[All photos courtesy of EarthRoamer]

Behold, the world’s greatest adventure vehicle ever made– The EarthRoamer XV – LTS. The only thing keeping you from taking the driver’s seat in this Colorado-made dream vehicle is a measly price-tag of $438,000.

Related: Would You Ski Trip Towing $70,000 Cabin?

And while most you think this ‘adventure vehicle’ is some ridiculously inefficient mode of transportation, the engineers behind this behemoth would disagree. By employing solar and an extremely efficient turbo diesel engine, the vehicle is remarkably efficient for its size. So if you’re thinking about selling your ski town home and taking the show on the road, this is a great option.

“With a limited slip differential and good ground clearance, the base Ford F-550 4X4 is a very capable off-road vehicle, but after we convert the Super Duty base to the XV-LTS, it becomes an incredibly capable off-road machine.” – EarthRoamer

The EarthRoamer XV – LTS is set on a Ford F-550 chassis and includes interiors options that boast Yacht level luxury. Because if you’ve got the money, a life spent on the road better be kush.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb5g-tQjriT/?hl=en&taken-by=earthroamer

But what separates EarthRoamer from other adventure vehicles is its ability to bridge the gap between luxury car and off-road vehicle. A 4 X 4 drivetrain supported by massive ground clearance and off-road tires, this ride can tackle some of the gnarliest trails.

Once you’ve reached your campsite, enjoy off-the-grid living powered by its rooftop solar panels, which are complemented by AGM batteries that store electricity to power the A/C and heating. Add in a 90 gallon water tank and you can go off the radar for seriously lengthy periods of time.

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Details:

• Four Season, All Weather Capable
• Self Sufficient, No Propane, No Noisy Generator
• Solar and Battery Powered
• Massive Fuel and Fresh Water Tanks
• Heavy Duty Ford F-550 4WD Chassis
• Powerful, Efficient, Turbo Diesel Engine
• One-piece, Molded Composite Camper Body
• Air Ride Suspension for Off Road Handling and Leveling
• Intelligently Designed Luxury Interior
• Multiple Floor Plans Available
• Handcrafted in Colorado, Built Custom to Order
• Starting at $438,000 

Find out more here: EarthRoamer

When your friend dares you to do a Polar Plunge, always make sure the surface is liquid… not solid.

*Video courtesy of Был Забаненый

Located in the Yamagata Prefecture over 600km south of Niseko stands Gassan Snow Resort. Simply put, Gassan is an anomaly in Japan. While most Japanese resorts are known for relatively short seasons that start in December and end in early March, this ski area located on Japan’s main island starts its season in April and hangs up its boards in July. Why the late start and end?

Snow. The ski area gets walloped with too much snow to make winter operations feasible!

When the resort opened in 2010, the summit depth was over 26 feet deep! However, unlike Niseko, Rusutsu, or Kiroro, Gassan is not known for powder. Instead, spring and summer skiing reigns supreme. Skiers and riders can either descend from one of the three lifts offered at the ski area or hike up to the top of Ubagatake (elevation – 5480 feet), which offers a longer and more varied descent.

Although it’s not your traditional ‘ski resort,’ Gassan is a unique place to ski and ride, offering an adventurous experience for a relatively cheap price ($40 for an adult lift ticket).

Also, hardcore Japanese ski bums can be seen hiking the mountain in August!

Mountain Stats

Annual Snowfall- 500+ Inches

Vertical Drop-  2,950′

Steepest Pitch- 35°

Lifts- 3

Although there is nothing like the first early season low-angle powder turns, we’re already looking forward to deep bases and open terrain.

Here are the Top 10 Resorts for Chutes and Steeps.

10) Mad River Glen, VT

Although a 38° pitch might not sound that rad to people who ski Telluride regularly, the Paradise run at Mad River Glen will test anyone’s mettle. The resort only receives 250 inches of snow annually so on many days, the term “ice coast” applies. Hold that edge and if you don’t– you’ll end up at the bottom.

