Category: events

A Scottish Highlands Festival

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Liathach and Beinn Eighe, Scotland.

Love walking in the Scottish Highlands?  Then think about heading to the first Torridon Walking Festival.

The new event aims to encourage “adventure seekers and low-level trekkers” to experience some of Scotland’s best walking.

This three-day festival, October 1-3, 2011, will offer low level walks following estate roads and footpaths and high level walks.

The more challenging walks are designed for mountain travelers who love exploring Scotland’s wild, off-the-beaten-track places.

The Torridon area is known for its rocky peaks and vast lochs and sandstone mountains.

Highlights of the festival walks will include:

  • the epic Liathach which stands over Glen Torridon;
  • a full day out on Beinn Eighe taking in two Munros and
  • and a day climbing Beinn Dearg.

Event organizers will hold an overnight expedition to a remote and secluded bothy.

On the trip, mountain travelers will dine by a roaring stove, share adventure stories and sleep outdoors in the stunning Scottish landscape.

For hikers, there will be loch-side rambles and woodland walks through the fall countryside with local flora and fauna talks.

Amateur photographers will learn photography techniques from a professional landscape photographer.

The Festival’s guides will be fully-qualified walkers who have spent their lives exploring Scotland’s hills.

“Their main aim is to help walkers and non-walkers achieve and experience something they never imagined possible,” say festival organizers.

The Torridon area offers a range of accommodation from youth hostels, B&Bs and guest houses to self-catering rentals, inns and hotels.

Image courtesy of the Torridon Walking Festival.

Whistler’s Last Snowboard Event

Whistler wraps up its 2010/2011 snowboard season with Billabong Ante Up, presented by Von Zipper on Canada Day, July 1st, 2011.

Hip Hop star K-OS will play DJ sets at this year’s event.

The 5 Star TTR World Snowboard Tour event will kick-off the 2011-2012 TTR World Snowboard Tour.

Billabong Ante Up will also be the qualifying event for the 6 Star Billabong Innsbruck Air and Style event in February 2012.

Riders from Asia, Europe, Scandinavia USA, and Canada are expected to compete at Billabong Ante Up.

“I’m stoked to return to Billabong Ante Up for another year. It’s a really fun contest that I did well last time, and Whistler is definitely one of the best places on earth,” says Sebastien (Toots) Toutant, who will defend his title.

Other scheduled riders are Scotty Lago (USA), Chas Guldemond (USA), Gjermund Braaten (Germany), Seppe Smits (Belgium), Roope Tonteri (Finland), Sage Kotsenburg and others.

K-OS will be playing DJ sets at the following times:

  • 2:30pm After snowboarding qualifying ends;
  • 4:00pm Immediately following event finals and
  • 4:45pm Immediately following event awards.

To attend the Billabong Ante Up event live, guests can buy a PEAK 2 PEAK Alpine Experience ticket, use their Seasons Pass (free access) or EDGE Card (50% off) to access the mountain.

The event will also be available on a live webcast on July 1, 2011 from 1-5 pm PST.

For more info, visit the event site.

Video courtesy of Billabong Ante Up.

Food, Wine & Ski

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Some of Australia’s top chefs will showcase their culinary talents at Hotham’s Opening Weekend.

Love food, wine and skiing?  If you’re an Australian skier, then you might want to head to Opening Weekend at Hotham from June 10-13, 2011.

Some of Australia’s top chefs will be there to launch the 2011 ski season at Hotham Alpine Resort and Dinner Plain Village.

The chefs will showcase their culinary talents in several fine food and wine events.

Here is the events schedule:

  • Richard Thomas at various venues, Dinner Plain – Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12, 3pm-5pm. The cheese maker presents the best of local and international cheeses matched with local wines.
  • Frank Camorra at Cilantro Restaurant, Dinner Plain – Saturday, June 11.  The owner and Executive Chef of MoVida restaurants returns for a Spanish-inspired alpine feast.
  • Conviction Kitchen Team at Alphutte Restaurant, Dinner Plain – Sunday, June 12, 12pm-2pm.  Sunday lunch with some of the Conviction Kitchen team including Lisa Parker.
  • Matt Germanchis at Rundell’s Alpine Lodge, Dinner Plain – Sunday, June 12, 7pm.  The chef from Melbourne restaurant, Pandora’s Box, prepares a menu inspired by the region’s local produce.
  • Michael Ryan at Tsubo Bar and Restaurant, Dinner Plain – Monday, June 13, 7pm.  The owner of Beechworth’s Provenance restaurant hosts a dinner highlighting local food and wine from North East Victoria.

