Made from thick steel plates, the 听tower ($500)听raises your backyard听fire three feet off the ground. Add the optional cooking kit to turn the Pyro into a听grill and smoker.听

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Chef Jesse Griffith loves meat. There are no ifs, ands, or (pork) butts about it. In his restaurant听, he would open听a box of steaks knowing how those animals were sacrificed, so he decided to return to a traditional style of meal prep: hunting. In听Full Boar,听he teaches students how farm to table meat consumption can be a meaningful experience. Find more meaningful stories from Yeti .听

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Urban life is a thrill, but it can lose its luster when you're stuck in the same old routine. This month, we remake the metropolis in our own active image, celebrating the new, the cool, and the classic, with an emphasis on nonstop adventure, sports, and style. Join the revolution: 国产吃瓜黑料 is going to change the way you look at, and play in, America's great cities.

Go Metro

Cut loose on the town, work up a sweat, or pamper yourself into oblivion. Whatever your chosen thrill, you're bound to find it amid the bright lights and cool vibe of a city. The trick is knowing where to look. to get you started, we've rounded up 100 routine-busting adventures in eight of America's thriving urban centers, from meditating in San Fran to fly-fishing in Manhattan. But don't stop there. Use the following leads to scout new experiences wherever you are: at home, away for the weekend, or on a business trip in the U.S. or overseas.

Plug into the local media. Comb alternative weeklies for details on festivals and concerts; pick up regional sports publications for the latest on athletic clubs and events like kickball tourneys and 10K's. You'll also find information on sports-and-fitness activities in more than 10,000 American cities at .

Reconsider the classics. Don't write off the tourist hot spots鈥攆ind a way to experience them on your own terms. Skip the long lines and crowded ferry; instead, see the Statue of Liberty by kayak. Or pass up the Impressionist galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago and ask a museum curator to show you her favorite unsung wing in the museum.

Check out the best gear shops. They're clearinghouses for dedicated neighborhood athletes and are usually staffed with experts who are more than happy to provide inside info about the best their city has to offer.

Connect with the locals. Quiz a hip barista about where to find the best live music; ask your spinning instructor to dish on one of his favorite fresh-air rides.

Get out of your room. Work-related travel doesn't have to mean you're a prisoner of the convention center. Skip the hotel gym and run through the most scenic section of town. Ask the concierge for trail maps or other nearby workout options.

Got exotic. Ethnic enclaves in cosmopolitan cities can be a trip鈥攁nd you won't have to leave town. Forget the hotel's Thai restaurant: Find Little Bangkok and see what panang curry really tastes like.

Keep your eyes open.听Start seeing your city as the action-packed playground it is, and you'll be amazed at the adventures you can find.

鈥擫isa Anne Auerbach

New York City

1. Raise a paddle to Lady Liberty, on Liberty Island, then cruise the coast of the financial district. Volunteers at the will provide free kayaks and a guided tour of the choppy waters of the Hudson River and New York Harbor.

2. Rise, shine, and sweat at a 5:30 a.m. fitness class in Central Park. You'll do pull-ups on tree branches and leap over rocks and logs to build core strength, endurance, and flexibility.

3. Soar above the Empire State Building for a bird's-eye view of Midtown and the George Washington Bridge on a 12-minute skyline tour with .

4. Get a grip on the 15- to 20-foot Manhattan schist boulders scattered throughout Central Park. Start at Chess Rock, near Wollman Rink, before heading west to tackle Rat Rock, just below the ball fields at the Columbus Circle entrance.听

5. Tee off in . Start at the driving range at Manhattan's sporting supercenter, , and then hit the 18-hole public courses in Brooklyn (Dyker Beach Golf Course), Staten Island (La Tourette), Queens (Clearview), and the Bronx (Van Cortlandt).

6. Spiff up with听the “full service”鈥攁 scalp massage, hot towel, haircut, manicure, and shoe shine鈥攁t , a men's grooming club with a pool table and beer on tap.

7. Saut茅 gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic sauce) and other Spanish tapas with chef Michael Schwartz, formerly of Le Cirque. The offers hundreds of one- and two-day classes, many taught by the city's most respected chefs.

8. Ace like Andy at the in Flushing Meadows, Queens, where 33 hardcourts are available for public play all year, except for a month around the U.S. Open tournament in September.

9. Make tracks to the waves and join the Big Apple's diehard pack of year-round surfers in the . In 60 minutes, the A train from Manhattan deposits you two blocks from the Atlantic swells that break on the south shore of Queens.

10. Shoot and score at , where hourlong hockey games are open to walk-in players weekdays at noon and Saturday nights at 11:30.

11. Play kickball鈥攜es, that old schoolyard staple is back in vogue. Join bankers, artists, and the occasional nine-year-old ringer for Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m. at McCarren Park, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

12. Wet a line on the Hudson River under the Verazzano Narrows Bridge鈥攐ne of the best spots in the country to land 30- to 40-pound striped bass.听 can supply guides and gear.

13. Work your abs and your ego with the hardbodies at the new in Chelsea, where DJs spin tunes, the floors are faux leather, and you can watch a fiber-optic light show in the steam bath.

14. Gear up at , the four-level superstore that's been outfitting New York's adventure set鈥攆rom mountaineers to darts aficionados鈥攕ince 1908.

15. Splurge at the sleek, nautical-themed (doubles, $265 and up). On the edge of Manhattan's meatpacking district, it's a perfect base for hitting ultrahip hangouts like 听补苍诲 .

16. Scope egrets and herons in Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve, 260 acres of on Staten Island. Take the ferry from Manhattan鈥攊t's free.

17. Scare yourself silly on , a 2,600-foot-long wood-and-steel roller coaster that's been terrifying New Yorkers since 1927. Sure, other rides are higher and faster, but only the rickety Cyclone makes you think your life is actually in danger.

18. Swing high over Tribeca during a two-hour lesson at , on the banks of the Hudson River. Strap into a harness and swoop 25 feet above the (netted) ground on your first try.

19. Find true solitude鈥攏o car alarms, we promise鈥攁t the Conservatory Garden, a six-acre oasis hidden in (enter at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street) that's filled with fruit trees, manicured hedges, fountains, and an explosion of chrysanthemums in autumn.

20. Eat meat with the city's media moguls and financiers鈥攁s well as regular folks who can score a reservation鈥攁t the , which has been serving carnivores since 1887 from its roost under the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. Cash only鈥攂ut you can use a card for online orders.听鈥擩osh Dean

Chicago

21. Check in and check out one of the most talked-about new buildings in town, the hotel (doubles from $179). This angular, 32-story glass edifice slices the skyline above the Magnificent Mile of shopping and the nightlife of Rush and Division streets. Drag yourself from the lush modernity of your room to Le Passage, on Rush, for a bass-thumping club scene.

22. Day-sail Lake Michigan in a J/22 racer or a Catalina 39. The , at the north end of Belmont Harbor, will refresh your jib-and-jibe skills before you shove off; four nights a week, walk-ins can crew for free.

23. Scuba the Caissons and explore relics from the Great Chicago Fire. The city dumped much of what remained after the 1871 disaster鈥攆rom milk bottles to Civil War daggers鈥攁t this 39-foot-deep Lake Michigan , five and a half miles offshore.听

24. Dice it up at the , a Lincoln Park cooking school whose popular “Eat 'n Run with Fleet Feet” classes teach athletes to prepare healthy training meals. Sign up for the Knife Skills class and learn to cut veggies in half the usual time鈥攚ithout slicing your digits.

25. Float like a cork in ten inches of saline solution in your own eight-by-four-foot capsule鈥攄evoid of light and sound鈥攁t the flotation center. Sensory deprivation never felt so decadent.

26. Blow off steam at 鈥擟hicago's liveliest stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, with 50 volleyball courts, an inline hockey rink, an outdoor , and a beach-house cantina with live music on weekends.

27. Wine and dine at the tr茅s chic , featuring tapas, rustic Mediterranean dishes cooked in a wood-burning oven, and cozy communal seating, along with more than 100 red and white wines from Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. With its cedar ceilings and walls, Avec resembles the inside of a sauna and鈥攁ppropriately鈥攊s always filled with hotties.

28. Freestyle at the original , held every Sunday evening at the Green Mill Tavern. Once frequented by high-profile Windy City mobsters, the Green Mill is now one of Chicago's premier jazz clubs. Sip Scotch on the rocks and be prepared for a rowdy verse-off that would make even Allen Ginsberg blush.听鈥擬ichael Austin

Los Angeles

29. Cruise the coast on the paved, 22-mile South Bay Bicycle Trail, which hugs the Pacific from Will Rogers State Beach to Palos Verdes. Rent wheels at , in Santa Monica.

30. Pray for swells with , who converts landlubbers to surfers while preaching the awesome power of nature during his nondenominational rip-curl lessons on Venice Beach.

31. Dominate the ring (and sculpt your delts) at the L.A. Boxing Club, a serious downtown gym and temple of testosterone, where local champions like “Chicanito” Hernandez and Laila Ali (Muhammad Ali's daughter) trade jabs alongside beginners who come for the killer workout.

32. Saddle up an Appaloosa and through the Hollywood Hills. The pine-studded landscape may look familiar: It's served as a location in hundreds of movies, from Rebel Without a Cause to Terminator 3.

33. Say nama-stay! in Crunch Fitness's alfresco dog-and-master yoga class (free), in Runyon Canyon on alternating Saturday mornings. No pet? Try a dodgeball or circus-sports workout at on Sunset.

34. See for miles and miles鈥攐r at least to Burbank鈥攆rom the summit of 1,625-foot Mount Hollywood, a 3.5-mile round-trip hike that starts near the .

35. Soak it off at , a luxurious Asian bathhouse built around the only natural hot springs inside L.A.'s city limits. Afterwards, stretch out for a stress-melting Japanese shiatsu massage.

36. Satisfy your need for speed at the only in North America. The 250-meter track inside the ADT Event Center鈥攁t the Home Depot Center in Carson鈥攐ffers track-riding instruction, bike rental, and daily open training sessions.

37. Dine with the yoga set at , a gourmet hot spot in West Hollywood that serves healthy vegan cuisine even a meat lover can crave. Try a tasty tempeh Reuben and a thick slice of the chocolate cake du jour.

38. Perfect your spike鈥攁nd your tan鈥攐n one of 190 oceanside courts at beach volleyball's epicenter, Manhattan Beach. Get your game in show-off form with lessons from the local parks-and-rec.听

39. Go for par at the , in Rancho Palos Verdes, an 18-hole public layout with rolling greens overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. (Reservations recommended.)

