By Tony Crespi Sitting in the Killington Peak Base Lodge late last season I heard several skiers express annoyance with the unpredictability of Eastern weather. In fact, one fellow described jetting to Western resorts as a romantic adventure. Sure, high alpine resorts can boast reliable snow, and rarely are Western snow storms followed by frozen…

By Tony Crespi The couple in the lodge were arguing. Both looked furious. Most evidently, their weekend plans had gone asunder. Listening shamelessly, with other onlookers, it was clear that  the afternoon looked unpleasant. She was cold and frustrated by the hard ice on the mountain. He, on the other hand, wished to ski more:…

By Kate Robitello In my previous article, I listed the first three steps of my bulletproof list for goal-achievement in 2015. (If you missed that piece, it is still available on mountaintimes.info.) Here are three more tips that will set you up for inevitable success with your health-goals (or any goal for that matter) this…

By Scott Funk Over 40 years ago, I bought an old brass desk lamp at a flea market. When I brought it home, I was amazed to find that the original neon bulb (or tube or whatever it is called) still worked. To appreciate this, keep in mind that it is so old it has…

By Barbara Mackay Every animal must develop its own way of dealing with winter. Migrate, hibernate, or insulate; these are common strategies. For a few small mammals, survival depends on the snow itself, and the deeper the better. The subnivean zone is the area between the surface of the ground and the bottom of the…

By Brett Yates The “Christmas movie” represents a treasured cinematic subgenre with well-known iconography and an established array of tropes. It’s a distinct phenomenon, serving a distinct function: to bolster the idea of an entire ritualistic “holiday season” of consumer spending (also of love and charity) — that is, to “get you in the mood…

By Denise Simpson, Rutland Regional Health Services Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughs and sneezes. People might also get the flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own…

Does the weather have you feeling down in the dumps? There might be more to it that you realize. For about 5 percent of the population, dark cloudy skies and few daylight hours can lead to an issue known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). “There are some factors that contribute to that, and usually it’s…

By Benjamin Raymond While there are hundreds of different types of sugars, there are only a few that are of much importance for use as sweeteners in foods. All sugars are made of the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.  These elements are formed into a ring structure. Nutritionists and food scientists may refer to sugars…

Last week, YouTube released its annual (I assume) list of the ten most viewed videos of the year.  Each of the videos therein received tens—if not hundreds—of millions of plays in 2014, which makes the almost total banality of the videos kind of interesting. The only video on the list containing any real semblance of…

A few years ago, I approached Royal Barnard, then editor of the Mountain Times. Intrigued by Brett Yates’ “Generation Y” column, I suggested I write a column geared for our Baby-Boomer generation. The one-word response from Royal, “OK”, launched a four-year stint for me. My first column appeared in mid-September 2010 with the opening line,…

By Kate Rowe Ever wonder why so many people make a New Year’s resolution only to “fail” by February? According to research published in the Clinical Journal of Psychology published by the University of Scranton, almost half of the U.S. population makes a New Year’s resolution each year, yet only eight percent of those people…

A Christmas Tree farmer’s year in review By Patrick White Walking through a large chain store this past October – at least a week before Halloween – I stumbled upon a display of decorations. Not witches and pumpkins, but trees and bells. There’s no question that retailers are intent on pushing the start of the…

By Scott Funk How is it you can go to bed feeling great and wake up in the morning with a pain in your leg that turns out to be osteoarthritis? (For the younger readers of this column, osteoarthritis is a degeneration of joint cartilage the and underlying bone, causing pain and stiffness, usually in…

New years events that appeal to all tastes and styles By Stephen Seitz We don’t have to say goodbye to 2014 in front of the TV set sipping warm champagne. New Year’s Eve in Vermont offers plenty of choices for everyone, regardless of age. Here are some of the alternatives to Ryan Seacrest. Mountain View…