Attention ski bums

The time has never been better to be a ski bum.

Three separate contests in the Canadian and the U.S. West give skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to become the ultimate slope slacker, with prizes that include free skiing throughout the entire 2010 winter, free cat- and heli-skiing, free airfare, free hotel accommodation, free food, even free use of an SUV for the season.

SUN PEAKS, B.C.: I WANT TO BE THE SNOW BUM

First out of the gate was Sun Peaks' I Want To Be The Snow Bum contest. The winner will spend three months at the ski area near Kamploops, B.C., with free lift passes, plus free access to snow tubing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. Free airfare and food are also part of the package, plus three months' accommodation at one of Sun Peaks' slopeside hotels, free ski equipment and free ski clothes. The winner also scores VIP backstage passes to resort events.

To win, candidates -- intermediate or advanced skiers and snowboarders over the age of 19 -- need to submit a 60-second video explaining why they'd be good at being a snow bum.

Not everything is free. The winner will be required to blog throughout the winter and regularly update Facebook and Twitter on their ski bum experience. Videos need to be submitted to snowbumcanada.com by Nov. 15.

KOOTENAY ROCKIES, B.C.: POWDER

HIGHWAY ULTIMATE SKI BUM

A similar competition has been launched by B.C.'s Kootenay Rockies region. The prize for the Powder Highway Ultimate Ski Bum contest includes three months of free skiing or snowboarding along B.C.'s Powder Highway, which includes seven ski resorts and the world's highest concentration of snowcat and heli-ski operations.

"This place has long been a haven for ski bums," says Chris Andrews of Kootenay Rockies Tourism. "We're sharing that adventure through the experiences of one person -- the Ultimate Ski Bum. No agenda, no job, just snow, mountains and a road that links it all together."

Resorts along the Powder Highway include Red Mountain, Whitewater, Revelstoke and Fernie. Participating cat operations include the famed Island Lake Lodge and Powder Cowboy; heli-skiing ops include CMH Kootenay and Selkirk Tangiers. The Ultimate Ski Bum winner also wins three months' use of a Mitsubishi SUV, plus free lodging along the way. Ninety-second videos depicting why you're the ultimate ski bum are due by Nov. 22 at PowderHighway.com.

LIVE THE DREAM

Contestants have more time to enter the Live the Dream contest for an all-expense-paid year living in Aspen, Colo. Anyone can submit their name to enter the contest, which starts Jan. 1, 2010. Contestants will be narrowed down and invited to Aspen to compete for a year's worth of free accommodation, a ski pass, new skis, a new bike, tickets to Aspen events and a credit card allowance. The winner will be required to blog on the experience, plus host weekly radio and TV shows in Aspen.

The contest is being promoted mainly via social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. For more information, go to qittle.com/live_the_dream.

LORIKNOWLES.COM

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It's elementary, my dear Watson

Q: I belong to a book club and one of our next choices will be a Sherlock Holmes mystery. A book club member mentioned there is a museum in Switzerland -- of all places -- devoted to the ficticious character. I have been having difficulty finding anything on this. Have you heard anything?

-- T. PINDERO, VAUGHAN

A: There are a couple of neat Swiss connections to super sleuth Sherlock Holmes, the main character in a series of books penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

The first involves the demise of the great detective, who met his end in Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen, Switzerland.

The other is a fabulous museum dedicated to Holmes. Sir Arthur's son, Adrian Conan Doyle, lived in a historic castle in Lucens in the Swiss region of la Broye. Adrian established the Sherlock Holmes Musuem at the castle. After Adrian's death in 1970, the museum was moved to a house in Lucens, which is about halfway between Lausanne and Lake Neuchatel (lucens.ch/TOUR/Sherlock.html).

The museum is said to house a vast collection of memorabilia and personal items that once belonged to Sir Arthur. Also on display is an exhibit of the Baker St. drawing room no. 221B, home base for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Adrian meticulously put pieces together for this room. Fans will find a resident cat named Watson on the premises, too.

Museum curator Vincent Delay once told the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's online portal SwissInfo.ch, "I see it as my job to see that the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is respected," and added that what makes his museum different from others is this Swiss museum concentrates as much on the writer as on the fictional sleuth.

The building that houses the Sherlock Holmes Museum is known locally as the Red House. The address is Case postale 221 B; CH-1522 LUCENS -- Suisse. Phone +41 (0)21-906-7333.

