TopDawg Travel

Archive for the ‘Skiing’ Category

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will open the complete mountain, wall-to-wall, top-to-bottom in November for the first time in history.

Opening Day is scheduled for this Saturday the 27th of November. Never before in the recorded history of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) has so much snow fallen so early, with recorded snowfall to date tipping the 126” or over 10 feet mark and a snowpack of over 5 feet. As one of the biggest storms to hit the resort continues to rage in Teton Village, JHMR is preparing to open all major lifts* including the Aerial Tram and the Gondola. This will be accompanied by the opening of all major runs* including the Hobacks and Lower Faces.

Jerry Blann, JHMR President adds “La Nina winters are normally very good to Jackson Hole in terms of snow. We anticipate being able to open the entire mountain in November—this has never happened before.”

*While it is certain that there will be enough snow to open the entire mountain, the intensity of the current storm has created challenges for mountain operations that may affect what terrain can be opened. Opening day operations will also be subject to weather and snow safety.�

MORE INFORMATION:  To book – Lift, Lodging & Lunch Package. Starting at $79 per person/per night for lodging, in a one bedroom condominium, a lift ticket and lunch at Nick Wilson’s Cafe.   Valid 11/ 27-12/22, 2010. Two night minimum. Call now at 800.443.8613

Information kindly provided by Jackson Hoe Mountain Resort public relations department.

Port Angeles, while only 17 miles from Hurricane Ridge-the most popular attraction of Olympic National Park, is also a center for Northwest arts and culture.

Ideally situated for all the Olympic Peninsula has to offer, it is easy to see why Port Angeles says it is “The Center of It All.”

Port Angeles offers unique shopping, arts & culture, a wide variety of restaurants and many specialty shops for kayaking, hiking, camping, biking, fishing, scuba diving and skateboarding. In the winter months, skiing, snow shoeing and snow boarding sales and rentals are available.   

read more…..Make Port Angeles your home base for cultural as well as outdoor activities in the Olympic Peninsula

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After a wonderful evening out with Breton Murphy, Senior Manager, Destination Media Relations, Tourism Whistler at Earl’s in Whistler Village, it was back to the Fairmont Whistler for a good night’s sleep.   One of the things I most love about the Fairmont hotels is that they allow pets. (a resounding 10!) For someone who has to travel without her pet, I can get a lot of “fur-fixes” from other people’s pets. And if I ever get to take the TopDawg with me I know where I can stay!

The hotel is older and very traditional in its looks.  In my usual travel journalist fashion, I take pictures as I walk into my room and of pretty much every inch of the room, including the view.  It was immaculate with handmade candy on a stone tray and an inukshuk (pronounced e-nook-shook) made of chocolate.  This inukshuk was meant as a symbol of welcome.  All this was handmade by the pastry chef.  There was a bottle of sparkling water as well, the help lighten the thick chocolate in my mouth.

The bed linens and pillows, along with the firmness of the mattress got an 8.5 on my scale of 10.  I slept very well under the covers.  The heat/air conditioning control was rather old fashioned and just a little hard to control and maintain an even temperature.  Once again I found myself struggling to control the amount of coldness or warmth.  I would give it about a 6.5 on the 10 scale.  I had a tussle with the WiFi and had to agree to a $13.95 room charge to get internet access.  By filling out a President’s Club application  (sort of a frequent stay/points kind of thing) the fee was politely reversed at check out.  Give the WiFi experience s 5 but the reversal of the fee a 10.  Then I found an Ethernet cable in the desk drawer and the Ethernet port on the wall beside the desk, so I was on a wire and gained a much faster connectivity.  That was a definite 10 to me cause I could then do a decent video chat with my family and see my dog.

The bathroom amenities were delightful, not so much in quantity but in quality.  The shampoo and conditioner smelled so yummy, I have to give them a 10.  The shower had great pressure and a massage showerhead which was very good (another 10), but the control of hot/cold water was almost worse than controlling the room temperature.  I seemed unable to find a happy medium between lukewarm verging on cool to so hot I could hardly stand under it.  I managed to eventually find a temperature that, while not as warm as I would have liked, was acceptable.  So I would give it a 7 on the 10 scale.

Breakfast this morning was a 10 all the way.  Everyone was in awe of how much excellent food was presented.  The Mallard Lounge was the setting for the breakfast which is normally closed at breakfast time.  At the breakfast Ms. Christina Smith, bronze medalist in the women’s bobsled competition in 2002 was in attendance.  She is an incredible athlete and promoter of the bobsled competition and will the topic for another article at a later time.

I declined to go on the ZipTrek excursion  as my fear of heights is way stronger than my desire to be a part of the group and experience the scenery.  I explored more of Whistler Village in the pouring rain and then headed off to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center.

Up next:  Visiting the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center.