Boots, packs, flannels and more apparel for both on and off the mountain When tackling Whistler slopes while braving British Columbia winters, wearing the right gear can make all the difference. Find my favorite picks for keeping warm in the final segment of my week-long snowboarding adventure below. On the mountain Holden Northfield 3L Jacket and Pants My go-to performance apparel for a couple years running, Holden’s line gets better every year. Since the beginning they have worked closely with Schoeller to use their C_Change 3-Layer Fabric, a highly technical textile membrane that reacts to changing body climate by opening and closing to regulate temperature. The result is that the Northfield 3L Jacket ($440) and Pant ($360) is perfect in any situation. Even better, Holden is committed to using more environmentally friendly materials, laminates and packaging. Icebreaker Aspiring Zip Numbered with a BaaCode so you can track the New Zealand flock from which your jacket’s wool came, the Icebreaker Aspiring jacket ($175) provides non-bulky warmth that doesn’t get stinky.Made from wind-resistant “real fleece” the zip-up jacket works great as an outer layer as well. Patagonia Underwear Patagonia’s silky midweight Capilene base layer ($45) keeps you warm but dry, and forward-set inseams allow for more room in the crotch, meaning you can board all day without chafing. (For other styles of long underwear , check out our full list of favorites.) Burton Buffer Socks Warm, form fitting and supportive in all the right places, the Buffer socks ($22) also have padded channels across the top of the foot to ensure the most comfort when boots and bindings are cinched down tight. I always pack several pairs of these in my snowboard bag. Osprey Manta backpack Staying hydrated on the slopes is critical and having a place to stash a snack, tools and extra layers doesn’t hurt either. The Osprey Manta backpack ($140) comes with a custom-fitted Nalgene water holder. A mesh suspension back does its job to make you never feel like you’re carrying around a sack of water. Adding a magnet to the on-off pivoting bite valve lets it snap to the sternum strap, keeping the tube from flying around while you’re flying around. Freehands Ski Gloves Thinsulate lining, a waterproof membrane and wind protecting cuff make these great gloves for the mountain. Being able to flip back the thumb and first finger tips to text on the chairlift makes them Freehands ($45). With improvements on this year’s design the overlap on the “finger hoodie” does a great job keeping air and elements off your skin while the tips are closed. In the village Arc’Teryx Veilance Field Jacket A high-tech reinterpretation of the classic field jacket, the Arc’Teryx Veilance Field Jacket ($995) has an incredible shell, finished with fold-over pocket closures, invisible wrist cinches and a stow-away hood that’s as good as any full-time hood (if not better!). As it’s wind and waterproof and a modernized classic, it actually travels with me everywhere—city or country. Isaora Insulated Overshirt Isaora, a new line now in their second year, added a smart evolution to their Insulated Overshirt ($270) this season with a soft, Japanese cotton outer and a hand-quilted PrimaLoft lining, which also happens to be wind resistant. Worn over a t-shirt and even under a shell, it’s the perfect piece to wear around the village. Limmer Standard Mountaineering Boots Perhaps the single possession I’ve had the longest, my Limmer boots ($275) are still going strong 18 years later. Built in Bavaria for the New Hampshire-based company, these mountaineering boots are incredibly durable, but surprisingly comfortable. Bonfire Hat The Bonfire beanie ($20) has fleece on the inside and a knit exterior, offering a comfy twist to the classic cap.

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A Week at Whistler: Apparel

Gear up for the next snow day with these three sleds fit for grown-ups too Sledding really only requires a few inches of snow and a tight grip on a piece of cardboard. But for serious sledders looking for more than an average ride, these three sleds will up speed, stability and wintertime fun. Weighing only 3.5 pounds, the Zipfy ‘s lightweight construction and luge-like design provide the rider with a stable base for blazing down the trail. The design allows for face-forward sitting with legs out front, allowing you to easily maneuver the plastic lever to keep the sled on track, avoiding those pesky trees when they seem to crop up from nowhere. The sled supports up to 250 pounds and sells in a variety of colors online from Amazon and Toys R Us for $30. The hand-carved Ultimate Flyer sled from Silverton, CO’s Mountain Boy Sledworks lives up to its name, offering extreme flexibility and support as you soar through the snow. With a pivoting front portion, it’s easier to navigate sharp turns, and the stainless-steel hardware keeps the thick wood construction together over steep bumps or icy conditions. The Flyer comes in two sizes—47-inch or 52-inch— both allowing riders to lay flat, either head-first on their stomach or feet-first on their back (or a combination of these, depending on how daring you are). Get one online from Mountain Boy Sledworks for $140-150 (they will also hand-engrave it for a $30 fee), as well as internationally from various retailers. Limited to an edition of just ten, the Hublot sledge is the Cadillac of sleds. With carbon fiber handles, steel runners, an ash wood frame and a hand-sewn leather seat, it’s not surprising that this is the collaborative work of renowned Swiss watchmaker Hublot and Philippe-Albert Lefebvre from ECAL ‘s Masters in Luxury Design and Industry program in Lausanne. The high-powered luge is currently on display at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. via Selectism

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Heavy-Duty Sleds

The body of a man who went missing on Ben Nevis is found on the mountain, police have said.