Locals Choice: Paradise Run

9) Arapahoe Basin, CO

The famed East Wall and Pallavicini Lift serve up the steepest terrain in Summit County. So it should comes as no surprise that Front Range hardcores spend more time here than any other resort within a 3 hour drive of Denver.

Looking for a sick chute on a powder day? Wait for ski patrol to drop the rope on the East Wall and head directly for “First Notch,” which is a 1000’+ couloir that chokes in the middle and spills onto a beautifully steep and smooth apron.

Local’s Choice: Pali Face

8) Mt. Rose, NV

Mt. Rose is quickly becoming a new favorite of Tahoe locals looking to avoid the crowds at Squaw and Alpine Meadows. It serves up some classic old school skiing with steeps a’ plently. The north facing, Chutes zone in particular offers 1,000’+ of vertical ranging from 40-55° slopes.

Local’s Choice: Yellowjacket

7) Taos, NM

From iconic runs like Stauffenberg to the famed Kachina Peak, Taos offers the steepest terrain in New Mexico. Its bowls and ridges deliver a seemingly endless supply of both mini-golf lines and big mountain descents. West Basin is famed for its technical billy goating while Kachina peak offers cliffs and long descents, making Taos the crown jewel of the Sangre de Cristo range.

Local’s Choice: Longhorn

6) Bridger Bowl, Montana

Schlasman’s Lift at Bridger Bowl is one of the few lifts in the world that requires you wear a beacon in order to ride. That said, you’ll be glad you did as the ridge delivers plenty of untracked and wild descents.

Local’s Choice: Hidden Gully

5) Snowbird, UT

From The Cirque to Gad Valley, Snowbird offers up the most consistent steeps in Utah. The Aerial Tram and Supreme Chair are go-to’s for those who prefer steep chutes compared to lower-angle powderfields, which Alta has in spades (*not to say Alta doesn’t have its fair share of steeps). That said, Pipeline couloir opens late in the season and when it does, head directly for the hike to couloir that is one of the best descents in the Wasatch.

Local’s Choice: Waterfall

4) Big Sky, Montana

When Big Sky installed the Lone Peak Tram in 1995, the Montana resort went from a mellow, intermediate mountain to a big mountain skier’s dream overnight. The move, which solidified Big Sky as one of the best resorts in the United States, continues to offer up steep terrain to seasoned locals and those travelling to the resort to see what #bigguycountry has to offer.

Local’s Choice: Little Couloir

3) Telluride, CO

It doesn’t get much steeper than the access granted from the top of Telluride’s Palmyra Peak. The Gold Hill Chutes and beyond make up some of the best steep skiing in the United States let alone Colorado and it will come as no surprise that Telluride is in the Top 5.

Local’s Choice: Gold Hill #9

2) Squaw Valley, CA

From the Palisades to the Fingers, and onto McConkey’s (formerly known as the Eagle’s Nest), steep skiing in California is located in Squallywood. Want to show how rad you are right under the lift? This is the place to do it. So check me out… I’m gonna rip the shit out this!

Locals Choice: The Fingers

1) Jackson Hole, WY

Without even including the surrounding backcountry, Jackson Hole rules this list with its in-bounds couloirs, chutes, and steep faces. Although Corbet’s sticks out in the mind’s of most skiers, runs like Expert Chutes, Tower 3, and the Alta’s are all worth spending some time figuring out. And by figuring it out– I mean: “just send that shit!”

Local’s Choice: Alta Zero

Bode is an absolute savage.

Although, the US Ski Team star is constantly being placed in the limelight, Bode’s roots are as humble as they are unique. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Bode Miller courtesy of teamusa.org.

Happy birthday Bode!

5 Interesting Facts About Bode Miller

#1. He is the most decorated U.S. skier in Olympic history, with six medals. Long track speedskater Bonnie Blair also has six. Only short track speedskater Apolo Ohno has more, with eight.

#2. Born Samuel Bode Miller, he grew up with his family in the mountains of northern New Hampshire without electricity or indoor plumbing.

#3. Miller grew up playing tennis and soccer. He was a singles champion in high school.

#4. While skiing down the headwall of a ravine on Mount Washington in New Hampshire at 13, he triggered an avalanche, and barely made it out alive.