ILONA@MYCOMPASS.CA

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Stretch that skiing budget

CRESTED BUTTE, COLO. -- A few ski areas have already opened both in the West and the East, including Arapahoe Basin and Loveland in Colorado, and Sunday River in Maine. Others are gearing up for traditional Thanksgiving opening days.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your skiing budget from travel planners at Crested Butte Vacations, which is the central reservations service for Crested Butte Mountain Resort:

- If you must visit over the holidays, pick American Thanksgiving over Christmas or President's Weekend. At many resorts, "peak season" doesn't begin until the week prior to Christmas, and often resorts offer early season packages and specials. Guests booking lodging with Crested Butte Vacations receive free skiing between Nov. 24 and Dec. 16, and if you stay at a Crested Butte Mountain Resort property, you also get a free adult group half-day lesson.

- Look for "fly-in, ski-out" deals that might include direct flights to local airports with transportation from the airport to the lodge, so you don't have to rent a car. Some resorts have free airport shuttles, and some airports offer buses to ski areas with inexpensive and convenient pick-up and drop-off locations. Crested Butte Mountain Resort offers a "Friends&Family Fly Free" deal that offers one free airline ticket to Gunnison/Crested Butte Airport for every three people you book.

- Go in a group with family or friends and save on lodging by renting a condo or house to share, with a full kitchen. You'll save by eating breakfast at home along with any other meals you care to cook.

- The longer you stay, the less per day you are likely to spend, thanks to multi-day discounts on lift tickets, lodging and rental equipment.

- Weigh the cost of baggage fees for flying with your own equipment and gear versus the cost of renting on site.

- Look for freebies, especially if you're travelling with children. Many resorts offer some packages with options where kids ski, stay and/or eat for free. At Crested Butte, children under 6 ski free.

On the web

For details on the Crested Butte Vacations offers, visit http://www.skicb.com.

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Capri island has calming feel

Those who expect to find themselves surrounded by the international jet set as soon as they're off the ferry in Capri are in for a bit of disappointment.

There's no question the little port is pretty, but it's been overrun by dazed tourists and is lined with shops selling inexpensive souvenirs.

No sign of ritzy hotels or luxury boutiques. The dolce vita waits further on, and in particular, higher up.

Capri is a mythical spot for tourists and this island in the Bay of Naples has held on to all of its allure over the years.

In the 1950s and '60s, all the stars of the day made there way here, but Capri's popularity can be traced back much farther. The Romans were relaxing here 2,000 years ago.

You have to go up to get a real sense of all this, leaving the port by way of a funicular. Journey complete, you arrive in a small square, right in the heart of the city of Capri, with luxury hotels lining the streets that spread out in all directions. This, is the realm of the rich and famous and it's easy to get swept up in it all.

SERENE SCENE

Will we spot any celebrities today? That guy with the big camera trying to look nonchalant as he hugs the wall -- probably paparazzi. But the game gets old quickly and our days spent in Capri have no celebrity run-ins to speak of.

In reality, Capri doesn't just offer the high life. There's also the island's beautiful scenery: Coastal cliffs, tall pines, craggy terrain, azure water and postcard panoramas.

The serenity of the island claims you in no time. The streets are so narrow, regular cars can't get through, leaving small electric vehicles to do the delivery work and garbage disposal. Tidy villas of various sizes dot the landscape, with fragrant flowers cascading from their walls.

The many fragile-looking lemon trees often look ready to break under the weight of their fruit. Locals still greet people they pass in the street. This is the Italy we know and love, a place of warm human rapport.

Many trails hug the rocky contours of Capri's coast. Several natural attractions can be visited along the way, including the arco naturale (natural arch) and the faraglioni, three big pillars of rock that jut from the sea.

The northeastern tip of the island is home to the ruins of Emperor Tiberius' grandest residence, the Villa Jovis, built over 2,000 years ago.

Elsewhere on the coastal path, you'll find the Villa Malaparte. Built in 1937 for an Italian writer, the structure remains a reference point in modern architecture and has been the set for several famous films, including Jean-Luc Godard's Le Mepris, starring Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli.

The island has two villages to speak of: Capri and Anacapri. The latter is nothing like the former. With much less tourism, Anacapri has the feel of a sleepy Italian village.

Capri, it seems, is far from being a relic from the past. The island's true nature is alive and well, ready to be revealed if you only take the time to seek it out.

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Top restaurants in Hong Kong & Macau

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - The Miele Guide to Asia's finest restaurants is written by food experts who know and love the region (www.mieleguide.com).