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Walker’s body found on mountain

The Post had an interesting article last weekend about how the Washington, D.C. region has lost most of its southern identity in recent decades as northerners move in and the federal capital’s culture, food, and dialect became more standardized. The article raised the inevitable question: Was D.C. ever a southern city? And if so, where does the South begin? Most Americans would agree that Richmond is a southern town, but how far north above the capital of the Confederacy does the South extend? Is Fredericksburg a southern town? Annapolis? Harper’s Ferry? Louisville? In some sense it’s a ham-handed question, since “the South” has many sub-cultures. Charleston is very different than Dallas; the Great Smokies look nothing like the Delta; and Lexington-style barbecue is sacrilegious in Memphis. But at the same time, most Americans, southern and otherwise, have a psychological concept of the South. The question is the geography of it. The town of Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley was the base to legendary southerners such as Harry Byrd and Stonewall Jackson, yet it is north of Washington, was settled by Quakers, and has the feel of a Pennsylvania mill town. Not surprisingly, Winchester changed hands 72 times during the Civil War. The border is obviously hazy, as anyone familiar with the events of 1861-65 can attest. The five most widely used borders are the Rappahannock River, the Potomac River, the Ohio River, the Mason-Dixon Line, and U.S. Route 40. Each of these can seem equally logical and preposterous depending on what kind of metric you’re using. Here are some of the best ways decide: Surveys and Censuses The Mason-Dixon Line is the most traditional border between North and South, and to some extent the line made sense in its time. Maryland was a slave state, home to the likes of Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman, and Lincoln had to send federal troops into Baltimore to quell secessionist riots — all suggesting Maryland was a southern state. The Line endures today and the U.S. Census still lists Maryland and D.C. as part of the South. In fact, the Census even calls Delaware southern, which seems a bit misguided. The concept of the Mason-Dixon Line today is outdated, as few people would describe Baltimore, with its ethnic neighborhoods and industrial tradition, as southern.   Roads Many historians and sociologists decided long ago that the Mason-Dixon Line was too clumsy and that U.S. Route 40 — the old National Road — was a more accurate border. The road extends from Baltimore to Frederick to Cumberland, through Wheeling, across southern Ohio, through Columbus and Indianapolis, across southern Illinois, and out to St. Louis. In the “Nine Nations of North America,” Joel Garreau noted that there are “substantial differences in food, architecture, the layout of towns, and music to either side of that highway.” Southern Indiana, he wrote, “is definitely part of Dixie, and has been ever since the Coppherheads (those Northerners who sympathized with the Confederates in the 1860s).”   Rivers Gen. George McClellan could never cross the swampy Chickahominy River outside Richmond, and so everything south of there is clearly property of Dixie. But a more frequently-used border is the Rappahannock, which is about halfway between Washington and Richmond. Most neighborhoods north of the Rap feel metropolitan while counties south are rural. The Potomac was also the effective border between the USA and CSA. The Feds’ decision to coin the Army of the Potomac was symbolic, as it hinted at the central point. Similarly, the Army of the Ohio suggested that the Ohio River was the western border between North and South, which seems reasonable if you consider Kentucky southern and Ohio northern. Religion If you look at the Kentucky/Ohio and Kentucky/Indiana borders, you’ll also see that the southern state is overwhelmingly Baptist while the northern one is a mix of Catholics, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Not surprisingly, the Baptist counties in southern Illinois supported Stephen A. Douglas (who founded a Baptist seminary) over Lincoln, who was a Presbyterian. The divide roughly follows the Ohio River, but it cuts across West Virginia, where the southern tier is Baptist and speaks will a drawl and the northern tier is ethnic and cheers for the Steelers. Maryland was a colony founded by Catholics, while Virginia is mostly Baptist with a strong Methodist following in the hills.   Language If religion is voluntary, dialect is involuntary. Every American knows what a southern accent sounds like, thanks in no small part to southern caricatures from Boss Hogg to Larry the Cable Guy. The reality of course is that the South consists of a fabric of dialects from the mountain twang of Johnson City to the smooth drawl of Panama City. What those accents have in common, according to Rick Aschmann’s research of regional dialects, is that the South is defined by areas where people pronounce “pen” as “pin.” The region he defined as “the South” roughly followed the Baptist/Ohio/Potomac border, with differences between Lowland and Inland and distinct pockets in the old world towns of Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans.   Food It’s tough to think about towns like New Orleans without thinking about food and drink, and really no beverage is more southern than sweet tea. The Post article notes that McDonald’s went national with sweet tea in 2008, but prior to that decision, one of the best ways to measure a location’s southerness was whether or not Mickey D’s served sweet tea. The map below shows the so-called Sweet Tea Line of McDonald’s that served the tasty drink in 2004. It’s a surprisingly southern border, below Richmond even. The second map is the Slaw Line of West Virginia shows the geographic dispersion of HDJ’s (hot dog joints) that serve with slaw and without (h/t Strange Maps ). Again, the map is similar to the Baptist Line.   Politics Lastly, no discussion of the South could be complete without an understanding of its politics. Chuck Todd has said that 2006 was the year that “Virginia seceded from the Confederacy,” and sure enough the Old Dominion and neighboring North Carolina voted for Barack Obama in 2008. For this reason, we can’t simply look at the recent electoral map. The best way to measure the South through politics is by examining the “Solid South” of the Wilbur Mills/Sam Rayburn/Willie Talos days in the century following Appamattox. As recently as 1982, Democrats controlled a near monopoly in states like Alabama (105-4 split in House; 35-0 in Senate), Georgia (157-23, 51-5), and South Carolina (107-17, 41-5). So Where is the Border? It begins with an imaginary line from Cambridge, Md. to Fredericksburg, Va., follows the Rappahannock River up into the Piedmont, across the Baptist Line in West Virginia, along the Ohio River, and along the Baptist Line in southern Illinois.

