So you’ve traded in the Wonder bread for whole wheat. Congratulations. But don’t stop there. Not only are whole grains rich in fiber, protein, antioxidants, and minerals, but new research links whole-grain diets to a healthier heart and digestive system.

Five supercharged whole grains

Five supercharged whole grains

A recent Tufts University study found that eating three to four servings of whole grains daily, while eating no more than one serving of refined grains, results in less deep abdominal fat, the troublesome kind linked to hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Here are five supercharged whole grains and grainlike foods you can substitute into your diet without feeling like a health-food nut.

1. Quinoa
Nutrient-wise, it’s sort of like a steak. Quinoa is one of the rare plant foods with high protein content, a complete deck of amino acids, and a lot of iron—but it’s also a rich store of the potent antioxidant quercetin, as well as potassium, magnesium, zinc, and fiber. SWAP IT FOR: couscous

2. Amaranth
It was the staple food of the Aztecs, but this tiny pale-golden seed isn’t well known in the United States. Too bad—it’s a nutrient powerhouse. A cup has about nine grams of protein; lots of nutrients like iron, calcium, and magnesium; cholesterol-lowering phyto­sterols; and a complete amino-acid profile. Cook it just like oatmeal—two parts water to one part grain. SWAP IT FOR: rice or pasta, couscous

3. Black Rice
Getting your antioxidants from fresh berries can be pricey. A new report from scientists at Louisiana State University shows black rice is higher than blueberries in the powerful free-radical buster anthocyanin—while supplying more vitamin E and fiber. SWAP IT FOR: instant rice, white rice, or brown rice

4. Buckwheat
The ultimate utility player, the flour from this grainlike seed can be subbed into almost any yeast- or quick-bread recipe (like pancakes or crepes). It’s been linked to lowered risk of heart disease, and it’s a potent source of the antioxidant rutin. SWAP IT FOR: wheat flour

5. Whole Oats
The best breakfast grain. Dozens of studies have shown that oats improve heart health, thanks mainly to its soluble-fiber beta-glucans, which keep bad cholesterol in check, control blood pressure, and boost the immune system. SWAP IT FOR: sugary cereals

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Vitamin D is like Tiger Woods—it just can’t stay out of the news.

Wild-caught salmon

Wild-caught salmon: a vitamin D power broker

Hardly a week went by this spring without a study spotlighting some powerful new health benefit of the sunshine vitamin: that it boosts the immune system, lowers the risk of a battery of cancers, protects our hearts, prevents joint and muscle pain, and combats osteoporosis and weakening muscles as we age. Depression, hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, autism, fibromyalgia—all are being tied in some way to not getting enough vitamin D. Recent studies have even suggested that higher levels of D can benefit athletes—improving fast-twitch muscle strength and power, reducing inflammation and the chance of stress fractures, and boosting the body’s ability to fight off colds and the flu during training. Over the past five years or so, the data has been so convincing, across so many fields, that the Institute of Medicine, an advisory body to the USDA and FDA, is considering bumping up our daily recommended intake. What’s also clear is that we’re not getting nearly enough.

While humans evolved to quickly get megadoses of vitamin D from sunlight, our indoor jobs, diligent use of sunscreen, and legitimate concerns about skin damage from sun exposure have caused a shortage on an epidemic scale. Approximately 77 percent of the U.S. population has “insufficient” levels of vitamin D, according to a study last year in the Archives of Internal Medi­cine. That includes people living in sunny climates and athletes who spend lots of time outside. In a 2007 study of 20 distance runners in fair-weather Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 40 percent were short on D.

“Getting adequate vitamin D is probably more important than any other nutrition recommendation we have made for years, including whether to reduce saturated fat or salt intake,” says Dr. Robert Heaney, a researcher at Nebraska’s Creighton University and one of the country’s leading vitamin D experts. “We won’t know the true burden of chronic disease until we eradicate vitamin D deficiency.”

Our diet isn’t helping much. Even in fortified foods like milk, there’s just not enough vitamin D to provide what many experts now say we need—between 1,000 and 2,000 international units (IU) per day.

The fastest and easiest way to get more D—briefly dousing the body with UVB light—is also the most controversial. After all, those are the same cancer-causing, skin-aging rays that make dermatologists shudder, and only a few experts, like endocrinologist and researcher Michael Holick, author of , are willing to recommend it. “You can get five to 15 minutes of unfiltered sun two to three times weekly, depending on your skin type and the time of day,” Holick says. “Your arms and legs should be exposed, but you can still protect your face.”

That statement doesn’t sit well with the American Academy of Dermatology, which, while recognizing the widespread shortage of vitamin D in the U.S., insists that no amount of unfiltered sun exposure is safe. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during their lifetimes, mostly from unfiltered UV rays.

A far safer bet is to take a supplement, like a multivitamin or single-nutrient vitamin D pill—but even here the experts are in disagreement. Many nutritionists believe that the FDA’s daily recommended intake of 400 IU for adults up to age 50—which you’ll see on products’ nutrition labels—is woefully outdated. Groups like the Skin Cancer Foundation and many vitamin D researchers agree you need at least 1,000 IU daily. The National Institutes of Health says that 2,000 IU is the upper limit of what’s healthy.

Good luck getting that dose from your food. A seven-ounce fillet of wild salmon may give you 1,400 IU, but you should eat no more than 12 ounces a week due to mercury concerns. An eight-ounce glass of vitamin D–fortified milk comes in at a surprisingly low 100 IU.Since you’re active and probably in the sun more than most people, you’re likely getting some solar vitamin D, even if you’re slathering up: A few UVB rays slip through sunscreen,no matter how frequently it’s applied. But don’t count on that being enough. The most reliable way to see if you’re coming up short is to get your blood levels tested (see next page) and adjust your supplements accordingly.

“We’re not saying that you should get vitamin D from sunlight, but don’t expect to obtain it from food,” Heaney says. “And if you’re not going to obtain vitamin D from either, you must take supplements.”

Vitamin D Test

The only way to know if you’re getting enough vitamin D is to get tested—either by your doctor (a simple, standard blood test) or by yourself: ZRT Laboratory provides an easy-to-use, relatively painless home test ($75; ). The results might surprise you. Case in point: Here’s how several ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø editors—outdoor junkies in sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico—and our writer in Chicago fared at the end of winter:

MONIQUE RYAN, WRITER // CHICAGO,51*
ABE STREEP, SENIOR EDITOR // SANTA FE,33
JUSTIN NYBERG, ASSOCIATE EDITOR // SANTA FE, 31
CHRISTOPHER KEYES, EDITOR // SANTA FE,24
RYAN KROGH, RESEARCH EDITOR // SANTA FE,20
U.S. AVERAGE IN WINTER 15-18

*Supplementing with 1,200 IU of vitamin D daily. It takes about 1,000 IU to raise blood levels by 10 units.

SOURCE: ZRT LAB TESTS; THE VITAMIN D SOLUTION, BY MICHAEL HOLICK
UNITS: NANOGRAMS OF VITAMIN D PER MILLILITER OF BLOOD (NG/ML)

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START HERE: YOUR FIELD TEST
Serious tri geeks use lactate-threshold tests and power meters to set training zones. But to follow our guide, all you need is a heart-rate monitor. Here’s what to do: 1. Pick a flat, three-to-five-mile running route. 2. Wear a heart-rate monitor and run as if you were racing. 3. Check the monitor at the end. Your average heart rate is roughly your “threshold pace,” which you’ll use to gauge effort. 4. Repeat this test before each training stage in the plan starting on the next page. Your pace should get faster while your average heart rate increases.

DON’T SWEAT THE SWIM
For most new triathletes, the swim is the most daunting task. But it’ll probably make up less than 20 percent of your total race time. This means experienced competitive swimmers barely have to worry about training. For the rest of us, here’s how to survive those 1,500 meters: 1. Start with a pro coach (you can find them through United States Masters Swimming; ). Technique is everything. 2. Ignore people who say you should just stroke and save your legs for the bike and run. A consistent, stable kick is your base. 3. Learn to breathe on both sides (waves can come from anywhere), and breathe a lot. 4. If it feels easier, you’re doing it right. 5. Being comfortable poolside means one less excuse to skip your workout, so ditch the banana hammock and go with the Tyr Poly Mesh Trainer shorts ($33; ).

TRIM YOUR TWEENERS
Want to cut ten minutes off your race? Plan and execute a smooth transition. 1. Study the transition area the day before the event. Know how to find your slot among the thousands. 2. Develop a simple organizational system. Some suggestions: helmet upside down on your handlebars (not clipped), sunglasses inside the helmet, shoes beneath the bike, and a small duffel for gear after it’s used. 3. Practice going through the motions with your race gear until you can do it without thinking. 4. Chill. Spend the last moments of your swim and bike mentally preparing for the transition. Then calmly do it right.

FILL ‘ER UP: YOUR PRE-RACE MEAL PLAN
1. Two days beforehand, carbo-load. Cereal, wheat bread, soy milk, and cooked vegetables are good. 2. The day before, eat dinner at 5 p.m. Again, lots of carbs. 3. The morning of the race, eat more than 150 grams of carbohydrates three hours before start time. 4. Thirty minutes before start time, eat a gel. 5. Down 24 ounces of a sports drink per hour during the bike and run. 6. After you finish, high-carbohydrate snacks and lots of water will jump-start the replenishment process. But beer tastes better.

Slack Attack

The author wanted to race, but he refused to suffer. In the end, his train-by-feel approach worked out just fine. (We think.)

THOUGH I CONSIDER myself an athlete, I’ve never followed a disciplined training regimen. Mileage, heart rate, lactate threshold—these are things that turn sport into work. So when I decided this past winter to sign up for the New York City Triathlon, an Olympic-distance event (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run), it was with some trepidation. Besides being notorious gluttons for pain, triathletes have a reputation for being numbers-and-gadgets junkies. And they are. I saw for myself when I began training with Cadence Cycling & Multisport, a Philadelphia-based group that expanded into Manhattan last year. The coaching staff includes pro triathletes and cyclists, and Cadence’s swank Tribeca facility is outfitted with enough carbon fiber and blinking, bleeping computers to design the next bionic man.

At first, I did exactly what my coaches prescribed. I attended indoor cycling classes and fixated on my pedaling cadence. I wore a heart-rate monitor on runs. But about a month in, just as I was turning into that guy who takes over dinner-party conversations with lectures on training zones, I caught myself. Looking over notes from an early session with my swimming coach, I saw a quote I’d scribbled down: “The numbers are great, but you can also feel what your body is going through.”

That seems pretty obvious, but it’s easy to forget when you’re toggling through settings on your power meter. For me, it immediately became a reassuring mantra: Train by feel. This meant sometimes leaving the heart-rate monitor in a drawer, or running even if my daily coaching e-mail said to bike, or just sleeping in and watching the game no matter what.

So I slacked off a little. Or a lot. But you know what? My program worked. By week nine, I was feeling downright awesome. On one gorgeous Sunday, I went for a five-mile run in Central Park, then biked an hour over to Brooklyn. I woke up the next day feeling strong, so I ran two miles to the pool, swam for 30 minutes, and ran home. Then I biked the 20 minutes to work.

Surprisingly, my coaches supported my method. Mikael Hanson, Cadence’s tri­athlon guru in New York, suggested I focus on simple principles (“to race faster, you gotta train faster”). The result was a fluid program that became part of my everyday life. I was exercising up to ten hours a week, but on my terms.

This, it turns out, is the open secret of triathlon training: It doesn’t have to be agonizing to work. In fact, follow the simple stages laid out here and it’s actually kind of easy. Take it from me: I’ve got just over six weeks until my first race, and I’m going to cut today’s ride 20 minutes short so I can catch Iron Man. And I still feel awesome.

Basic Training

Presenting a completely sane three-stage plan to get you ready for an Olympic-distance triathlon

Stage One:
THE FIRST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
Your initial challenge is to commit to a schedule: You need to train at least four days a week, and on some days you’ll want to mix in a light swim the same day as a bike or run. In the beginning, your workouts should be at a slow endurance pace. (Your endurance pace will be 40–50 percent of your maximum effort: Your heart rate should reach 70–90 percent of your field-test heart rate, and you should be able to hold a conversation.) Resist the urge to go faster here; you’re building a foundation. Your stage goals: improved technique and endurance.