This is a list of the top 5 restaurants in Hong Kong, long renowned as a regional gastronomic hub, and Macau. It is not endorsed by Reuters.

1. L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong

A stunning restaurant that excels in all areas. The service is as close to perfection as you can find. The food is delicately magnificent, with dishes that are comforting and others that are novel and will thrill the palate and the imagination. The wine list is impeccable. And both the location and the setting are divine. While we highly recommend dining at the counter, where you can watch executive chef Sebastien Lepinoy and his team cook and plate the delicacies on offer, those seeking a little more privacy can opt to eat in the restaurant's small but chic dining room. In many ways, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon represents the future of dining: a restaurant that offers amazing but not overly challenging food, with perfect service and in a cool but entirely unpretentious setting.

Shop 401, 4F The Landmark

15 Queen's Road, Central Hong Kong

www.robuchon.hk

2. Robuchon A Galera, Macau

Robuchon a Galera, the supremely high-brow French restaurant in the splendidly over-the-top Hotel Lisboa, is proof that formal fine dining isn't dead. The restaurant's blue and gold-themed neo-Empire interiors are theatrically luxurious and just a little over-the-top. The over-burdened breadbasket, dessert and petit four trolleys are always greeted enthusiastically. The flatware is appropriately Christofle, and Bernardaud porcelain lithophane votive lights dot the starched tablecloths. But the real draw is the consistently outstanding food on offer and a wine list that would make any oenophile weep. Executive chef Francky Semblat creates masterful dishes that are elegant, rich and flavorful.

3F New West Wing

Hotel Lisboa

2-4 Avenida de Lisboa

www.hotellisboa.com

3. Yung Kee, Hong Kong

Yung Kee is virtually synonymous with Hong Kong, and no visit to the city is complete without a taste of its world famous roast goose. The restaurant itself runs like a well-oiled machine: uniformed doormen help people alight from their cars; a walkie-talkie-wielding receptionist tells the lift operator which floors guests should be taken to and informs the floor manager who's coming up so she can greet them by name. Regulars also know to order certain things in advance: the roast goose livers, the tea-smoked pork belly, or, when in season, the hairy crab dishes and platefuls of tiny rice birds, which are eaten whole (except for the beak). Executive chef Choi Wai-Chor ensures that the food is consistently good, authentically local, and comfortably unchanging.

Central Hong Kong

www.yungkee.com.hk

4. Nobu, Hong Kong

Nobu Matsuhisa's sexy black and tan restaurant in Hong Kong has, in just three years, established itself as a firm favorite in one of Asia's toughest food cities. Fantastically located on the second floor of the InterContinental Hotel, Nobu Hong Kong has breathtaking, panoramic views across Victoria Harbour. The restaurant is chic yet casual, perfect for every occasion from a first date to a family meal. Norwegian-born executive chef Oyvind Naesheim, who was previously second-in-command at Nobu's very popular London outlet, is maintaining Nobu's stratospheric culinary standards, with the assistance of executive sushi chef Hideki Endo and the rest of his team.

2F InterContinental Hong Kong

18 Salisbury Road

Kowloon

www.noburestaurants.com

5. Caprice, Hong Kong

It might be difficult to find a more glamorous dining room anywhere in Asia. Caprice, the Four Seasons Hong Kong's signature French restaurant, is fantastically chic and romantic. Four large crystal chandeliers hang over well-dressed diners. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame unbeatable views of Victoria Harbour and Kowloon's skyline. Even the open-kitchen, sparkling under crystal-clad cooker hoods, is breathtaking. The food, of course, is brilliant. Chef Vincent Thierry's dishes are modern interpretations of French classics, some of which are inventively and subtly perked up with well-chosen Asian ingredients. And pastry chef Ludovic Douteau's desserts are masterpieces.

Caprice

Hong Kong

6F Four Seasons Hong Kong

8 Finance Street, Central Hong Kong

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Happy trails in Alabama

Fighting Joe, now there’s an ominous name for a golf course. And in this case, it’s an appropriate one. Ol’ Joe won’t back down, and it will put a good beating on you if you let it.

My friend and I found that out earlier this year when we headed south to Alabama to escape the last of the Canadian winter and tackle the Robert Trent Jones Trail, a collection of 26 golf courses at 11 sites that wind their way through the state like the great Alabama and Tennessee rivers, from Muscle Shoals in the northwest to Mobile on the Gulf Coast.