40. Get your climbing fix at , in West L.A. The city's largest climbing gym (10,000 square feet of vertical terrain) is open late: You can practice in the evenings so you're ready for weekend bouldering in Malibu Creek State Park.

41. Stay up all night at the downtown , a midcentury-modern hotel with stylish rooms, a retro-glam rooftop bar that's mobbed on weekends, and a 24-hour diner where waitresses in microminis serve killer fish-and-chips. (Doubles, from $240.)

42. Sprint the steep, three-quarter-mile road to the , head for the coffee cart (order an iced cortado鈥攊t's not on the menu), and wander through the lush, three-acre Central Garden, designed by artist Robert Irwin.

43. Live to ride curvy, scenic Mulholland Highway through the Santa Monica Mountains to the Rock Store, a quintessential hillside biker bar where you might catch Jay Leno rubbing elbows with burly dudes on big, bad hogs. rents Harleys for $130 a day.

44. Covet beautifully crafted artisan bikes and load up on European nutrition supplements at . The well-stocked, well-staffed retail mecca for runners, bikers, and swimmers has locations in Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach.听

45. Cannonball into one of two Olympic-size outdoor pools at Pasadena's 鈥攁 perfect cooldown after running the 3.1-mile loop around the nearby Rose Bowl stadium.听

46. Swill PBR downtown at the . The smartly renovated 1905 bar鈥攁dorned (don't ask us why) with gold-plated gopher lamps鈥攊s among the newest additions to the L.A. club scene and draws a mix of hipsters, neighborhood regulars, and suits.听

47. Screen and be seen at Hollywood's funkiest movie theater: the Cinerama Dome at . Housed in a geodesic dome, it features a state-of-the-art sound system, a curved, 86-foot-wide screen, reserved seats for 800-plus, and a gourmet snack bar serving fresh caramel popcorn.

48. Hit a bull's-eye in Pasadena's Lower Arroyo Seco Park, where the club offers free archery lessons every Saturday morning at nine o'clock sharp. 鈥擫isa Anne Auerbach

Denver

49. Playboat 14.5 miles of the Platte River's Class III water, man-made drops, and play holes. Run seven drops in 100 feet at , downtown, or surf the wave at Trestle's, where you can see the Coors Field scoreboard.

50. Protein-load at the , the LoDo neighborhood's freshest place to refuel on robata, sashimi, and cucumber-wrapped sushi rolls. The Tom Tom's Web site lists detailed nutritional info for every dish, so you'll know exactly what it'll take to work off the chocolate shabu-shabu.听

51. Disappear into green at the , with more than 17,000 plant species and a packed calendar of events: a wine festival, the autumn Chili Harvest, and summertime tai chi lessons.听

52. off the 7,512-foot summit of Lookout Mountain, in nearby Golden. Tandem flights cost $150.

53. Pump yourself up at Morrison's Hogback, the year-round hub for Denver bouldering, where sandstone routes draw some of the area's top rock stars. Afterwards, head a mile down the road for tailgating and outdoor concerts at .

54. Recharge downtown at the swanky , were you can enjoy guided runs on the Cherry Creek Trail, yoga on demand, aromatherapy, and Scotch-and-a-Soak turndown service. Bring your dog鈥� the bellman will walk him. (Doubles, from $205.)

55. Drop in to the free , home to six bowls and a street course tricked out with washboards, miniramps, stairs, ledges, pipes, rails, and banks鈥攊deal for perfecting your ollies and rock-to-fakies.

56. Get walked all over in an hourlong session of , Denver's trademark treatment. A masseuse balances on two parallel bars suspended from the ceiling, using her feet to distribute gravity-enhanced pressure to your weary bod.听鈥擩enn Weede

San Francisco

57. Buzz the Golden Gate on a 30-minute tandem ultralight flight above the Bay through .

58. Hop a ferry from Pier 41 to Angel Island , where a two-mile scramble on the Sunset Trail delivers you to the top of Mount Livermore for glorious 360-degree views.听

59. Forage locally at the Bay Area's 鈥攅very Tuesday, Thursday, and weekend morning at Ferry Plaza鈥攁nd drool over stalls of fab organic eats: Dirty Girl heirloom tomatoes and Cowgirl Creamery's Point Reyes Original Blue cheese.

60. Ride at the shrine of mountain biking, Marin County's , on a 50-plus-mile linkup of trails, including Railroad Grade and Tenderfoot.

61. Follow your path through the terrazzo-tiled labyrinth outside , on Nob Hill. An ancient symbol of life's journey, the labyrinth has only one route to its center (representing your deepest self) and back out.

62. Channel your inner gardener at the , in Berkeley鈥攁 one-acre organic garden founded by Bay Area foodie queen Alice Waters and designed to demonstrate sustainable agriculture. to sample the goodness, reserve a table at Waters's legendary .

63. Ride giants at Fort Point, a ledgy surf break on the edge of the Golden Gate. Beginners are better off on the gentle right and left beach break a few miles south at Pacifica. The rents boards and wetsuits.

64. Luxuriate at , where the lavender-and-ivory-hued rooms鈥攁nd a lobby sheathed in velvet and ostrich-print leather鈥攚ill soothe you silly. Belly up to the Redwood Room's enormous bar, rumored to be carved from a single tree. (Doubles from $220.)

65. Self-medicate at the , where the antique cabinets overflow with dried scallops, tree roots, and numerous varieties of ginseng. An on-site doctor of Chinese medicine can make recommendations.

66. Go free at the north end of , a nudist retreat and skinny-dipping enclave in the Presidio. Beware the chilly water and swift currents.听

67. Immerse yourself in the Thursday-night art scene at . Apr茅s-culture, move the gab to the , where the beverage of choice is a three-dollar Red Stripe.

68. Stage your own in Golden Gate Park: fly-fishing in the casting ponds across from the Buffalo Paddock; lawn bowling; and with a group of former bicycle messengers in Speedway Meadow.

69. Get lean at the hottest workout in town, an hourlong class that combines yoga stretches with modern-dance exercises to increase flexibility, stamina, and strength.

70. Zen out at , a Buddhist retreat in Marin where the traditional Japanese teahouse, gardens, and guest quarters exude mindful simplicity. Visit on a Sunday for lunch, tea, and instruction in zazen (traditional sitting meditation).

71. Jam like a local on weekend afternoons at the , where salsa and reggae bands like Ritmo y Armonia play to dancing throngs on the outdoor patio. For more music listings, check 听补苍诲 .

72. Scout the Mission for cool clothing boutiques (like ), rare-book peddlers, and secondhand treasures. Recoup over a Niman Ranch jambon sandwich at .

73. Trek the Sun Trail, which winds a mile along a grassy ridgeline to the , a Bavarian-style lodge overlooking Muir Woods, in Marin. Relax on the deck with a Spaten on tap.

74. Run at sunset along the four-mile cliffside trail to Land's End, a sea-pounded promontory that gets our vote for the . Stop to watch the brown pelicans nosediving into the surf.

75. Pay homage to San Francisco's world-class cuisine at the city's hallowed trio: Try Meyer Ranch shaking beef and pea shoots at the ; grilled Monterey calamari with white beans at ; and briny oysters or roast chicken at .

76. Launch the offshore gusts. Neophyte will be happiest off of Coyote Point, Alameda, and Larkspur; gale-pounded Crissy Field is for experts only.听鈥擜my Marr

Washington, D.C.

77. Huck frisbees with the 2,300-member from March through November at daily pickup games around the region (cooldowns usually involve a happy hour). For more laid-back disc tossing, head toward the Washington Monument, on the National Mall.

78. Chat up politicos at the , an old-school Capitol Hill pub where congressional staffers gather for free happy-hour appetizers, Hawk Amber Ale, and gossip.

79. Geg buzzed鈥攂y a 737鈥攁t Gravelly Point, a grassy park where planes swoop just 100 feet overhead on their approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Bike three miles to Gravelly from downtown on the , then continue 15 miles south past Old Town Alexandria and tour George Washington's 18th-century estate.

80. Peel out into surging Class V rapids at the Potomac's Great Falls, just 14 miles from downtown on the Virginia-Maryland state line. Or practice your roll in the flatwater near Old Angler's Inn, in Potomac, Maryland. Rent a kayak at .

81. Hold a Warrior Pose by candlelight during a tranquil Friday-night 听on the dock of Key Bridge Boathouse, on the Potomac in Georgetown.

82. Canter on horseback through Rock Creek Park, a 1,755-acre swath of streams and trails that meander through the middle of D.C. The guides at can lead you on a one-hour trail ride through the woodsy solitude.

83. Fill up on culture at the 's Sunday Morning Gospel Brunch. You'll marvel over Andy Warhol's Mao, sip mimosas, and chow on French toast鈥攁ll while the impassioned wails of a local choir boom through galleries filled with 19th-century American works.

84. Find inner peace at the Zen-themed , in Dupont Circle, where staff clad in bright tunics promise positive karma鈥攁long with an impressive menu of all-natural energy drinks. Book a “Yoga” room, equipped with mats, blocks, and an exercise nook, or an “Energy” room, which comes with an elliptical trainer. (Doubles, from $129.)听鈥擬ichael Behar

Seattle

85. Caffeinate yourself at , in northwest Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, home to the richest, freshest coffee in town. Order a “drip” (Seattlespeak for a straight cup of joe) of the silky Roaster's Choice and you won't want to leave town without a pound of beans.

86. Wake up and ride through the lush Washington Park Arboretum on one of the free road or mountain bikes provided for guests at the , a Scandinavian-design hotel in the University District. In-room computers with high-speed Internet service, relaxation CDs, and aromatherapy diffusers are available upon request. (Doubles, from $139.)

87. Pig out on authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the International District. At , try the banh mi thit nuong, a crusty baguette piled with roasted pork, pickled daikon radish, cilantro, hot peppers, cucumbers, and spiced mayonnaise, all for an absurd $2.

88. Kayak Portage Bay on Lake Union, launching from the . Return to sip a margarita lima and nosh yam tacos or mango quesadillas at the restaurant/outfitter's waterside Mexican cantina. (Rentals available.)

89. Geg fit and funky with Turbokick, an hourlong cardio workout that combines kickboxing and tai chi with a hip-hop soundtrack. The upscale gym offers a long list of fun, challenging classes and lots of personal coaching by fitness pros like owner Peter Shmock, an Olympic shotputter and former director of conditioning for the Seattle Mariners.听

90. Rope up and climb the 65-foot freestanding wall, test mountain bikes and hiking boots on outdoor trails, and fondle high-tech goodies for hours at REI's 100,000-square-foot , just north of downtown in the South Lake Union area.