SWIM (1) It’s fine to start splashing out laps, but do sign up for some basic technique coaching. You should come away with several kick-focused technique drills. Split your workouts equally between drills and laps. (2) Kickboards and flippers are your friends. Use them to build good kick technique. (3) Frequency is more important than duration (or distance). Try for two 30-minute sessions a week.

BIKE (1) Ride a minimum of two days a week for at least an hour, at endurance pace. If you’re already in biking shape, push one ride to 90 minutes or more, and make the other ride a speed or power ride. (See Stage Two, next page.) (2) Practice good form: Your heel should be higher than your toes at the top of the stroke and lower at the bottom; pedal in circles as opposed to mashing up and down. Don’t slouch—press your lower spine toward the top tube.

RUN (1) Running development parallels that of biking throughout your training. Start with two runs a week at endurance pace (note that your heart rate will be higher than when riding, since running is more aerobically taxing). If you’re reasonably fit, try to last an hour. But it’s fine to do the first three weeks at 30 to 45 minutes if necessary. Again, focus on training time, not distance. (2) When possible, run on dirt trails and other soft surfaces to spare your knees. (3) Good running posture: Straight up, with even-paced strides that meet the ground beneath your torso.

Stage Two:
THE NEXT FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
You’ve built an endurance base; it’s time to work up to race distances and longer, and start developing speed and power. This is the high-volume stage—you’ll be training five to six days a week. Follow big days with easy days. When in doubt, fall back on endurance-pace efforts. Your stage goals: endurance, power, and speed.

SWIM (1) Keep up the drills, but steadily increase full-stroke swimming to 65–75 percent of your pool time. (2) Measure progress by your comfort level and gradually increase the distance you can go without stopping.

BIKE (1) Commit to at least one long endurance ride a week (probably on weekends); two hours is the minimum. (2) Develop power by climbing. On an hourlong ride, spend the middle 40 minutes going uphill—alternate between spinning in an easy gear and cranking in a hard gear. More spinning and less cranking is better for now. Push at about 75 percent of maximum effort (90–100 percent of your field-test heart rate). (3) Speed workout: Find a flat stretch of road and sprint at 75 percent of max effort for three to five minutes, then recover at endurance pace for three to five minutes. Repeat sprints and recoveries for a total of 40 to 50 minutes. (4) Always warm up and cool down with at least ten minutes of easy, flat spinning.

RUN (1) Go for at least one slow, hourlong run a week. (2) For your one or two other weekly runs, do either a power or speed routine. For power workouts, run six to eight 45-second repeats up a hill, maintaining your standard running pace. Jog down slowly between each repeat. For speed workouts, run four to five four-minute intervals on flat terrain at 75 percent of max effort. Follow each with two minutes of easy jogging. Cool down from both routines with 15 minutes of endurance-pace running.

COMBOS (1) Begin these halfway through, and start easy with a 45-minute ride, then 15-minute run. (2) Build with this mix: six-mile ride, two-mile run, six-mile ride, two-mile run. Short distances are fine. (3) Be creative: Run to the pool to swim, follow a swim with a spinning class—go nuts.

Stage Three:
THE FINAL FOUR TO SIX WEEKS
It’s time to get faster by upping the inten­sity of your speed/power workouts. This means you need more recovery time, so it’s OK to shorten endurance days. But you can’t get any faster the week before your event—that’s a time to hydrate and relax. Your stage goal: preparation for the race.

SWIM (1) Reduce drills to 10–15 percent of your pool time as you stretch out distance. At some point, swim at least 1,500 meters without stopping. It’s important to know you can do it. (2) Break up the monotony of laps by using a pull float and paddles. They also build strength and speed. (3) Try to swim at least a few sessions in your race-day wetsuit—you’ll be more buoyant and actually use different muscles. If possible, swim in a lake to prepare for open-water variables such as waves, currents, and floating debris.

BIKE (1) If you’re converting your bike to tri position (see “Shift Gears,” opposite), do so early in this stage. You need to get used to the different handling. (2) Up the intensity of your power days. On hills, do more cranking in a hard gear and increase your effort to 80–90 percent (100–105 percent of your field-test heart rate). For intervals, try two to four minutes at 80–90 percent max effort, followed by equal periods at endurance pace.

RUN (1) Increase the intensity from your stage-two power/speed days to 80–90 percent max effort and add a few reps. (2) Continue with regular endurance runs and lengthen some to a mile or two beyond the 10K triathlon distance.

COMBOS (1) Try doing a couple of two-sport combos at actual race distances and pace. (2) Sandwich swims or rides between runs (for example: 20-minute run, 30-minute swim, 20-minute run). This lets your legs recover while you ride or swim.

Shift Gears

You don't need a triathlon-specific bike. Many beginners don't use one. Still, the races don't allow drafting, so a more aerodynamic position can really speed you up. Plus it's fun. If you already own a good road bike, consider this simple (and easily reversible) conversion, and get a pro technician at a shop to dial the fit.

Moving your saddle slightly forward (which may require an offset seatpost) helps you extend comfortably onto the aero bars.

Buying aero wheels is the easiest way to reduce drag. But the seconds saved will cost you: Zipp’s 808/404 pairing () runs $2,210.

Is the down tube the most aerodynamic spot for a water bottle? No. But leaving it here makes drinking easier, which is more important.

Shopping for a do-it-all bike? Go with the Cervélo Soloist Carbon ($5,000; ), which has road-bike geometry and aero tubes.

Clip-on bars like Zipp’s Vuka Clip ($150) get you aero with minimal mechanic time.

More surface area on aero wheels makes you vulnerable to crosswinds. Be conservative up front—the Zipp 404 rim is a reasonable 55 mm deep.

The Essentials

Everything you need to complete your first tri

1. On race day, go fast and easy with Zoot Sports’ do-it-all ULTRA Racesuit ($175; ).

2. Blue Seventy’s Vision goggles ($20; ) give you wide-angle lenses for open water.

3. Speed laces and a sock-free design mean a quick entry to the Zoot Ultra Race ($130).

4. Orca’s Apex 2 wetsuit ($550; ) offers superior buoyancy and silicone forearm swatches to boost troke efficiency.

5. The polarized Positive Red lens on Oakley’s Radar ($255; ) cuts glare and repels sweat.

6. Northwave’s Tribal cycling shoe ($170; ) delivers easy access with Velcro on the top strap to hold the upper open during transitions.

7. The Orca 226 Tri Pant ($70) has more padding than most tri shorts but dries fast and doesn’t chafe.

8. Suunto’s t3C heart-rate monitor ($190; ) works equally well for numbers geeks and beginners.

Tri Talk

Master your multisport lingo

BRICK A workout consisting of a bike ride followed by a run. So named because when you start to run, your legs feel like bricks.

P.R. Personal record, or the fastest you’ve ever raced an event or given distance.

P.E. Perceived exertion, a technical way to rate how hard you’re working out, usually on a one-to-ten scale.

PEE Considered acceptable in your wetsuit if you’re racing in open water, and even in your tri suit or shorts during the bike or run. (But really, unless you’re trying to win, why?)

STACKING A smart training strategy in which hard days are followed by easier workouts. Damn, that schedule is stacked!

SPRINT A short-distance triathlon—typically a 750-meter swim, 20K bike ride, and 5K run.

RECOVERY Low-intensity exercise. This is the best way to end a workout, as it maintains blood flow without taxing your muscles. Not to be confused with the more reasonable definition of the term, which involves a burger and sleep.

RIDING STEEP Tilting your saddle forward at an angle to reduce pressure on your perineum. This debatable practice is popular among triathletes, as the aero cycling position shifts a rider’s weight toward the front of the saddle.

T1 The first transition, from swim to bike.

T2 The second transition, from bike to run.

T3 Definitely the worst of the Terminator movies.

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PORTSMOUTH ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA – On a weekend last summer, while the rest of the beachgoing world descended upon overrun sand traps like Nags Head and Virginia Beach, I took a 4×4 and a shortboard and made for Portsmouth Island. There are a few selling points to this skinny, 18-mile-long barrier island in the northernmost part of North Carolina's Cape Lookout National Seashore. The surf, for one—you can catch punchy beach-break waves all along the eastern, Atlantic-facing shore. The fishing's not bad, either—bring a spinning rod and some shrimp and you'll pull in as much drum as you can eat. Also, the whole damn place is uninhabited. Except for a smattering of cabins near its middle, all that's to be found is miles of sea oats and dunes and the Atlantic coast's finest, most surprisingly reachable beach camping. There's not a paved road on the entire island, so the Park Service permits beach driving, which does wonders for people who secretly harbor redneck alter egos, like me.

Malia Jones

Malia Jones, your guide to summer. Check out more of Malia, including an interview, photo gallery, and exclusive video.

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Fly into Wilmington (US Airways flies direct from LaGuardia in less than two hours), rent a vehicle, and drive the three hours to the town of Atlantic. Go to Morris Marina and catch a 40-minute ferry ride to Portsmouth Island (round-trip, $14 per person or $75 per vehicle; ), but don't board before renting a kayak at the marina ($150 for three days). Portsmouth offers only a few lodging options with roofs and walls, such as the unfortunately named Kabin Kamps (from $100; ). Pass the cabins by, head for the beach on the eastern shore, and pitch your tent above the high-tide line. Paddle out to the west side of the island and explore the miles of tidal marshes. Upon returning to your campsite, you'll notice, well, nothing. No lifeguard towers, no Rollerblades, no wafting scent of hair gel mixed with sunscreen. Just a big, white beach that's all your own.

The Easiest Catch

fly-fishing rock creek, montana

Hats off to Montana fly-fishing

MISSOULA, MONTANA – There are fishing purists who throw fits if another angler comes within 100 feet. In general I agree with this principle. But not in June, not in southwestern Montana. As fat, ugly salmonflies hatch and die by the thousands on Rock Creek, some 20 miles east of Missoula, the trout spend a good month slapping the surface of the 52-mile freestone river, and they don't care how many orange or yellow stonefly imitators are floating over their heads or how many hacks are elbowing for backcasting room on the shoreline.ÌýSo go, fight for space, get tangled in the cottonwoods, splash around. You'll still catch fish. Purists: There might be some open water above mile 21 on Rock Creek Road, where the holes in the road turn back sedans.

Fly into Missoula, secure a vehicle with four-wheel drive, and rent a fully furnished cabin on the creek (from $95; ).ÌýFor fishing advice delivered by a gravel-voiced old-timer who knows every riffle on the river, stop at Doug Persico's Rock Creek Fisherman's Mercantile, just off I-90 (). Warm up in town with the aspiring novelists at the Old Post Pub, where the food is bad, the music is slightly better, the waitstaff are beautiful, and the hatch chart on the wall is to be trusted, for the most part (). Afterwards, drink and gamble around the corner at the Oxford Saloon. If you're still on the poker table at 4 a.m., the bartender will serve you a free chicken-fried steak ().

Lights Out

How Not to Spend Summer

Collecting prize money for killing gophers at the Gopher Count festival, in Viola, Minnesota, June 19

Spitting seeds for four days at the Watermelon Thump, in Luling, Texas, June 26–29.

Literally watching paint dry at the National Fence Painting Championship, in Hannibal, Missouri, July 3–5.

Calling mosquitoes at the Great Texas Mosquito Festival, in Clute, Texas, July 24–26; contestants try to lure the biggest bug with their voices.

