Action Snowboarding

Not sure of what snowboard to buy? Are there simply too many to choose from? Would you rather spend your hard earned money and THEN find out? Or, more logically, would you prefer to get peoples views before coughing up all that money and being personally and financially disappointed? Well, I know what I would do...research, and plenty of it. Maybe your questions are not only monetary, maybe you want to know more than "what is the best snow board for my buck." Perhaps, like many others, quality is at the forefront of your concerns. Well then, if you want a lightweight, sturdy, flexible, scratch resistant, well balanced, tough, responsive and versatile snowboard, Burton snowboard is the one for you. And based on the review of many, its not even close...itís hands down. Don't just take my word for it check out some reviews for yourself. The word of the people, as they say, speaks volumes.

Burton Supermodel Snowboard 172 - Men's Early morning goods-in-the-woods mentality meets post-lunch freestyle desire, the Burton Supermodel Snowboard 172 is the original all-mountain ATV. The tapered shape adds stability when speeding and float when surfing, while remaining mellow edge-to-edge for laid-back cruising. After feasting on freshies, point it at kickers and flow through your favorite lines in forward or reverse. Whether you run our traditional or EST bindings, the Infinite Channel System will open your eyes to an entirely new way to connect to your snowboard. Key Features of the Burton Supermodel Snowboard 172: Feel: 6 Infinite Channel System Shape: Tapered [10mm] Flex: Twin Base: Sintered WFO Core: Powder Fly II Core With Dualzone EGD And Negative Profile Fiberglass: Triax Response Fiberglass With Carbon I-Beam Sidewalls: Pro:45 Edges: Grip And Rip Tune Extras: Pro-Tip And Infinite Ride Length: 172cm Eff. Edge: 136 Waist Width: 26cm Nose/Tail Width: 31.40/30.40cm Sidecut: 8.77m

The Burton Snowboard comes in various models; the Custom ICS, Bullet, Women's Feelgood, Fish, Feather, Jeremy Jones ICS, Deuce, White Collection just to name a few. Hey even those people who have large feet. You know who I am talking about. Don't be hesitant as Burton has the board for you. It is the Burton Bullet. The Burton snowboard handles well in tight situations. The stability they offer is quite obvious at high speed. There performance does extremely well in all conditions. The Burton snowboard holds its edge well. The Ride is great from powder to jumps. If you are thinking about taking your snowboarding to the next level this is the board for you, Burton Snowboard.  The Burton's Women's Feelgood snowboard is great for those who are intermediate to the advanced. Heck it is the winning snowboard in the Olympics. What more can I say?

Burton Malolo Snowboard 166 - Men's Malolo riders thank the heavens that there are people on this planet who honestly hate powder. A true deep-snow surfer with a heart for freestyle, the Burton Malolo Snowboard 166 shreds the entire mountain, spins off cliffs and kickers, and slashes from stash to stash with uncompromised float and flow precision. While others complain that there's too much snow, Jedi's like Haakon, Nico, and DCP are riding a powder-fueled battering ram, hot-lapping the misties 'til their eyes bleed. Key Features of the Burton Malolo Snowboard 166: Feel: 5 Infinite Channel System Shape: Tapered [20mm] Flex: Directional Base: Sintered WFO Vision Core: Powder Fly II Core With Dualzone EGD And Negative Profile Fiberglass: Triax Response Sidewalls: Pro:45 Edges: Grip And Rip Tune Extras: Pro-Tip And Infinite Ride Size 2-4 cm Down From Normal Board Length Length: 166cm Eff. Edge: 128.25 Waist Width: 25.60cm Nose/Tail Width: 31.14/29.14cm Sidecut: 8.48m

Well folks, the decision are in the end yours to make. But again as I mentioned if you want a bang for your buck the Burton Snowboard is the snowboard to buy. Not only does it offer great quality but its designs are awesome as well. What more could you ask for? If you are looking to purchase a snowboard that has a great rapport, than the Burton Snowboard is the one for you. If you are looking to purchase a snowboard that has a company name that stands behind its product, the Burton Snowboard is the one to buy.

