Read greens like the pros

Putting is a combination of the mind, reading and execution. I have maintained my 12 handicap over the last twenty years simply by increasing my prowess on the green, while age has negatively impacted most of the other parts of my game. This article deals with the second aspect of the putting triad, reading greens. A golf green is like a book, not a sentence. If you are on a strange course and didn’t take a couple minutes on the practice green, it is like you are opening up a mystery novel at chapter 14 instead of the first page. That’s fine if you want to learn the "plot" during the next few chapters/greens, but your score and countenance will reflect your early confusion. Let us assume that you took a little time on the practice green before assaulting the course. Do not try to fix flaws in your putting technique during your few minutes practicing. Instead, determine two things: 1) The speed of the green (stimp) 2) How much the ball breaks at that green speed. So instead of concentrating on draining putts, get a solid feel for the speed. Try various distances along with uphill, downhill and side hill. Remember how much your ball breaks on your regular course. The amount of break for the same grade on a different course is linear with the difference in speed. Example: If you have to putt 20% softer on this different course, your ball will break 20% more for a given length of putt. Why? Gravity has that much more time to pull your ball downhill because you had to hit it slower. A ten-inch break on your home course will now break twelve inches. Ok, we are on the course and you have hit the green with your approach shot. As you walk toward the green, take in the whole scene. Greens are built to shed water, not to hold it and have water pool every time the green is watered or when it rains. There is a scheme to remove water from all greens. Look over the whole green to see where to water will run off. This can be more than one place. Hint: On hilly or mountainous courses, 95% of the time water will flow away from the hill. If there is a pond, stream, etc. near the green, the water run-off scheme will almost always be designed to allow water to eventually drain to it. Ever hear the phrase, "Breaks toward the water"? Greens are also generally built to make us feel good, so most will have a slant toward the tee box in order to better hold approach shots. Beware of the slope of the green near greenside bunkers. There will normally be some slope away from the bunker for a distance. Now you are on the green and "reading". I always walk all the way up the line, read from behind the hole, then walk down the other side of the line and read from behind the ball towards the hole. Your feet and balance during this trek will tell you more than any other thing. If I have any questions remaining, I have no problem trampling right up my line to get a better feel. Let us be honest. When is that last time a footprint deflected your ball? Hopefully one or more of the other players in your group will have to putt before you. Caution: All putting strokes are different. Some players cut the ball, some hook, some bounce or backspin, some decelerate. But watching all these putts will help you. It doesn’t matter if they are on your line or not. The most value you get will be watching what happens to their balls around the hole. Example: If someone putts well off your line and the ball slows quickly, his putt was uphill and yours will have to break toward him at the hole. Other terrific clues to help you determine the slant of the green along your line are background structures and terrain. Look for houses, lakes, ocean, and horizon. All of these are true to the world. Early in the day, you may still have dew on the greens for several holes, even after they were mowed. The marks left in the dew by previous putts will help to some extent. You will not be able to tell if these putts were blown by the hole in many cases, so just get the trend from the marks. We need to address grain of the grass. My opinion of grain: Most announcers love to talk about it on TV because it is a nuance that most amateurs don’t think about, care about or know much about. The announcers talk about it like newscasters hype hot stories. The problem is, the more attention you pay to grain, the less attention you pay to factors that actually mean something. When you begin to get helped by dealing with the grain, join the Hooters Tour. Should you play the wind? Unless it is howling, wind is a very minor factor influencing your ball on the green. Put your hand down next to the green to prove to yourself how much the wind on your face gets knocked down all the way down to the ground. I think you will find the effect will always be less than one inch along a twenty-foot putt. All of these factors are going to work on your subconscious and you will generally develop a “gut feel”. As I talked about in a preceding article, you must not discount this feeling. You can read the green. Begin your focus immediately following your approach shot to the green. Use all the clues and believe in your skill. You CAN read greens!