91. Don your party clothes and saunter over to the , a nightclub that radiates urban cool with plush half-moon-shaped booths, colorful cocktails (like the ginger martini), and a changing menu of live jazz, blues, and Latin percussion.

92. Stalk cutthroat trout in the Cedar River, 12 miles south of downtown. Load up on stone-fly nymphs and caddis patterns at .听鈥擟hristopher Solomon

Boston

93. Ditch the hotel treadmill and sprint through Boston's Esplanade, a greenway flanking the Charles River. The 17 miles of paved and dirt paths offer awesome views of the city skyline and draw runners, cyclists, and inline skaters from dawn to sunset.

94. Sleep chic at the , a stylin' hotel in the downtown Ladder District where urban-contemporary decor鈥攍ots of glass, nickel, and polished wood鈥攎eets the traditional New England comfort of goose-down comforters. (Doubles, from $279.)

95. Paddle the Charles alongside rowers from the Harvard crew team. Stroke downstream by the brownstones of Beacon Hill or upstream toward Cambridge and the quieter backwaters beyond. rents canoes and offers three-hour evening kayak tours.

96. Glide across the , a 16,000-square-foot ice rink in Boston Common that's groomed for skating (and lit up at night) from mid-November through mid-March.听

97. Go head to head with procrastinating college kids and Cambridge locals at an afternoon pickup basketball game on the courts at (Memorial Drive at Flagg Street). Not humbled yet? Swing by Harvard Square for a game of speed chess with the pencil-gnawing MIT brains who gather on the patio outside Au Bon Pain.

98. Slurp local Duxbury oysters or try spicy halibut tacos with papaya salsa at Great Bay. The chic, colorful restaurant in Kenmore Square's serves some of the freshest, most innovative seafood dishes in town鈥攁nd addictive watermelon mojitos.

99. Cool off at South Boston's , a hidden sweep of sand with volleyball and groomed bocce courts that's easy to reach on the Red Line subway. (Exit at the JFK/UMass stop.) Kiteboarders ride the gentle waves in nearby Pleasure Bay.

100. Transcend under a majestic cork tree at . The lush, 265-acre preserve is maintained by Harvard University and hosts more than 4,500 species of trees, shrubs, and flowers from around the world.听鈥擩ake Halpern

The post Urban Without Limits: Finding 国产吃瓜黑料 in America’s Big Cities appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

THE PALMS CLIFF HOUSE INN, BIG ISLAND, HAWAII

A Guide to Cooking Schools

CHOP, EAT, PLAY, REPEAT: Erna's Elderberry House, near Yosemite

What's Cooking: Ask to tour family farms, including a vanilla plantation, then learn how to make Pacific Rim dishes, like ginger-infused scallop lau lau. Can't Stand the Heat? Take a sunset paddle on Hilo Bay in a double-hulled canoe. Bedding Down: Most of the eight guest rooms have private lanais. Be sure to indulge in the lomi lomi pohaku massage, a vigorous Hawaiian technique using hot stones.

Four-hour sessions, including dinner, cost $110 per person (plantation tours by request). Doubles, $175鈥�$375, including breakfast; 808-963-6076,

COMIDA DE CAMPOS, NEW MEXICO
What's Cooking: At this 17-acre sustainable family farm an hour north of Santa Fe, students help harvest ingredients for green chile stew and salsa fresca. Can't Stand the Heat? Explore 700-year-old pueblos in Bandelier National Monument. Bedding Down: Rancho de San Juan is a luxe, Mexican-tiled 15-room adobe hacienda on 225 acres about 18 miles south of the farm.

Classes cost $65; 505-852-0017, . Rancho de San Juan: doubles, $225鈥�$425; 505-753-6818,

THE GREENBRIER, WEST VIRGINIA
What's Cooking: Grill guru Steven Raichlen runs BBQ U, a series of three-day intensives in the art of smoking and grilling that include Memphis baby backs, cedar-planked salmon, and grilled corn chowder. Can't Stand the Heat? Bike the Greenbrier's 6,500 acres in the Allegheny Mountains or raft the Gauley's Class V rapids. Bedding Down: Stay in one of 803 opulent guest rooms.

The last session for 2004 is September 19鈥�22. The cost is $2,978 per couple, including three nights' lodging, three half-day classes, and use of all facilities at the Greenbrier. Greenbrier Cooking School, 800-228-5049,

ERNA'S ELDERBERRY HOUSE, CALIFORNIA
What's Cooking: Whip up lemongrass risotto in a one- or three-day session at this estate in the Sierra foothills. Can't Stand the Heat? Hike, rock-climb, or fly-fish in Yosemite National Park (20 minutes away) with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides (800-231-4575, ). Bedding Down: Get in touch with your inner aristocrat in one of ten European-style rooms or a villa at Ch芒teau du Sureau.

Tuition for the three-day session is $1,250 per person, including three luncheons and three six-course dinners. Discounted rooms for students start at $315 per night. Saturday one-day classes, $230 per person. 559-683-0860,

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SURVIVAL

Tom Brown’s Tracker Shool
Ashbury, New Jersey
For 26 years, Tom Brown has been teaching backcountry self-sufficiency to students鈥攊ncluding a Survivor cast member鈥攁t his farm in northern New Jersey. In his Seven-Day Standard Course, you and 12 other campers will learn to forage for edible violets, make tools from stone, navigate by starlight, and build shelters from mud and animal hides. “After this class,” says Brown, “you’ll be able to survive in any condition, track a mouse across a driveway, and no longer be an alien in your own environment.”
End Game: Living comfortably鈥攚ithout matches, food, or a compass鈥攊n uncomfortable conditions.
Info: $800 (all-inclusive), April to September; 908-479-4681,
Or Try: Boulder Outdoor Survival School, in Boulder, Utah, where you’ll learn to explore in desert conditions with little more than the clothes on your back; seven-day field course, $985; 303-444-9779,


WILDERNESS SKILLS

National Outdoor Leadership School
Lander, Wyoming
NOLS’s leave-no-trace philosophy and leadership training have set the standard in outdoor education since 1965. Who better to show you the backcountry ropes? Sign on for its 30-day Wind River Wilderness Course and trek up to ten miles a day, setting up minimum-impact camps and learning to lead your teammates and two instructors. Lessons in route finding and GPS navigation, plus three days of climbing instruction, will help even those without prior backcountry experience get around (and over) the 12,000-foot peaks. Culinary perk: You’ll be catching and cooking your own cutthroat trout and baking campfire pizzas in no time.
End Game: Planning, leading, and cleaning up after yourself on an extended wilderness trip.
Info: $3,150 (all-inclusive), June to September; 800-710-6657,
Or Try: REI 国产吃瓜黑料s’ seven-day Rainier Backpacking Trip, combining instruction with a 40-mile trek on the Northern Loop and Wonderland trails; $1,095; 800-622-2236,

Climbing, Mountaineering, and Canyoneering

ROCK CLIMBING

American Alpine Institute
Bellingham, Washington
A 29-year-old outfit with some of the most rigorously trained guides in the industry, AAI offers dozens of camps in six states and 13 countries. The THREE-DAY INTRODUCTORY ROCK course at Red Rocks, Nevada, teaches proper footwork and technical skills like rigging and equalizing a top rope. More adventurous rock rats can lead on a trad climb up 1,500-foot, 5.6 Solar Slab.
End Game: Setting up and climbing top ropes with confidence.
Info: $470 (instruction only), October to April; 360-671-1505,

Or Try: International Mountain Climbing School, in North Conway, New Hampshire, for sport-, trad-, and ice-climbing instruction in the White Mountains; one- to three-day clinics, $95–$360; 603-356-7064,


MOUNTAINEERING

Rainier Mountaineering INC.
Ashford, Washington
The venerable Avalanche institute runs avalanche and backcountry ski seminars in five locations across Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado—including a three-day level 1 Course at Red Mountain Pass, in Colorado’s slide-prone San Juan Mountains. From the warm bunks inside the St. Paul Lodge, at 11,500 feet, you can talk surface hoar and slab avalanches with AAI’s wilderness pros. Then snowshoe or skin up to 12,500 feet on telemark or randonn茅e skis to assess real-time avalanche conditions and practice beacon-assisted rescues.
End Game: Developing a healthy respect for volatile winter terrain—and the smarts to travel safely.
Info: $470 (all-inclusive), December to April; 307-733-3315,
Or Try: Pro Guiding Service, in North Bend, Washington, for novice to expert snow-safety workshops in the Cascades; two- to four-day trips, $180–$340; 425-888-6397,

CANYONNEERING

American Canyoneering Association
Cedar City, Utah
ACA’s laid-back guides are masters at teaching safe travel in the narrow sandstone canyons outside Cedar City, Utah, and Globe, Arizona. On the Three-day Basic Canyoneering course, you’ll begin by practicing belay technique, rope deployment, and rigging. Explore area slots on succeeding days, learning to safely descend into and ascend out of canyons, swim in swiftwater, and prepare for—and avoid—flash floods.
End Game: Rappelling and splashing your way through a descent of three-mile-long Mystery Canyon in Zion National Park.
Info: $265 (instruction only), March to September; 435-590-8889,

Or Try: Zion 国产吃瓜黑料 Company, in Springdale, Utah, for a primer on pothole swimming and self-rescue; three-day beginner course, $495; 435-772-1001,

Snow Sports

SNOWBOARDING

Mount Hood Summer Ski Camps
Government Camp, Oregon
Twenty-year-old Mount Hood Summer Ski Camps draws the best coaches in the business to the only year-round ski hill (elevation 11,235 feet) in the country. In the mornings at the Six-Day Snowboard Camp, when the snow’s still firm, you’ll practice drills at 8,500 feet on the Palmer and Zig Zag glaciers and rail slides in the terrain park; later, when it warms up to 65 degrees, burn turns in Lower Cuervo Canyon. Back at the chalet-style Lodges at Salmon River Meadows, nurse your glacial sunburn—and a cold one.
End Game: Wowing your friends with a backside 540.
Info: $725–$925 (all-inclusive), May to September; 503-337-2230,
Or Try: Southshore Soldiers Ski and Snowboard Camp, in Heavenly, California, where coaches include X Games gold medalists Jimmy Halopoff and Shaun Palmer; six-day sessions, $599; 888-712-7772,


