In the Alps Part 2

Climbing Aiguille du Midi

Amazing view of the Alpinists/ Personal Archive

For 20 minutes, we rose to this incredible height and stopped at the top of Aiguille du Midi’s huge terraces. What is the feeling? Well, as funny as it sounds, it is like being tipsy and when you try climbing the stairs, you feel like being drunk, your heart starts beating faster and you can even feel sick for a moment. But this was part of the journey. Naturally, at first I was a little confused. How could I not be? I did not know where to look at because I did not want to miss anything. There were so many things that I had to see and remember - Mont Blanc, all the peaks around, the beautiful Alps, France from such a height, Chamonix and everyone being so excited and so dizzy. The luckiest part was that the weather allowed us to see all of that. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I just prayed for to be perfect. The sun was shining, many people were sunbathing, there were a few clouds below us … the view was perfect!

Mont Blanc

Alpine snow/personal archive

Sunbathing/personal archive

I felt like I almost climbed Mont Blanc being so close, just some 1000 m beneath it. I was taking pictures all over the place, jumping from one side of the terrace to the other and then running through an ice cave to go and see the other side of the Alps as if it would run away. The dizziness did not even bothered me. While all of this excitement was happening in my head, all of a sudden, I saw all these alpinists climbing on the peak in front of me. One after the other, all packed up as I have only seen them in the movies. I did not know if they were aiming for Mont Blanc, I hope they reached it. 

My journey in the Alps was a dream come true!

The Ice Cave/ personal archive

In the Alps

My unforgettable winter journey in mid-August

My experience in the Alps is one I will never forget. I found my old photos and I thought I can make a story out of them or just perhaps try to remember what it felt like being 4000 metres up high facing Mont Blanc.

Personal Archive

Personal Archive

There is this amazing place where if you ever have the chance to visit, it will be an unforgettable journey. It is called Chamonix , one of the oldest ski resorts in France and home of the first Winter Olympics Games in 1924. Seven years ago, I went there with my family and I did not even realize what we were about to do. I learned that you don’t have to be an alpinist to be as high up in the mountains, breathe the fresh air, be closer to the sun, be on top of the world… and see one of the highest peaks in the world in front of you – Mont Blanc. I have never even imagined that this is all possible. How did we do it? Chamonix has one of the highest cable cars in the world, linking the town with a summit called Aiguille du Midi which is at about 3842 m. 

To be continued....

Skiing in a desert

Winter Sports in the desert?!

If it was not possible to practice some winter sports while it is 40 degrees outside…well, since 2005 there is a place which madeall of this possible. It is Dubai. Actually, Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort, located in one of the largest malls in the world, Mall of the Emirates. Dubai is known for its hot desert climate and still they have a place to go cool down and practice some winter sports.

 The Middle East's first ski slope has it all. The 85 meters high indoor mountain, 5 slopes with different steepness, a 90 meter long quarter pipe for snowboarders, a lift, a snow park area, climbing towers, giant snowballs, ice sculptures, ice cave, 3D theater and many more facilities, make it feel like a real Olympic resort.

Imagine what kind of system maintains the temperature of -1 during the day and -6 degrees during the night. Ski Dubai is also the home of a number of penguins which can be booked and the people can directly interact with them. The people can enjoy observing how the penguins reside in this habitat.

Dubai has proved that nothing is impossible, especially when you are passionate about it. This is my number one place to go. Imagine skiing without having to go outside? I cannot.

Helmets are essential

Helmets, helmets....why do we need to wear a helmet?

Helmets are probably the most important element of your winter outfit. However, not everyone understands their importance and here I include myself… until I recently bought a helmet, too. In the last few months, a lot of attention has been turned to the use of helmets up on the slopes. Sadly, this all happened after the tragic accident with Michael Schumaher on the ski slopes in a French resort. People got alert of the danger when skiing/snowboarding without a headgear. Although a lot of people argue against the use of helmets and their real protection, they cannot really argue against the fact that without the helmet, Schumaher would not even stand a chance. And it is not just him…

I believe helmets have to be the first purchase of everyone who is going up on the slopes. Of course, they cannot protect someone of injuries when he is reckless or when he takes too much risks going off piste, etc. However, they can save a life if anything happens. Nowadays, there are so many designs and so many different kinds of helmets that there is no excuse for anyone not to buy one.