Trailering your boat this summer here s what you need to do to keep it on the road

Each year thousands of boating enthusiasts, fishing guru’s and summer vacationers trailer their boat to a nearby lake or head to their weekend get away cottage and each year accidents by the dozens occur from a variety of failures or malfunctions. You see them on the side of the highways every year; a blown out tire, a boat and trailer separated from the tow vehicle and in a ditch next to the highway or sometimes flipped over on the side of the road. Sometimes it’s a multi-vehicle accident with cars, trucks and a boat all mixed up together. Someone usually gets hurt and sometimes there’s fatalities. Well, if you’re planning to trailer your boat and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a pontoon boat, power boat, cruiser, a sailboat or even a small fishing boat, here’s what you need to check and fix before you hit the road. Tires - Tires are probably the most common things to fail and cause someone to get stuck on the side of the road. The reason is because a lot of people store their boats and trailers outside and they sit in storage a good deal of time. The rubber gets old, loses pressure, cracks and so on. So check your tires for wear and cracks. If you don’t have at least an eighth of an inch of tread depth or if you see cracks in the tires and they should be replaced. Also, check the tire pressure. When your trailer sits in storage for long periods of time and the temperature rises and falls this causes the tire to lose pressure slowly over time. There should be inflation specifications on the side of the tire or check your boat and trailer owners manual. Make sure to inflate your tires to the proper tire pressure. Under inflated tires or over inflated tires can fail and keep you stuck on the side of the road for a long time. Lights, wiring and connections - These can cause serious accidents if not working correctly. When they’re not working properly the people behind you don’t know when you’re stopping or turning. On highways, this can cause fatal accidents. Check to make sure the lamps are not burned out and make sure both filaments are in tact. Check the lamp housings to ensure the seals are not broken or deteriorated. Check the lamp sockets for corrosion. Apply a light coat of electrical grease around the base of the lamp and socket to keep out moisture and reinstall the lamps. Check the wiring to insure the ground connections are not corroded or broken. Also, check the wiring along the frame. Make sure that it’s in good condition and properly fixed to the trailer. Check the fittings and connections between the trailer and vehicle to make sure the male / female plugs are not corroded. If they are, they should be cleaned and reconnected. Have someone stand behind the trailer each time you hook up and make sure your running lights, brake lights and turn signals are working correctly. Note: you should disconnect the trailer lights harness from the vehicle before backing the boat into the water. This will prevent the trailer lamps from shorting and blowing out. Brakes – if your trailer is equipped with brakes, check the brake fluid. If it’s low, fill to the appropriate level with approved brake fluid. Check the brake pads or shoes to make sure that they are not worn and replace them if they are. Check the brake wire connections between the trailer and vehicle are in properly connected. They control the braking mechanism to apply or release the brakes as needed. Always check that the brakes are working properly before on a short test drive before towing at your boat at high speeds. Have a friend or family member stand behind and to the side of the trailer. Confirm that the brake and turn signal lights are working. If you’re not familiar with repairing brakes and replacing brake pads and shoes, take your trailer to your local boating center or trailer dealership. Bearings - Bearings should be checked at least once per year to ensure they are properly greased. A frozen bearing can cause the wheel to lockup and the tire to blow out. Most trailer spindles have a dust cover that covers the bearing. Just remove the cover and inspect. Some have a zerk or grease fitting at the end of the spindle. You can add grease easily without disassembling the bearing assembly. If you don’t have a zerk fitting, the bearings need to be removed and repacked the old fashion way. