winter

Curious Nature: Everyone wears winter coats in the Vail Valley

Curious Nature: Everyone wears winter coats in the Vail Valley
VAIL, Colorado -’Tis the season in Colorado’s Vail Valley to start bundling up in our hats, gloves, scarves and winter coats. The snow is falling as we enjoy favorite winter pastimes from snowshoeing to skiing and boarding – or huddling inside to stay warm and cozy. We’re not the only ones in the valley who must transition into the winter. Just as we move from shorts and T-shirts to piling on …

Read more on The Vail Trail

winter

Looking back: Winter Sports Complex luge run, ski trails almost ready for use

Looking back: Winter Sports Complex luge run, ski trails almost ready for use
Chronicle file photoMike Knight and John VanLente haul another post into position as they work on the luge run down the side of a sand dune at Muskegon State Park on Dec. 22, 1984.Today: The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex is…

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winter

Smythe Winter Sale of Scripophily to Feature Certificate From “buffalo Bill’s Wild West”

Manhattan, New York – January 29, 2008 – The R.M. Smythe & Company winter auction on February 6-7, 2008 will offer 1310 lots of stock and bond certificates at their Manhattan office. One of the more interesting lots being offered is a truly spectacular example of a certificate for “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show. This certificate is beautifully illustrated with a portrait of Buffalo Bill featured at the top center of the certificate flanked by an Indian on horseback and Buffalo Bill on horseback. Other illustrations on the certificate include Indians hunting bison, a log cabin, a woodsman chopping a tree and cattle. In 1883 Buffalo Bill and Nate Sanders teamed up to form Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The show was inaugurated in 1883 in Omaha and entertained audiences across the country and the world until 1913, when Buffalo Bill sold the production. This certificate is signed by Nate Salbury as treasurer.

Other noteworthy scripophily lots being offered at the Smythe’s winter sale include:

Lot # 1099 – Edison Phonograph Works (NJ) 1888 [Estimate $2500 - $3500]. #24. 80 600/1000 shs. Brown. Small eagle, bottom. Issued to and twice signed by Thomas Edison. Signed by him as president, and signed a second time by him on the back. The signature as president is lightly cancelled, the other signature is bold and uncancelled. EF.

While Thomas Edison was not considered a profound scientific genius, he had a tremendous talent for applying scientific principles to practical applications. In 1876, while experimenting with a needle attached to a telephone receiver, Edison discovered a method that reproduced sounds on a wax cylinder, and the recording industry was born. Edison’s invention relied on mechanical amplification, but by the 1920s his competitors were manufacturing electrically amplified, higher fidelity phonographs. Edison was hard of hearing and could not appreciate the difference in sound quality. He refused to allow his sons to waste time and money to develop an improved electrically amplified phonograph, a decision that would have dire consequences for the Edison Phonograph Works.

Lot # 1198 – Boston, Massachusetts Feb. 22, 1787 [Estimate $2000 - $4000]. One Hundred Pounds. Mostly typeset receipt on laid paper. Issued to Elias Hasket Derby, Esquire. Signed “Edwin Payne & Son “. One -inch round glue mounting remnant on back only, else VF+.

After the Revolution, there was an economic depression throughout New England. Small property holders who could not pay their taxes faced imprisonment. Town meetings talked of tax relief, and the issuance of paper money, but these issues were opposed by the legislators. Daniel Shay emerged as the leader of a localized rebellion which tried to close the courts in order to prevent action against debtors. Neither the Federal government, nor the state, would supply money for the militia to put the rebellion down, but some $20,000 was borrowed from “private sources”, probably through a subscription campaign. On January 25, 1787, Shay and his supporters attacked a Confederation arsenal in Springfield, but they were repulsed by General Lincoln. Shay escaped to Vermont, and was eventually pardoned. This note is a receipt given to Elias Hasket Derby for paying in the one hundred pounds subscribed by him to the “…Loan for procuring Provisions and Necessaries for the Militia ordered to Worcester…” A similar item, dated three months later than this one, brought over $4,000 in our September 2003 auction.

