Vonn sets the pace in training for weekend World Cup downhill races in Lake Louise

Lindsey Vonn may be going through a difficult time in her personal life, but she looks pretty much the same on the ski hill.  Which is to say, she’s setting the pace that everyone else is attempting to follow.

Vonn recorded the fastest time on Tuesday (Nov. 29) during training for this weekend’s downhill races in Lake Louise, Alberta. Read just how fast she went and who was second and third in this story.

The American ski superstar announced earlier this week that she and her husband, Thomas Vonn, have begun divorce proceedings.

Make sure to check back here, starting on Friday, to learn the results of the downhill races being held on Friday and Saturday, as well as the Super G on Sunday.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

What’s new at resorts near Washington, D.C.? Glad you asked

Hey, it’s not ALL about government in our nation’s capitol. They also like to get out on the hill and have some fun.

The Washington Post, mindful of that need, has compiled a list of ski resorts in the area that reveals what they offer and what they’ve added for the 2011-12 season. Check it out.

Winter’s not just about skiing around D.C., of course. Here are other things to do.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

Mancuso gets a rare podium in Aspen while 16-year-old Shiffrin shines; Cuche has a 1-2 weekend in downhill, Super G races on men’s side

Mikaela Shiffrin, 16, ran a great race on Sunday in Aspen.

Have you seen our Cyber Monday Deals? We ‘re offering 50% off a wide variety of our amazing gloves and mitts and 20% off our best-selling glove. And FREE shipping for everything. Look here for more details.

What is it with American women when they ski on home soil, especially Aspen?

That has to be the question after another less than thrilling performance for the red, white and blue in World Cup giant slalom and slalom races in Aspen over the weekend (Nov. 26-27).

There was some good news: Julia Mancuso made the podium with a third-place finish in Saturday’s Giant Slalom. But here’s the reality: it was the first GS podium for an American woman in Aspen since 1981! Learn more about Mancuso’s efforts and where Lindsey Vonn wound up in this Denver Post story.

On Sunday the big news in the slalom race for the U.S. was an eighth-place finish by 16-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin of Vail. So what happened to Mancuso, Vonn and Sarah Schleper? Read more.

MEN’S WORLD CUP RACES IN LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA

Didier Cuche may be 37 years old, but the Swiss skier isn’t slowing down. Cuche won the downhill season-opener on Saturday (Nov. 26) in the World Cup race at Lake Louise, then placed second in Sunday’s Super G behind Norway’s Askel Lund-Svindal. It wasn’t a bad weekend for Bode Miller and other Americans. Read more.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

Check out these great Cyber Monday deals for Swany gloves on Tuesday

Get the amazing SX-70 at 20% off on Cyber Monday with free shipping.

Cyber Monday went so well, we’re slashing prices for our social media followers one more day.

Here are the great deals you can get today (Nov. 29), when you visit the Swany America website:

• FREE shipping on ALL gloves purchased through the web site.
• 50% off ALL “Discontinued” styles for men and women, while quantities last. Click the “Discontinued” link on the home page to see what’s available or just click here. Enter the code  “DIS100” at checkout.
• A 20% discount (and FREE shipping) on Swany’s top-selling SX-70 glove. Just enter the code  “CM100” when checking out. (Limit of two pair per order).

Take advantage of these great deals right now on our website.

Ready for a wild backcountry skiing ride? Get onboard with Maxim Arsenault

“Maxim Arsenault is one rad dude.”

We couldn’t say it better than that short and sweet summation of the new video, “Occupy Mountains: Maxim Arsenault 2011 Segment.”

The Swany-sponsored athlete doesn’t just pick wild backcountry lines, he picks wildly insane backcountry lines. And the camera work by Dendrite Studios is terrific as well, swinging from long to short to POV and back in a way that makes you feel like you are right THERE.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

Breckenridge is big-time now, but the resort traces its roots to humble beginnings 50 years ago

Styles have changed, but Breckenridge remains popular at 50. (Breckenridge Ski Resort)

These days everyone knows Breckenridge as one of the biggest and most popular ski destinations in Colorado.

But did you know that in 1960 the town’s population was 300 and many of its citizens worked as miners?

It’s true, and that’s only one of the many interesting nuggets of information in the first part of a five-part series, written by the Summit Daily News, on the ski resort’s 50th anniversary, which falls on Dec. 16.

You’ll also learn how many skiers Breckenridge hosted that season and the price of a lift ticket (you’ll wince) that gave skiers (no snowboarders in 1961) “access to one Heron double chairlift, a short T-bar for beginners and six ski runs,” according to the story. Read more.

• Breck in the ’70s.
• Breck in the ’80s.
• Breck in the ’90s.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

We show where to find the most snow and Liftopia shows where to find the best lift ticket deals

Here’s where to find the resorts with the most snow in North America.

Don’t have a season pass and want to find the best deal on lift tickets? That’s where a web site like Liftopia.com comes in handy. It can’t get you a deal every day at your favorite place, but it can find a lot of deals you NEVER would.

Here’s a sample of deals the site found in a number of states. Visit the site, localize it for your needs and see how it works.

• California
• Colorado
• Michigan
• New England
• New York and New Jersey
• Utah
• Wisconsin

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

Use this handy map from Skiing Magazine to find an opening day at a resort near you

Now that Thanksgiving is just a week away, the question is less “Which ski resorts are opening?” and more “Which ski resorts AREN’T open yet?”

The big news in Colorado this week is the opening of Vail on Friday (Nov. 18) and Snowmass on Saturday (Nov. 19), while Snowbird and Alta are among four resorts opening this weekend in Utah. But big resorts are opening (or open) all across the country, including Mammoth Mountain in California and Sunday River in Maine.

Looking for an opening near you? Check out this interactive map from Skiing Magazine. Just by dragging a slider across the bottom of the map, you can see what ski areas are open now (Solitude in Utah, Sunday River in Maine), which will open on Thanksgiving (Mt. Snow in Vermont, anyone?), and those that will open in December (Seven Springs in Pennsylvania). Check ’em out and head to the hills.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for even more.

Avalanche claims the life of skier Jamie Pierre at Snowbird

Jamie Pierre

The skiing community suffered a loss with the death of Jamie Pierre in an avalanche in Utah. Pierre and a friend were in the south Chute area of Snowbird, which had not opened, when the avalanche happened that took Pierre’s life.

It was hardly a surprise that Pierre would be in harm’s way, given his no-holds-barred approach to skiing that included his then record-setting 2006 drop off a 255-foot cliff at Grand Targhee, Wyo.

Although Pierre’s life had changed much in recent years, a remarkable 2005 story by Skiing executive editor Mike Kessler about Pierre detailed his complicated life of partying, his family, and how ultimately God took a role in his life. Read it here.

What’s new for skiers and riders in Lake Tahoe? Let us count the many ways

When it comes to great skiing in a dramatic setting, few locations rival Lake Tahoe in Northern California.

And with each year, the resorts that surround the lake (Heavenly, Northstar at Tahoe, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows) have offered more and more amenities to make the skiing there almost as spectacular as the views.

The San Francisco Chronicle recently took a look at the resorts around Lake Tahoe and how they have been improved for the coming season. As they write: “This season visitors will delight in the millions spent on improved lifts, expanded terrain, updated lodges and new on-mountain restaurants. But these developments come at a price, so expect the mountain operators to be working harder than ever to extract every potential dollar from you before, during and after your visits.” Read more.