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about then you need to take your trailer to your local boating center or a trailer sales and service company. The bearings should be checked and grease at least once per year. Always use a manual grease gun and replace the tang washer. They should not be reused. If you frequently use your boat and trailer, you should check them twice per year. Coupler - Couplers get worn and more frequently become misadjusted so that the fit between the coupler and the hitch ball becomes loose. If you’re towing your boat and the coupler is loose it could bounce off the hitch ball and cause a serious accident. It’s happened. I’ve seen it. To avoid this kind of catastrophe, make sure the under side of the coupler is free from dirt and debris. Spray lubricant on the lever and clasp mechanism and also on the hitch ball. Check to make sure you are using the correct size ball for the coupler. They should be stamped the size. Make sure they are the same. Attach the coupler to the hitch. Close the lever and insert the safety pin. Confirm that the fit is tight and the tongue of the trailer cannot move up or down at all. If you have a wheel type coupler you can adjust it to tighten the fit. If you have a lever type, some have a nut on the underside of the coupler that can be adjusted to tighten the fit. If not, you should take your trailer to a boating center or trailer dealership for repair. Note: the pin is very important on the lever type of couplers and needs to be inserted. If the pin is missing, it needs to be replaced. Winch - Make sure the winch is working properly and spay lubricating oil on the gears. This will keep the winch working freely for the entire boating season. Tongue jack – grease the jack through the zerk fitting or pop the top cap and insert grease. This should be done at least once per year. Make sure that the jack operates freely all the way up and down. Safety Chains - These are extremely important, especially if the coupler fails. I’ve seen a lot of trailers without them, but they are very important to have. They should be securely attached to the trailer, one on each side of the tongue and attached to side of the hitch. They need to long enough to allow the trailer to turn, but short enough to prevent the tongue of the trailer from hitting the ground if the coupler comes off the hitch. Rollers - If your trailer is equipped with rollers, spray a little lubricating oil on the spindles. This will keep them rolling freely. Frame - Check the frame of the trailer for cracks, especially at the weld joints. There should be no signs of cracks or fatigue. Frame or weld crack are generally not a problem, but when towing a heavy boat they can be. If you see any signs of cracks in the frame, take your trailer to your nearest boating center or trailer dealer for service. General - your trailer should be hosed off after each use to prolong it’s appearance and to keep it in good working order. This is especially important if you using your boat and trailer in salt water. When storing or parking your trailer, you should never let the tongue rest directly on the ground. Use a cement block or wooden block to rest the tongue on. This will keep dirt and debris from accumulating in the underside of the coupler. If you are unsure about any of the maintenance items or how to do them, take your trailer to your local boating center or your local trailer dealership. They will be able to assist you in servicing your trailer properly. For more information on boat and trailer maintenance - check out boatfisher/boatMaintenance. cfm. Always remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t be one of those guys or families on the side of the road wondering what went wrong. Do the required maintenance and checks on your trailer before you hit the road and you’ll be on the water in no time.