—CLAIRE NAPIER GALOFARO

GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA – The summer solstice at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is a throng of shuttle buses, clicking cameras, and vendors hawking I GC booty shorts. But on the less frequented North Rim, there's a nighttime solstice party where you can watch the skies erupt in peace. Under the orchestration of Arizona's Saguaro Astronomy Club, a score of astronomers from across the country converge to set up powerful telescopes on the terrace of the Grand Canyon Lodge, a castle-like stone building perched on the edge of the canyon (doubles, $100; ). For eight nights, more than 100 people—hikers, amateur stargazers, passersby—stop for a quick peek through a scope and end up staying, starstruck, as late as 5 a.m. Since the Grand Canyon has one of America's darkest night skies, you can see Saturn's rings, storms on Jupiter, and millions of stars glittering like galactic bling. Exploit the extra daylight with a quad-busting, nine-mile round-trip hike on the North Kaibab Trail to the Roaring Springs waterfall, 3,050 feet down the canyon. Afterwards, refuel with the lodge's brand-new Grand Cookout dinners. The chuck-wagon-style beef brisket, roasted chicken, and fresh-baked biscuits will sate the most astronomical of appetites ($35 per person). Nearest airport: Flagstaff, Arizona, a somewhat daunting 200 miles away.

Flatwater Freedom

GRAND MARAIS, MINNESOTA – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of the largest wilderness areas east of the Rockies. It's also one of the most heavily trafficked: More than 200,000 people ply its 1,200 miles of routes annually. So while the weather's best in late summer, I go toward the end of June, when the water is cool, the smallmouth are biting, the blackflies are disappearing, and the Boy Scouts hoping to earn their tree-carving badges have yet to arrive.

Fly into Duluth and pick up a canoe on your way to Grand Marais at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters ($85 for three days; ). There are nearly 80 entry points to the Boundary Waters; ignore most of them and enter at East Bearskin Lake, 26 miles from Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail highway (entry permits, $16 per person; ). A 2.5-mile paddle plus a short portage lead to Alder Lake, where there's a perfect camping spot on the tip of the main peninsula. Bring a lightweight rod and cast a Rapala into the rocks just offshore. With any luck, you'll catch dinner to fry over the fire. The next night, stay six miles away in a lakeside cabin at the Old Northwoods Lodge, bear-and-lumberjack kitsch at its finest (doubles, $120; ). Before leaving, dine on Lake Superior trout at the Angry Trout Café (), a refurbished fishing shanty on the harbor in Grand Marais.

The Backyard

ANYWHERE, USA – Look, I'm a patriot. I like beer. And having mostly overcome a scarring childhood incident involving a bottle rocket, the San Francisco police, and a hefty insurance claim by a downstairs neighbor, I like fireworks again. So don't get the wrong idea when I tell you to stay home on the Fourth of July. But for God's sake, do stay home. Something like 41 million Americans will celebrate by going somewhere, making this the busiest travel period of the summer. Even if you're the kind that digs the woozy high of flirt-flirt honking as your convertible crawls through a carbon monoxide haze—which, I think, makes you a high schooler—consider that July 4 is traditionally the deadliest day of the year on our nation's roads. The second-deadliest? July 3. And anyway, I've devised the ultimate at-home party: a few friends, lots of beer, barbecue (see The Guide, page 65), and a kiddie pool. You can add bottle rockets—just don't shoot any into the neighbor's window.

Great Green North

STRATEGY: THE WELL-PACKED WEEKENDER

Seven items to have at the ready:
1. RubbermaidÂ’s 75-quart DuraChill Cooler, which keeps beer cold for almost a week ($43; rubbermaid). 2. Sweat- and waterproof K2 Endurance Sunblock ($13; ). 3. PatagoniaÂ’s wrinkle-free Vitaliti polo shirt, which looks better at dinner after youÂ’ve worn it hiking ($55; ).4. SmithÂ’s gold-rimmed Bellaire sunglasses ($100; ). 5. Hi-TecÂ’s V-Lite Radar II eVent light hikers, which can double as trail runners, since theyÂ’re built onrunning lasts ($120; ). Drive west an hour to Baddeck and set up camp at the Chanterelle Country Inn, a solar-heated B&B where the organic dinners mean wild mushrooms, fresh mussels from the harbor out back, and, until July 15, lobster; for the rest of the month you're stuck with the snow crab (doubles, US$158, including breakfast; ). Then load up your bike and drive out to 200-year-old Acadian villages, through Highlands National Park, and, if 18 percent grades don't dissuade you, to the majestic north end, where you can take a guided sea-kayak tour through pilot whale feed zones (US$100; ). Before leaving Baddeck, unwind at a ceilidh, the old Celtic precursor to the rave, with fiddles, tin whistles, and (in place of ecstasy) the island's own single-malt whiskies.

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The Uncrowded Mountain Town

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TELLURIDE, COLORADO – Between the weekends of Memorial Day and Labor Day, the town of Telluride hosts no fewer than 15 festivals. Think about that. On any given Saturday, you might have to share this remote outpost's epic hiking trails, casual restaurants, and approximately 23 parking spaces with either hordes of slamgrass fans (the Bluegrass Festival), a gaggle of oeno­philes (the Wine Festival), or an army of downward-doggers (the Yoga Festival). But crowds are the last thing you want to see here. Placed at the dead end of a box canyon and surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks, Telluride offers as good a setting as any town in America for a quiet summer idyll. So there's only one celebration worth attending: The Nothing Festival. For three days, there are zero planned events—but something incredible does happen. Hotels open up (try the Telluride Mountainside Inn; doubles, $119; ), Main Street empties out, and a few visitors breathe easy. How to spend those days? Just bring your hiking boots and follow the directions on telluridenothingfestival.com: “Thank you for not participating.” Nearest airport: Montrose, Colorado, 70 miles away.

America's Oktoberfest

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PORTLAND, OREGON – Nothing says summer like 60,000 people raising glasses of beer into the air and letting loose a spontaneous cheer that makes Yankee Stadium sound like the baking section at Borders. Welcome to the OBF, or Oregon Brewers Festival, which takes place every July in Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park. With 72 participating breweries from around the country, it's the finest outdoor tasting in the world that doesn't require speaking German. The beer's cold and often of the hard-to-get variety—I'm partial to Allagash White, a spicy Belgian-style wheat beer. By the end of the day, the local blues bands sound much better than they are, and as the sun sets, those cheers grow longer and a hell of a lot more infectious. The wise visitor, though, doesn't spend all four days at the festival: With more than 270 miles of bike routes in the city, plus Forest Park, the nation's largest urban forest, Portland offers ample opportunity to work up a healthy thirst (rentals, $28 for a half day; ). Freshen up at the Heathman Hotel and browse their library, which contains first editions signed by the likes of Kurt Vonnegut (doubles, $230; ). Then go drink up and scream ($5 for an official mug, $4 per beer; ).

The Non-Hamptons

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK – For discerning New Yorkers, the North Fork of Long Island has long provided a much more relaxing escape than the Botox-injected Hamptons side. But as word gets out that North Fork wineries like Bedell are rivaling their cousins in Napa, there is some concern among locals that things may not stay so quaint. My suggestion? Stay home and pretend to visit. A few things you could imagine and then brag about at the watercooler: sailing from Preston's dock, in Greenport, on a restored 1906 schooner while slurping down fresh oysters (day trips on the schooner Mary E, $38; ); tromping through Shelter Island's vast nature preserve; kiteboarding Peconic Bay ($100 per hour with Island Riders; ); bathing with locally made goat's-milk soap at the North Fork Table & Inn (doubles, $275; ); or riding the 40-mile North Fork bikeway toward Orient Point beach with the sun and salt water on your face (daylong rentals, $28 at the Bike Stop, in Greenport; ). Your co-workers will be none the wiser, and I won't get in trouble for letting the secret out. Nearest airport: MacArthur Airport, 50 miles from Greenport.

True Grass

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GRAND TARGHEE, WYOMING – Perhaps you're one of those people who holds to the misguided notion that bluegrass music is for hippies. If so, you may be familiar with Telluride's annual jam-o-rama, which is a great party and a good place to go if you like Hacky Sacks and Ani DiFranco. Real bluegrass festivals, on the other hand, are about impromptu circles of fiddlers and banjo pickers in which solos are passed around with far more reserve than whiskey.

Go to Targhee and you'll see. Fifty miles across Teton Pass from Jackson Hole, at Grand Targhee Resort, the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival (three-day pass, $125; ) hosts 6,500 people over the course of the weekend, compared with the 10,000 who choke Telluride per day. Mountain-town favorite Tim O'Brien headlines, but listen closely to Tony Trischka's Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. The two banjos (never a good idea) can be abrasive, but Trischka plays with Michael Daves, a Georgia-born guitarist with a gut-wrenching high tenor that's far more Joe Strummer than Jack Johnson. For a break, ride Targhee's new lift-accessed mountain-bike park. If you can score a room in the resort (doubles, $125), look for the headliners picking and passing bottles in the lobby, and don't say a word.ÌýNearest airport: Jackson Hole.

Moon Paddle

[photo size="full"]1498501[/photo] [sidebar hed="STRATEGY: THE SURPRISE DIRECT FLIGHT"] Easy routes to the regional airports mentioned in this story: Delta flies from Atlanta to Jackson Hole in just under six hours (from $370; ). Continental flies from Houston and Dallas to Montrose, Colorado (from $400; ). Allegiant Air flies regularly from Las Vegas to Duluth (from $270; ) and Missoula ($140). And barring any planning hiccups, Horizon Air will offer direct service from Los Angeles to Flagstaff starting this June ($200; ).

TOMALES BAY, CALIFORNIA – It wouldn't be hard to miss the coastal village of Marshall, an hour north of San Francisco on Highway 1—only 100 or so people live here, and the place looks kind of scrappy. But gritty is in these days, and last summer, restaurateur Pat Kuleto turned Marshall into the home of the North Coast's most serenely stylish digs. Nick's Cove & Cottages is a cluster of gussied-up fisherman's cabins, complete with water-view decks and bedside cheese plates. Next door, Nick's roadhouse serves oysters caught out front and pinot noir from up the road. But the reason to go is the full moon on Saturday the 16th: As night falls, kayak due west from your cabin, past Hog Island, and visit Tomales Point's tule elk herd (daylong rentals from Point Reyes–based Blue Waters Kayaking, $60; ). When you return to shore, moonlit wine tasting and oyster slurping await on the deck of your cabin (doubles, $300; ). Nearest airport: San Francisco.

Lightning Show

walter de maria's lightning field

MOTHER NATURE’S LASER SHOW: Walter de Maria’s Lightning Field

QUEMADO, NEW MEXICO – Whoever named the two-diner town of Quemado (translation: “Burnt”), in southwestern New Mexico, had a way with words. The place attracts a fair amount of lightning strikes. That's why sculptor Walter De Maria put his installation, the Lightning Field, which combines highbrow art with one of the last great remote landscapes in America, nearby.

Fly into Albuquerque, rent a car, and drive three hours southwest to Quemado. At a small white gallery-like space that could be in SoHo, you'll await a grizzled cowboy who drives precariously fast in his truck and drops you off 45 minutes later at a three-bedroom cabin overlooking the fields. Your provisions: enchiladas, whatever libations you've brought, and orders to wander. The installation consists of a surreal one-mile grid of 400 stainless-steel poles in the lightning-happy high desert. The display is best viewed from the back porch, with a cold Negra Modelo in hand. Book far in advance—you can rent the cabin for only one night ($250 per person with maximum six-person occupancy; ). What to do with the rest of the weekend? Doesn't really matter, if you're lucky enough to see lightning strike out the back door. But there are plenty of weird attractions around that could exist only in New Mexico—the Very Large Array of radio telescopes, near Socorro, for instance.ÌýSpend the next night in the emerging artsy town of Truth or Consequences and soak at the Sierra Grande Lodge (doubles, $130; ).

Treasure Island

SANTA CATALINA, CALIFORNIA – In the early days of Hollywood, Santa Catalina Island's sand coves doubled as Tahiti and its mountains stood in for the Wild West. A 76-square-mile island located 25 miles southwest of Los Angeles, Catalina has retained its flair for drama because 88 percent of the place is a land trust. Charter a sailboat on the mainland in Marina del Rey (from $100 per day; ), five miles from LAX, and sail five hours to Catalina. Catalina's port town of Two Harbors provides immediate access to the island's 50-mile network of rugged hiking and mountain-biking trails (daylong bike rentals from Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center, $53; 310-510-4272). For cozier digs than the berths on your boat, stay at the Banning House Lodge, which has 11 ocean-view rooms (doubles, $216; 800-626-1496). To branch out from the sails and trails, sign up for Two Harbors' annual buffalo-chip contest, during which townsfolk gather at the pier to throw buffalo dung onto the beach. The record toss—187 feet—is waiting to be broken.

