As if Crystal Mountain needs to lure any more people to its slopes, the ski area will finally open its new gondola Saturday morning.

On Thursday, the ski area stationed an employee at the foot of Crystal Mountain Boulevard to turn away skiers and snowboarders (and offer free lift ticket vouchers) because the ski area was at capacity.

Crystal planned to open the Mt. Rainier Gondola, the first gondola for any Washington ski area, on Dec. 10, but the unveiling was delayed on multiple occasions. Most recently workers discovered on Dec. 21 that the cable had stretched more than three …

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If you’re looking to get outdoors New Year’s Day, one option is the Eatonville bike ride or walk to help the Epilepsy Foundation.

The event takes place 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, starting at the new Eatonville Visitor’s Center. Registration will take place at the center.

This year’s event has one- and four-mile walks, and a four-, 9.5- or 24-mile bike ride.

“It’s nothing too long, enough to energize you to do more the rest of the year,” said Len Throop, owner of Eatonville Outdoors.

The cost is $20 for adults, $10 for participants 17 and younger and free for children 11 …

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From John Miller of the Associated Press:

Bank of America wants its lifts back from Tamarack Resort, accusing the troubled vacation destination of holding the equipment hostage to extract more money for its assets.

In U.S. Bankruptcy Court documents filed Wednesday, the bank’s leasing arm argued it should be allowed to rip the lifts out and sell them to somebody else because they aren’t necessary to Tamarack’s future.

The bank, who owns the equipment, said the lifts aren’t being used for the current ski season that began Dec. 20, demonstrating “the resort is capable of functioning without the ski lifts.”

Squabbling over what’s to become of the two idled ski lifts is emblematic of the complex process of resolving Tamarack’s financial woes, the biggest of which include a creditor group led by Credit Suisse Group that’s trying to recover now more than $300 million in unpaid debts.

Bank of America attorney Brad Goergen said Tamarack majority owner Jean-Pierre Boespflug was holding the lifts “hostage” in order to extract a better price for assets. Read more »

The News Tribune and Olympian announced the 2010 Adventure Athlete of the Year on Sunday. Click here to read the story. Here’s a list of all the winners:

ADVENTURES OF THE YEAR

2010

- Melissa Arnot, Ashford, mountaineer: First American woman to climb Mount Everest three times.

- Kevin Bacher, Eatonville, Mount Rainier volunteer coordinator: Coordinated 2,016 volunteers at the national park.

- Andy Bond, Ashford, ski mountaineer: First known person  to ski Rainier’s Sunset Amphitheater.

- J.R. Celski, Federal Way, speed skater: Won two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics.

- George Dunn, Ashford, mountaineer: First man to …

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If you read my CrossFit column on Sunday you may have noticed that Thurston County has just one CrossFit gym. An Olympia woman is changing that by opening a new gym in Lacey.

Lisa Bauer is holding an open house today from 1-3 p.m. to unveil the gym.

CrossFit Finish First, located at 2825 Marvin Road NE, opened Dec. 27 and is offering classes every 30 minutes daily from 8:30-10 a.m. and 4-6:30 p.m. Bauer plans to add CrossFit for kids and more classes as she trains new coaches.

CrossFit is a rapid-fire, intense workout program …

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From Gifford Pinchot National Forest:

Monument Scientist, Peter Frenzen was bestowed the US Forest Service’s 2010 Gifford Pinchot Award for Excellence in Interpretation and Conservation Education at the annual meeting of the National Association of Interpretation in Las Vegas, Nev.

“A special place like Mount St. Helens deserves the best, and we have it in Peter. His passion for this place inspires us all,” said Gifford Pinchot Forest Supervisor Janine Clayton. “We are really happy to have his contribution recognized at a national level and we couldn’t agree more.”

The award recognizes Frenzen’s dedication to sharing the knowledge of scientific

…

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I’ve received more than 100 pieces of positive feedback today on the debut of our new fitness column in The News Tribune and The Olympian.

I’m happy to hear you guys are excited to see more fitness coverage on this blog, on our websites and in our newspapers. Thanks for the story ideas you’ve already passed along and I look forward to our ongoing conversation about fitness.

Remember you can keep up with me at facebook.com/adventureguys and twitter.com/adventureguys.

And here’s a link to the debut of the fitness column.

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season.

Also, I just want to say thanks to all our readers who make what we do even more enjoyable with their comments and story ideas. And thanks to my co-workers, especially Craig Hill, a tireless writer and creative talent.

I can’t wait to see what adventures unfold for all of us in 2011.

Jeff