June 2012
1 post
Hate Crimes Against LGBTQ People Highest In 14... →
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects today released a collective report on hate crimes against LGBTQ people.
Despite increased public and political acceptance of gays and lesbians, the number of crimes against LGBTQ people is the highest since 1998, the year they began tallying such attacks and also the year Matthew Shepard was murdered, Towleroad reports.
The amount of physical...
May 2012
8 posts
Japan’s ‘Aspen’ seen as bet on weaker yen - ... →
If you need another great reason to join the SKI BUMS trip to Niseko, Japan, the financial experts at MarketWatch point out that the weaker Japanese yen makes this a fantastic time to visit!
They also say that Hokkaido has “the best cuisine on the planet,” and one expert says:
“The skiing in Japan is world-class, phenomenally good. It’s just that it was very under-marketed until...
6 tags
Don’t Climb Every Mountain - an Everest guide's... →
Freddie Wilkinson, a guide and Everest climber from New Hampshire, warns that this is not the year to climb Everest.
Is global warming affecting the ice falls? >
4 tags
An open letter to Manny Pacquiao from a gay... →
Wow. This is an astounding, beautifully written letter to the anti-gay boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, and it’s well worth a read.
Read the letter >
(No surprise that the author was a Fulbright scholar, now an out lesbian writer at the University of Iowa. We await more incredible work from you, Laurel Fantauzzo!)
10 questions for SkiLink proponents | The Salt... →
The Canyons — the largest ski area in Utah, part of the Park City area — is proposing a gondola to link its terrain with nearby Solitude. The powers that be seem destined to make it happen, but a smart columnist for the Salt Lake City Tribune asks some vital questions.
Check out the insightful OpEd >
5 tags
Gay rights in the US, state by state |... →
In light of the disappointing news from North Carolina, the Guardian has put together an insightful, illuminating portrait of LGBT rights, state by state. Share this with your friends and everyone who cares about how far we’ve still got to go!
View the excellent infographic >
5 tags
6 tags
6 tags
Bob Smith obituary: Inventor of fog-resistant ski... →
Did you know that fog-proof goggles were invented by an Army dentist in the 1960’s?
Bob Smith — the developer of the modern ski goggle — traded early versions of his inventions for lift tickets. He’s just passed away at age 78, and the Los Angeles Times has a fascinating story on the man we should thank for being able to see our way down the slopes!
Check it out >
April 2012
14 posts
8 tags
Every1Against1 →
This is a brilliant campaign to defeat North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which comes to a vote on May 1st.
“Simply put, Amendment One is an unnecessary, thinly veiled attack on civil rights — a gross injustice to North Carolina’s unmarried couples, children, families, seniors, women and businesses. If Amendment One passes, what’s next? It would mark the first time the North Carolina...
6 tags
After teen’s suicide, Ogden to hold community... →
From Q Salt Lake:
“On Monday, April 23, an 18-year-old Ogden resident on a community panel spoke about the dangers of bullying. Alex Smith told the packed room about the bullying his boyfriend, Jack, experienced at school.
What no one in the room yet knew, including Alex, was that Jack had already taken his own life.
The death of Jack Reese is the latest known suicide of a gay teen in...
7 tags
Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay - @nytimes →
One of the authors of a compelling new peer-reviewed study writes in the New York Times:
“One theory is that homosexual urges, when repressed out of shame or fear, can be expressed as homophobia. Freud famously called this process a “reaction formation” — the angry battle against the outward symbol of feelings that are inwardly being stifled…
It’s a compelling theory — and now there...
6 tags
6 tags
WatchThe night skiing at Niseko is getting us super stoked! Check out our trip — it’s already more than 1/2 full!
Silhouettes (by Thom Heald)
We Finally Know What Really Causes Ice Cream... →
Ice cream, cold water, face plant… a mouth full of sudden cold can be a real pain in the head! Now we know what causes that!