Joe is a links-style course, where the fescue grows waste high and the yardage tops out at 8,092 from the tips. But it’s just day one of our trip and neither of us is foolish enough to take it on at full length. Still, we’re playing from just over 7,000 yards and Joe gets the better of us.

Balls go willy-nilly as we shake off the winter rust. Tee-shots are anything but straight and true. Luckily, it’s late March and the rattlers are still hibernating so we fearlessly make our way into the thick grass to retrieve errant shots. Joe is what you would expect from a links-style course – mounded, undulating fairways, pothole bunkers, wind. It’s straightforward and it’s a test. It finishes up with two spectacular holes, the signature par-five 17th, which plays as long as 592 yards, and the beautiful but treacherous par-three 18th, which overlooks Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River. Make sure you don’t mishit it on this hole or you’ll wind up with a high number.

While Joe brings us to our knees, we console ourselves with the knowledge that this is our first game in months and things can only get better. It didn’t hurt any that we put the round behind us with a few drinks at the homey clubhouse overlooking the lake. No, despite the regrettable scores, sitting out on the wraparound balcony in 20-something degrees weather sipping Wild Turkey sure beats shovelling snow and trudging through slush, and we’re excited to see what the Trail has in store for us next.

GOLF IN ALABAMA?

Canadians don’t immediately equate Alabama with a golf vacation. Florida, sure. Arizona, too. But Alabama? Cotton fields and tin shacks, maybe.

It’s a misconception that is rapidly changing, though, thanks to the RTJ Trail, developed by a pension fund with the idea of providing top-notch, affordable golf and of boosting Alabama’s image and economy. And it certainly has done that. With greens fees that average $50 US and top out at $64 in peak season, many consider the Trial to be one of the top public golf destinations in the world.

Golf World readers ranked the 54-hole Grand National in Auburn/Opelika and the 54-hole Capitol Hill in Prattsville number one and two, respectively, in the U.S. for 2009.

Most of the courses (18 designed by the iconic Trent Jones Sr. himself) are a challenging combination of hilly terrain, well-bunkered fairways, water hazards and multi-tiered, raised greens that can test the limits of even the most skilled golfer. Miss your approach shot by just a few feet and you can end up 20 yards off the mark. Throw in a couple of links-style tracks, including The Senator at Capitol Hill, where an LPGA tournament is held, and you’ve pretty much covered the bases. Well maintained and well serviced, this is public golf with a private club feel.

All the courses are within 20-minutes of an interstate, and many of them have spectacular resort hotels on-site. We played 10 courses in about six days, which was overdoing it a bit, but the hotel spas, bars and great dining options make it as much fun to recover as it is to play.

We flew into Birmingham and made the spectacular Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa our home base. The hotel was named one of the top 500 in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine. It’s a four-diamond resort with 259 rooms and a 12,000-square-foot European Spa, featuring caviar facials and massages that will help you forget your last round and get you limbered up for your next one.

BACK AT IT

Due to scheduling constraints we head as far north as Muscle Shoals, where Fighting Joe and The Schoolmaster are found, south to Capitol Hill and east to Grand National.

After recovering from Fighting Joe, we tackle Ross Bridge, the newest addition to the Trail and purportedly the third longest course in the world, maxing out at 8,191 yards.

We decide to take it on from the tips for the same reason people climb Everest, because it’s there. This was a foolish undertaking, and ill advised. Heck, there’s a Champions Tour event held here every May and they don’t even attempt it. But, we’d kick ourselves if we let the opportunity pass. To give just an idea of what we’re up against, the first hole is a par-five, 620-yard beast with a long, treacherous carry off the tee. But it’s not even the longest hole. At 698 yards, the par-five 13th has that distinction. It feels every inch that long, too – and it’s only ranked the second-toughest hole on the course. Enough said.

Like Fighting Joe, Ross Bridge, despite its generous fairways, beats us up. But it also makes everything that comes afterward a little easier to play. Our swings get smoother as we head into day three and scores come down. Despite our confidence-crushing experiences of the first two days, golf can be fun on the Trail.

Of all the courses we play, The Judge at Capitol Hill was the one that stands out most. Golf magazine called it one of the 10 public courses in America worthy of hosting a U.S. Open. From a visual standpoint alone, it’s easy to see why. Down here, you know you are in the South. Spanish moss hangs from Oak trees like tattered, gray drapes and long wooden bridges traverse the 200 acres of inlets and tributaries of the Alabama River as bass fishermen plumb the depths for the day’s catch.