Burton Deuce Snowboard 163 - Men's Looking for a board that lights up the entire mountain without lightening your wallet or letting you down when your skills get legit? All business, no bullshit, the new Burton Deuce Snowboard 163 is all about get-up-and-go easiness that lets you make the most of every on mountain minute. From ollieing "slow" signs to slashing powder, or just rallying peak-to-park style, the Deuce demolishes everything that gets in its way. Key Features of The Burton Deuce Snowboard 163: Feel: 3 Shape: Twin Flex: Directional Base: Sintered Core: Super Fly Core With Dualzone EGD And Even Profile Fiberglass: Biax React Sidewalls: Slantwall Edges: Grip And Rip Tune Extras: Pro-Tip And Infinite Ride Length: 163cm Eff. Edge: 126 Waist Width: 25.60cm Nose/Tail Width: 30.14cm Sidecut: 8.21m

After a full day of skiing, there's a pretty good chance you don't want to spend a full night of walking around downtown Aspen, though if thats your thing, then by all mean, go ahead. Aspen is a very safe city and you should have no problem walking the streets there no matter how late it gets. Another advantage of walking is that you don't need to worry about getting a cab or getting a designated driver if you choose to go drinking that night.

Aspen is divided into 3 regions: the West end, East end, and of course downtown. Aspen is a fairly small town, so it won't be difficult to get around town and to each area. Seeing as how small Aspen is, I strongly urge you to leave your car behind at the resort or wherever it may be that you're staying. Driving around town trying to find a spot in the limited amount of parking spaces is not fun, I assure you.

If you really don't want to walk you can always turn to public transportation. Most lodges and resorts will provide shuttles in and out of town at no extra charge, or you can catch the bus to nearly anywhere in Aspen.

WEST END

Here you will find Victorian neighborhoods, if you're into architecture this is the place to see, its quite beautiful. Also on the West end you'll find the Aspen Meadows Conference Center, the Hallam Lake Nature Preserve, The Music Tent, as well as a few educational facilities such as the Aspen Center for Physics and The Aspen Center For Enviromental Studies.

If you venture over to the East end, you'll find the majestic Roaring Fork River, surrounded by beautiful, lush, forests. You will also find a fair amount of outdoors and nature activities.

This brings us to the Downtown area. Here you will find the store fronts are dominated by bars, clubs, specialty shops, restaurants, spas, and pretty much anything else you could ask for in  a great tourist town, such as Aspen.

Theres really no limit of activities to partake in during the days and nights in Aspen, Colorado. The nightlife is an especially active time for people of all ages, even children.

Going out for live music and dancing are two major events that are popular among those living in and on vacation in Aspen. What about the kids you ask? Don't worry, theres plenty of things for them to do too, either with your supervision or while you're out bar/club hopping. Most lodging or hotels have activities planned already for the kids, and even for adults, if not the staff at your hotel will be more than capable of helping you find something to do with yourself.

On top of dancing and live music, shopping in Aspen is also a big attraction. There is an incredibly large selection of privately owned specialty shops. After hitting the ski slopes all day, make your way to the streets of Aspen and enjoy shopping that your not likely to find anywhere else. Most stores will stay open after the slopes typically close.

If your a teen, check out the 'teen nights' that many of the lodges and hotels put on for the teens staying in Aspen. These are tons of fun for teens but are also parent-friendly. You may also want to check out the spas. Hang out in the saunas, hot tubs, and pools. Some hotels, lodges, or resorts also often times have game rooms and arcades.

If the club scene is your thing ask around at your hotel and they'll be able to provide you with plenty of events and happenings going on that night. And to be honest you could probably jut hit the streets on your own and you'll be sure to stumble across a good selection of night clubs and bars. If your drinking don't forget to plan for your trip back to your hotel or resort, most places are within walking distance though, so in most cases you'll be fine just walking back.

The people of Bulgaria make many claims: they invented the wheel, the digital watch and the Cyrillic alphabet. But whatever the locals say they have been responsible for in the past, there is no doubt that Bulgaria is witnessing a tourist boom in the present. Recent figures suggest that as many as three million tourists visit the country each year from all over Europe, including Russia, Romania and increasingly Great Britain and Ireland. With spectacular mountain scenery, impressive cities and great Black Sea resorts, Bulgaria has much to offer tourists - both in summer and winter.