Lot # 1220 – Potomac Company 1786 [Estimate $7500 - $12500] . #43. 25.3.3 Pounds. Receipt. Handwritten document. Receipt signed 11/17/1786 by Richardson Stuart for payment of 25.3.3 Pounds by Potomack Navigation. Three of the directors have signed on the reverse: George Washington, John Fitzgerald and George Gilpin. EF.*

Stuart was the manager of the construction operations of the firm. In September 1784, Washington joined with others, then chiefly Virginians, to form the Potomac Company, whose purpose was to remove the impediments of the navigation of the river past the falls and so clear the way to the development of the lands beyond, all the way to the Ohio. Washington, in common with others, held substantial lands in the Trans-Alleghany region, and these men combined to induce the legislatures of Maryland and Virginia to charter a canal company for that purpose. The Potomac Company was only the second such corporation in America, the Susquehanna Canal Company having been founded in the preceding year. The Potomac Company started with a capital of 250 shares with a par value of only $100. The shares were to be evenly divided between the citizens of Maryland and Virginia, with Washington getting fifty shares that were given to him gratis by the Commonwealth of Virginia. By May 1784, 403 shares had been sold and Washington was elected President with John Fitzgerald and George Gilpin among the four other directors. Initially, the directors wanted to build the canal and clear the river of obstructions only with free white labor. But despite liberal cash salaries and distributions of liquor, the work went slowly. As a result, Washington arranged for the purchase of 60 slaves and the hiring of 100 freedmen, who could be better controlled. By 1786, a number of snags and other obstacles had been removed, and work was in progress at Shenandoah Falls, Harpers Ferry, Seneca Falls and Great Falls. In each of these places actual canals were being built, but the wooden locks rotted and had to be replaced with stone. From 1785 to 1789 and again from 1797 to 1799, before and after his presidency, Washington was active in the management of this firm. Progress was slow, the amount of capital needed proving to be much larger than expected, reaching $500,000 in 1815. Robert Morris and John Nicholson bought large numbers of shares as part of their plans to develop their properties in the District of Columbia. Since the canal paid only one dividend for $5.50 in 1802, despite having opened 338 miles to navigation, ownership of the canal was not profitable. The company languished until the chartering of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, which took over the Potomac Company’s works.

Lot # 1302 – Standard Oil [Estimate $7500 - $12500] (OH) 1877. #122. 25 shs. Black. Capitol Building. Liberty with flag and sword (“The Standard Bearer”). The original Standard Oil founded by John D. Rockefeller and signed by him three times, once as president, again on the transfer stub, and again on the reverse. Also signed by Henry Morrison Flagler as secretary. Lightly cancelled in red pen through the vignette and the officers’ signatures, hardly distracting. An extremely important piece of American financial history representing the early days of one of America’s most significant industries.

When it was first incorporated in 1870, shares in the original Standard Oil were very tightly held. There were only five shareholders at its inception, and ten years later there were only forty-one. Standard Oil was the world’s largest oil refiner, controlling 90% of the U.S. Oil business at that time.

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was the dominant figure in the oil industry until his retirement in 1911. He started his business career as a bookkeeper, and by age 19 was a partner in a produce business. He began operating a small refinery with his partners, and quickly became alerted to the growing investment possibilities in what was then a fairly new industry. In 1870, he organized the Standard Oil Company of Ohio and proceeded to achieve control over 90% of the oil refineries in the country. Rockefeller had little interest in discovering oil; he left that to wildcatters and other speculators. He concentrated on the transportation, distribution and sale of petroleum products, building a fortune estimated at over a billion dollars.

Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913) with J.D. Rockefeller organized the Florida East Coast Railway (1886) and built great hotel resorts in St. Augustine and Miami (1892-1896).

Lot # 1396 – Accessory Transit (of Nicaragua) (NY) 1856 [Estimate $15000 - $25000]. #12. $5000. Bearer Bond. Auxilliary ocean going steamship. Signed twice by Cornelius Vanderbilt as president, and on the reverse. Not cancelled. John W. Amerman. NY. VF.*

Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt (1794-1877) was an American financier and founder of his family’s fortune. At the age of 16 he bought a boat and ferried passangers and goods between Staten Island and Manhatten. He later made a fortune in the steamship business, earning himself the nickname “Commodore.” In 1862 he sold his ships and turned to financing railroads, where he amassed a greater fortune estimated at $100,000,000 making him one of the richest men of his time. Accessory Transit was organized by Vanderbilt to move passangers and freight to the West Coast through Nicaragua. Vanderbilt hired C.K. Garrison as his agent through San Fransisco, and Charles Morgan as his agent in New York.