#5. Bode once stomped a 360 during a race.

To see the entire list, click here: Think You Know Bode Miller? 38 Facts You Might Not Know

The following jokes are courtesy of mountainbuzz.com

River guides have to put up with a lot. Questions such as, “Does the raft trip take out where we put in?” and “Will I get wet?” make river rats want to lean over the side and return their breakfast to the river.  However, raft guides are usually funny people and whether playing practical jokes on clients or telling actual jokes, they’ve got a good arsenal to work with.

However, in private they are some self depricating people and I like that. So without further ado, here are The 7 Best River Guide Jokes.

7. Q: What do a groover and a lady river guide have in common?

A: If the seat is still warm, your buddy was just there.

6. Q: How many river guides does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: 4… 1 to screw in the lightbulb while the other 3 exaggerate the size of the hole.

5. Q: What is the difference between God and a River Guide?

A: God doesn’t think he’s a river guide.

4. Q:  How do you know a raft guide’s lying?

A: His/her lips are moving.

3. Q: What’s the difference between a raft guide and a mutual fund?

A: A mutual fund will eventually mature and make money.

2. Q: What do you call a river guide who just broke up with his/her boyfriend or girlfriend?

A: Homeless

1. What’s the difference between a female river guide and a bear?

A: One is big and hairy. The other is a bear.

The year was 1991. Hair metal was on its way out, Chris Cornell was beginning to write songs, and Mitsubishi was in the midst of building what would become one of the greatest adventure vehicles of all time– The Delica Star Wagon.

Related: The Ski Bum’s Guide to Buying a Car

From 1988-1994, the Japanese based motor vehicle company perfected this model and to this day, it remains one of the most cultishly popular adventure vehicles of all time. Utilitarian, strong, and with more 90’s style than Kelly Kapowski, the Delica is not meant to be driven by posers.

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“Equipped with seats for 7/8, solid rear axle , locking differential, 5 inches off ground clearance, this van will take you to the most interesting places on earth.” – Delica USA

Delica Star Wagon Features

• 1.4 liter – 2.4 liter engine
• Available in 2.5-liter diesel, turbodiesel, and a 2.6-liter naturally aspirated diesel
• 4-5 speed automatic + manual transmissions
• 4 Wheel Drive or rear wheel
• Seats 8
• 116 horsepower
• Aerodynamic, monocoque body design

Find a Delica Star Wagon for sale here: Delica USA

In America, most people believe that if you started digging and never stopped– they’d end up in China. According to latitudinal and longitudinal measurements, human perception couldn’t be further off.

Related: Data Scientist Creates Fully Optimized Road Trip Map To Every National Park

A new website is using such measurements to illustrate where you’d end up if you started digging directly down at a 90° angle. Known as ‘antipodes,’ the website employs the opposite latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates to find out where on earth we’d end up if we just started digging without any of those pesky restraints like time and mortality.

“The antipodes of any place on the Earth is the point on the Earth’s surface which is diametrically opposite to it. Two points that are antipodal to each other are connected by a straight line running through the centre of the Earth. An antipodal point it is often called an antipode.” 

For Americans, we’d almost always end up somewhere in the middle of the southern Indian Ocean while our South American neighbors would break through and find themselves in a polluted Shanghai, a beautiful island in Singapore, or you guessed it– out in the ocean somewhere. The big takeaway from these maps is that our planet is indeed mostly blue and if you started digging you’d likely end up drowning along the way.

[Find out where you’d end up: Antipodes Map]

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Anitpodes Facts (*Courtesy of Antipodes Map)

• In the Northern Hemisphere, “the Antipodes” is often used to refer to Australia and New Zealand, and “Antipodeans” to their inhabitants.
• The two largest human inhabited antipodal areas are located in East Asia (China, Mongolia) and South America (Argentina and Chile).
• The largest antipodal land masses are the Malay Archipelago (Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea), antipodal to the Amazon Basin and adjoining Andean ranges.
• The Australian mainland is the largest landmass with its antipodes entirely in ocean.
• The majority of locations on land do not have land-based antipodes.
• By definition, the North Pole and the South Pole are antipodes.
• There are no non-stop scheduled flights between any two antipodal locations by commercial airline service. A hypothetically perfect antipode flight would be Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport, Morocco to Whangarei Aerodrome, New Zealand (approximately 20000 km flight).