AVALANCHE SKILLS/BACKCOUNTRY SKIING

American Avalanche Institute
Wilson, Wyoming
The venerable Avalanche institute runs avalanche and backcountry ski seminars in five locations across Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado—including a three-day level 1 Course at Red Mountain Pass, in Colorado’s slide-prone San Juan Mountains. From the warm bunks inside the St. Paul Lodge, at 11,500 feet, you can talk surface hoar and slab avalanches with AAI’s wilderness pros. Then snowshoe or skin up to 12,500 feet on telemark or randonn茅e skis to assess real-time avalanche conditions and practice beacon-assisted rescues.
End Game: Developing a healthy respect for volatile winter terrain—and the smarts to travel safely.
Info: $470 (all-inclusive), December to April; 307-733-3315,
Or Try: Pro Guiding Service, in North Bend, Washington, for novice to expert snow-safety workshops in the Cascades; two- to four-day trips, $180–$340; 425-888-6397,

SKIING

North American Ski Training Center
Truckee, California
Every year, NASTC snaps up the country’s top alpine instructors to teach its total-immersion ski camps, held in Tahoe and La Grave, France, and 15 powder points in between. Its weeklong alaska heli-skiing and powder technique course addresses the irony of skiing off-piste steeps: You’re ready for another thousand feet, but your legs and form aren’t. Stay at the posh Alyeska Prince Hotel, 45 minutes south of Anchorage, and spend four days finessing your edging and pole plants in Alyeska Ski Resort’s steep chutes and powdery terrain. On day five, fly deep into the Chugach Mountains’ 750 square miles of heli-accessible backcountry, where your skills—and your strength—will surprise you.
End Game: Learning to carve thigh-deep powder.
Info: $4,450 (all-inclusive), April 2005; 530-582-4772,
Or Try: All Mountain Ski Pros, in Lake Tahoe, California, and ski with extreme-skiing film star Eric Deslauriers; three days, $495; 888-754-2201,

DOGSLEDDING

Yogageur Outward Bound
Ely, Minnesota
Realize your Call of the Wild fantasies while mushing through the maze of frozen lakes and boreal forests of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Voyageur Outward Bound’s 22-day Northwoods Dogsledding Course trains neophyte mushers in the care and feeding of their four- to six-dog teams, basic winter-camping and survival techniques, and winter navigation. At the end of the program, students are encouraged to try a night or two of solo camping with the hounds. But it’s not that brutal—the canvas expedition tents are warmed by wood-burning stoves.
End Game: Competently managing a dog team—and winter’s chill—in the backcountry.
Info: $2,795 (all-inclusive), January to March; 866-467-7640,
Or Try: Paws for 国产吃瓜黑料, in Fairbanks, Alaska, and embark on an instructional expedition in the wilds of the true north; three- to seven-day courses, $550–$3,300; 907-378-3630,

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Methow Valley Nordic
Winthrop, Washington
With its near-perfect conditions—dry snow and 124 miles of groomed trails through the ponderosa forests of the eastern Cascades—Methow Valley draws former Olympians and pro racers from the U.S. and Canada to teach its Three-Day Cross-Country Ski Camp. From your base at the swanky Sun Mountain Lodge, you’ll start with morning yoga, then hit the snow for instruction in classic and skate skiing. Evenings are filled with equipment demos and one-on-one video analysis.
End Game: No more flailing when you point those skinny sticks downhill.
Info: $300 (instruction and lunches only), December to February; 509-996-3152,
Or Try: Lone Mountain Ranch’s three-day Spring Ski Clinic in Big Sky, Montana, which ends with a nine-mile nordic tour in Yellowstone; $940; 800-514-4644,

Cycling and Horseback Riding

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Single Track Ranch Inc.
Seattle, Washington
You don’t need to be the best mountain biker, but you need to be serious about getting better. That’s the main advice eight-time Iditasport champion John Stamstad gives his campers as they kick off the Six-day Moab Singletrack camp, held on Utah’s world-famous trails. Each morning, sharpen basic bike-handling skills, like strategic braking and shifting, then bump up your singletrack technique: picking a line, doing wheelie drops, cornering at high speed, and getting restarted on the steeps. Accommodations are in condos near downtown Moab.
End Game: Skirting Porcupine Rim’s 300-foot drop-offs without losing your cool.
Info: $1,850 (all-inclusive), September; 888-310-1212,
Or Try: Dirt Camp’s singletrack Classics, in Utah and Vermont, for fat-tire tutelage from the oldest mountain-biking school in the country; seven days, $1,500; 800-711-3478,


ROAD CYCLING

Carmicheal Training Systems
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Open to all but geared toward speed freaks looking to better their performance, this Five-Day Colorado Climbing Camp, run by Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong’s coach of 14 years), starts with an equipment tune-up—then it’s all uphill from there. For the next three days, you’ll ride 10 to 70 miles each day (and spend one sprinting repeatedly up the same 1,200-foot hill) while CTS coaches critique and tweak your pedal stroke. Day five brings the Stinger, an 80-mile, 5,000-foot climb through the Front Range. (Altitude slowing you down? The sag wagon is always an option.) Massages and a hot tub await you nightly at the upscale Cheyenne Mountain Resort.
End Game: Hammering hills with Lance-like power.
Info: $2,400 (all-inclusive), May and June; 719-635-0645,
Or Try: Marty Jemison’s Cycling, in Park City, Utah, where you’ll ride with the pros as they train for the U.S. Championships; seven-day clinic, $750; 800-492-9159,

HORSEBACK RIDING

Bitterroot Ranch
Dubois, Wyoming
No nose-to-ass trail riding here. At the Bitterroot Ranch, you’ll get all levels of instruction from Donna Snyder-Smith, author of the revered horsey bible The Complete Guide to Endurance Riding and Competition. In her Seven-Day Riding Clinic, you’ll learn how to trot, canter, and gallop fluidly on the ranch’s more than 160 Arabians and quarter horses. Each day begins with morning instruction in the ring, followed by afternoon trail rides. Nights are spent in private cabins along the East Fork of the Wind River. And thanks to Snyder-Smith’s emphasis on equine psychology, your horse will respect you in the morning.
End Game: Heading out with wranglers for the annual weeklong cattle roundup in the Shoshone National Forest in September.
Info: $2,150 (all-inclusive), August; 800-545-0019,
Or Try: Hill Country Equestrian Lodge, in Bandera, Texas, for instruction on 6,000 acres of unspoiled Hill Country; five days, $1,195–$1,322; 830-796-7950,

Water Sports

SWIMMING
Peak Performance Swim Camp
Orlando, Florida
Peak Performance runs its Weeklong swim camp for all levels—from competitive high-schoolers to lap swimmers to masters-class racers—at the National Triathlon Training Center’s 50-meter pool, in Clermont, Florida. Led by 1996 Olympic coaches, you’ll spend four hours a day in the water, finessing your kick-and-pull technique in the four major strokes. Dry-land sessions include flexibility and strength training, as well as visualization and nutrition workshops. Underwater videotaping will reveal your bad habits—the first step toward breaking them.
End Game: Streamlined technique and faster times.
Info: $999 (all-inclusive), year-round; 407-872-0604,
Or Try: Doug Stern’s Open Water Swim Camps, in Yulan, New York, and learn straight-line swimming in open water; three-day sessions in New York, $300; ten-day camps in Cura莽ao, in the Netherlands Antilles, $1,595; 212-222-0720,


SCUBA DIVING
Ocean Enterprises
San Diego, California
Ocean enterprises boasts a PADI five-star rating and it’s one of the only career-development dive centers in the country. (This is where teachers come to learn.) Better yet, San Diego’s coastal waters offer shipwrecks, kelp beds, and ledge diving. Most of the school’s 30-plus instructors have logged more than 500 dives each and can handle the needs of beginners, as well as scuba vets looking for specialty training in wreck and nitrox diving. In its TWO-Weekend open-water beginner course, you’ll move at your own pace from a dry-land introduction to a pool session, and finally to four 20- to 40-foot dives in the open Pacific.
End Game: Earning your PADI open-water certification, and the ability to dive with a buddy, sans instructor.
Info: $230 (instruction only), year-round; 858-565-6054,
Or Try: Olympus Dive Center, in Morehead City, North Carolina, for basic scuba-certification courses and deep-diving clinics; $105 per day; 252-726-9432,

SURFING
Nancy Emerson School of Surfing
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
International surf professional Nancy Emerson and her golden retriever, Apache, welcome groms and shredders to a five-Day maui surf clinic in the warm waters off Lahaina, where gentle two- to four-foot waves can make standing up on your first day a snap. On days two and three, you’ll learn the nuances of reading reef breaks and timing waves. Stay in one of Maui’s nearby beachfront accommodations and you’ll have round-the-clock access to—and inspiration from—your Pacific classroom.
End Game: Walking the board—the first step to hanging ten.
Info: $780 (instruction and lunches only), year-round; 808-662-4445,
Or Try: SoCal-based Paskowitz Family Surf Camp’s newest campus, in Baja’s Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; seven-day sessions, $2,900; 949-728-1000,

FLY-FISHING
Andre Puyans Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Seminars
Island Park, Idaho
A member of the federation of Fly Fishing Hall of Fame since 1995, Andre Puyans, at age 12, could hit a pack of Lucky Strikes with a cast from 35 feet away. Now 68, he’s taught more than 4,000 students, from novice to expert. His seven-day seminar at the rustic Elk Creek Ranch covers casting, entomology, and fly presentation, followed by four days angling for 16- to 25-inch rainbow trout in Hemingway’s stomping grounds: Idaho’s Henry’s Fork and Buffalo rivers, Montana’s Madison River, and Wyoming’s Yellowstone River.
End Game: Reeling in a big one—on your own cast.
Info: $2,975 (all-inclusive), July; 925-939-3113,
Or Try: Dave and Emily Whitlock’s Fly Fishing School, near Mountain Home, Arkansas, for top-notch angling instruction on the White River; three-day clinic, $750; 888-962-4576,

SAILING
Annapolis Sailing School
Annapolis, Maryland
The Chesapeake Bay’s consistent winds and flatwater are ideal for sailing. No wonder the Annapolis Sailing School has been teaching there since 1959. On its five-day bay country cruising course, you and three other students will live and study aboard a 37-foot O’Day twin-sail—touring marinas, exploring islands, and overnighting in coves along Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Your Coast Guard–certified instructor emphasizes a learn-by-doing approach, which means he’ll look over your shoulder, but you’ll be in charge as you tack, jibe, weigh anchor, and navigate using nautical charts.
End Game: Sailing a sizable boat with confidence.
Info: $1,430–$1,490 (all-inclusive), April to October; 800-638-9192,
Or Try: The Modern Sailing Academy, in Sausalito, California, for a five-day basic cruising course in the big water of San Francisco Bay; $995; 800-995-1668,