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Bahamas
Fly-Fishing

“PUT THE FLY RIGHT ON HIS HEAD” is the common refrain of sight-fishing guides to their clients standing knee-deep in the crystalline Atlantic waters off Long Island, a four-mile sand strip 165 miles south of Nassau. In some cases, the head belongs to a six-pound bonefish; in others it’s a tailing, manhole-cover-size permit. And when the fly drops, more often than not the fish devours it. So goes pretty much every experience with the crew from Bonafide Bonefishing. With everything from flats casting off white-sand beaches to raiding a secret permit stronghold accessible by a 45-minute boat ride from Stella Maris Resort, the 80-mile-long isle makes it tough to say they weren’t biting. Be sure to request either Docky or Alvin Smith, longtime guides who are often booked six months to a year in advance.

PLAYTIME: Bonafide offers day trips from Stella Maris for bonefishing, permit fishing, and reef fishing. Rental rods and gear are available, but they suggest that you bring your own. From $450 a day for two;

ISLAND LIVING: Relax in the newly developed Stella Maris’s Love Beach Bungalows. Set on five acres, each of the three cottages offers two-bedroom, two-bath accommodations, all facing a swimming lagoon and beaches. An SUV is available for unencumbered on-island excursions. From $1,365;

Antigua

Sailing

Antigua

SAILING IN THE CARIBBEAN? It’s tough to narrow down to just one island, we know, but if there’s a single place that balances both the sport and its well-lubricated after-hours lifestyle, it’s 108-square-mile Antigua. The island has become the quintessential yachtie hot spot and, from late April to early May, hosts more than 1,500 sailors during Stanford Antigua Sailing Week, the Caribbean’s second-largest regatta. More than 200 boats race in eight different classes, with participants ranging from landlubbers on chartered sloops to America’s Cup winners crewing billion-dollar boats. And when the sails drop, the long pours begin. The island’s own Antigua Distillery churns out award-winning rums (pick up a bottle of the English Harbour five-year-old). In Falmouth Harbour, where many of Sailing Week’s festivities take place, work your way from the Last Lemming to the Mad Mongoose and then on to Skullduggery, where it’s required that you have at least one espresso martini before hitting up the bars in English Harbour.

PLAYTIME: A slew of private charter companies like Horizon Yacht Charters, whose founder, Andrew Thompson, often races in Sailing Week, operate out of Antigua (a full list is available at ). Qualified captains can take off on their own, or you can always hire a skipper.

ISLAND LIVING: If you don’t feel like sleeping where you sail, grab a room at the newly opened—and swanky—Antigua Yacht Club Marina and Resort, in Falmouth Harbour. They’ll even dock your boat for a daily rate. Doubles from $277;

Bonaire

Diving

Bonaire

THE AQUATIC BOUNTY and 80-plus-foot visibility in the waters off this arid, mostly flat isle 50 miles north of Venezuela inspire a kind of reef madness among scuba divers. “Bonaire has some of the nicest diving in the world,” says Bruce Bowker, who came to the island in 1973 as its first full-time dive instructor. “It’s like jumping into an aquarium.” Just a flutter-kick away from the island’s leeward shore, you’ll find seahorses, soft corals swaying like hula girls, and swirls of sergeant majors and blue tang. Eighty-nine buoy-marked dive sites, all within the Bonaire National Marine Park, shelter almost 500 species of fish—more than can be found anywhere else in the Caribbean.

PLAYTIME: Bari Reef, on the island’s western shore, is said to be the best fish-spotting location in the Caribbean. Hook up with Bonaire Dive & ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Jerry Ligon, a naturalist who can help you on your way to identifying more than 100 different species of fish. From $40;

ISLAND LIVING: Opened in September 2007 on a hillside overlooking the sea, La Pura Vista is a five-room guesthouse with a mosaic-tiled pool. Doubles from $125;

Puerto Rico

Surfing

Puerto Rico

A MULTISPORT DRAW, Puerto Rico offers enough mountain biking, hiking, snorkeling, and diving to keep an energetic visitor occupied for months. But it’s the surfing—centered around the town of Rincón, on the western shore— that you’ll come back for. Tied with Huntington Beach, California, for hosting the most ISA surfing events, Puerto Rico reigns as the surf mecca of the Caribbean, with 310 miles of coastline. “All the other islands have open windows, but they’re small,” says Rip Curl team rider and Puerto Rico native Brian Toth. “PR has huge open windows for swells to come through.” The 2007 World Masters had surfers barreling off Rincón’s point break, Maria’s, which produces waves up to 14 feet. Toth’s favorite break? Jobos, near the town of Isabela, 45 minutes from Rincón, which pumps perfect rights most days.

PLAYTIME: Waves break consistently from October through April—pass up the standard foam board for a lesson on a classic fiberglass longboard with Playa Brava Surf Underground. Surf-school owner Tupi Cabrera takes pride in his island because it has the widest variety of waves and, in his words, “it’s freakin’ cool!” Ninety-minute lessons from $40;

ISLAND LIVING: Rincón’s luxurious Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel has 22 private, plunge-pool-adorned villas on four hillside oceanfront acres. Doubles from $610;

British Virgin Islands

Sea Kayaking

British Virgin Islands

WITH ABOUT 35 ISLANDS situated miles apart, consistent trade winds, and strong currents, the BVIs inspire connect-the-dots sea kayaking. But one route stands out: a 14-mile open-water crossing from Virgin Gorda to Anegada, a flat, coral-limestone island that was once a pirate haven with blissful beaches, low-slung brush, and almost as many iguanas and flamingos as locals. Horse Shoe Reef envelops the land in thick and treacherous coral growth, meaning boats need to steer clear or join the 200 or so offshore shipwrecks. But the inner-reef waters are ultra-calm, and your kayak will allow you to snug along the shoreline and squeeze through the narrow inlets to salt ponds, where you’ll find some of the Caribbean’s most diverse and abundant wildlife. Look for brown boobies, pelicans, herons, egrets, and ospreys flitting among the piles of conch shells. Then kayak to the north shore, where you can snorkel for treasure or paddle south to fish the flats.

PLAYTIME: Arawak Expeditions offers custom trips to Anegada and throughout the islands, as well as multi-day camping trips.

ISLAND LIVING: Virgin Gorda’s Biras Creek Resort is a luxurious, eco-friendly resort with 33 suites. Last year’s face-lift added two new plunge pools, a brand-new fleet of kayaks, and a bicycle for every guest. Doubles, $615;

St. Bart’s

Lazing & Eating

St. Bart’s

FROM PASTRY TO PARADISE is how your day on St. Bart’s will most likely start. You just need to make a couple of decisions: almond, chocolate, or butter croissant, monsieur? And then: quiet with great sunning or happening with great barefoot dining? Located about 15 miles east of St. Martin, where the Antilles chain bends to the south, tiny St. Barthélemy (just eight square miles) is the Frenchiest of the French West Indies. The mostly European visitors—some 230,000 a year—come to eat, drink, and lounge. It’s leisure as extreme sport. And it’s easy to spend $150 on lunch—but worth it. For the tuna tartare at La Plage (), on St. Jean Beach. For the tiger prawns at Le Bartoloméo, at the Hotel Guanahani (). For anything on the menu at the St. Barth’s Isle de France ().

PLAYTIME: Digest in peace on a secluded beach, like Governeur or Saline. You can also windsurf at St. Jean, surf at Lorient, and scuba-dive in offshore reserves.

ISLAND LIVING: Do like those in the know and rent a private villa from an agency such as St. Barth Properties ().

Islas Los Roques

Snorkeling & Exploring

Islas Los Roques

EACH MORNING, while the sun warms the sea and the pelicans bomb sardines, the small harbor in Los Roques, Venezuela, slowly comes alive. Here, about 100 miles north of Caracas, sits arguably the largest concentration of beautiful beaches in the hemisphere—some 42 islands of white sand, with turquoise lagoons and only one town among all of them. Gran Roque (pop. 1,600) has breezy inns, an espresso bar, and sandy streets plied only by flip-flops. But wander down to the harbor and you’ll find the fishermen. They’re the ones with literally a menu of deserted islands nearby, and for $15 or less they’ll take you and your snorkeling gear there. “Francisqui? Crasqui?” they say. “Which island you like today?” The decision isn’t easy. There’s premium snorkeling among hundreds of thousands of tiny silversides off Crasqui, a 30-minute boat ride away, and great diving in the coral pinnacles of La Guaza, which teems with jacks and grouper. But of all the islands and all the beaches and all the things to do—Francisqui for kiteboarding, Cayo de Agua for lagoons, and so on—Cayo Muerto, just a 20-minute ride away, is particularly special. A sandbar 500 paces long surrounded by a sea so clear you could mistake it for air, “Death Key” is the classic deserted island of castaway fantasies.

PLAYTIME: If riding a fishing boat isn’t for you, Ecobuzos Dive ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøs runs boats out of Gran Roque to various destinations off Los Roques. $35;

ISLAND LIVING: Gran Roque’s newest inn, Posada Natura Viva, features a quiet courtyard and a predominantly Italian clientele and can help arrange everything from flights to renting snorkeling gear. $247;

St. Lucia

Mountain Biking

St. Lucia

FORGET THE BEACHES. The mountain biking on St. Lucia has visitors looking inland, where riders can rip past waterfalls and saman trees on dozens of singletrack trails and fire roads throughout the 238-square-mile island. The best riding is in the 400-acre Anse Mamin Plantation’s 12-mile network of jungle-lined track, dedicated solely to knobby tires. Suitable for a range of abilities, the trails wind through the old sugarcane fields and offer opportunities for freeriders to drop some of the plantation’s original stone walls and stairways. The biggest challenge? The two-mile Tinker Juarez Trail, designed by the endurance mountain biker and two-time Olympian. This climb to the top of a 900-foot peak has been completed only once sans hiking, by Tinker himself.

PLAYTIME: Bike St. Lucia provides Cannondale F800 mountain bikes for day use. $89 per day;

ISLAND LIVING: The new Jade Mountain Resort, which is connected to the Anse Mamin Plantation, features private “sanctuaries” that have infinity pools with views of the Piton Mountains. Doubles from $1,020;

Turks and Caicos Islands

Kiteboarding

Turks and Caicos Islands

UNTIL RECENTLY, IT WAS SCUBA DIVERS who salivated over the turquoise waters and Technicolor reefs. But recently, kiteboarders have discovered the Turks and Caicos—a 166-square-mile archipelago in the eastern Caribbean—and it’s fast becoming a hallowed destination for world-class riding. During the winter, cold fronts rolling across the lower 48 arm-wrestle with the prevailing trades blowing from the east. A deadlock ensues, and that puts the squeeze on, blasting the Turks and Caicos from January to May with buttery-smooth winds. Bathwater-warm seas let you leave the wetsuit at home, and its proximity to the North Atlantic ensures there’s always a swell if you have an appetite for big surf.

PLAYTIME: The Kitehouse is a full-service international kiteboarding outfitter run by pro Paul Menta. Full-day lessons from $300;

ISLAND LIVING: Menta loves houseguests. An upscale suite at his new villa runs from $150 a day, including gear.