Casino games for female gamblers

The ‘average’ online casino player is female, aged between 46 and 55. The reason why is obvious, when you think about it – for years, land based casinos were male-dominated spaces where women, if they were allowed in at all, were seen as either waitresses, glammed-up escorts to ‘serious’ gamblers or blue-haired pensioners piling coins into slots. With the advent of online gambling, that all changed. Now, women can gamble where and when they like, without the pressure – real or imagined – of feeling like an unwelcome outsider. Surprisingly, though, the online casino industry has been relatively slow in picking up the opportunities offered by this demographic. Most of those online gambling sites that do focus on female gamblers tend to assume that all they want to do is play bingo and chat on online message boards. Whilst there’s no doubt that many female gamblers enjoy those aspects of online casinos, there’s an entire group who are interested in more traditional casino games. If you’re one of those gamblers, and you feel a little neglected by the marketing of casino sites, this article is intended to point you towards games I know you’ll enjoy! First up is probably the most male-dominated game of all, Baccarat (pronounced Back-a-rah and also known as Punto Banco) As the game that introduced James Bond to the world in Casino Royale, it has always had an aura of class and glamour. Think of Bond girls in strapless black dresses, draped over the players as they gamble, and you’ll see how women are generally regarded by Baccarat players! In traditional bricks-and-mortar casinos, Baccarat is often played in a separate room, out of the way of the ‘rowdier’ tables, as it is the game preferred by ‘high-rollers’, those high stakes players that get treated so well by the management. This is another reason why land-based Baccarat can feel so intimidating, for men as well as women. Online, however, there are no such restrictions to playing Baccarat. Gone are the trappings of glamour and secrecy – and what’s left is a straightforward, enjoyable card game, with room for a little strategy. I designed Fortune Palace (see resource box) to introduce players to game such as Baccarat. If you visit, you’ll see all the rules and bets clearly explained, an explanation of strategy for all levels of risk – and, best of all, you’ll be able to practice absolutely free, so you won’t need to chance any money until you’re familiar with the game. The second game I’d like to recommend is one of my personal favourites – Sic Bo. Not many know of this game as it’s played mainly by Asian and Far Eastern gamblers. In fact, a lot of Western casinos fail to offer the game. Online, though, it’s one of the most popular table games. Unusually, Sic Bo is widely regarded as a ‘game for women’ amongst gamblers. This disparaging attitude ignores the possibilities that the game has to offer. To describe it briefly, it’s a game played with three dice that has similarities with Craps and Roulette. I’m always amazed by how Roulette players look ‘down their nose’ at Sic Bo. True, the odds in Sic Bo are not exactly the most favourable in the casino, but it’s not as if Roulette is a guaranteed money maker! In fact, if you’re looking to try out a strategy on a close-to-evens chance bet like Red/Black, Sic Bo offers a very similar bet in Big/Small. But that’s missing the point. The fun in Sic Bo lies in the betting permutations and combinations. Basically, there are 216 ways that three dice can be rolled – and you can place any number of bets on these possible outcomes. For example, you could bet on the overall total, on a pair, on a triple, on a specific number – the possibilities are numerous. The way the board is laid out, the way the dice are rolled, and the way the results are presented all go towards the excitement and enjoyment of the game. For some fun in the casino, I think Sic Bo’s unbeatable. Blackjack is a very popular game and it’s unlikely that you’re unfamiliar with it so I won’t go into detail in this article. All I will say is that I’ve devised a simple 3-stage strategy for Blackjack that is intended to take players from beginner to high-roller whilst still keeping the enjoyment in the game. If you’re a Blackjack player – or would like to be! – you might care to check it out. Another unusual game we describe at Fortune Palace is Pai Gow Poker. This is a game I like to describe as Blackjack for Poker players. In other words, you need a basic knowledge of poker hands (don’t worry – Fortune Palace has a hand ranking chart for beginners!) but the game itself is a you-versus-the-dealer kind of game. You’re dealt seven cards and you have to make two poker-based hands, one of five cards and one of two. The dealer does the same – if both your hands beat the dealer’s, you win! It’s fast and exciting and a game that I know is very popular with female visitors to the site. The strategy can seem complex at first, but once you’re familiar with it it’s a game you can really get into. A variation of the game is Bonus Pai Gow Poker. In that version, you can place a side bet that your seven cards will contain a significant poker hand (eg full house, straight). The advantage of this bet is that you win the wager even if you don’t win the two hands ie you get the bonus regardless of how you set your hands! If you’re lucky enough to get a Royal Flush, the bonus pays out a massive 8,000 to 1! Sadly, not all online casinos offer the Bonus version. But if you’re playing at one that does (eg Spin Palace or Ruby Fortune) it’s worth checking out. Roulette is possibly the most popular and familiar of all casino games. As with Blackjack, I’m sure you know most of what you need to know about Roulette, so I won’t go into detail here. But if you’re attracted by one of the many Roulette ‘systems’ available on the market, at Fortune Palace we’ve tested the most popular ones and give you our verdict. I won’t tell you here which work and which don’t – that would spoil the surprise! The last game I’d like to introduce you to is Keno. True, this is a game similar to Bingo, which may seem to contradict the initial point of this article, but I feel it’s a game female players may enjoy. Put simply, it’s a cross between Bingo and Lotto, where you have an element of control over how many and which numbers you choose. You mark the numbers on a card and then 20 balls are drawn at random. You win depending on how many ‘spots’ you choose and how many of those come up. Winning small amounts is relatively easy – winning big is relatively hard! But if you’re lucky enough to get 10 from 10, the payout is 100,000 to 1. Keno is more of a ‘fun’ game than many others, but it has its charms and offers a diversion when you’re looking to relax between hands of more ‘serious’ games. Overall, then, I hope this article has given female players a taste of the kind of games that are available to them and will encourage some to try their hand at online gambling. Remember, in the past, casinos were a male preserve. Online casinos have made things much more democratic – everyone’s welcome and everyone’s treated equally. Women have a right to play where and when they want – make sure you exercise that right!