KITEBOARDING
Real Kiteboarding
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Imagine 70 miles of white sand, a steady wind, 80-degree, waist-deep ocean. This is Cape Hatteras, where six hours of daily instruction at the three-day zero to Hero camp will have you shredding the sunrise oil—that’s flatwater—in no time. You’ll practice rigging, flying on land, launching in Pamlico Sound, and bailing out when a sudden gust slingshots you toward a pier.
End Game: Touring downwind as your kite catches the breeze overhead.
Info: $895 (instruction only), March to November; 866-732-5548,
Or Try: New Wind Kiteboarding, in La Ventana, Mexico, for one-on-one coaching along Baja’s gulf coast; two days, $467; 541-387-2440,

Paddling

SEA KAYAKING
Maine Island Kayak Co.
Peaks Island, Maine
More than 2,000 islands鈥攈ome to hundreds of protected coves and isolated pools鈥攃reate the ultimate location for Maine Island Kayak Co.’s Five-Day Fast Track camp. For the first three days, hover in nearby coves to hone paddling technique, self-rescue, wet exits, route selection, and navigation. Spend the final two days in the open Atlantic, where seals trail the kayaks. Stay in one of the island’s three hotels, or set up tents in the grass behind the boathouse and steep in the briny sea mist.
End Game: Leading your own 21-mile circumnavigation of Isle au Haut, in nearby Acadia National Park.
Info: $750–$1,250 (all-inclusive), June to September; 800-796-2373,
Or Try: Body Boat Blade International’s five-day camp on Orcas Island, Washington, where you can learn to sea-kayak in the San Juan archipelago; $520; 360-376-5388,


ROWING
Craftsbury Sculling Center
Crafsbury Common, Vermont
Don’t get the wrong idea when you’re told you’re velvety, silky, or seamless鈥攖hat’s how sculling coaches describe a smooth stroke. You’ll learn from Olympic and world-champion rowers at Craftsbury’s Weeklong Sculling Camp on the 320-acre campus of an old boarding school in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Practice synchronizing your catch, drive, and release as you row a 26-foot-long single scull across Great Hosmer Pond, then give yourself some well-deserved TLC with evening yoga classes and Craftsbury’s famous home-cooked meals.
End Game: Showing off your fluid form in the Head of the Hosmer, a two-mile race on the last day of camp.
Info: $795–$895 (all-inclusive), May to September; 802-586-7767,
Or Try: Lancaster, Virginia’s Calm Waters Rowing, for sculling fundamentals on 80-acre Camps Millpond; three to four days, $615–$960; 800-238-5578,

RAFTING
Destination, Wilderness
Sisters, Oregon
If you’ve ever dreamed of bossing your friends down a river, Destination Wilderness’s Seven-day Whitewater Rafting Workshop is the place for you. You’ll spend the first three days camping on Oregon’s North Fork of the Umpqua River, taking turns captaining your raft down Class III–IV rapids and stopping on the way for sandbar seminars on paddle technique, boat repair, and navigation. Then spend four days floating the Class III Rogue River, refining the skills you need to guide a private paddleboat or oar boat downstream. The training, which has a three-to-one student-teacher ratio, includes simulated rescues and addresses leadership issues—like how to deal with your rowdy cousin Tony on your next trip down the Rio Grande.
End Game: Rowing or paddling a Class III torrent.
Info: $1,150 (all-inclusive), April to May; 800-423-8868,
Or Try: Far Flung 国产吃瓜黑料s, of Taos, New Mexico, whose courses on New Mexico and Colorado rivers transform first-time rafters into Class IV boat captains; seven days, $900; 800-359-2627,

CANOEING
Nantahala Outdoor Center
Bryson City, North Carolina
Since 1972, the legendary NOC, tucked in the woods on the banks of the Class III Nantahala River, has been schooling people in proper paddling technique鈥攆rom the basic J-stroke to peeling out, ferrying, and boofing drops. During the Four-day Rapid Progression Course, you’ll start out with a day of dry-land and flatwater paddling instruction before transferring those skills to Class I flatwater on day two. Days three and four are spent testing yourself on more challenging Class II sections of the Nantahala. Chow down on riverside picnic lunches and overnight in NOC’s woodsy cabins.
End Game: Planning your own trip down Maine’s Allagash and St. John rivers.
Info: $755 (all-inclusive), April and September; 800-232-7238,
Or Try: Tuckamor Trips, in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, for instructional adventures on Quebec’s Class I–II Dumoine River; six days, $890; 819-326-3602,

Racing

TRIATHLON

Total Immersion
New Paltz, New York
For those who have always wanted to try triathlon, Total Immersion’s six-day Tri Camp in Killington, Vermont, specializes in teaching proper technique (rather than beating you into the pavement) whether you’re a newbie or a repeat Ironman. Typical days start with stretching and core-strength exercises and progress to strategy sessions, where you’ll learn to draft in the open water, ride with the pack, and run faster using less energy.
End Game: Improving your mental toughness—and your time—in the Lake Dunmore Triathlon the day after camp ends.
Info: $1,095 (all-inclusive), August; 800-609-7946,
Or Try: Multisports.com, in Encinitas, California, and train with eight-time Ironman world champ Paula Newby-Fraser; three to five days, $599–$999; 760-635-1795,


ADVENTURE RACING

Odyssey 国产吃瓜黑料 Racing Academy
New River Gorge, West Virginia
Odyssey gets beginners race-ready in less than a week in its six-day adventure racing training camp, starting with Trailblazing 101—orienteering by way of map, compass, and stars in West Virginia’s rugged New River Gorge. The following days bring crash courses in river safety, kayaking, canoeing, and whitewater swimming on the Class II New River; climbing at the Endless Wall; and mountain-biking area trails. Evening classes at Camp Washington Carver cover basics from team dynamics to snacking.
End Game: Pounding through the Endorphin FIX, a 125-mile, 40-hour race with your course mates in the New River Gorge.
Info: $1,725 (all-inclusive), May; 757-645-3397,
Or Try: Gravity Play’s 国产吃瓜黑料 Racing Retreat, a 12-hour intensive in Moab, Utah; $75; 970-259-7771,

Running and Wellness

YOGA
Dharma Yoga Center
Miami Beach, Florida
Shri Dharma Mittra, 65, earned the nickname “The Teacher’s Teacher” in 1984, when he demonstrated 908 postures for the Master Yoga Chart, one of the most comprehensive yoga references in the world. Each December, the guru leaves his Manhattan studio to run a seven-Day miami beach yoga intensive for yogis of all levels. Attend up to five one- to two-and-a-half-hour sessions a day in open-air classrooms and spend your free time practicing downward dogs on South Beach.
End Game: Accepting, not perfecting, your half lotus.
Info: $710 (including accommodations and daily breakfasts), December; 212-253-1289,
Or Try: Shambhala Mountain Center, in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, for seven days of hatha yoga practice and meditation; $687–$1,219; 970-881-2184,


RUNNING
Coach Benson’s Smokey Mountain Running Camps
Asheville, North Carolina
After 32 years, former Olympic coach Roy Benson is still drawing all levels of runners to his Six-day Adult Running Camp on the UNC–Asheville campus. Using a videotaped deconstruction of your stride, you’ll learn how to correct pronation and other common problems with Benson’s biomechanic drills. Mornings, pace yourself on a spiderweb of trails through the Pisgah National Forest; after lunch, sit in on talks by Nike pros and carbo-load on fresh-baked bread in the dining hall.
End Game: Training for your next鈥攐r first鈥�10K or marathon with a personalized, Benson-approved workout.
Info: $695 (all-inclusive), June; 770-457-9866,
Or Try: Beyond Running Trail Running Camps, in Sonoita, Arizona, to take your training off-road, compliments of Scott Jurek, five-time winner of the Western States 100; three- to six-day camps, $650–$1,350; 206-325-0064,

FITNESS
Seal Training Acadamy
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Founded in 2000 by 21-year Navy SEAL vet Don Mann, with a faculty of burly former Special Forces instructors, this hard-charging seven-day fitness camp for civilians is as close as you’ll get to an authentic SEALs Hell Week. After a 5 a.m. wake-up call at “barracks” (your tent at nearby First Landing State Park), you’ll be coached through killer sessions of sit-ups, push-ups, beach sprints, and endurance runs. You’ll also skydive from 12,500 feet and earn your scuba certification. “Some people train all year and then come to camp, others come looking to get in shape,” Mann says. “They get their asses kicked, but everyone enjoys it.”
End Game: Being tough enough to crank out another 12-mile lap while your Navy coach razzes you on.
Info: $2,450 (all-inclusive), May; 757-645-3397,
Or Try: Cycling and running sessions at Davis Mountain Fitness and Training Camp, in Fort Davis, Texas; seven days, $400–$750; 915-584-0227,

Skydiving and Paragliding

SKYDIVING

Perris Valley Skydiving
Perris, California
PVS, one of america’s largest skydiving centers, boasts its own bunkhouse (the IHOP: International House of Parachutists), full-service gear shop, and wind tunnel (to fine-tune free-fall technique). During the One-day Accelerated Freefall Training for neophytes, you’ll spend four to six hours on the ground learning hand signals and safety procedures before your first jump. (Lines in a tangle? Cut your chute and pull the reserve!) Perris’s 15 instructors have logged more than 7,000 jumps between them, so don’t panic as you prepare to hurl yourself out of the plane at 13,000 feet.
End Game: Notching your inaugural instructor-assisted jump鈥攕even leaps away from your first solo skydive.
Info: $309 (instruction only), year-round; 800-832-8818,
Or Try: Skydive Arizona, in Eloy, Arizona, for a 14-day, 25-jump course that will earn you a Class A solo free-fall license; $2,940; 520-466-3753,


PARAGLIDING

Super Fly Paragliding Academy
Sandy, Utah
Point of the mountain, south of Salt Lake City, is considered one of the best paragliding training grounds in the world, thanks to a consistent 300-days-a-year updraft that keeps fliers aloft for hours. In Super Fly’s Two-day Introduction to Paragliding, you’ll start on the ground, boning up on basic wind and weather strategies, the physics of gliding, and maneuvering your canopy. Then it’s a solo jog off the “bunny hill,” where you’ll catch 100 feet of glide before touching down on the grass. Day two includes a tandem launch with an expert coach, then your first solo endeavor: a 300-foot-high, quarter-mile soar.
End Game: Earning a P1 rating鈥攖he first hurdle in obtaining your paragliding license.
Info: $395 (instruction only), year-round; 801-255-9595,
Or Try: Torrey Pines Gliderport, in La Jolla, California, one of the largest and oldest schools in the country; three-day beginner camp, $795; 858-452-9858,