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Where Does the South Begin?

At least 270 people were killed Wednesday in Brazil after heavy rains caused floods and landslides throughout the southern region of the country. Torrents of rain and mud swept through the mountain towns outside Rio de Janeiro and killed 257 people…

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Heavy Rains Kill Hundreds in Brazil

The Muslims were bloodthirsty and treacherous. They conducted a sneak attack against the French army and slaughtered every single soldier, 20,000 in all. More than 1,000 years ago, in the mountain passes of Spain, the Muslim horde cut down the finest soldiers in Charlemagne’s command, including his brave nephew Roland. Then, according to the famous poem that immortalized the tragedy, Charlemagne exacted his revenge by routing the entire Muslim army. read more

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The Lies of Islamophobia: The Three Unfinished Wars of the West Against the Rest

A snowboarding band of friends introduce a new headphones line Hanging with the Frends crew means lots and lots of laughs, as I recently learned over dinner. The ” Frends ” are actually seven guys who regularly win professional (if not Olympic) snowboarding medals and since banding together in 2006 have become their own sort of self-entertaining traveling circus. Despite their penchant for making videos of each other pulling silly stunts or simply having a good time, they certainly know how to reign it in and focus on something they are passionate about—whether that’s on the mountain or designing their new collection of headphones. The latest addition to their eponymous fashion and accessories label, Frends co-founder Keir Dillon tells us headphones are the perfect fit for their crew because “There is nothing better than linking turns to your favorite music.” The collection includes four colorful styles—Classic (inspired by an old Marshall amp), Alli, Coupe and Clip—all affordable and meticulously designed to the Frends’ expectations, which is the earnest concern of making sure it’s done right. Dillon explains, “We wanted to find that balance of enough pop to express yourself, but also not so much that you look like a cartoon character walking down the street.” With fabric cords, enticing unisex colorways, iPhone and Blackberry compatible mics and custom tips for the ear buds, the headphones are the perfect blend of youthful zest with considered design. Initially trying each style, we’ve been road-testing the Coupe ear buds daily, listening to a variety of music genres through a variety of platforms. From computer to mp3 player, the earphones hold up, delivering an intense supply of dynamic sound for a relatively low price point (Coupes are $30). Creating a quality product at a price people can actually afford was a principal concern for Frends, who understand no one likes to settle and “strive to deliver all of our products with the features you want.” A “platform for ideas to grow from,” Frends plan to keep on delivering “innovative products that push what people expect out of their electronics” while allowing the consumer decide the future. Dillon explains, “If there is a demand for a certain product we will do our best to fulfill that demand.” Frends headphones come packaged in corrugated cardboard and biodegradable plastic and currently sell online from Zumiez and select Burton stores with prices spanning $30-60.

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Frends Headphones

Coffee has a sizable carbon footprint. Coffee production is known for emitting methane gases, and the fertilizers used to treat the soil can be considerable. Green Mountain Coffee of Vermont has long been known as a practitioner of eco-friendly business methods. But the company’s use of the single-use K-Cup has left a lot of environmentalists protesting.

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Green Mountain Coffee addresses single-use servings

On June 5, 2010, Mark Wedeven arrived at his usual climbing spot on Washington’s Mount Rainier. He had climbed the mountain since a boy scout expedition at age 13 and had a deep passion for the highest mountain in the state. Rangers had declared the mountain unsafe that day, but 29-year-old Wedeven was not among the ones warned. As The Bellingham Herald reports, he got to 12,000 feet when he was swept away by an avalanche.

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Mark Wedeven struck down by avalanche on Mount Rainier