Find out where you’d end up here: Antipodes Maps

“If you’re coming to a party in the summertime and you don’t have a two-four, you’re not getting in bud” – Will Arnett

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*Video courtesy of Vanity Fair

Image by Michael Holler

It’s no longer a secret. Skiing in Japan is profound but so is skiing in the United States. That said, there are some definite differences in culture, terrain, and snow. Here are six differences between skiing in Japan and skiing in the United States.

“Experiencing differences is crucial to the human condition. Especially when that difference is over the head, blower powder.”– Ernest Hemingway

1. Size Matters: Although the mountains in Japan are not as tall as some in the United States, steep mountains do exist. The highest resorts in the country top out around 7,500 feet the mountains but they deliver with gargantuan amounts of snow and varied terrain. If you’re looking for steeps, the Hakuba region on the south island delivers chutes, spines, and massive faces. If playful terrain that receives 595 inches of stable snow annually is your thing, head to the north island of Hokkaido for Zen-like tree runs and pillow stacks that will leave you saying arigatou. In the end, The States win the vertical battle but the Japanese win the snowfall battle easily.

Which amount means more?

Photo Courtesy of Flickr: lazysupper

2. You Don’t Poach Hot Tubs in Japan: In Japan, Hot Tubs are close to being banned as a cultural faux pas. Instead, the Japanese enjoy the penultimate form of relaxation, which is the onsen. An onsen is a Japanese term for hot spring. These hot springs are surrounded by minimalist stone and wood décor that denote their Zen backgrounds. Also, unlike the hot tub experience in the States, you shower pre-onsen and bath butt ass naked around other butt ass naked people.

After soaking, let the minerals seep into your skin for untold medical benefits. Not only do onsens make even the best spas in the world look busch league, they usually cost between 5-10 dollars to use (500-1,000 yen). In the end, paying 5 bucks sure as hell beats looking over your shoulder at the Four Seasons for incoming security that will inevitably ruin your vibe.

3. Surgical Masks Not Buffs: Stepping off the plane into the Tokyo Narita Airport, thousands of people wash by and at least half of them are wearing surgical masks, which became customary during the 2002 SARS panic. So unlike the buff in mountain towns, you’ll find surgical masks instead. Some Japanese skiers and riders even wear them on the hill, which is pretty sick…

4. Buy the Ticket: Take the Ride. Skiing in the United States is a quiet, often reflective experience unless you find yourself at the ski hill on April 1st. Alternatively, skiing in Japan can sometimes feel like you bought a ticket to Six Flags. PSA’s blare over loudspeakers in an extremely complicated foreign language and it’s annoying. In addition to the PSA’s, getting on lifts is dangerous. Many of the chairs are equipped with bubbles and the bubbles automatically come down, crushing tall and unaware dudes/chicks in the process. Be advised.

Image from huffingtonpost.com/travel-leisure

5. The Après Is Different: The Japanese don’t designate “Après” bars like Americans do. Mostly, their bars are tucked away and don’t have the sprawling, sun-drenched porches like the ones in the States. That said, Sapporo Classic tends to flow like wine everywhere and if a bar has the Hokkaido-only beer on tap, stick around for 5-10 rounds. Sapporo Classic on tap may be the most refreshing beer in the world.

6. No Safety Meetings: With legal marijuana clouding Colorado ski areas, it’s a bit of a shock to arrive in Japan, where everyone is clear eyed and skis in control (*except for the Aussies). Apparently, weed is extremely illegal in Japan and finding some green is damn near impossible. I’m not one to say that all the Jeff Spicoli, Stateside skiers are out of control but the vibe is way less reckless than at say… Copper Mountain on a Saturday. So pull your head out of the jar and go ski Japan to clear your smoky head.