Hotham is also offering discounted prices on lift, lesson and accommodation packages from June 11 to 24, 2011.

For more info, visit Hotham online.

Image courtesy of Hotham.

Spring At Vail Resorts

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Snowshoe fun at Vail.

The North America 2010/2011 ski and snowboard season is ending soon.

In the United States, Vail Ski Resorts at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe, will have fun end-of-season ski events.

Closing dates are coming up at Keystone Resort (April 10); Beaver Creek Resort (April 17) and Vail, Breckenridge, Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe (April 24).

For skiers looking for travel deals, a discounted Vail Resort Season Pass is now available for the 2011-2012 winter ski and snowboard season.

Here are some of the Spring 2011 ski events at Vail Resorts:

  • Breckenridge Spring Fever, April 1-24. Fun concerts to spring events are happening in town and on the mountain. Highlights include: Live concerts; Breck Spring Beer Festival; EpicMixer singles and The Breck 5 Peaks competition.
  • Taste of Vail, April 7-9.  Taste of Vail is a spring food and wine festival at several venues throughout the ski resort. Highlights: World-class restaurants; Wine from top wineries; Interactive seminars; Auction and dance; Colorado Lamb Cook Off; Après ski tasting and Mountaintop Picnic.
  • Heavenly Spring Loaded 2011, April 9-23. This spring break skiing and riding celebration is known for its entertainment, après-ski parties and 24-hour nightlife. Highlights: Gunbarrel 25 hosted by skiing legend Glen Plake; Stateline Showdown amateur slopestyle competition finals; Heavenly’s pond-skimming championships and Cold War Kids concerts.
  • Spring Back to Vail, April 15-24.  This end-of-the-season bash has free concerts, on-snow events and street parties.  Highlights: performances by Train, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, The Greyboy Allstars, Shpongle, Stephen Marley and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and the World Pond Skimming Championships.
  • Beaver Creek Vintage Ski Fest & Race, April 16. The ski race sees guests in vintage wool skiing attire and using old wood or metal skis to race on the Hay Meadow race course.  Prizes are awarded for Best Costume and winners in racing categories.

Here are more scenes of Vail:

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Images courtesy of Vail Resorts.

Whistler’s Best Festival?

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TelusWorldSkiSnowboardFestival Whistlers Best Festival?

The TELUS World & Ski Snowboard Festivalwill take Whistler by storm from April 15-24, 2011.

Festival lineups are rolling in for bands and musicians playing at the free AXE Concert Series, the Kokanee Après Series and Club Series.

Here is the AXE Concert Series lineup:

  • April 15 – Fort Knox Five;
  • April 17 – Spirit of the West;
  • April 18 – Acorn Project and Brasstronaut;
  • April 19 – CFOX Seeds Band;
  • April 20 – Lyrics Born and Dilated Peoples;
  • April 21 – Black Mountain, Darker the Sky and Tokyo Police Club;
  • April 22 – Broken Social Scene and Dinosaur Bones;
  • April 23 – Gogol Bordello and Ghetto Funk and
  • April 24 – Ozomatli.

Snowboard festival sponsor Monster Energy will host après and night-time parties for every music taste and party stamina.

For the opening night, Friday, April 15, there will be The Sh*t Show featuring live music and the industry’s top riders.

On April 16, The Late Show will feature DJ’s Excision, Mat the Alien, and The Librarian and on April 17, a Pub Night.

Then on Tuesday, April 19, The Sideshow will encourage dressing up like their favorite sideshow “personality”.

For more info, visit the festival site.

Images courtesy of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival.

A Walking Festival

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North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival, England.

The North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival, April 29-May 8, will extend into Quantock Hills.

The 2011 spring festival of 50+ guided walks is organized by West Country Walks and the Exmoor Tourist Association.

