Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

Reporter Jeannette J. Lee of Associated Press, has written an informative article in HeraldNet, about the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska, and the efforts by its wealthy owner, John Byrne III, a self-professed ski junkie from Utah, to encourage snow lovers to abandon the classic slopes of Whistler, Deer Valley and Aspen and head to the far north.

Jeannette J. Lee reports that this long-time niche venue for locals and adventure skiers, is undergoing a $25 million expansion, including refurbished guest rooms, to lure larger groups of winter vacationers, particularly families, to its peaks.

Negotiations are underway to open hundreds of acres of raw terrain in the Chugach Mountains to skilled off-piste or backcountry skiers and snow-boarders but beginners are also being catered for, with a new conveyor-belt lift and snow-making machines. It seems the competition on the slopes is getting hotter.

Labels: Alaska, Canada, Chugach Mountains, Girdwood, ski, skiing, snowboarding

Now if you're thinking of enjoying winter sports in Europe, here is an idea for adding zest to this season's skiing trip. How about combining it with Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily.

Volcanoetna.com has comprehensive information about the volcano, including spectacular pictures of the recent eruptions, and features an article about trips to Mt. Etna. Climbing mount Etna is described as an unforgettable experience and regarded as a must do activity, during a Sicily tour.

Etna offers different tourist activities at different times of the year; the ski season on Mount Etna runs from November to March, and you will find detailed information about skiing on the mountain at the Volcanoetna.com website.

Labels: Etna, Italy, Mount Etna, Mt Etna, Sicily, skiing, snowboarding, volcano

The highlight of the New Zealand winter calendar has to be the The Burton New Zealand Open snowboarding competition and once more, Snow Park in the Cardrona Valley gets to host the event, which this year runs from 7th - 11th August, 2007. In 2007, it's bigger, better and longer than ever; the Cardrona Valley and Wanaka township will again be transformed as more than 5000 spectators, a record 230-plus riders from around the world, film crews and journalists descend on their community.

Half Pipe, Quarter Pipe and Slopestyle disciplines are featured in the Burton New Zealand Open, which forms part of the Burton Global Open Series of international snowboarding competitions, playing out in six countries throughout the course of a year.

It isn't too soon to be planning your next snowboarding break and we have plenty of snowboarding breaks to choose from in our database.

Labels: 2007, Burton New Zealand Open, New Zealand, snowboarding, World Championships