Shortly after this bond was issued came the “war of the three commodores,” between Charles Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt and George Law. Accessory Transit competed openly with the Law-Aspinwall mail subsidy line. Morgan and Garrison, on the other hand, manipulated the Transit’s stock in such a way that they profited while Vanderbilt lost heavily. Vanderbilt is said to have stormed at them, “I will not sue you because the law takes too long. I will ruin you.”

Vanderbilt did manage to unseat Morgan and Hoyt from the board of directors, but another headache immediately developed in the form of William Walker, who invaded Nicaragua with the support of Morgan and his Associate! William Walker made himself President of Nicaragua. In order to get the money needed to keep a 1200 man army together, he took sides in the in-fighting within Accessory Transit Company. Foolishly backing those who had double crossed Commodore Vanderbilt, Walker confiscated the company assets and handed them over to the insurgent faction. Vanderbilt retaliated with a blockade, cutting Walker off from reinforcements while inciting the neighboring states. Vanderbilt sent mercenaries to Costa Rica, where they obtained a small force of native troops to attack Walker. As a result Walker suffered defeat and had to flee in May 1857. Vanderbilt was then back in business with Nicaragua.

The first Accessory Transit Certificate signed by Cornelius Vanderbilt that we have sold in over a decade. A museum quality certificate that may not be obtainable again in a lifetime of collecting.

“We are seeing some very strong pre-sale interest in many of the featured lots being offered in our winter sale.” said Mary Herzog, Vice President of R. M. Smythe & Co.”If a collector is interested in a particular lot, I would encourage them to use our Web site to place a bid now, because we are expecting heavy bidding activity during the sale.”

Lots will be available for viewing at Smythe’s offices at 2 Rector Street, in New York City, by appointment only. To arrange for an appointment call R. M.Smythe & Co. at 800-622-1880. For updates on this auction check Smythe’s website at smytheonline.com. This auction will be conducted with eBay Live/LiveAuctioneers. A complete catalog of all 1310 lots including photos and estimates can be viewed online at: http://static.smytheonline.com/ . Select “Current Auctions” in the left column.

Accredited media interested in scheduling an interview to discuss this release or past & upcoming auctions are encouraged to contact Mary Herzog at 212-943-1880. High resolution photos are also available upon request.

About R. M. Smythe & Co.

R. M. Smythe and Co., established in 1880, buys, sells, and auctions coins, paper money, stocks and bonds and autographs at their corporate headquarters at 2 Rector Street in the heart of the Financial District in New York City. To order a catalog, to contact any of the firm’s specialists, or to make general inquiries, call 212-943-1880 or 800-622-1880, or visit the firm’s website at: http://www.smytheonline.com.

winter

Stay Fit During Winter With Snowshoes

Snowshoes as the name implies are footwears for walking over snow. Snowshoes distribute the weight of a person over a larger area so that the person’s foot does not sink completely into the snow.

Traditional snowshoes are made of heavy hardwood frame with leather lacings. Modern high-tech snowshoes are made of light metal such as aluminum and alloy, or even of plastic. These modern snowshoes are raised at the toe for maneuverability and are generally smaller than the traditional snowshoes. Racing snowshoes and gliding snowshoes are just some examples of modern snowshoes used for movement in deep snow.

Snowshoes were used some 6,000 years ago as an earliest form of transportation. But presently they are generally used for recreational sports. Snowshoes are divided into three types: aerobic, recreational and mountaineering. Backpacking or hiking snowshoes, recreational snowshoes, and running or aerobic fitness snowshoes are the more popular snowshoes available on the market. Snowshoe size is specified by the body weight and the type of activities one plans to do.

The Outdoor Industry Foundation reported that in 2004 nearly 4.7 million Americans went snowshoeing. Snowshoeing at present is acknowledged as one of the fastest growing winter recreational sports next to skiing, so snowboarding snowshoe sale has doubled in recent year. The sales of snowshoes is up because people are putting greater emphasis on fitness, outdoor cross training and family recreation. The popularity of back country sporting in recent years, like skiing, snowboarding and ice climbing, is also helping to promote strong snowshoe sales.