Fly fishing a worldwide sport

Fly fishing is a great sport enjoyed by fisherman all over the world. This method of fishing requires artificial flies, and a rod that is very flexible. The sport of fly fishing has been around since at least 200 A. D. The first knowledge of the sport is found in books written during that time period. Today the sport remains very popular. Most people fly fish for trout, salmon, and bass. Fly fishing differs from regular fishing because you don’t use a heavy lure and a light line. Instead, using a fake fly on the end of the line, you cast out a heavy line with a thinner leader on the end. Often a color of ribbon, thread, or fur is tied to the fly. This gives fish the impression that what they see is a bug that they eat. Fly fishing lines are much heavier than regular fishing line, but are often designed to float. There are two types of fly fishing. Dry fly fishing involves the fly remaining on the surface of the water. Wet water fly fishing involves sinking the fly down into the water. Both methods are very effective. The use of the techniques is up to the person fishing and the circumstances. Fly fishing is practiced throughout the United States and Canada. The most common states for fly fishing are Montana, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, California, and Alaska. This is because of the amount of fish flowing through the Rocky Mountain area. West Yellowstone is considered the major hub for great fly fishing. More fish are caught here than any other location. Areas of Canada including Alberta as well as other water areas throughout the world are great locations for fly fishing. This sport of fly fishing continues to be very popular, with no sign of letting up any time soon. Fly fishing enthusiasts spend lots of time and money fly fishing. They buy the best equipment and travel to the best fishing locations, hoping to be lucky enough to catch that great fish swimming upstream.

Fishing adventures in northern ontario

Are you the kind who likes to sit for hours on the banks of a babbling brook, in the midst of still-standing time, waiting? Waiting for that prized trout that will eventually be ensnared by your eager little fish hook. If so, we would like to welcome you to Northern Ontario where you can be sure you will get to take that prized trophy home and brag about it for the next twelve years. Due to the sheer abundance of freshwater rivers, lakes, and streams teeming with fish of every possible type, Northern Ontario is your answer to an amazing fishing adventure. Between the three rich regions of Northwestern, Northeastern, and North Central that are absolutely teeming with fish, Northern Ontario offers extensive waterways, channels, rivers, and so on. You could take a weekend fishing adventure drive in or fly-in to the lakes and waterways of northwestern Ontario. The region specializes in trophy muske, but walleye, lake trout, northern pike, bass, steelhead, and salmon are also found in abundance. Quenteco Wilderness and the Albani river distribution within the park is a good option for fishing in a laid back style in the backwaters amidst complete wilderness. For river fishing enthusiasts, meandering rivulets between the Marathon and Thunder Bay are ideal for fishing for trout and salmon. The Wabigoon Eagle Lake and Nipgon River area is frequented by flying fishing enthusiasts and experts as the areas are rich in trophy walleys, muskes, bas, and pike. The Samuel de Champlain Park offers a wide variety of fishing activity in its Long Lake where a variety of trout, bass, pike and herring hang out. When talking of fishing adventures in Northern Ontario, talk of the magnificent Algonquin Provincial Park can't be far behind. This park is crisscrossed with water channels and you can enjoy fishing while taking noiseless canoe rides through them. Surrounded by wilderness, and completely isolated and cut off from the rest of the world, this is a haven for flying fishing aficionados, while angling experts can head to Killarney in Georgian Bay where they can practice their skills on pike, muskie, and bass. Gone are those days when fishing enthusiasts would wade through swamps and undertake many a perilous journey to reach their favorite river hidden deep in the forest. Now you can still go along those fishing trails and have your little adventure, but Northern Ontario has become highly accessible through road and air and can make your fantasy fishing adventure a realized reality.

