Vail Athletic Club Bargain

Whether you're in it for the fitness machines, the classes or the tri-bathalon (sauna, hot tub and steam bath, my personal favorite,) and lets not forget, the climbing wall, the Vail Athletic club is awesome. And for a short period they're doing their own "Epic" membership. $400.00 for the 2010-11 ski season. Put $100.00 down before April 15 and pay for the rest before the start of next ski season and you have unlimited membership. You save $175.00 now that's a deal.

Replace or Fix?

So you skied a little too close to a tree or got a crampon rip in your pants. Sometimes these can be easily fixed on your own. You could bring it to a professional to fix which is still probably cheaper than just tossing and replacing. But if you're pretty handy with a needle and thread and can use a pair of scissors you can do a pretty good job yourself. DON'T use duct tape except in extreme conditions. It isn't designed to be washed and just makes a sticky mess on your clothing. Instead buy some K-tape which comes in clear and a variety of colors. It is designed to be washed and keeps the waterproofing of your garment intact. It is available at most outdoor stores. Sometimes in the case of a rip it is better to get at it from the backside/inside. Start by opening the lining of the garment. Usually if you turn a coat inside out you'll see on one of the sleeves a section of seam that is sewn on the outside which is where you'll open up the lining. Then access the rip area. Sew the two sides of the rip together with a zigzag machine stitch or a whip stitch by hand. Then cut a rounded (square edges catch and start to peel off easier than round corners) piece of Kenyon K-tape and cover your sewing. Then resew the lining seam and turn your garment right side out and you're good to go. A small hole on a pair of pants you can just cut a piece of the tape and put right over the hole from the right side. See how easy that was.

Stop spending big money on all natural body oil and hair conditioner

Quit spending big bucks on body oil. Go to the grocery store and buy an organic safflower oil and add 20 drops of lavender essential oil to 2oz of safflower oil, shake well. I love essential oils. I use the same safflower oil base and add peppermint essential oil for a a good foot rub. I add eucalyptus essential oil to help with a stuffy nose. For a great hair treatment, warm one ounce of safflower oil in hot water. After it has warmed rub into the ends of your hair and work upward to your scalp. Massage lightly and let sit for 20 minutes, then wash your hair like usual. To make your hair nice and shiny and remove the scale buildup from commercial products make a rinse with 1 tablespoon cider vinegar to 1 cup filtered water.

Free cultural entertainment with Kirsten Gum

Vail Symposium lectures are cool. Invite your friends and share a drink afterward. The Unlimited Adventure Series is coming to a close so go have fun. Thursday, March 04 2010, 6:00pm

View Our Calendar Explore mother nature’s resources with adventure traveler and noted sports commentator Kirsten Gum. Kirsten has covered sporting events from the Tour de France to World Cup Skiing. Her current television show on the Travel Channel, Treasure Hunter, illuminates the extensive treasures that we pass by every day. After the presentation, head over to the Tap Room in Vail Village for an exclusive after party with Gum; 5 bucks gets you beer, food and entrance into a prize drawing! Thank you to our sponsors: Town of Vail Public Library, Town of Vail, Coors Tap the Rockies, Vail Daily, The Tap Room, Antlers at Vail, Red Bull, Plum TV, TV8 Vail, 4 Eagle Ranch, Nova Guides, KZYR 97.7, Chicks with Picks, Radio Shack of Avon, Greg Stump Productions, PSAV, Dogma Athletics, Bookworm of Edwards, and Arriesgado.

Location : Donovan Pavilion, Vail

As part of our Unlimited Adventure series, this program is FREE!

Get out of town!

Heading down to the airport? Depending on how many of us are traveling and how long our trip is driving down and parking in the shuttle lot at $6.00/day can be a good bet. If we're going to be gone for a long time or just one of us is traveling taking CME from the transportation center can be a better deal. Just $59.00/person (one way) before tip. Of course if you can hitch a ride with a friend or find someone heading down to Denver (try the ride share on Craig's list) you can take RTD for around $10.00 each way from a variety of metro locations. Remember to pack light. Airlines are charging for checked bags and who wants the hassle of a bunch of luggage to keep track of. Happy travels!

Cutting cost on entertainment

Even heading out for a movie can get expensive. But we buy a group of ten tickets which can be used all at once or one at a time. They give us the matinee price for the later movie times. We're looking forward to seeing Precious this week, the Academy Award nominated film. It is nice to get out every once in a while. Check out the current listings for the Edwards Theater

Gas is almost $3.00 a gallon!

With gas at almost $3.00 a gallon this week now is the time to make sure your car is in prime running order. One of the big things to keep your car from guzzling gas, besides not driving it, is making sure your tires are properly inflated. It will say on the side of your tire what the best pressure is for your particular tire. Use an in expensive tire gauge to check. A lot of gas stations also have a gauge on their air pump. Of course, we all know that heading down valley or over Vail pass can save you money at the pump. In Dillon if you have a City Market card you can save $.10/gallon when filling up at the City Market gas station. Down valley you can save at Loaf 'N Jug gas stations.