Many of the walk locations will be within:

  • Exmoor National Park;
  • National Trust landscapes or
  • the protected North Devon and Quantock Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

All walks will be graded for pace and level of difficulty ranging from an easy, three miles suitable for families to a full day’s walk with challenging ascents and descents.

Some walks will feature breakfast, lunch or cream tea stop and local produce tasting while others will take a packed lunch.

Well-behaved dogs will also be welcomed on many walks.

New 2011 walks will include Chichester’s Haunt, an 8.5mile circular walk following the river Yeo upstream to Shirwell in North Devon.

New outings in the Quantocks will include Quantocks Combes; Hill Defence and Stone Age Ways and A Ruffle around Wills Neck.

An illustrated talk on North Devon wildlife will be presented by local flora and fauna specialist Mary Breeds.

For more info, visit the festival site.

Image courtesy of Exmoor Walking Festival.

National Park Week

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Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

Every year, mountain travelers flock to America’s national parks like Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.

Coming up April 16-24, 2011, National Park Week will offer free admission to all 394 U.S. national parks.

Throughout the week, national parks and park partners will feature special programs, like ranger talks and free guided tours, as part of National Park Week festivities.

Many parks will be enlisting volunteers to help with special projects and kids will participate in Junior Ranger Day.

Mountain travelers can see America’s highest peak (Mount McKinley); lowest point (Death Valley), or deepest lake (Crater Lake).

Says Jonathan B. Jarvis, National Park Service Director:

“National parks have always been great places to go on vacation, have fun, and learn something, but for millions of Americans national parks are also a daily part of a healthy lifestyle. If you’ve never thought of your national parks that way, we’d like to invite you to come out to see how parks can help you meet your fitness goals. Getting outside and moving is the first step.”

Additional 2011 free admission days are scheduled for: June 21 (the first day of summer); September 21 (National Public Lands Day); and November 11-13 (Veterans Day Weekend).

Image courtesy of DiscoverMoab.com.

Festival Of Flowers

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Asheville, N.C.-Biltmore’s annual Festival of Flowers. Photo credit: PRNewsFoto/The Biltmore Company.

Asheville, North Carolina will be a blooming mountain spring spot with Biltmore’s Festival of Flowers, April 2 to May 15, 2011.

Some 100,000+ tulips will beautify George Vanderbilt’s 8,000-acre property, designed by legendary architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

At the estate entrance, there will be a meadow of white, purple, pink, yellow and red tulips.

In the Walled Garden, the tulips will have hues of purple, orange, yellow and white then mid-festival lavender shades of alyssum, orange snapdragons, poppies, dianthus and digitalis.

The festival events will also include:

  • Live music daily in the Conservatory and Winter Garden;
  • “Ask a Gardener” station with Biltmore’s horticulture experts;
  • Art show at Deerpark and
  • Seminars will be held in A Gardener’s Place in the Conservatory.

Festival of Flowers will coincide with the estate’s Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, on Biltmore House’s front lawn.

For more info, visit the Biltmore site.

Summer In Austria

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The Austrian National Tourist Office plans the exhibition “Summer in Austria – Fresh Sights and Enchanting Surprises” in London.

At the National Geographic Store on London’s Regent Street, the event, on Monday, February 28, 2011, will be limited attendance.

“In cities, towns and mountain villages across Austria, summer brings a sense of renewal with it. Not only with nature in its fullest bloom, but also in collective spirit,” says the Austria National Tourist Office.

“And while many of these summer highlights have become favorites among our British guests, others are less known.”

Image courtesy of ANTO/Andreas Hofer.

Top Of The Mountain Concert

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Ski resort Ischgl will host its end-of-season Top Of The Mountain concert.

Tirolean resort Ischgl has booked The Killers for its Top Of The Mountain concert coming up on April 30, 2011.

The concert will be held at Idalp, near the top station of the main Silvretta gondola out of Ischgl.

The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be on Friday April 29, 2011, now also a Bank Holiday.

So British skiers and boarders can book a long weekend in Ischgl.

Concert admission will be free with a valid liftpass.  Sunday, May 1, 2011 will be the final day of Ischgl’s ski season.

Special ski-and-stay packages are available for four nights’ bed and breakfast in a hotel with a three-day liftpass.

For more info, check out the resort’s site.

Image and video courtesy of Ischgl.