Beginnings of table tennis

Most sports will require some kind of skill or some form of characteristics that will make playing a little bit easier. Height for example is an advantage when it comes to basketball as players who are tall can easily get to the baskets. Bowling, on the other hand, requires strength of the arm as well as steadiness because the bowling ball can be really heavy. Chess needs a mind that thinks strategy and end game while those who are involved with gymnastics will need flexibility and coordination. Although all these can actually be learned through constant practice, there are still people who seem to play these sports so naturally. Table tennis, however is one of those sports that seem to require no prerequisite conditions. Everything can actually be learned through practice, including the speed of the reflexes. The start of the game Similar to the beginnings of other sports, Table Tennis also began as a social activity. It is actually quite similar to tennis and to badminton except that instead of a lawn or a court with a net in the middle, table tennis has well… a table. In fact, Fred Perry, a World Champion in the sport went on to became a champion in Tennis. That’s how related these games are. During the second half of the 19th century, the game gained popularity in England and even had various names such as Gossima and Whiff-Whaff. But of course, the name Table Tennis caught on. The name Ping Pong also became really popular. Purportedly, the word ping pong came from the sound of the ball as it strikes the table and the rackets. But unlike other sports games, which are played primarily outdoors, table tennis became really popular as an leisure activity for the family. In fact, in the early 19th century, it is often played as an after-dinner activity during parties. Between the periods 1905 to 1910, the craze for the ping pong spread through Central Europe and eventually to Asian countries like Japan, China and Korea. After a period of waning interests, table tennis was once again revived in England, particularly in Wales by the early 1920s. This time, the name table tennis was officially used while ping pong became a trademark. At this time, national associations of players of table tennis were formed and rules about the game were standardized, not only in the country but in Europe and in the Far East as well. Over the next years up until now, table tennis has become a worldwide sensation. By a recent accounting, the sports has about 30 million competitive players all over the world. Since leisure players are not part of that figure, one can just imagine the extent of the sport’s success. There are actually few changes in the rules of the game since its inception. It however became, faster and more demanding than before, with players becoming more skillful with their games and faster with their reflexes. Among the changes that occur through the years are: the height of the net in the middle of the table, some rules in serving and tie-breaking matches. These changes are only made in the biennial meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation to ensure that rules are standardized all over the world. In addition, changes are not implemented until a vote of majority is reached.

Learn how to apply wing chun as an effective form of self defense

One of the ongoing things we’re trying at the dojo is broadening our student base. Lots of students get a little upset at punches flying at them, and the like, so we’re evaluating some of the softer styles for an introductory class. I’m looking at turning Wing Chun forms into the basis for a practical martial arts style, and helping with the instructions with it. First, I learned Wing Chun as a “recuperative” style – I needed some time off to let my feet heal from doing stupid things with a wooden sparring dummy and inadequate footwear. My Dad had taken to Wing Chun for joint ailments as he’s gotten older, and had showed me some of the basics, and I asked permission of his teacher, Greg Pool, if I could record his opening lecture for his introductory class. This is what I got. “Wing Chun is a balanced style, and I’m planning on doing the following forms with it: The open stance, which is fairly high, keeps the elbows close to the body, and keeps the balance over the knees, is a good one for getting pupils into, particularly if they don’t have a lot of martial arts training. The initial lessons will focus on relaxation techniques, and fluid movements. Wing Chun is a style that emphasizes relaxed motions – extra muscle tension slows down the speed of reactions, and builds up fatigue. While we’re going to focus on Wing Chun as, in some ways, an animated relaxation technique, this will be giving you the baseline for learning other martial arts, going to whatever styles you prefer.” “The basic stance will have your feet at slightly less than shoulder width part, with your knees bent at about a 20 degree angle, and your toes pointed in. From this stance, breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth, and try to relax – you’ll feel a sense of dynamic tension in your hamstrings and quadriceps when you’re done.” “For motions, we’ll start with the circular blocks from the left side going to the right. Again, redirection and smooth flow is the key to this. Watch what I do…breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth.” Now, my experiences with Wing Chun are that it’s more like the Northern Chinese styles I’m familiar with – it’s a whole body style, emphasizing economy of motion and blocks. It’s got a lot of good footwork in its basic forms, and it’s used a lot in martial arts movies, most notably those starring Jet Li. One of the oddities of the Wing Chun forms is that it really de-emphasizes kicks and throws and power moves. This is ultimately because it’s meant to be a defensive style first. Breaking the lines of the basic form for more power gives your opponent defensive opportunities. However, just because it’s a softer style, don’t think it’s a snap. Like all of the opening martial arts forms, it’ll leave you with a healthy sweat before you’re done, and your knees and hips will absolutely feel it. The upper body workout focuses on delivering power through the sternum to the shoulder – you try to keep your arms relaxed before throwing a block or a strike, because relaxed muscles respond faster, and get more speed. Trying to power through a block or a punch is almost always slower. Because the Wing Chun stance is higher than I’m used to, it takes some adjustment for me, not to sink too low. Fortunately, for most beginning students, a higher stance is more familiar to them from every day life. Very few people walk around in the Tiger Crouch when going to the super market, while Wing Chun isn't too far off from a standard "walking posture".