Check this article refuting some of the most popular believes against the use of helmets!

Again, the Winter Olympic in Sochi is my inspiration for sharing unique designs and this time the spotlight is for their helmets. As I already showed you last time, the contestants want to make an impression with their outfits and the helmets are part of their interesting style and vision as well. Those guys have some of the coolest helmets I have ever seen! 

examiner.com/top12coolesthelmetsofthe2014winterolympicsinsochi

Olympic Outfits Part 2

Hello, again. I was very excited to post the second part of the Olympic Outfits today because I have included the weirdest designer decisions for the competing teams. I am happy to present to you the designer accents of the Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony.

I will start with the gold medal for the funniest outfit of the Olympic Ceremony. Even though Mexico is sending only one man to compete for the Winter Olympic Games, the skier Hubertus von Hohenlohe, they made sure everyone will notice his presence. Even if he does not win a gold medal, he will get one for the craziest, yet patriotic outfit ever designed for the Olympic Games. Mexico has a history of being creative but this time it is under the spotlight. A famous skier dressed with a mariachi uniform…he will not be mistaken up on the slopes.

Winter Olympic 2014 Pinterest Board

Norway is not as creative as Mexico but still it is gone a little too far with the design of their Olympic uniforms. Whether they want to be noticed or they just like to be very different from the other teams, the Norwegian curling team sticks to their trend of being too colorful and too outlandish for the Olympic Games. 

I will pay special attention to Russia as the host of the Olympic Games. There is a lot of fuzz around the gay rights in Russia but the Olympic Games brought a whole new level to this issue. The Russian anti-gay laws sparked protests and world-wide controversies and concerns how this will affect the Winter Olympic Games. How this is connected to their outfits? Check for yourselves: 

Yes, it is what it looks like or maybe not at a first glance. The colorful fingers are designed to reflect the five colors of the Olympic flag. However, this is contradicting with the believes of the Russians as those colors remind us of the rainbow flag representing the gay community. The color of the uniforms, on the other hand, is reflecting the Russian spirit and their cultural pride.

Next comes the rainbow team or Germany. No, their uniforms are not in support of gay rights... they are just fashionable.

I am adding the Bulgarian team outfits as a conclusion and as a Bulgarian myself. Our national team is proud to wear very patriotic uniforms, symbolizing the Bulgarian flag. The team is lead by the alpine skier, Maria Kirkova who is holding the flag. The uniforms look fantastic!

nationalpost.com/Sochi 2014 Parade of Nations

Here you can find more of the most interesting outfits presented in the Opening Ceremony

BUS 449 Post 2

Olympics Outfits

Following the opening of the Olympic Games and my first blog post, I chose Sochi again. This post is all about the fashion outlooks some of the teams have chosen for the Opening Ceremony of the games. Of course, every uniform has to show the patriotism of each country and be outstanding in the most creative way but big WOW for the out of the box thinking. These uniforms range from being stylish to just outrageous. Check the first part:

I chose to start from the USA team. The outfits are very patriotic, revealing their cultural pride and emphasizing on the elements of their flag. You can easily recognize which is the team and Ralph Lauren as the designer made sure no questions will be asked on that matter.

 Winter Olympic 2014 Pinterest Board

Australia, on the other hand, chose the urban look – yellow hats, mountain boots, dark green jeans, green blazer with a tie and tan pants - mashing the everyday winter outfits with a more formal attire which is at the same time matching the atmosphere in Sochi.

 Sochi 2014 Pinterest Board

 France trusted Lacoste for the design and there was a reason for that. The design of their team uniforms is very stylish and at the same time gives the team a very serious, Olympic look. They are definitely ready to fight for those gold medals.

Sochi 2014 Pinterest Board

The most weird outfits I leave for the next post.