Stick Together

Get cliquey at a specialty camp芒鈧�漚 booming new trend in sports schools

It’s a Guy Thing
Big Mountain Resort, Whitefish, Montana. Ski the double-black Picture Chutes, then analyze your technique on video with expert coaches. Three-day men’s workshop, $250; 406-862-2909,
Real Men Cook, Annapolis, Maryland. Make like Mario Batali and learn to whip up a frutti di mare Mediterranean feast without looking like a sissy. Weekend courses for men from $695; 410-849-2517,

Let Her Rip
Las Olas Surf Safaris, Mexico. Discover your inner wahine on beginner-friendly waves in a sleepy Pacific surf town 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. After your morning session, siesta on the sand. Women’s six-day safaris from $1,995; 707-746-6435,
Alison Dunlap 国产吃瓜黑料 Camps, Moab, Utah. World-champion mountain biker Alison Dunlap will put you through the paces on 100 miles of slickrock and singletrack around Moab. Five-day women-only camps from $1,295; 800-845-2453, 脗听
Singles-Minded
Club Med Turkoise, Providenciales Island, Turks and Caicos. Little kids are outlawed at this Caribbean watersports paradise, so the big kids have all the fun: windsurfing lessons on Grace Bay, scuba certification off coral-ringed West Caicos, or acrobatic trapeze practice overlooking the palms. One-week vacations from $1,595; 800-258-2633,
Singles Travel International, Moab, Utah. Spend a week getting chummy with your belayer on this multisport sampler. Raft the Colorado’s Class II脗鈥揑II Fisher Towers section, mountain-bike the Gemini Bridges Trail, and explore Medieval Canyon’s red rocks. One-week singles camps from $1,999; 877-765-6874,
We Are Family
Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, Salida, Colorado. Dangle from a 5.9 route on Davis Face, near the Buffalo Peaks, while your daughter works her way up a beginner’s pitch (or vice versa). Five-day family course, $488 per person; 800-255-5784,
Durango Mountain Bike Camp, Durango, Colorado. Seven- to 14-year-olds tackle singletrack for two hours each morning, then build balance by popping wheelies and playing bike tag. Five-day family camp, $250; 970-385-0411,

Follow Through

Get a shot of confidence at camp, then sustain the commitment at home with these six strategies.

Join the Club
Like-minded enthusiasts can get you off your butt with organized events like group-training programs for a first marathon. Pete & Ed Books (800-793-7801, ), an online bookstore and clearinghouse of sports clubs, has links to about 1,000 outdoor organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

Get Tuned Up
Hook up with expert instructors for one-day refresher courses. Keep working on your weak points and sooner or later you’ll nail that stubborn crux move. Eastern Mountain Sports (888-463-6367, ) hosts climbing, camping, and kayaking clinics throughout the Northeast.
Local Motion
People who hit the neighborhood trails and local surf breaks know what’s best, and when. When you take your sport on the road, ask around at shops or scour the Web for advocacy groups. California Kayak Friends (818-885-6182, ) is a boaters’ network that shares event and condition information on hot spots at rivers, lakes, and oceans across the West.
Give Back
Volunteer to clean up your favorite play spot (and conscience). Meet your brethren, then hit that debris-free singletrack. Oregon’s Portland United Mountain Pedalers () hosts weekly “work parties” on nearby trails.
Push Yourself
Nothing gets you fired up to practice like a little healthy competition. The New York Road Runners (212-860-4455, ) hosts the New York City Marathon and some 75 shorter races throughout the year.
Cross-Training
Just because your sport is seasonal doesn’t mean your training should be. Minnesota’s North Star Ski Touring Club (952-924-9922, ) has been organizing cross-country-ski clinics and outings for more than 30 years. Come summer, members hike and bike together to stay in shape till the snow returns.

Start Me Up

At a school like Otter Bar, every beginner has a shot a greatness

I’M FINALLY HITTING MY ROLL.
A whitewater kayak is an unstable platform in the slippery grip of Old Man River鈥攊t will flip. Not maybe; will. And when you find yourself hurtling through a rapid upside down, with the lower half of your body entombed inside a plastic shell, you’d better know how to use your arms, your paddle, and a twist of your hips to roll the boat upright鈥攁 subtle, balletic move that takes you from an inverted, fishy kingdom of death to the bright realm of light, air, and gasping life.

Consistently hitting my roll is the high-water mark of my success after three weeks of kayak instruction over three summers at the Otter Bar Lodge Kayak School, way up in the attic of northern California. Otter Bar has a wild stretch of the Salmon River in its backyard and is probably the best whitewater school in the world, not least because it is the most decadently luxurious. Its proprietors, Kristy and Peter Sturges, are superb hosts, and the instructors are world-class boaters. But you don’t have to be a hardcore jock to gain something deeply rewarding by taking the uncharacteristic (for an adult) risk of signing up for summer camp.
Decades after leaving childhood and the classroom behind, it’s a humbling, revelatory experience to become a beginner again, to face down a primal fear of the difficult and the unknown. But once intermediate status is within reach, you open the door to the epic possibilities of real adventure.
At the moment, I’m dreaming about Otter Bar’s annual autumn trip down the Grand Canyon. I’d have to get serious about tuning up my paddling to handle the Class III–IV water, but places like Otter Bar specialize in making big dreams come true. Even for a slow learner like me.
Otter Bar Lodge Kayak School, Forks of Salmon, California; seven days, $1,605–$1,890 (all-inclusive), April to September; 14-day Grand Canyon trip, $2,900 (Class III+ paddling skills required), September 15–29; 530-462-4772,

Hold the Adrenaline

Learning anything new takes effort—but that doesn’t mean you have to work up a sweat

Camp Cooking Learn to churn out gourmet-on-the-go feasts, like breakfast quiche and Cornish game hen, from a Dutch oven and an open flame. Royal Tine guide & Packer School, Philipsburg, Montana; 800-400-1375,
Boat Building Wield a spokeshave to hew graceful curves in your very own northern white cedar kayak, skiff, dinghy, or canoe. If you’re good, your creation might even float. Wooden Boat School, Booklin, Maine; 207-359-4651, www.woodenboat.com
Wilderness Photography Join nature photographer Frans Lanting, who has eight acclaimed books to his name, to shoot the pastel wildflowers and jagged mountainscapes of the eastern Sierra. Mountain Light Photography, Bishop, California; 760-873-7700,

Green Architecture Help build a snug, eco-friendly structure using hand tools, mud, straw, and recovered forest timber—and start planning your dream home. Lama Foundation, San Cristobal, New Mexico; 505-586-1269,
Backcountry First Aid A Wilderness First Responder course in injury prevention, assessment, and treatment might save your life or that of a teammate someday. Wilderness Medical Associates, Bryant Pond, Maine; 888-945-3633,
Landscape Design Study permaculture (permanent agriculture) and create sustainable, organic gardens with water-catchment and gravity-fed irrigation systems. Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Occidental, California; 707-874-1557,
Escuela de Espa帽ol Practicing Spanish while surrounded by the 500-year-old colonial churches, frescoes, and open-air markets of central Mexico will make you feel like you’re already fluent. Habla Hispa帽a Spanish Language School, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; 011-52-415-152-1535,
Star Trekking Experience weightlessness and learn to pilot your very own space shuttle . . . simulator. Space Camp, Huntsville, Alabama; 800-637-7223,
Meditation Vipassana is all the rage in inner peace. Enjoy (or endure) seven silent hours a day of sitting and walking meditation. Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California; 415-488-0164,
Fly-Rod Crafting Make your own bamboo rod just like Norman Maclean, then use it to pull trout from the fish-rich waters of Willowemoc Creek. The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum, Livingston Manor, New York; 845-439-4810,

The post The Thrill of the Skill appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

ONE NIGHT I’M SNUGGLING with my girlfriend, Diana, in bed, when all of a sudden she screams, “Steve, please tell me that’s not another damned crayfish!” Sure enough, there’s a set of claws sticking out from under the mattress. A week ago, I caught 40 of the crustaceans in order to make crayfish soup. I wanted them to be extra fresh come mealtime, so I built a makeshift aquarium out of a large plastic tote and stuck it in a spare room. My girlfriend, a vegetarian, loathed this project from the start, and things really got tense when the colony’s population began mysteriously declining鈥攅n members simply disappeared. I suspected an outbreak of cannibalism, so I switched their diet from lettuce to fish heads. But the disappearances continued. That’s when I realized the rascals could climb out of the tank.

I normally wouldn’t share my apartment with crayfish, but I’m involved in the complicated task of preparing a do-it-yourself feast out of Le Guide Culinaire. This 646-page cookbook was written by French master chef Auguste Escoffier in 1903. His culinary skills with items like animal organs and common songbirds earned him the title King of Chefs, Chef of Kings, and he cooked for the likes of King George V and hobnobbed with the top actresses and opera singers of pre鈥搊rld War I Europe. He is the granddaddy of 20th-century haute cuisine.


Escoffier’s magnum opus seemed to fall into my hands with the divine purpose of the Ten Commandments falling into the hands of Moses. Before I had ever heard of Escoffier, I got a call from my mom, who lives in Twin Lake, Michigan. She said she had a live snapping turtle in the trunk of her car.


“I thought you might like…to eat it,” she said. “It must weigh 15 pounds.”


“Have Dad set up a tank of water in the storage shed, and keep it fed with ground meat,” I told her. “I’ll come for a visit.” The problem was, I didn’t have a clue how to prepare a turtle. I explained this situation to my friend Deirdre in a bar near my home, in Missoula, Montana. She told me about Escoffier’s cookbook and its recipe for turtle soup. Later she gave me her block-shaped and yellowed copy of the translated masterpiece.


As I thumbed through the book, I realized that I was holding the Kama Sutra of food, more than 5,000 recipes that explain in splendid detail how to handle anything you’d ever dream of eating. For me that includes a lot. I was brought up on game from the woods and waters of western Michigan, and now I live off the wilds of Montana as thoroughly as I can manage. I kill elk, deer, and antelope every year, along with a good mix of birds and fish. The predatory lifestyle keeps me close to the wild, and I’m happy that my food has never been injected with hormones, fattened to a diseaselike condition, then killed by some slaughterhouse worker I’ve never met.