Go west for the best ski resorts

As the fall months quickly lead into the months of winter, avid skiers and snowboarders are eager to catch a glimpse of the first snowfall. At the same time, many of the best ski resorts in the West are preparing to welcome their guests who come to revel in the winter activities around their facilities. When people think of California, they often the sand and surf of the coastline, the vineyards of the Napa Valley, the glitz and glamor of Hollywood or the exhilaration of the well known amusement parks. However, there are some pleasing California ski resorts and numerous places to pursue your much loved winter sports and activities. Many avid skiers consider the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in Central California to be one of the best ski resorts in the state. Mammoth boasts an average snowfall of over one hundred and fifty inches and some years, up to two hundred and fifty inches. That's enough snow to fulfill the dreams of the heartiest of snow lovers. This top ski resort sits on the eastern side of the Nevada Mountain range. One of the reasons that Mammoth is among the top ski resorts is that it boasts of the Hangman's Hollow. This is identified as the siren-of-the-steeps for experts skiers from around the world. In addition, Mammoth also has a full terrain that offers cross-country skiing and also, an Olympic-size half pipe. The Mt. Shasta Resort is in the heart of another California ski area that is both well-known and really popular, making it well known on the list of top ski resorts in the West. The Mt. Shasta resort is located in the Siskiyou mountain range, which is close the northern border or California. Within the Mt. Shasta national recreational area there are many activities available such as hiking, snowmobiling and a skiing area that even includes a bunny flat. After a long day on the slopes, the Black Bear Restaurant is popular and highly recommended for delicious meal and in addition, they also offer delightful homemade pies for a well-earned dessert. A bit farther north from Mt. Shasta is Oregon, which is filled with numerous slopes and top ski resorts as well. Timberline Lodge is an historic chalet that sits right at the timber line of the majestic Mt. Hood in the Cascade Range and which has long been hailed as one of the top resorts. Because Timberline Lodge sits higher than many mountain ski resorts, you will often find that you can ski all year round on the nearby Palmer Snowfield, which is close this great snowy retreat. Continuing on the northward track, the mountain ski resorts of British Columbia are painless to add to the list of top ski resorts in the West. Whistler is another famed ski area where you are also able to ski any time of the year with few rare exceptions. In addition to the Whistler-Blackcomb area, the fabulous skiing and other winter sports, there is also incredible scenery. After dark, there is a lively night life in the area which you can enjoy after a long day of shredding the slopes. This is just a short list of the many best ski resorts that are located in the mountainous areas of Western US and Western Canada. The various ski vacations that you can take in the West are a nice way to escape from the stress and the demands of work. For those who live in the west, many top ski resorts are nearby and even a quick weekend ski package can be enough to provide rejuvenation to make it through another work week.