The Rhodope Mountains offer a year-round tourist experience with superb skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and hiking and extreme sports in the summer. For winter sport enthusiasts the Bulgarian nirvana is Pamporovo in the Smolyan Province, some 260 km from the capital of Sofia. Surrounded by lush pine forests, the resort boasts modern hotels, great facilities and 25km of ski runs all at an altitude of a minimum of 1620 metres above sea level. Winters at Pamporovo are not severe and an average of 150 days of snowfall each year allows for an extended skiing season.

Due to its great resort infrastructure that includes many great bars and restaurants, Pamporovo also proves very popular in summer. The region is littered with many natural caves especially around the rivers of Arda, Shirokolushka, making villages there and those close to the town of Smolyan very popular with extreme sports fans.

Black Sea summer resorts at Burgas and Varna are attracting tourists in their droves, especially at the biggest Black Sea resort of Sunny Beach, located between Ravda and Sveti Vlas. Bulgaria holiday villas are in demand in the resort and others around this region such as Golden Sands resort near Varna, next to the national park of the same name. The resort has been in existence since 1957 but in recent years has seen an upgrade in its hotels, restaurants and bars as it attracts more tourists from Germany, Scandinavia and the UK.

The rapid development that the expansion of tourism in Bulgaria has generated has also triggered a property boom. Villas in Bulgaria are becoming a must-have item, not only due to the opportunities afforded for great holidays but also because of their capital value. Whether as a holiday retreat or as an investment and property, accommodation in Bulgaria is in demand and has become the target of many a speculator, with prices predicted to rise exponentially over the next ten years.

THE SKIER & SNOWBOARDER MAGAZINE, WINTER 2001

INITIALLY, stretching exercises are a good way to re-awaken muscles that have been sleeping since the last skiing expedition. The next step is to undertake a regular routine of strengthening exercises that focus on the muscle groups most used in skiing.

SQUATS

These exercises are one of the most effective for building endurance and strength in the quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, hips and calves, and can be performed with dumb bells or other weights (cans of baked beans are an ideal substitute) to increase resistance.

â?¢ Stand upright with the soles of the feet flat to the ground. Hands, with or without weights, should be rested on the hips.

â?¢ The position of the feet is very important in this exercise. Stand with feet shoulders-width apart so as to allow you to work the muscles of the entire lower body. A wider foot stance focuses on the gluteals and the hamstrings, while a narrow stance develops the quadriceps.

Lower the body to the floor, keeping the knees pointed in the toes. Once the knees have reached a 90-degree angle, in a slow and controlled motion, return to the standing position.

â?¢ Remember, always keep the soles flat on the floor and do not extend past the 90-degree angle.

â?¢ Repeat 10 times in each position.

LEG LIFTS

Strong hip muscles give more support to the back and knees when skiing. Leg lifts are very useful for building up the hip muscles and wilt also help strengthen the whole of the leg area.

â?¢ Lie on your side, rest on your elbow, with legs extended.

â?¢ Bend the bottom leg backwards, at a 90 degree angle.

â?¢ Keep your knees, toes and thighs pointing forward and your top leg straight, and slowly lift your leg up until your toes are in line with your shoulders, then lower the leg.

â?¢ At its lowest point, the working leg should not be rested on the bent leg, but kept in continual slow motion.

â?¢ Repeat 20 or 30 times then rollover on to the other side.

Ankle weights or a ski - can be worn during this exercise to increase resistance.

STRENGTHENING IN THE GYM

Resistance machines can be used to great effect, particularly the stairclimber and cycling equipment.

Weighted equipment is also very useful â?? but be aware of using too much weight, as this could have the reverse effect, hampering your ability to achieve good results, while making you more susceptible to injury. If you feel yourself using your back when exercising, or are tempted to use too much momentum or speed, the weights you are using are too heavy.

When using the weighted equipment, your first exercise set should always be done with less weight and regarded as a warm up. Further sets can then be done at a higher weight.

If you complete these exercises two or three times a week you will be fully prepared to tackle the exertions of the slopes.