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Guts, at Work

Understand how your digestive system turns food into fuel and you’ve taken the first step toward smart eating. The process starts with simply chewing well, which adds saliva (1) and breaks food down for easier digestion. When you swallow, food travels down the esophagus (2) and into the stomach (3). There, acid and enzymes convert food into a paste-like mix, while the pyloric valve (4) prevents this acidic brew from backing up. Digested food leaves your stomach in one to four hours. Carbohydrates go first, followed by protein, then fat. These macronutrients enter the duodenum (5), the first section of your small intestine (6). Enzymes stored in the duodenum, and those supplied by the pancreas (7), complete most of the digestion process. Bile manufactured by the liver (8) and secreted by the gallbladder (9) assists with fat digestion and absorption. The smaller molecules produced by this secondary breakdown are absorbed through the walls of the next two sections of your small intestine, the jejunum (10) and ileum (11), which supply more than 20 feet of absorptive tissue. This length is multiplied many times over by numerous folds in the intestinal lining called villi, which are themselves covered by small, fingerlike projections called microvilli and which ultimately provide more than 820 square feet of absorptive capacity—an area larger than a tennis court. From there, nutrients are shipped off to your liver for further processing, then to cells, which create and store glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids.

Power Supply

Think of your body as a house equipped with electricity, gas, and solar: different power sources for different purposes. The fuel you tap for exercise depends on the intensity and duration of your workout.

ENERGY SYSTEM: Aerobic
USED FOR: Steady burning of fuel for any moderately paced, sustained cardio training (running, cycling, swimming, etc.)
HOW IT WORKS: For longer efforts, this system provides a sustainable supply of adenosine triphoshate (ATP), the molecule that causes contractions in your muscles. For the first 15 to 30 minutes, fuel comes mainly from glycogen stored in your muscles. Muscle fat contributes more fuel for up to 90 minutes, and after that, adipose fat (the jiggly kind) is burned as well. You have about 1,400 calories’ worth of stored glycogen in your muscles and another 400 in your liver—enough for a 1.5-hour run.

ENERGY SYSTEM: Anaerobic glycolysis
USED FOR: Sustained speed for high-paced efforts, extended resistance training, intervals
HOW IT WORKS: This system kicks in when you’re out of breath but still moving fast. It produces ATP at a high rate for about two minutes, using a combination of creatine phosphate (a naturally occurring compound chemical stored in muscles) and muscle glycogen. Lactic acid is a by-product.

ENERGY SYSTEM: Creatine phosphate
USED FOR: Explosive energy required for resistance training and repeated sprints
HOW IT WORKS: This system rapidly produces ATP from creatine phosphate. It yields about six to eight seconds of fuel for explosive efforts. You can take creatine supplements to bolster the system, but it helps you do only a few extra reps during power building or gives you an additional boost for repeated sprints.

Five Habits of Highly Successful Eaters


(1) EAT A GOOD BREAKFAST.
It jump-starts your metabolism, provides energy for mid-morning workouts, and keeps you from losing steam before lunch.

(2) SNACK OFTEN.
Skipping meals, or waiting more than five hours between them, can slow your metabolism, cause energy dips, and lead to overeating. Bring fresh fruit and vegetables to work so you never resort to the candy machine.

(3) PLAN AHEAD.
Look at your schedule for the coming week, plan meals, and allow time for grocery shopping. You make time for working out; you should do the same for cooking healthy food.

(4) BE RESTAURANT SAVVY.
It’s fine to eat out; just don’t treat it like a nutritional vacation. Avoid supersize portions, ask about ingredients, and make smart substitutions (like a baked potato instead of fries).

(5) GET EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP.
Inadequate rest alters levels of appetite-regulating hormones, leading to increased appetite (but not increased activity).

Legal Aid

Lab Rat

On the label of 5-Hour Energy—a fatigue-fighting drink that claims to be a healthy alternative to sugar bombs like Red Bull, Monster, and venti Frappuccinos—a silhouetted runner bounds up a mountain at sunset. I received the sample, which comes in a two-ounce plastic bottle, after spending a deskbound summer under a brutal book-project deadline. I looked wistfully at the image of the runner. When was the last time I’d felt like that? I read the label. FOR MODERATE ENERGY: DRINK A HALF BOTTLE OR LESS … FOR MAXIMUM ENERGY: DRINK ENTIRE BOTTLE AT ONE TIME.

I tend to be skeptical of such products, but suddenly I found myself tearing off the cap and gulping the contents, the ultra-tart liquid making a little glick-glick-glick sound as it emptied into my mouth. It was around 2 p.m., and that afternoon I finished writing a book chapter, did three loads of laundry, cleaned and organized my office, and took my dog out for an hourlong trail run. Shazam—I was that guy on the bottle!

The boost behind the juice comes from large doses of B vitamins and a proprietary energy blend that includes, among other things, caffeine, taurine, and phenylalanine. I tried 5-Hour again the next day, with similar results; I even scored the winning goal in my weekly soccer game.

I was so amazed by the jolt that I called up sports dietitian Dave Ellis, who works with pros from the NFL and NBA. He hadn’t tried 5-Hour, but he wasn’t impressed. “You build a tolerance to these stimulants, and when you can’t feel one, you go to two; when you can’t feel two, you go to three,” he said. “That creates a cycle of codependence.”

Living Essentials, the maker of 5-Hour, claims it’s not just the caffeine but the large hit of B vitamins that provides the punch. Each shot contains 40 milligrams of vitamin B6 and 500 micrograms of B12—respectively, 2,000 and 8,333 percent of the recommended daily allowances. It’s long been known that B vitamins aid the metabolism and sharpen mental acuity; my grandfather, a physician, used to give my grandmother B12 shots to crank up her energy. “The problem is, we don’t know what happens over time when you isolate nutrients,” Ellis said. “The combination of nutrients in real food offers benefits that we’re just beginning to discover.”

I tried 5-Hour for a couple of weeks, in various circumstances, and, sure enough, I soon started craving a double dose. Hmmm. I was on a slippery slope when what I really wanted was to be back on the trail.

This Just In

News from the nutrition frontier

COFFEE: Stop feeling guilty about your java cravings. First, it’s a myth that a moderate amount of caffeine causes dehydration during exercise. Coffee contains heart-healthy soluble fiber—known to reduce cholesterol levels—according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Another study, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Coffee is also a good source of antioxidants, including cancer-fighting polyphenols.

VITAMIN D: Don’t go light on this critical vitamin. Not only is D essential to bone health; it may also help prevent certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that higher vitamin D levels are associated with a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Most people naturally get 200 to 400 IU daily, but experts now recommend 800 IU each day from food and supplements combined. Get yours from a daily multivitamin. We like Centrum Silver Tablets, which have 500 IU of vitamin D (ignore the marketing message for “older” adults).

SNACKS: Munching small portions evenly throughout the day—rather than overeating at meal times—is good for your waistline and your job. A study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that firefighters who split their usual meals into regular snacks had significant increases in productivity, especially during the latter hours of the day.

Express Train

Trying to build muscle this winter? Eat meat.
BY CHRIS CARMICHAEL

Nothing against vegetarians, but when my athletes are training hard, I recommend that they eat red meat. Lean cuts of beef (sirloin, tenderloin, top round), bison, and lamb are reasonably low-fat sources of high-end protein and zinc. But the real advantage over protein powders or tofu is the iron. Heme iron, the type found in meat, is more efficiently absorbed by the body than the non-heme iron found in vegetables. Why does that matter? New evidence, reported in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, suggests that athletes turn over their oxygen-carrying red blood cells faster than other people; replacing those cells requires a healthy dose of iron. Male athletes should consume just a bit more than the RDA, or 8–14 milligrams from food daily. A six-ounce steak has 4 milligrams, so fire up the grill.

Chris Carmichael is the founder of Carmichael Training Systems and former coach to Lance Armstrong.

Energizers

Get the right mix of highs and lows by understanding the glycemic index

You know that carbo-loading preps your body for a big effort by topping off glycogen stores in your muscles and liver. But not all pasta parties are equal. Some carbs (like white pasta) hit your system hard, giving you a quick boost but dropping off abruptly, while others (like whole-grain pasta) are processed slowly, supplying sustained energy. This difference in the blood-sugar spike is called the glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL). (You’ll see both terms in the marketplace.) High-glycemic foods are particularly helpful for training and recovery eating, when you need to replenish glycogen quickly. For routine meals and snacks, however, round out your diet with foods lower on the glycemic scale. The most important thing is simply to remember that athletes need a mix of low-, moderate-, and high-glycemic carbs in their daily diet. Use the following guide.

Glycemic Index: Low = less than 55; moderate = 55–70; high = more than 70
Glycemic Load: Low = less than 10; moderate = 11–19; high = more than 20

Here are GL figures for some common foods. Get more at .

HIGH

Baked potato

Serving size: 7.1 oz; Total carbs: 29 g; GL: 27.3

Spaghetti (white)
Serving size: 6.4 oz; Total carbs: 44.3 g; GL: 25.7

Bagel (white)

Serving size: 2.5 oz; Total carbs: 35.5 g; GL: 25.6

Pancakes

Serving size: 2.8 oz; Total carbs: 32.5 g; GL: 21.8

MODERATE

Muesli

Serving size: 1.8 oz; Total carbs: 30.2 g; GL: 18

Spaghetti (whole-grain)

Serving size: 6.4 oz; Total carbs: 44.3 g; GL: 14.2

Sweet potato

Serving size: 5.3 oz; Total carbs: 26 g; GL: 12.5

Banana

Serving size: 4.2 oz; Total carbs: 23.9 g; GL: 12.2

Orange juice

Serving size: 9.3 oz; Total carbs: 21.1 g; GL: 12

LOW

Apple

Serving size: 4.2 oz; Total carbs: 14.6 g; GL: 5.9

Lentils

Serving size: 5.3 oz; Total carbs: 14.9 g; GL: 4.2

Fuel Your Sport

Boost performance with the right meal plan for every race.

Runners


PRE-RUN:
About three hours before the start, drink lots of liquids (water, juice, sports drinks) and eat an easily digested carbohydrate snack (jam-covered bagel).

RUN:
For runs longer than one hour, sip a sugary sports drink with plenty of sodium and two to three sources of carbohydrates. If needed, down a gel for a carb boost.

POST-RUN:
Immediately after the finish, down a high-carb recovery drink that contains a modest amount of protein and sodium.

Cyclists and Mountain Bikers


PRE-RIDE:
Cycling is forgiving on the stomach, so have a substantial high-carb snack two to four hours before the ride. A 165-pound man should aim for 150 grams of carbs (about what you’d find in a meal consisting of one cup of cereal, eight ounces of yogurt, one large banana, two tablespoons of raisins, two tablespoons of honey, and 12 ounces of juice).

RIDE:
Hydrating and fueling during your workout is simpler than with other sports. Aim to consume four to eight ounces of liquid every 15 to 20 minutes, and down a gel as needed. Roadies, set your heart-rate monitor as a reminder.

POST-RIDE:
Get high-GL carbs (cereals and breads) into your system within 30 minutes. Aim for half a gram of carbohydrate per pound of weight, and 15 grams of protein, with some sodium. A bowl of cereal with milk and fruit does the trick.

Triathletes


PRE-RACE:
For early start times, finish carbo-loading by 5 p.m. the day before, so you wake up hungry for your early pre-race meal (three hours before the start). In the morning, replenish liver glycogen with easily digestible carbs like bread and fruit.

RACE:
Make sure you have a proven plan for refueling with drinks, gels, and bars. Don’t forget: You’re sweating during the swim, so start drinking as soon as you get on the bike.

POST-RACE:
You’ll need plenty of carbs for glycogen replacement, as well as protein for muscle repair.

Winter Training


PRE-TRAINING:
Have hot cereal with milk, raisins, and juice before a cold day out on the snow or slopes. Add peanut butter for protein.

TRAINING:
Warm your beverage and use an insulated hydration system. Store energy bars and gels close to your body so they don’t freeze.

POST-TRAINING:
Hot chocolate, thank God, makes a great recovery drink. Have it with a high-GL snack, like a baked potato, to quickly replenish fuel and help you warm up.