Snowshoes for sale vary from shorter, wider shoes to longer, narrow shoes. Materials of these snowshoes are generally lightweight aluminum, rubber and durable plastic. Women’s snowshoes and kids snowshoes are of varied shapes. For example, beaver tail snowshoes are shaped like a tennis racket and bear paw snowshoes are oval shaped. These shapes enable the snowshoer to lift up the shoes’ weight easily. Cleats are the teeth present at the bottom of the shoes that provide traction and allow for more confident stepping. Kids snowshoes are not limited just to kids; they can be used by anyone weighing less than 80 pounds and of shorter height. Kids snowshoes can also be used by children for off trail hiking, on golf courses, in packed trails, etc.

A low impact workout with a pair of snowshoes provides many health benefits. Snowshoes can be used by folks of all ages who enjoy a winter snowfall while walking, running, jumping, or climbing. Snowshoes are great fun to use in any type of snow conditions.

winter

Bed-Sled Races, Snow Sculptures, Fireworks Highlight Colorado Mountain Winter Carnivals

Bed-Sled Races, Snow Sculptures, Fireworks Highlight Colorado Mountain Winter Carnivals
Scenic Winter Park, Grand Lake host mid-winter festivals (PRWeb Dec 28, 2009) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Winter%20Park/Grand%20Lake/prweb3380774.htm

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winter

Cody, Wyo., offers winter travel options

Cody, Wyo., offers winter travel options
Wasatch Front travelers looking for a different winter destination might consider visiting Cody, Wyo.

Read more on The Salt Lake Tribune

winter

Squaw Valley USA | Women of Winter on Wednesdays

Squaw Valley USA | Women of Winter on Wednesdays
Go, go, go, ski, ski, ski “Who doesn’t want to ski with Jonny Moseley?” said Kara Strehle, a Level 3 snowboard instructor and staff trainer at Squaw Valley Snowsports School, before the inaugural run of Women of Winter Wednesdays (WOW), a monthly, non-traditional ski clinic. Moseley, chief mountain host at Squaw Valley USA, Olympic gold medalist, World Cup titlist, and inventor of the Dinner …

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winter

New Ski Runs & Ski Lifts a Hit With Skiers & Boarders in Winter Park Resort, Colorado, Usa

Intrawest has been investing significant sums of money into the little known resort of Winter Park. The area is still flying under the radar compared to the world renowned resorts of Vail, Aspen & Breckenridge. Winter Park Resort is about to become of age and join the other Colorado resorts in delighting guests from all over the world with its terrain, superior snow conditions and yet still quiet slopes.

Two years ago the main lift accessing Mary Jane Mountain was replaced by a high speed 6 pack chairlift, called the Super Gauge, which whisks skiers quickly to the top of the mountain, where they can ski the bumps on Mary Jane, the groomers on the Winter Park side or head down sunnyside to access the Parsenn bowl. This really speeded up access to the whole mountain and the new equipment means the lift runs smoothly with very few stoppages…

However the more important developments have been new lifts leading to new terrain. In the 2006/7 ski season the Eagle Wind lift was introduced on the backside of Parsenn Bowl. Now skiers & riders can easily access “natural” terrain and enjoy skiing the powder in the trees in really untouched conditions. Although there are a couple of runs cut through the trees, the vast majority of the Eagle Wind area is designed for skiers to make their own paths through the trees. Dropping off points are from just below the lift where most people start, but traverse a little further around the corner and you can find untouched powder days after the latest snowstorm. The Eagle Wind lift now makes the circuit to get back to this terrain extremely easy and avoids the old problem of having to take three lifts to access the backside of Parseen of the more extremem Vasque Cirque. This rugged terrain is an advanced skiers paradise and yet still remains quiet for skiers to enjoy a truely rural mountain experience.

Then in 2007/8 came the Panoramic Express which every level of skier can benefit from. The Panoramic lift replaced the old Timberline lift and added much more vertical to Parsenn bowl skiing. Extending from the bottom of Mary Jane’s Edelweiss trail next to the Sunnyside lift, to the top of Parsenn Bowl at 12,060 feet above sea level, the Panoramic Express provides skiers and riders access to over 1,123 acres of terrain including Parsenn Bowl, Vasquez Cirque and last year’s addition of the Eagle Wind terrain.   The 6 pack chairlift is the highest in North America and part of the 8 million dollars spent on capital improvements at Winter Park Resort this year. The lift is powered by renewable energy, supporting the resorts environmental policy. Once at the top, skiers have a choice of skiing anywhere in the Parsenn bowl which ranges from rare intermediate blue run bowl skiing to more advanced blue/ black (red) runs to black level runs through tighter trees, all around where the old Timberline lift used to be. But now the runs lead into Bluebell and Edelweiss, blue runs, to take you all the way back down, giving much longer runs and much more vertical than before. The Panoramic Express will quicken guests ride to the top from the original 11 minutes it once took guests to get there to seven minutes. Due to the speed of the 6 pack you can be back at the top to choose another route down before you even know it!

