basin also started spinning chairs, thanks to a big storm that rolled through the West sprinkling snow from New Mexico to British Columbia. The puls…read more

Photo: Mountain.Bike198.comThe curvaceous frame on the new Santa Cruz Tallboy is more than just a pretty face: its carbon fiber construction offers amazing stiffness and strength while keeping weight feathery light. Adding to this its larger wheel size and VPP suspension, here's what the testing team at Bike198 said, "The Santa Cruz Tallboy is a great option for XC oriented riders, XC racers and endurance racers looking to get on a full suspension 29er mountain bike." Read more at Bike198, inclu…read more

Sverre Liliequist and Kaj Zackrisson ski Jackson Hole.

Photo: Emily Johnston / GoPro Helmet CamPutting the Kishtwar Jacket to work somewhere onWhistler's B-Line trail. The North Face appliedPolartec's new Power Shield Prowaterproof/breathable membrane to this Summit Seriesjacket.With all of the recent hype about Polartec's Power Shield Pro membrane, what a better testing opportunity than charging down Whistler's bike park and hiking around Lake Louise and Banff. It has been billed as 'the ultimate soft shell' and 'the holy grail of soft shells', …read more