Read the fascinating explanation at Gizmodo >
5 tags
6 tags
Russian lawmakers target gay ‘propaganda’ - The... →
Russia is hosting the next Winter Olympic Games (Sochi 2014). And yet, the anti-gay laws from St. Petersburg that have made headlines stand to hurt Russia’s international reputation. To what degree do LGBT civil rights advances in the USA and Europe stand to feel like a Western thing?
Learn the latest in a great article in the Washington Post >
4 tags
Is Support for Gay Rights Still Controversial?... →
Has support for gay rights become less controversial, and maybe even an asset in fund-raising and campaigning? Or does it remain a risky issue for politicians? The NYT explores one of the year’s hot-button issues that’s only getting hotter by the day.
Read the discussion >
6 tags
6 tags
I Broke Filmmaking Rules to Capture Anarchist Poet... →
We love it when the BUMS have cool accomplishments that we can all celebrate, and here’s one: Melanie LaRosa, a snowboarder and independent filmmaker, speaks about her upcoming flick “The Poetry Deal: A Film With Diane di Prima.”
See the cool article >
6 tags
Chile Passes Gay Discrimination Protections... →
SKI BUMS hosted two incredible trips to Chile in 2010, and we found the people and culture of Chile to be tremendously warm and friendly, despite its relatively low-profile LGBT community in Santiago, the capital.
It’s compelling to see how much the Chilean public was moved by the fatal attack on Daniel Zamudio, and incredible to see how it has led to federal anti-discrimination protections...
6 tags
9 tags
Niseko, Japan’s Own St. Moritz - NYTimes.com →
Niseko, Japan is cometimes called “The Whistler of Japan,” but the travel writers from the New York Times feel that it’s better compared to the crown jewel of the Swiss Alps, St. Moritz. It’s drawing international crowds because of it’s massive annual snowfall — more than 600 inches, on average — and it’s huge, open terrain. On a volcano.
Our trip...
March 2012
46 posts
6 tags
NASA: 2012 Was a Bad Snow Year | SKI Magazine →
From Ski Magazine:
“
It’s official: This winter was a bad snow year. Not that we really needed NASA to tell us this, but alas, a report comparing last year’s plentiful powder with this winter’s sad snowfall amounts blames the mild winter on a La Niña pattern that pushed the precipitation northward. That was compounded by something called an Arctic Oscillation, a strong one in this case,...
3 tags
7 tags
WatchSweet! @Windells is gearing up for another summer of snowboarding youth camp fun at Timberline, Oregon. One day we wanna send a group of #LGBT teens to rock the halfpipe there! Start dreaming now, TeenBUMS!
5 tags
Zermatt 6 Day Snow Forecast & Skiing Weather for... →
Curious what the weather is typically like in Zermatt during the last week of March, when we’ll be visiting next season? Sunny and beautiful! On-mountain powder is plentiful, and new snow is pretty common. As one of the highest resorts in the Alps, Zermatt’s ski season stretches well into the summer. March is the perfect time to go!
Learn all about our trip & sign up at...
5 tags
Niseko, Japan - Downhill Skiing in the Land of the... →
Since this article was written in 2006, the Niseko international tourism industry has taken off. Regularly catering to Australians, this area is famous for huge, dry powder dumps — more than 630 inches per season, on average — and thermal hot springs which invite a therapeutic soak. We’re building our trip to Niseko for 2013, and we’d love any and all tips from the BUMS...
4 tags
5 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
5 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
3 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
7 tags
Europe's Five Stars: Zermatt, Switzerland | SKI... →
This month’s issue of SKI Magazine features an awesome article on our European destination for 2013, Zermatt!
“Farmers, mountain climbers, wine-sipping tourists…no one is immune to the real-life glory of the Matterhorn.
It’s 11 o’clock on a bluebird day in Zermatt. The hooked pyramid of the Matterhorn pierces a cloudless sky, and creamy spring snow covers the slopes,...