But there’s another bonus – Winter Park has gladed 100 acres of terrain on skiers right and added 2 brand new fairly long runs to get back down to the Panoramic or Sunnyside lifts via a different route. These 2 new trails are called Forever Eva and Parry’s Peak and are intermediate trails, winding gently through the newly gladed forest, for everyone to enjoy. Parry’s Peek and Forever Eva were named after a well known area botanist, Charles Parry and his wife, Eva.  Both trails provide spectacular views of Parry’s Peak and Mount Eva, two significant mountain peaks along the Continental Divide. These trails are groomed, allowing even the most tentative skier to enjoy this high mountain experience.  

“The Panoramic Express, with its unmatched view, and the addition of two new intermediate trails, not only provides guests with quicker access to the top of Mary Jane’s Parsenn Bowl, but also provides more elbow room to play once they’re there,” said Gary DeFrange, president & chief operating officer for Winter Park Resort. “Mary Jane has developed a loyal following of passionate regulars that will welcome these changes whereas first time visitors will fall in love with Winter Park in no time at all. We have retained the spirit of Winter Park Resort with a fresh outlook.”

The guests have given very positive feedback too. Helen & Rob Brown who run Chalets USA in Winter Park have found their guests have been thrilled with the new lifts & terrain, especially Forever Eva & Parry’s Peak, which guests have described as “fantastic runs in beautiful snow conditions” and “a really good addition to the resort”. For more info on their ski chalets in Winter Park, Colorado, USA visit www.chalets-usa.co.uk

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Two cool cities: Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, have teamed up to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. But you …

Two cool cities: Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, have teamed up to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. But you …
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — After skiing down Whistler Mountain’s 5,280 feet of vertical fun, I glanced at the summit and wondered why this massive, snow-topped peak had been rejected as a Winter Olympics host at least three times since the 1960s.

Read more on Pioneer Press

winter

Planning For Your Ski Vacation In Winter

Planning ski vacations is a bit more complicated than simply strapping the skis to the top of the car. With the large and growing variety of great skiing resorts springing up worldwide, you have more choices than ever. Where you go and the time of year dictate what you need on your ski vacation checklist to ensure you bring with you exactly what you need. Winter vacations can be in January in the Northern Hemisphere or July below the equator.

Spring skiing in the Rockies or the French Alps can involve packing a bikini for wearing on the slopes for expert female skiers. Skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the dead of winter can mean sub-zero temperatures and windchill factors effectively in the range of -50 degrees is a frostbite threat. The sun can be blistering in the higher mountains.

First on your checklist should be vacation insurance. It’s a sad commentary on today’s society, however, there is little more heartbreaking than finding your skis gone when all you wanted was a cup of hot chocolate in the ski lodge. Winter vacation insurance is cheap and widely available from a number of insurance providers. If you have the American Express Platinum card, your insurance headaches are already taken care of, and one less thing to worry about. Same with flight and travel insurance if you are going to an exotic location such as New Zealand or the European Alps.

If you are traveling a long distance, it may be more cost-effective to buy what you need when you arrive. This may save you a significant amount in excess baggage costs. Some seasoned skiers simply pack the most essential personal items such as ski boots, goggles and clothing and buy or rent skis or a ski board when they arrive.

Some of the most popular ski destinations with traditionally great snow include the I-93 corridor in New Hampshire with a number of great mountain resorts in close proximity to each other. Vermont, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have smaller mountains, but do not lack for amenities. The American Rocky Mountains have awesome skiing destinations, some requiring a helicopter to get to.

Essentials on the slopes include zinc oxide-based lip balm and SPF 50 sunblock. Good sunglasses with a double gradient ?cat’s eye ?mirrored coatings, such as the Vaurnet PX-4000 Skilynx are ideal for UV and glare protection from both the sun and the snow.

If you insist on skiing in a bikini, do consider not wearing a string-style. A good athletic Spandex top and French boy shorts?or cut-off 501′s can save your hips if you happen to crash and the guys like to see you in them just as much.

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