Starter Course

This menu provides a day's worth of balanced nutrition for a 160-pound man who exercises an hour daily. Total calories: 2,400

(58% CARBS, 25% FAT, 17% PROTEIN)
BREAKFAST

– 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 1 tbsp honey and 7 walnuts
– 1 hard-boiled egg
– Grape juice (4 oz)
– Yogurt (8 oz)

SNACKS
(split between morning and afternoon)
– 1 peach
– 1 apple
– 1 granola bar
– 12 almonds

LUNCH

– Whole-wheat tortilla
– Chicken (3 oz)
– Pinto beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
– Rice (1/2 cup, cooked)
– low-fat cheese (1 oz)
– Avocado (two slices)
– Salsa (4 tbsp)

DINNER

– Whole-wheat pasta (2 cups, cooked)
– Marinara sauce (1 cup)
– Mixed salad greens (2 cups)
– Light salad dressing (2 tbsp)

DESSERT

– Frozen yogurt (4 oz)
– Blueberries (1 cup)

The numbers:

Carbs: 350 g
Protein: 106 g
Fat: 69 g
Calcium: 1,000 mg
Fiber: 40 g
Vitamin C: 120 mg

TIME TO EAT

As an athlete, you should schedule your meals and snacks around the day’s workout. Here’s a guide for morning, noon, and evening training sessions.

WORKOUT: Morning
PROBLEM: You don’t want to eat much right before training. But with an empty stomach, you won’t have the fuel you need.
SOLUTION: Drink a glass of juice and eat a piece of toast with jam. Have a more substantial breakfast—like whole-grain cereal, fruit, and skim milk—after your workout.

WORKOUT: Noon
PROBLEM: You’re heading out just as your energy from breakfast is fading.
SOLUTION: Eat a balanced snack at mid-morning. Example: low-fat yogurt (6 ounces), a tablespoon of nuts, and fresh fruit, like an apple or banana.

WORKOUT: Evening
PROBLEM: With the chaos of afternoon deadlines and meetings, you haven’t eaten in five hours. You’re tempted by the candy machine, but a poor choice now can hurt you later.
SOLUTION: You need a quick hit of carbs but nothing too heavy. Eat a handful of high-glycemic pretzels on your way out the door.

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Training: Hydrating simply means replacing lost sweat, so start by figuring your personal sweat rate, which can be as much as two liters per hour. Weigh yourself naked before and after one hour of training. (Plan not to urinate during that time.) Your hourly sweat rate is found by subtracting your postworkout weight from your pre-workout weight and then adding any water you drank—15 fluid ounces of water weighs one pound.

Pre-race: Drink about one ounce for every ten pounds of body weight at least four hours before exercise. Two hours prior, your urine should look like lemonade, not apple juice.

During: As a general rule, drink about eight ounces every 15 minutes, but adjust to your own sweat rate. Make sure you’re getting about 100 to 200 milligrams of sodium in every eight ounces, which will help you absorb fluid.

Post-race: Aim for 20 to 24 ounces of salty fluid for every pound of weight lost during exercise, plus some recovery fuel—about half a gram of carbs for every pound of body weight and up to 20 grams of protein.

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“TAKE A PLATE, MIKE!”

Bahamas' Out Islands

“Mike, c’mon, take a plate!”

Yikes. I’m really not hungry, but the whole house of energetic islanders is rising to a chorus of motherly insistence. It’s two in the morning, and apparently the living-room dance party is over. Time for chicken stew. No refusals allowed.

Oh, well. As I’ve done dutifully since I stepped off a small, chartered plane onto Staniel Cay’s lone runway some 36 hours ago, I smile and obey my hosts. Once again, they’re right: The stew is salty and loaded with protein—the perfect hangover antidote. Local wisdom wins out—no surprise there. What is surprising, however, is how easy it was to reach this remote outpost and how quickly I’ve begun feeling a bit like a local myself.

Staniel Cay, which sits in the central stretch of the Bahamas’ sparsely populated Exuma island chain, is less than two miles long and home to some 80 permanent residents. Thanks to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, it’s also an ideal getaway for adventure travelers with only a long weekend to spare. Less than two hours after boarding your flight in Florida, you’ll be an honorary islander.

My initiation began where I assume they all do: at the bar. My first evening, over about four hours and a half-dozen Kaliks—the sweet, Corona-like brew of the Bahamas—I talked currents and knots with yachties in harbor for the night, toasted to good weather with visitors from nearby islands, and learned a convoluted handshake from a local fisherman with plump, sweaty fingers. And when I realized that one more drink would ruin the next day, I stumbled past the small pool and into my bright-yellow, octagonal cottage, one of nine simple guesthouses clustered (thankfully) about 300 feet from the bar.

In a single day during my visit to Staniel Cay, I swam with two lemon sharks (OK, so I got out as soon as I saw them) in the nearby 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, snorkeled through a limestone cave system featured in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, and barefooted it across a tidal flat to gather a dozen conchs that a yacht-club chef later mixed with island peppers to create a raw, spicy salad.

With so much to do, Staniel works for a quick island hit. But if you have time to spare, you’ll want to explore more of the Bahamas. An hour-and-a-half chartered boat taxi will get you south to Great Exuma and the region’s capital city, George Town, where you can hook up with a number of outfitters for other Exuma adventures, like a private boat to a remote beach for a packed-to-order picnic lunch.

Or do what I did: Book a 20-minute charter flight south to Long Island and go bonefishing with James “Docky” Smith. Offering trips in his immaculate shallow-water skiff, Smith leads the whispering hunt through the mangrove-lined tidal flats with military efficiency. Best of all for saltwater fly-fishing newbies, he’s a patient yet firm teacher—my own Mr. Miyagi with a bamboo rod. I may not have caught anything—an approaching storm scattered our prey—but I can now cast without shame.

I can also return to the Bahamas knowing I’ll be warmly welcomed. I learned this on Staniel Cay the night of the chicken stew. Leaving the party, another traveler and I stopped to thank our young host; we were surprised, we admitted to him, to be invited. He just smiled. “Of course, man,” he replied. “You know, we’re all cut from the same rope.”

Access & Resources

The Exumas and Long Island are “Out Islands”—they’re not Nassau or Grand Bahama, which get 83 percent of all Bahamas visitors. Getting to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club (guest cottages from $148; 242-355-2024, ) requires a charter flight. It’s $225 per person each way from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, or $400 round-trip if you stay at the club. Alternatively, fly to George Town and hire a 2M Charter Service private boat taxi for the 90-minute ride (from $750 round-trip for up to six people; 242-357-0346). Booking a Boston Whaler for snorkeling trips to Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park costs $65 and up for a half-day.

Fly to Long Island from Fort Lauderdale (via Nassau) for about $300 round-trip on Bahamasair (800-222-4262, ). The island’s best coastline is at the stunning Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort (oceanfront bungalows from $325; 800-663-7090, ). The Stella Maris Resort Club (doubles from $175; three-bedroom house with private pool from $630; 800-426-0466, ) offers 24 hotel rooms, but their bungalows are more comfortable.

James “Docky” Smith’s operation ($300 for a half-day of bonefishing, $400 for a full day; ) is just a short drive from either resort.

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Despite years of carbohydrate bashing in the diet industry, most athletes still know the value of a good bowl of brown rice. And the newest U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which call for a minimum of three ounces of whole grains daily, back them up. Besides supplying premium muscle fuel, whole grains (seeds intact) deliver vitamins, minerals, and fiber. But if your knowledge begins and ends with wheat, things can get dull pretty quickly. Luckily, whole-grain hunting has gotten easier, with many less traditional varieties now more widely available, including high-protein amaranth and quinoa and antioxidant-rich buckwheat. And don’t forget oatmeal, the perfect winter breakfast. (Go for steel-cut varieties that preserve the entire kernel.) Preparation just takes water, heat, and seasoning.

—onique Ryan

SPICY AND SWEET QUINOA SALAD

1 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups water
6 dried apricots, chopped
2 tbsp raisins
3 small scallions, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced

Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander

Rinse quinoa before cooking to prevent a bitter taste. Add to boiling water and stir. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Drain and mix with apricots, raisins, scallions, and celery. Add dressing while quinoa is still warm. Serve hot or cold. Makes six servings.

BARLEY PILAF

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Sauté onions and mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Stir in barley and heat. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 40–45 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork before serving. Makes six servings.

TOMATO BULGUR CHICK

1 cup bulgur
2 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups chickpeas, drained
1 cup grated or chopped carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
Pepper to taste

Add bulgur to water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Serve hot or cold. Makes six servings.

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» When the boys wouldn’t let her play, decided to start her own game: women’s park-and-pipe skiing

» Skip the high-rise hotels for five of our favorite

» The best-decked are perfect for revelers and hecklers

» Nordic novelty is a skinny-skiing freestyle badass

» With sprawling blues, 50-degree chutes, and a lift ticket also good at Big Sky, , Montana’s newest resort, is a secret paradise

» has nothing to do with face shots and meaty hucks. Or does it?

» Meet , Canada’s next gravity-violating superstar

» Bean buzz: We suss the best ski-hill

» The new, new thing in resort terrain parks:

» Atypical , from chaplain to surgeon to brewmeister

» The world’s greatest alpine racer has an opinion on just about everything, including the best Rx for your turns

» Say it with us: “I’ve got a little place up in Aspen.” We dish the .

» Forget the tickets to Turin; the perfect place to is a rough-edged Gem State watering hole

» We hit the streets and peaks of Sun Valley, Idaho, mixing aprè;s and play in mountain-ready technical wear and town-tested casual threads

» The best new boards and skis, from Salomon, K2, Burton, Arbor, Ride, Atomic, and others

PLUS: Why are low-impact athletes like cyclists and swimmers ending up with bones as brittle as a 70-year-old’s? Turns out to build mass. We lay out a sound plan for strong bones. PLUS: What makes a good skier? In our newest column, we reveal what it takes to .

Nordic Revolutionary

Andrew Newell: Nordic Skier

Cross-country skiing in the U.S. suffers from the soccer syndrome—lots of people do it, but nobody watches the pros. The fact that our Olympians have earned just one medal, in 1976, hasn’t helped. Enter Andrew Newell, 21, a Turin-bound sprinter from Shaftsbury, Vermont, who’s using his skinny skis to pull off terrain-park tricks. In the past three years, Newell has produced two nordic-action flicks, and he consulted with ski manufacturer Fischer during the development of the new Jibskate, a twin-tip nordic ski engineered more for hucks than laps. Is the future of cross-country up—way up—in the air? Christopher Solomon had to ask.

OUTSIDE: You’ve called cross-country skiing “the most gnarly, badass sport there is.” Are you kidding?
Newell: Maybe that’s a little much, but it’s painful to be a world-class nordic skier. We push our bodies above and beyond what is even considered healthy. I throw up after probably half my races.

When did you start pulling tricks on skinny skis?
I was into skateboarding and surfing as a kid—I still am—and looked up to guys like Gerry Lopez, who added a new level of style and individuality to his sport. Plus I just wanted to have fun on skis. So I would go out and build jumps after practice.

Not everyone likes what you’re doing.
I’ve heard of coaches who won’t let their skiers hang posters of me because they don’t want them to go out and hurt their backs. And some traditionalists don’t like things in our movies—scenes of us shooting guns and drinking beer and having a good time. But we’re Vermont rednecks at heart. You can’t make everyone happy, you know?

Your movies are odd.
We’re trying to attract more kids to the sport and bring American cross-country skiing up to a world-class level. We need to show them that we’re not just these endurance “nordic dorks” who sit around worrying about their heart rates.

But aren’t backflips a distraction for a sprinter?
Tricks helped me get to where I am now with my balance. Cross-country skiing is all about balance.

Anything special up your sleeve for the Olympics?
No—I need to focus on racing. But on European courses there are a lot of little bumps, so sometimes I will throw a 360 during warm-ups. I can’t help giving something to the crowd.

Newest Rush

Aspen Highlands’ Newest Rush

As if the 1,500 feet of up to 45-degree treeless chutes and pine glades in Aspen’s Highland Bowl (hike-to terrain only) weren’t enough to max out your lung capacity and singe your quads, this winter you’ll have 1,000 more feet of expert-only vertical. In seven minutes, the new Deep Temerity triple chair rockets you 1,700 feet to the top of Loge Peak, where 180 new acres of steep snow alleys, wide aspen groves, and pine forests await your turns. The lift also eliminates the ten-minute Grand Traverse cat track out from the base of Highland Bowl, so you can exploit every penny’s worth of that precious $78 lift ticket. 800-525-6200,

Pipe Queen

Kristi Leskinen: Freestyle Skier

Kristi Leskinen

Kristi Leskinen

When top U.S. freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen drops into the Aspen superpipe this January at ESPN’s Winter X Games, expect the following: an audacious rodeo 720 (two backward, off-axis flips) and an ear-to-ear grin (even if she biffs).