So I decided to plan a balls-to-the-wall, Escoffier-style feast. I scoured the pages of Le Guide, setting my sights on 13 dishes: smoked breast of goose, mincemeat pie, duckling 脿 la presse (basically a roasted and flattened duck), abattis 脿 la bourguignonne (bird giblets in wine), pigeon pie, rabbit 脿 la flamande (rabbit thighs in a sweet, spicy stew), turtle 脿 la Baltimore (a thick turtle soup with lots of liquor), freshwater matelote (a brothy fish soup with a crayfish garnish), truite au bleu (stunned and blanched trout), bird’s-nest soup, a sampler of roast birds, fried smelt, and milt (fish semen) butter sauce.


Luckily, I already had a good start from the past hunting season. I had elk, deer, black bear, and antelope meat. I had ducks, doves, pheasant, Canada geese, and a big tub of hearts and gizzards from grouse, pheasant, and waterfowl. The giant mule-deer neck on the bottom shelf of my freezer would make a large pot of game stock, which Escoffier used as freely as water. But even so, my “to get” list quickly grew to an intimidating length. I need perch, pike, crayfish, smelt, carp semen, and a live trout. I’ll have to find a way to breed pigeons and collect their eggs, and I need to get my hands on a bunch of rabbits and a couple of swallow nests. Time to get rolling.

IN ESCOFFIER’S DAY, wild-game eating was so commonplace that the term “wild-game chef” would have been redundant. Before his death in 1935, Escoffier made four journeys to the New World, where he surely dined on a wide array of American game. In 1903, at the time of Le Guide’s publication, you could walk into Delmonico’s Restaurant, in New York City, and order such favorites as diamondback terrapin (a small eastern turtle), whitetail deer, and canvasback duck.


Delmonico’s opened its doors in 1830 and enjoyed 93 years of business. But the same factors that finally brought the restaurant to its knees were to blame for the demise of wild-game eating in general. Prohibition, enacted in 1919, was a deadly blow: Without legal access to alcohol for cooking, many popular wild-game dishes were deleted from the Delmonico’s menu. The other problem was the wholesale wildlife slaughter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the most popular Delmonico’s dishes was the passenger pigeon, which went extinct in 1914. By the time the restaurant closed its doors, on May 1, 1923, a proliferation of state and federal laws had banned the sale of wild game in the United States. These days, the game served in the “wild game” restaurants popping up in major cities has been farm-raised.


It’s surprising to me that faux wild game is gaining popularity in a society that is too squeamish and horrified to kill its own grub. We’ve become so removed from the reality of obtaining our food supply that almost no one knows how to wring鈥攐r would dare to wring鈥攁 chicken’s neck. If I’m going to eat something, I much prefer to kill it myself. I hunt elk and deer with a bow and arrow, I fish with hooks, and I take birds with a shotgun, then wring their necks if the shot didn’t finish them off. This may sound gruesome, but I can face the consequences of my need to eat. I limit my kills to what is sustainable and sound for animal populations, and I participate in efforts to protect wilderness and open lands. It may seem like my lifestyle is a holdover from the past, but to me it is a good plan for the future.

ESCOFFIER WAS VERY PARTICULAR about using only young pigeons, or squab: “Those older than one year should be viewed as being old and should be completely excluded from use except for the preparation of forcemeat.” He purchased his squab in a market. In modern America, pigeons have carved out a ratlike existence for themselves. When I call the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks to clear my plans to net a couple, they tell me there are no laws regarding pigeons. In fact, many cities spend money to exterminate them. I decide on a captive-breeding program that will drown me in squab.


I’ve set my sights on two pigeons that live atop my apartment building. A dozen times every morning, they mount each other in explicit sexual displays. The one thing standing between the birds and me is the blond-haired dude who lives in the apartment above mine. He seems to fancy himself some sort of inner-city gangsta. I heard him tell a visiting police officer once that his name is Tom. I try to build up the nerve to ask Tom for trespass permission, but he falls into a perpetually shitty mood when two thugs destroy his van with baseball bats.


Instead, my buddy Matt Moisan offers to help me chase some pigeons downtown. Moisan’s an actor, which allows him ample free time. After an admirably crafty operation highlighted by a death-defying climb up the wall of a brick building, we manage to capture a gang of pigeons napping behind a pub’s air-conditioning unit. But the pigeons soon prove to be sexual duds.


The complications of urban food collection are bringing me down, so I decide to set off for the Bitterroot River, south of town. One day last August, Diana and I spent an afternoon floating a stretch of it on an inner tube, and I remember watching a bunch of crayfish feed on the carcass of a bloated sucker. Escoffier used crayfish to make a garnish: “Select 40 medium-sized crayfish that seem full of life; cook them in a highly seasoned mirepoix, moistened with one half-bottle of dry champagne.”


I buy a roll of heavy-duty screen and fashion a crayfish trap with a funnel-shaped opening. The crayfish will make their way through the funnel to get to my bait of choice: hot dogs. Then, gorged, they will have neither the will nor the way to exit. In just a couple nights my trap yields about 40 crayfish.


As I’m setting my crayfish trap under a bridge, I notice a bunch of abandoned swallow nests hanging from the bridge supports. The domes of mud look like bull scrotums and are about that size. Swallows build nests by packing together bits of mud with their sticky saliva. Escoffier boiled the nests to extract the saliva, which lent a “characteristic viscidity,” or thickness, to his consomm茅s. He preferred the nests of tropical swallows, built with sticks instead of mud. But I figure swallow spit is swallow spit, so I chuck rocks at the empty nests and knock down a small pile of mud.


A few days later, I head up to Elbow Lake, a crooked body of water that fills a valley north of Missoula. Diana accompanies me. Our plan is to catch some yellow perch. My Subaru is loaded with rods and reels, and I’ve got a tobacco tin full of maggots in my hip pocket. In no time, we catch a small pile of perch in a weedy inlet. I bait a large hook and lower it to see if any pike are around; when you gut a pike, you can sometimes find a perch in its stomach that is still good to eat, which seems like something Escoffier would dig. I catch one the length and heft of a piece of firewood. Diana catches a mountain whitefish just a little smaller than the pike. The big fish have empty guts, but when we clean the perch we find a hidden surprise in ten of them: semen.

JUDGING BY THE FACT that I can barely close my freezer door, the collection process is going well. I have a big ol’ brown trout stuffed in there. I caught the fish in the Madison River, and I was going to keep it alive in the crayfish tank. Escoffier’s truite au bleu requires that trout be “procured in mountainous districts, where the clear water they inhabit is constantly refreshed by strong currents.” He also requires that you toss a stunned trout into boiling bouillon. I wanted to follow his advice, but I couldn’t bear to see the fish endure captivity. I thumped him on the head with a board and froze him.


Meanwhile, the pigeons living in the back room still haven’t produced squab. While I’m waiting for their libidos to kick in, I have plenty of time to gather other stuff. Like rabbit, which remains a very popular dish in France. We have three types of wild rabbit in Montana, all of which are so plentiful (and ignored by hunters) that there is no bag limit and no closed season. Escoffier was baffled by America’s disinterest in eating its rabbits and hares. “As a result of one of those freaks of taste,” he complained, “hare is not nearly so highly esteemed as it deserves in the United States.”

My brother Matt agrees to join me on a rabbit expedition. We leave Missoula on a Friday afternoon, driving east. Over the next three days, we travel a 1,273-mile loop through the Great Plains, making a stop near Jordan, Montana, to kill eight cottontails and four jackrabbits in a rancher’s junk pile with a .22 rifle.


When I get home, I’m greeted by Tom the Gangsta. His phone service has been shut off. “Can I use yours?” he asks.


Tom’s acting jumpy. In an effort to raise money, he needs to make a series of phone calls to sell two items, the identities of which seem to be a secret. Between calls, I make my move: “Do you mind if I catch those pigeons on the roof up there?”


“You can chop those pigeons up, far as I’m concerned,” he says.


Around midnight, Moisan and I are on the roof with a device fashioned from a chaise lounge, duct tape, a hammock, fly-rod cases, cord, and the plastic zip strips cops use for handcuffs during drug busts. We snicker with confidence as we crawl along the crest of the roof, but only manage to catch one. After a few days, the pigeon hasn’t produced any eggs. I’m getting tired of cleaning the crayfish tank and vacuuming pigeon feathers dropped by unproductive birds, so I set a date for the feast a couple of weeks away. Squab or no squab.

FOR THE NEXT 14 DAYS, my kitchen chores are accompanied by the olfactory backdrop of death and liquor. I have 15 different species of critters in various stages of preparation. The mincemeat pie filling鈥� medley of ground meats, fruits, and spices鈥攕 soaking in brandy and rum. I’ve given the cottontail a long bath in Madeira and brandy. The day arrives when I take a couple pigeons outside and give their necks a quick, sharp twist. The turtle, which I slaughtered two months ago by severing its head with an ax, has to be thawed and parboiled. The boiling carcass smells like the Loch Ness Monster. Diana comes over and paces around my apartment with a T-shirt squashed against her nose. She says, “Oh. My. God. Steve,” and leaves. I cook the swallow nests and am dismayed to find nothing in the pot but muddy water and a bug.


I get so involved in the painstaking process of reducing the venison stock that I begin a sort of involuntary fast, as though my body is preparing for the meal. I understand how hunter-gatherers must feel during the painful spells of hard times. Nowadays, we eat to celebrate an occasion; we used to celebrate the occasion of being able to eat.


It’s the designated night, a Wednesday, and I’ve invited 12 friends, ranging in age from early twenties to late fifties, to gather for the feast. While I consider all the participants to be like-minded, our eating habits are varied. Deirdre’s a discriminating food lover. Ben and Caroline, two abstract painters, are thrill seekers. Fred seldom cooks, but he can taste most any dish and list the ingredients. Aryn, Jen, and Diana have all flirted with vegetarianism, but they’ve agreed to sample tonight’s offerings. Julian’s a diehard glutton. Anna and Derek are into anything they haven’t already tried, and eating hard-boiled pigeon eggs is one of those things. The two Matts want to taste the fruits of their labor.


Escoffier helped popularize service 脿 la russe, which means to serve the dishes one at a time. I start with the matelote. It’s made with yellow perch, mountain whitefish, trout, and northern pike cooked in white wine and fish stock. Since I killed and froze my trout, I added it to the matelote instead of making the truite au bleu as planned. I produced the fish stock by simmering some smelt that a buddy from Michigan mailed me. Escoffier’s matelote calls for a crayfish garnish, so I dumped the contents of my freshwater aquarium into a pot of boiling water. The matelote receives universal praise and quickly vanishes.


