Skiing

Why would any skier choose to click into skis so short that they look like clown feet? The short (ahem) answer is" to get better. The fact is that some sports have been transformed by revolutions in equipment design. Think of tennis, where it happened with oversize rackets. Joe Nevin,

WHY IT’S A CONTENDER: It’s safe to say that there is not another ski hotel like the Alta Lodge. It looks like a 1940’s prep school dorm that was designed by a Bauhaus-trained architect. Think "pleasingly austere," with window walls of glass, Bertoia chairs and cement block walls. But those

WHY IT’S A CONTENDER: The words "deal" and "The Little Nell" rarely share the same billing, but this is the time of year when the leaves turn, the rates fall, and even the locals are known to check in for a romantic night or two. Luxury hotels don’t come much

Skiing is the closest I come to flying. So when I saw an Andean condor soaring among the jagged 19,000 foot peaks at Portillo last September, I felt truly inspired. With its 11-foot wingspan, it rode the thermals in a cobalt blue sky, leaving enormous shadows against the rocky flanks