Well, maybe that’s pushing it. But these days Leskinen, 24, has a hard time losing her smile. After four years of hounding X Games organizers, the Uniontown, Pennsylvania, native has gotten what she wants: a chance to compete. A gifted athlete with a penchant for alternative sports (at 18, she placed fourth at the amateur world wakeboarding championships), Leskinen was stuck on the X Games sidelines while freestyle remained men-only. Her trick for amping up the buzz for high-flying females? Taking off her skis—and some clothes, too.

In 2001, a year after she scored her first role in the ski flick The Game, Leskinen posed for a sexy Nordica pinup. The exposure had a surprisingly powerful side effect. “She showed that there actually were girls in this sport,” says Denise Jaworsky, 22, a top-ten finisher at the U.S. Open. “It inspired others like me to join in.”

Leskinen then began relentlessly pestering event managers for inclusion; finally, in 2005, the X Games hosted its first women’s freestyle contest. (Leskinen took third.) But her success hasn’t kept her from appearing in more fleshy photo shoots, including a lingerie spread in FHM in February. “If it can attract more interest in the sport, that’s never a bad thing,” she says. “If it draws more women, that’s a great thing.”

Still, Leskinen is hardly considering a career makeover. “I’m not a model,” she insists. “I’m a skier.”

Rising Star

Dana Flahr: Freeskier

Dana Flahr

Name: Dana Flahr Home: Whistler, British Columbia Gig: Freeskier Height: 5’10” Weight: 160 Age: 23

Flahr is the new stud in Teton Gravity Research’s talent pen. In January 2005, the film company invited him down to HQ in Teton Village, Wyoming, for an informal tryout. Flahr didn’t disappoint: He capped off a bold line down a rocky backcountry face by launching a misty 720 (two front, off-axis flips) off a 50-foot cliff. “We’d never seen anything like it,” says TGR producer Josh Nielsen.

Seen Next: Hogging the spotlight in TGR’s The Tangerine Dream as the film completes a 150-city tour across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Japan through December. (For a preview go to .)

Out of the Igloo: Reared on the inland slopes of rural Kamloops, B.C., Flahr made a beeline for Whistler after graduating from high school in 1999, but he eschewed the town’s legendary international party scene—his early-bird room-service job had him in bed by 10 p.m.—in favor of powder-day dawn patrols and extra hours in the terrain park. That discipline paid off: In 2003, he was crowned North America’s overall freeskiing champion.

Fashion Flahr-Up: Last January, Flahr and his buddy Ryan Oakden, 26, the 2001 world freeskiing champ, crashed a Jackson Hole terrain-park event by running the course dressed head to toe in denim, with smoke bombs taped to their boots.

Deep Impact: In 2003, Flahr launched off a 40-foot cliff at Whistler and landed in the fresh snow like a human bunker buster, burying himself in his own crater. “I was held under for five minutes with just a small air pocket,” he says. His friends dug him out shaken but unharmed.

Second Opinion: “A lot of up-and-comers only know how to hit jumps and do tricks,” says Oakden. “And a lot of big-mountain guys can ski well but don’t have any style. Dana can do it all.”

Freshest Mortgages

New Ski Condos

Want to vacation like a billionaire? Welcome to the world of fractional ownership, where scores of property-owning options at the nation’s top resorts are on the table for literally a fraction of the cost—just take one multi-million-dollar luxury home and divide the deed with a dozen other folks. For at least four weeks a year the pad is yours, along with all the priority trimmings a Fortune 500 income can buy.

Front Four at Stowe Mountain Lodge Stowe, Vermont
The 2,000-to-3,500-square-foot Front Four condos, slated for a June 2007 premiere, have plush accoutrements like granite countertops and flat-screen TVs—plus free access to the resort’s day spa. From $289,000 for 1/8 share; 877-977-7823,

Storied Places Mammoth Mammoth Mountain, California
Snag one of these 2,800-square-foot, ski-in, ski-out townhouses, to be completed by 2007, and you’ll have 33 reasons for taking on that second mortgage—one for each foot of snow. $500,000 for 1/7 share; 888-955-7155,

The Ritz-Carlton Club, Bachelor Gulch Beaver Creek, Colorado
Ownership in one of 54 condos—up to 2,500 square feet worth—in Beaver Creek’s Bachelor Gulch gets you door-to-chair access to lifts, plus a valet who warms your boots and schleps your skis to the slopes. $200,000–$530,000 for 1/12 share; 866-485-2400,

The Residences at the Chateaux Deer Valley, Utah
You’ll have views of 10,000-foot Jupiter Peak, sandstone fireplaces, and a private deck in a 2,200-to-3,000-square-foot space. What else is there? E-mail a grocery list to the office and they’ll stock the cupboards before you arrive. $306,500–$475,000 for 1/6 share; 866-658-8555,

At Nature’s Door Whistler, British Columbia
Can you really put a price on a hot-tub view of the 2010 Winter Games downhill events? These 22 wood-and-slate, 2,300-to-2,700-square-foot abodes come with media rooms and wood-burning fireplaces. Plus, at Christmas, you’ll get preferential seating at restaurants like the Bearfoot Bistro. $208,000–$275,000 for 1/10 share; 866-877-4545,

Best Lay

Historic Lodges

These days, a luxury arms race rages among high-end resorts. (Slumber under our duvets of goose down hand-plucked by virginal Swiss maidens! Marinate in our pomegranate facials!) But these elegant lodges have something money can’t buy: a place in skiing history.

Sun Valley Lodge Sun Valley, Idaho
Built in 1936, Sun Valley Lodge was the first destination ski resort in America. But don’t get the impression this is just a place to dress up in ski woolens, smoke Lucky Strikes, and have a sepia-tone weekend. The lodge’s 148 rooms were remodeled last season. Rent room 206 and tip a tumbler to Hemingway—that’s where Papa finished For Whom the Bell Tolls. Midwinter doubles from $189; 800-786-8259,

Sonnenalp Resort Vail, Colorado
Fourth-generation Bavarian hotelier Johannes Faessler has achieved gemütlichkeit-in-the-Rockies at the Sonnenalp, his 88-suite, alpen-swank resort. Watch for 40 more rooms to come this December. Midwinter doubles from $675; 866-284-4411,

Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley, Utah
Its Norwegian-inspired architecture makes this the handsomest of ski-country digs, but it’s the service that keeps fans returning. At the end of the day, thoughtful valets unbuckle your boots, toss them onto a warmer, stash your skis, and hand you a cup of cocoa. Midwinter doubles from $700; 800-453-1302,

Mount Washington Hotel Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
This 200-room 1902 Spanish Renaissance structure was rescued from demolition in the eighties. Good thing. It’s at the foot of the Presidential Range, with 60 miles of groomed nordic skiing out back and Bretton Woods just across the street. Midwinter doubles from $280; 800-314-1752,

Post Hotel Lake Louise, Alberta
How many hotels can boast a 29,000-bottle wine cellar, with some bottles dating to 1942, the year the lodge opened? The 97-room Post is also a five-minute shuttle ride from Lake Louise’s 4,200 skiable acres. Midwinter doubles from US$215; 800-661-1586,

Sexiest Sponsorship

Carrie Jo Chernoff: Sexiest Sponsorship

“I myself am not a porn star,” says Carrie Jo Chernoff, 31, a top-ranked big-mountain specialist on the world freeskiing tour. It’s an assumption the Crested Butte, Colorado–based skier has had to frequently quash since she signed a sponsorship deal with XXX cable channel the Erotic Network (TEN). A year ago, Chernoff was working as a personal trainer and massage therapist for Michael Weiner, the CEO of TEN’s parent company, the $46-million-a-year, Boulder-based New Frontier Media. Perhaps owing to some confusion over the definition of “ski porn”—a term applied to thrill-a-minute ski flicks—Weiner thought Chernoff would make a good addition to TEN’s talent pool. She may never bare all, but Chernoff’s helmet and skis bear the distinctive TEN logo. Like most top skiers, Chernoff has her pick of gear, plus a comfy travel budget. But it’s doubtful that anyone else can match the TEN-supplied cheering section of bleach-blond, fur-collared boosters. No, boys, that’s not just 700-fill down in their parkas.

Sweetest Steeps

Moonlight Basin, MT: The Sweetest Steeps

At first glance, Moonlight Basin, Montana, wears a sleepy smile with its skein of lazy, near-empty blue runs, but beware: That soporific grin hides fangs. Just look up—way up—to the Headwaters, a snarl of a headwall that’s striped with a dozen lift-served chutes that can tip 50 degrees or more in spots. Whether you’re a snow bunny or a sick bird, though, Moonlight offers the best of both worlds. When the lifts close, head to the lodge, a grand timber-and-stone palace anchored by a central fireplace so lofty that stuffed mountain goats pose on its rocky chimney. And there’s more: Moonlight and neighbor Big Sky Resort have stopped their Cold War–like bickering and wisely joined forces. Buy the Lone Peak ticket this winter and ski a linked, Euro-style spraddle of 5,300 acres. Ah, the fruits of détente. Moonlight (full-day adult), $40; Lone Peak (full-day adult), $78; 877-822-0430,

Slick!

Score a perfect ride—floating in powder, grabbing big air, blitzing the entire hill—with the best new skis and snowboards

The Confidence Builder
Fischer AMC 76
Length tested: 182 // Sidecut: 120-76-106 (tip-waist-tail)
Wood-core skis are justly celebrated for their lively feel, but Fischer’s new AMC proves that a weight-shaving wood-and-carbon-fiber core blend can run with (and past) the best of them. Credit the ski’s patented Railflex2 integrated binding system, which settles the boot into the ski’s chassis and allows an even and consistent flex throughout. On multiple laps at Colorado’s Aspen Highlands, my AMC 76 bit into firm groomers like a pit bull, but the adequate waist width helped it ride comfortably through variable crud once I got off the manicured trails. The most versatile ski of the bunch. $1,050, bindings included;

The Masterpiece
Zai Siegiu
Length tested: 170 // Sidecut: 118-76-103
Part art project, part trophy ski, Zai planks are handcrafted in Switzerland. Yeah, they’re showy, but they’re also top-flight performers. They shined brightest on hard snow at slightly slower speeds, thanks to easy turn initiation and strong edge hold. An ash-and-titanal topsheet damped vibration nicely on high-speed blues, and the shorter length helped them jitterbug nimbly through thigh-blasting bump runs. They’re not wide enough to excel on powder days, but you can’t have it all, even for the price of a Zermatt vacation. $3,500, bindings, poles, and ski bag included;

The Punk Rider
Atomic Sweet Daddy
Length tested: 181 // Sidecut: 119-80-105
It’s a shame that all absent-father problems aren’t so easily fixed. Filling a significant gap in Atomic’s lineup, the Sweet Daddy stands out with slim dimensions, a lightweight foam core, and a slightly shallower sidecut than that found on its brethren, the Big Daddy and the Sugar Daddy. This ski was happiest carving sweeping, powdery turns, but it also rips just fine on firm steeps. Atomic’s Beta Cap design minimizes ski twist when on edge, providing superior grip. The reasonable price and understated graphics belie this ski’s power and control. $749 (skis only);

The Mixed Master
Völkl Unlimited AC4
Length tested: 184 // Sidecut: 125-82-110
Völkl has come a long way from its racers-only pedigree. And the Unlimited best represents the brand’s growing commitment to high-performance, all-mountain planks. Benefiting from Völkl’s new double-grip design—a raised profile on both sides of the ski to better transfer energy to the edges—and a lively popple-wood core, this ski instantly elevates any skier’s ability. In Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s Phoenix Bowl, which offers some of the most intense lift-accessed runs in the West, the Unlimited ran fast and sure over a variety of terrain, arcing across sun-baked bumps, through crusty glades, and into tracked-up powder without missing a beat. $1,065, bindings included;

The Phat Cat
K2 Apache Outlaw
Length tested: 181 // Sidecut: 124-88-111
If you have a search-and-destroy attitude about powder stashes, the Outlaw is all the ski you need. It reigns supreme in knee-deep, whether you’re in bounds or outside the ropes. The wide platform skittered a little on hard snow but made up for it in the soft stuff, where it powered through variably deep, jerky, and at times perfect powder with gunslinging authority. A weight-saving alloy layer and touch of flex make the big boards surprisingly responsive in the bumps, while they still cut long, gracious GS turns on lower-mountain runouts. $875 (skis only);

The Soul Slider
Salomon Teneighty Gun
Length tested: 185 // Sidecut: 122-90-115
The foam-core Teneighty Gun, with its surf-inspired name, is a slightly stiffer version of the Pocket Rocket, Salomon’s pioneering twin-tip powder plank. At Crested Butte, these all-mountain skis were perfect for the north face’s chutes, bumps, and trees. They also provided a blissfully chatter-free joyride on a high-speed, mile-long cruiser. These skis are too wide for a full day carving hardpack, but if you seek out the softer parts of the hill, the Guns will have you chasing an endless winter. $795 (skis only);

Slick!