If you’re looking for a golf getaway south of the border this winter, look no further than the RTJ Trail. You won’t be disappointed.

For more information on playing and staying on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 1-800.949.4444.

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Remembering JFK

Arlington, Va. — Like most people my age, I remember precisely where I was (on campus, sipping coffee in the University of Western Ontario cafeteria) the moment John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Tex.

Today, many decades later, I visit his gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery. I’m with bus loads of tourists and veterans; the mood is sombre as befits a cemetery, little talk is exchanged throughout the tour. The three Kennedy brothers, John, Robert and now Ted, are interred here.

Shortly before his death, JFK stood at the hillside location overlooking the cemetery toward the Lincoln Memorial and ironically commented, “I could stay here forever.”

His gravesite marker (John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917-1963) is accented by an eternal flame requested by his wife. On his right is their infant son, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (Aug. 7 1963 - Aug. 9 1963) On his left are Jaqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) and daughter Arabella, the stillborn child born in August of 1956.

Above the Kennedy graves at the top of the hill sits Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. People take photos and stare at the four grey slate markers. The flame was once inadvertently extinguished by a Catholic school contingent that applied too much “holy water,” but a quick-thinking employee re-lit the flame with his lighter. Veterans and military casualties from each of the nation’s wars are interred in the cemetery, from the American Civil War to the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900.

Our open-air bus is quite slow with many vets in wheel chairs. Remarkably, each is systematically assisted into the bus, wheelchairs stacked at the back, and we wind our way through memorials to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to watch the changing of the guard ceremony.

More than four million people visit the cemetery annually, many to pay final respects at graveside services, 100 each week. I’m told that 25 graves are dug daily and this staggering factoid helps me realize the depth and breadth of U.S. military action throughout the world.

Only two presidents are buried here, JFK and William H. Taft. There are military and political notables (generals Sheridan, Pershing, Dolittle, Bradley, Taylor, admirals Rickover, Halsey, statesmen (John Foster Dulles, William Jennings Bryan), Supreme Court members (Holmes, Warren, Douglas, Marshall, Burger) exploration and space pioneers (Perry, Byrd, Chaffee, Grissom, Irwin) medical personnel (Hopkins, Reed) science and engineering (L’Enfant, the architect who designed Washington) and sports figures (Abner Doubleday and Joe Louis).

With more than 300,000 people buried here, the cemetery is involved with expansion projects. The Secretary of the Army approved a new policy, effective Jan. 1, 2009, that authorizes all soldiers killed in action by the enemy and who are being interred, inurned or memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery the option to receive full military funeral honours. These honours can include a caisson, band and a military escort.

Arlington National Cemetery has the second-largest number of people buried of any national cemetery in the United States, conducting 6,400 burials yearly. Largest of the 130 national cemeteries is the Calverton National Cemetery on Long Island, near Riverhead, N.Y., which conducts more than 7,000 burials each year.

In Section 27, I notice there are 3,800 former slaves interred, called “Contrabands” during the Civil War. Their headstones are designated with the word “Civilian” or “Citizen.”

We reach The Tomb of the Unknowns, made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 tonnes. The Tomb was completed and opened to the public April 9, 1932, at a cost of $48,000.

I watch several young mid-shipmen in white uniforms and caps visit The Memorial Amphitheatre where 5,000 visitors attend each of three major annual memorial services held on Easter, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The cornerstone, laid Oct. 15, 1915, contains a copy of the Bible, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Flag (1915), designs and plans for the amphitheatre, L’Enfant’s map design of the city of Washington, D.C., an autograph of the amphitheatre commission, one of each U.S. coin in use in 1915, one of each U.S. postage stamp in use in 1915, a 1914 map of Washington, D.C., the Congressional Directory, Boyd’s City Directory for the District of Columbia, an autographed photo of President Woodrow Wilson, the cornerstone dedication program and the Evening Star newspaper account of the ceremonies, and the campaign to build the Amphitheatre, constructed mainly of Vermont-quarried Danby marble. The marble in the Memorial Display Room is imported Botticino, a stone mined in Italy.

The names of 44 U.S. battles from the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War are inscribed around the frieze above the colonnade.

“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori,” (It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country) a quote from Horace, is etched above the west entrance of the Memorial Amphitheatre. I don’t know about the “sweet,” but the “fitting” certainly applies to this remarkable cemetery.

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