A First Trip to Chile
By Ted Heck It had been a half-century dream of mine to ski in Chile, where seasons are reversed. But was summer skiing here worth the wait, I wondered apprehensively, as we corkscrewed 8,000 feet up a precipitous mountain road on our way to Valle Nevado ski resort. Our small group had a wizard at […]
The Swiss Side of Portes Du Soleil
By Ted Heck When Switzerland Tourism suggested I visit their portion of the world’s largest “international” ski domain, it was an easy sell. I knew the French side after several ski holidays in Morzine and Avoriaz, but I had never been based in one of the six Swiss resorts. France has eight resorts and between […]
French Villages Salute Their Liberators
We waved back as President Chirac of France led the parade from the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs Elysees to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe. Thousands of French men and women jockeyed for position along the temporary fences that lined both sides of the wide boulevard. Waiting imperiously at the bottom was the […]
World War II Bred Skiers
By Ted Heck During the countdown to Christmas of 2004 the media devoted much space and time to the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. They called it the final German offensive of World War II. Even though we’re dying off at the rate of more than 1100 WW II veterans a day, there are […]
Great Swiss Train Rides
Great Swiss Train Rides 1. The Captivating North Shore of Lake Geneva 2. Along The Rhone and Rhine By Ted Heck The Captivating North Shore of Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is listed as the largest lake in Europe, 45 miles long and nearly nine miles across at its widest point. But I don’t measure it linearly; I […]
Spotlight On Meiringen
By Ted Heck Elementary, my dear Watson. There are clues everywhere to point out that Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland canton of Switzerland is a noteworthy ski destination. Sherlock Holmes died in the Reichenbach Falls in Meiringen during a tussle with his archenemy Professor Moriarty. Died temporarily, that is. Fans of the famous, fictional detective […]
Arizona Rocks Beautiful Formations in Northern Arizona
By Ted Heck Lake Powell in northern Arizona and southern Utah is a man-made lake behind Glen Canyon dam, enclosed by stunning rock formations, with 63 canyons and more nooks and crannies than a shipload of English muffins. The dam that created the lake by backing up the Colorado River was begun in 1956. The […]
Austria’s World Tourism Games Draws Big Crowd
By Ted Heck One of the best examples of all the sports fun you can have in the Alps in summer time was the World Tourism Games sponsored by the Austrian National Tourist Office in 2006. They pulled out more stops than an organist struggling with a Mozart composition. They left nothing to chance when […]
Former Steelworker Saddened on Lake Superior
By Ted Heck The ferry boat had just risen 21 feet in the locks at Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, as we passed from Lake Huron to higher and larger Lake Superior. So this is what Miss Early was talking about in fourth grade geography 74 years ago. But what caught my […]
Remembering Skier Gerald Ford
By Ted Heck Gerald Ford, the skiing president, left quite a legacy and the lasting image of a nice guy. In obituaries that flooded the news Gerald Ford was remembered often for replacing disgraced Richard Nixon and later pardoning him. Some people still think that “healing” action may have cost Mr. Ford the chance to […]