The Latest Snowboards

Ice Queen
Lib-Tech Dark Series
Length tested: 161
The radically designed Dark Series Magnetraction comes with a secret weapon that can turn East Coast ice into West Coast corduroy. Lib-Tech took a page from hockey skates, which employ subtle contact points along the blade to enhance bite, and created a revolutionary sidecut by applying similar points along the board’s edges. The effect is obvious: The board grabbed instantly when I leaned into a turn. But while it excels on ice and handles groomed terrain just fine, beware of crud and bumps: Those points can catch on stuff that you’d ordinarily blast through. $599;

All-Mountain Master
Ride Timeless
Length tested: 161
If you like to board the entire mountain, grab this reinvented classic. It delivers great versatility, courtesy of a few smart updates. A layer cake of precisely sculpted fiberglass-covered wood distributes your weight along the board’s entire edge for superior control, a damper in the nose smooths out the ride, and multiple radius angles along the sidecut allow you to flow easily into and out of tight and fast turns. From swooping into the halfpipe to nailing quick cuts in a forested glade, there’s nothing the Timeless can’t do. $500;

The Fresh Hero
Arbor Abacus
Length tested: 163
The Abacus is built for powder. Its key ingredient? Bounce. For such a wide and long board, the koa-topped deck flexes like a trampoline. Combine that with a rearward stance and a massive shovel-head at the tip and the board tracks superbly through a foot of fresh. Since the nose won’t dive, I was able to charge into anything—trees, moguls, kickers—with confidence. When everything’s tracked out, though, the Abacus loses its magic. Instead of cutting through crud, it rides up and over it, making for one helluva bumpy trip. $499;

Cruise Liner
K2 Zeppelin
Length tested: 161
You wouldn’t know it from snowboard ads, but there are plenty of happy riders who like nothing better than fast and wide groomers. If that’s you, your board has arrived. This year’s Zeppelin, an updated version of a K2 stalwart, uses damping pads under each foot to suck up vibration and give you a flat, smooth, and speedy ride. The price of such stability? It takes work to snap the Zep from side to side in an aspen glade or narrow gully. $480;

Sky Surfer
Burton Vapor
Length tested: 160
Boarding’s fat and happy grandfather is suddenly obsessed with dropping weight. Exhibit A: the new Vapor. At five pounds ten ounces, it’s the lightest board Burton’s ever rolled out, thanks to aluminum-and-carbon-fiber construction and a set of dialed-down binding hardware. The binding options favor a wider stance, which suits the Vapor’s forte: aerials. Instead of becoming dead weight when you launch off a catwalk or kicker, this pipe rider feels like an extension of your feet—360 spins and big-air rail grabs will suddenly seem temptingly possible. $900;

Little Big Board
Salomon L.O.F.T.
Length tested: 160
Salomon also wanted a trim-down, so it sent its popular ERA model to fat camp over the summer. It came back with a new name, L.O.F.T. (Light– weight Optimum Feel Technology) and a Kevlar-reinforced core wrapped in ultralight aspen. A raised center beam helps the board handle aggressive, high-speed descents like a much longer and fatter deck, while its moderate hips make tight turns a snap. On powder days it struggles to stay afloat, but overall this board is a beginner’s dream: stable, responsive, and forgiving of shaky form. $700;

Snow Jobs

The Best Ski-Town Gigs

gabe schroder

ALL PLAY: Gabe Schroder commutes to work in Ketchum.

Pining for turns but not willing to ditch your career? Don’t worry—you don’t have to be a liftie to ski like one. Here are four winners who balance work and play.

Gabe Schroder, 31, Ketchum, Idaho
Gig: Ski and outdoor promotions manager at Smith Optics. On the Clock: Manages Smith-sponsored athletes and throws parties to hype the brand. On the Slopes: At nearby Sun Valley five days a week, plus a trip this spring into Alaska’s Chugach Mountains to check in on Smith’s heli-skiing operation.

Tom Hackett, 38, Vail, Colorado
Gig: Orthopedic surgeon at the renowned Steadman-Hawkins Clinic. On the Clock: Performs up to five shoulder surgeries a day, including many on NFL, NBA, and MLB stars. On the Slopes: Three times a week—unless he’s ice-climbing the East Vail chutes.

Tom Perry, 51, Angel Fire, New Mexico
Gig: Chaplain at Taos Ski Valley. On the Clock: Gives two 15-minute mountaintop sermons on Sundays. On the Slopes: Whenever he wants—Taos grants him a season pass for his services.

Jason Senior, 30, Mammoth, California
Gig: Brewer at Mammoth Brewing Company. On the Clock: Manages all facets of brewing, from boiling and milling grain to taste-testing his concoctions; works nine to five, twelve to eight, or two to ten, depending on snow quality. On the Slopes: Three days a week, plus powder days and “runs” to check in on the resort pubs that serve his beer.

Supercharged Recharge

Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa

After a few days of banging down icy East Coast bumps, the beer-and-Advil combo stops working. You need professional healing. The new daylong Skier Recovery Package at Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa, in Stowe, Vermont, includes a 50-minute deep-pressure rubdown with pain-relieving arnica-infused oil (oooh), a bio-maple facial to halt the Redfording of your mug (ahhhh), and access to two heated waterfalls and a Hungarian mineral pool (yes! yes!). The next day? It’s back to brews and ibuprofen. $210; 800-253-2232,

Newest Trickster Terrain

Echo Mountain, CO: The Newest Trickster Terrain

A 15-year-old launching 50 feet over a monster gap may be sheer lunacy to some old-schoolers, but that kid represents a new generation of resortgoers. Slopes across the map have amped up their tricky topography, but Echo Mountain, 35 miles west of Denver, will become the first hill in the country to be custom-built from the ground up as a terrain park. Music from the likes of Ludacris will thump across 30 acres of jumps and pipes built by Planet Snow Design (the same crew that designed the superpipe at the 2002 Winter Games), and the 8,000-square-foot base lodge, with its austere industrial styling, will resemble a SoHo loft. Whether or not Echo opens before Christmas is TBD, but one thing’s for sure: It will break the mold. “We’re not going to have million-dollar homes and straight blue groomers,” says General Manager Doug Donovan. “Your mom won’t like this.” Full-day adult lift ticket, $30; 720-226-0636,

Supreme Caffeine

The Best Slopeside Coffee

coffee

MO' 'SPRO, BRO? Java on 4th owner Todd Rippo works the deck.

Rousing yourself at the rooster’s cry for fresh tracks is no easy feat. But more cafés than ever are roasting their own beans and treating the resulting brew like fine wine, leaving myriad options for eye-popping ski-town java.

Java on 4th Ketchum, Idaho
The ’62 Continental is a gentle hit on the espresso Richter scale: mild and dark. You don’t have to be a connoisseur to appreciate it. 208-726-2882

Camp 4 Coffee Crested Butte, Colorado
For a swift kick in the ski pants, sip the Sledgehammer espresso blend. Delicious, dark, and complex, it’s like drinking a 30-year-old Bordeaux—without staining your teeth red. 970-349-5148

Java Junction South Lake Tahoe, California
Take a seat round the deck’s fire pit and swig local roaster Alpen Sierra’s traditional Italian blend for a dark, intensely drinkable espresso with an oaky finish. 530-659-7453

Oso Negro Nelson, British Columbia
Grab a shot of whatever’s in the “hopper” for a multifaceted espresso experience. Or toss back the Princess of Darkness blend. 877-232-6489

Coolest Numbers

Cool Statistics

Oldest Destination Ski Resort in the U.S.: Sun Valley, Idaho (opened in 1936).

First Indoor-Skiing Snow Dome in the U.S.: Meadowlands Xanadu, in East Rutherford, New Jersey (opening in 2007).

Highest Chairlift in North America: Breckenridge, Colorado’s new Imperial Express Superchair (top: 12,840 feet).

Lowest Major Ski Resort in North America: Alyeska Resort, in Girdwood, Alaska (base: 250 feet).

Most Innovative Lift in North America: A 575-foot tunnel under construction at Snowbird, Utah, that will deliver skiers via conveyor belt to Mineral Basin.

Highest Annual Average Snowfall of Any Lift-Served Ski Area in North America: 647 inches, Mount Baker Ski Area, Washington.

Longest Ski Season in the U.S.: Timberline, on Mount Hood, Oregon; typically closes around Labor Day.

Most Elbow Room in North America: Montana’s Yellowstone Club (motto: “Private powder”), whose 2,200-plus acres are skied by a maximum 864 members at any given time. The hitch? Entry-level price for a must-have homesite is $2 million.

Most Vertical Drop in North America: Mount MacKenzie Resort—under construction outside of Revelstoke, B.C.—has 6,100 feet, 800 feet more than Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., the current record holder.

Best Christmas Present Ever: 15 feet of snow in 15 days, from December 26, 2004, to January 12, 2005, at Mammoth Mountain, California. The resort stayed open until the Fourth of July.

Most Chill Lounge Acts

Après-Ski Bars

river run day lodge

Bittersweet: Flahr and Leskinen sipping bubbly at River Run Day Lodge

Swilling slopeside after a day of ripping powder and thrashing moguls is a beloved alpine tradition. Here are five base-of-the-mountain bars where, as the libations flow, the stories are guaranteed to grow.

River Run Day Lodge Ketchum, Idaho
All roads lead to River Run—or at least all trails do. The slopes down Bald Mountain’s southeast flank allow a hasty descent to the heated back deck. Order Like a Local: Champagne Cocktail—a sugar cube soaked in bitters, then doused with champagne. 208-622-6136

Los Amigos Vail, Colorado
On a sunny day, better point ’em to this Vail Village landmark by 3 p.m. to get a seat on the narrow deck. The afternoon sun slow-roasts Los’s patrons to habanero-red. Order Like a Local: A carafe of tart margaritas. 970-476-5847

Bear Mountain Base Lodge Killington, Vermont
Shoehorn yourself onto Bear Mountain’s crowded deck to watch the gifted and the gripped pinball down Outer Limits, the steepest bump run in the East. Order Like a Local: Magic Hat Brewing Co.’s #9, a Vermont specialty. 802-422-3333

Hotel St. Bernard Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
The St. Bernard—with its deck at the base of Snake Dance—is a cherished throwback. Follow the smoke to grilled-brat bliss. Order Like a Local: The St. Bernard—Kahlúa, Myers’s rum, Wild Turkey, and hot chocolate. 505-776-2251

Grizzly’s Stratton Mountain, Vermont
On weekends, Stratton’s universe revolves around Grizzly’s base-area deck. Order Like a Local: Long Trail Ale, from Vermont’s Long Trail Brewing Co. 802-297-2200

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