I try to replicate my early success by bringing out the abattis 脿 la bourguignonne: giblets of duck, pigeon, and grouse cooked in a red-wine sauce. Diana sits on the couch and makes no move for the plate. “I’m saving myself for the fried smelt,” she announces. Julian takes one bite, says, “Oh. Chewy,” then eats another dozen pieces. Interest in the giblets fades before they’re even close to gone. Eager for another triumph, I bust out the deer-, elk-, antelope-, and bear-filled mincemeat pies, which went in the oven smelling like a distillery and emerged with a sweet and provocative bouquet. Most everyone bites into the pie with hesitation, followed by excitement. Ben jams a couple slices in his mouth and declares it to be one of the strangest tastes he’s ever encountered. I follow the pie with a small tray of smoked goose.


Next comes the pigeon pie. “I like the logic of eating pigeons, because they so blatantly take advantage of us,” says Fred. But he passes on the dish, maybe because I cooped a couple of the birds in his dog’s kennel for a night. Everyone else partakes and likes it. The rabbit 脿 la flamande comes off the burner with a stewed sweet-and-sour taste. Aside from the matelote, it’s the biggest hit of the night. My veggie-leaning friends clean a small pile of the leg bones down to museum-exhibit specifications. Deirdre polishes off a rabbit loin.


All the while, the deboned turtle has been cooking in cream. I try to temper the sea-monster aroma with Madeira and brandy, to no avail. I announce that the turtle is for connoisseurs only. This warning, along with the odor, keeps the takers down to three individuals. “It has such a strange smell,” says Caroline. “I wanted to see if it really tasted like it smelled.”


“Does it?” I ask.


“Worse, actually.”


When my brother and I taste it, we agree to save the soup for some day when we’re extremely hungry. I pull out my ducks, fillet the breasts, squish the carcasses over a bowl, wash them in wine, then dribble all the juices and wine back over the seasoned, sliced meat. It’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. My guests agree. By about midnight, the food’s all gone and we’re all in a food-and-wine coma, lounging around the living room.

LATER THAT NIGHT, staring at some crayfish shells and pigeon bones in the kitchen, I feel sad about the meal being over, but I also feel like my friends and I managed to do something constructive. We know where tonight’s food came from. We know its history and how it was captured and prepared.


I flip through Le Guide to a picture of Escoffier. His arms are folded solidly across his gut, which is buttoned inside a black wool dinner jacket. He’s got a bushy mustache and squinty eyes that seem to be gazing into my kitchen to see if I’ve got anything good to eat. In the introduction, he writes, “The only profit I wish to draw from this book, and the only reward I crave, is to see, in this respect, my advice listened to and followed by those for whom it was written.” As I look at Escoffier and Escoffier looks back, I know that tonight he likes what he sees.

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“Your Pentagon has been attacked, 50,000 dead. World War III has started. You must leave the country.”

Boarding pass: armed security at Boston’s Logan International Airport

Talk about strange ways to receive bad news. On September 17, at an 11,000-foot base camp in Pakistan's Hindu Kush Range脗鈥�20 miles from the Afghanistan border脗鈥擟olorado-based alpinist Chad McFadden was handed a scrawled note by a Pakistani guide who was telling him, in effect, that the world had turned upside down. Deeply shocked (“I felt sick to my stomach”) McFadden didn't fully grasp what was happening back home until he fired up his laptop and read an e-mail from his father, who accurately described the terrorist attacks on the United States. After that, McFadden and two other Americans who were in Pakistan to climb 15,360-foot Mount Kampur acted fast. Once they broke camp, they boarded a van for a 340-mile ride through the nation's Taliban-influenced countryside. After a tense day of lying low in Islamabad, they caught a night flight to Oman, abandoning $10,000 worth of alpine tents, expedition sleeping bags, ice tools, and other equipment. Five days later, the team arrived safely in Denver.

McFadden's thoughts were all about getting home, but back in the States, as fear gripped the traveling public, members of the travel industry turned to the future of going abroad: Who would want to fly, and where? The early prognosis for the $582 billion North American travel industry was alarming. In the first days after the attacks, the American Society of Travel Agents reported reservation cancellation rates as high as 50 percent. Travelers were especially leery of nations spotlighted in the State Department's worldwide alert about countries known to harbor radical Islamic groups脗鈥攊ncluding Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

The industry's adventure-travel sector脗鈥攕erving about 20 million Americans who spent $240 billion last year脗鈥攖ook its share of hits as well, but showed signs of greater short- and long-term resiliency. Since no comprehensive statistics exist for bookings in the active-travel business, 国产吃瓜黑料 canvassed 36 outfitters脗鈥攆rom industry heavyweights such as Toronto-based Butterfield & Robinson to smaller companies such as Ultimate Ascents, out of Fort Collins, Colorado. Based on this informal survey, it appears that the attacks' immediate aftermath saw roughly a 10 percent cancellation rate, predominantly affecting trips to Central Asia, East Africa, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Pakistan's traditional travel season ended at the same time as McFadden's escape, but Nepal's fall trekking season, which normally runs from October into November, suffered its share of these immediate cancellations.

In a handful of cases, jittery clients forced the cancellation of entire trips. Mountain Link, a California-based outfitter, backed out of a Kilimanjaro expedition scheduled for late October when seven of its 11 clients begged off. Butterfield & Robinson eventually dumped fall trips to Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt. And Explore Inc., located in Colorado, canceled its October trip to Ethiopia after the museum sponsoring the visit to Christian holy sites bowed out. In sum, there were signs of understandable nervousness about countries where U.S. foreign policy and the looming threat of war could create dangerous tensions. “Any Islamic country is going to be a difficult sell in the near-future, especially to more mainstream travelers,” says Jerry Mallett, president of the 国产吃瓜黑料 Travel Society, a trade organization that represents more than 700 adventure outfitters. “In fact, any country with a religion that Americans aren't familiar with will suffer lost business.”

Even so, the number of cancellations could have been much greater, and the high retention rate heralded a quick return to normal for adventure travel. As the weeks wore on after the attacks, companies reported that a rising number of clients called to confirm that their Asia and Africa trips were still on. And new reservations for the remainder of this year and early 2002 suggest a national appetite for active travel that remains strong, though it has been redirected toward less volatile parts of the world.

Mountain Travel Sobek, for instance, reported that three-quarters of its new customers were bound for destinations in the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific; in response, the company is already adding trips to Patagonia and Peru, confident that demand will stay healthy. “They traveled during the Gulf War, and they'll travel now,” says marketing director Robyn Gorman. “We expect to see a surge of interest in Latin America, North America, and the Pacific.”

Even after U.S. and British war planes attacked Afghanistan in early October, two outfitters did not back down from planned expeditions to neighboring Pakistan in 2002. While the air strikes prompted Mountain Madness to cancel its planned spring trips to K2, Mountain Travel Sobek and KE 国产吃瓜黑料 Travel both remained committed to a combined 13 trips to the Islamic nation next year.

Could adventure travelers really be more inclined to sticking to their plans than other travelers? Robert Link, chief guide for Mountain Link, thinks so, and says this is true partly because they plan and prepare more meticulously. “They're not people hopping on a cruise ship; they're buying the proper equipment and training for six months.” In addition, he believes, such travelers are not easily cowed. “If you had a herd of animals, adventure travelers would be the ones living on the edge of the herd, where they face a little more danger but also get first crack at new experiences.”

This pattern held with high-profile adventurers, who seemed set on pursuing their to-do lists脗鈥攖hough with a few detours. While Ed Viesturs postponed his spring plans to return to Pakistan's 22,291-foot Nanga Parbat in his quest to summit all the world's 8,000-meter peaks, he's not staying home. Instead he shifted his attention to the south face of Nepal's 26,504-foot Annapurna.

“It was a toss-up between the two peaks anyway,” says the Seattle-based alpinist. “The events this past fall decided it for me.” Seasoned high-alpine climbers Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler remain committed to summiting both Everest, in Nepal, and K2, in Pakistan, next year脗鈥攖hough further military action in the region could force them to postpone.

Should Pakistan's Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges drop off the adventure map entirely, the news might be most welcomed 900 miles east, in Nepal. Though this past spring Nepal's Tourism Ministry announced it would open nine peaks that had previously been off-limits to climbers, by September the nation allowed that the number of fall expeditions had plummeted from the usual 50 to 22. However, with a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's first summiting of Everest set to begin in June, industry watchers suggest that the kingdom might enjoy an uptick in travelers. “Nepal is our biggest destination and 40 percent of our business, and we're pleased that we haven't seen a drop in bookings for 2002,” says Andy Crisconi, owner of KE 国产吃瓜黑料 Travel. With new peaks to attempt and thinner crowds, the spring climbing and trekking season might well prove an unbeatable bargain. Says Lhawang Dhondup, partner at Kathmandu脙鈥 Nomad Expeditions: “There'll be a lot more competition among the trekking companies for a lot less clients.”

Just as surely as the Big E will still draw backpackers and alpinists, terror or no terror, adventure travel is poised to continue the steady 6 percent per annum growth the market has seen for the last three years. Only the destinations have changed, not the desire. Just ask Chad McFadden. Assuming he can recover his gear from Pakistan by January, he hopes to head off on a climbing trip to Patagonia that same month. To him, the moments of gripping anxiety, such as those he felt while ducking Taliban sympathizers in the northern regions of Pakistan, are the reason he went to the Hindu Kush mountains in the first place. “The trip to Pakistan was cheap, awe-some, and at other times terrifying,” he says. “And that's adventure travel.”

Seeking adventure overseas? Before packing your haul bags, be sure to check the on-the-ground security situation at your destination. Beyond CNN, here's where to turn.

听

Group	The Goods	Fees
iTravelSafe 613-742-6482	A daily e-mail intelligence report on 190 countries and a registry that will allow the company to pass on your location to the State Department during an earthquake, coup, or other crisis.	$30 for three months
Real World Rescue consulting@realworldrescue.com	Customized security briefings written by former U.S. intelligence agents, plus daily and weekly updates on destinations around the world.	$200-$5,000 for a complete security assessment. $20-$100 for access to Internet documents.
U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs 202-647-6575	Frequently updated travel warnings on 200 countries and regions.	Free
Canadian Consular Affairs Bureau 613-944-6788	Travel advisories published and updated for more than 180 countries.	Free
Hot Spots	E-mail bulletins on travel- and security-related events from around the world. Includes warnings and advisories from the U.S., Canadian, and British governments.	Free

Additional reporting by Jason Daley and Jannifer Villeneuve

听

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