First Ever Adventure News Service Launched

Nigel Gifford OBE Frgs
High & Wild Adventure News Service
0044 (1) 769 671777
news@highandwild.co.uk

London, England 19 07 06: The first ever dedicated bi-monthly adventure news service covering adventure worldwide is launched today.

The service is the brainchild of Englishman, Nigel Gifford OBE Frgs who is one of Britain's most seasoned adventure travellers and explorers. As a mountaineer he has an unparalleled knowledge of the Himalaya and Indiansub-continent with successful expeditions to Mt Everest as well as several peaks climbed in alpine style.

In the USA he climbed several of the big granite wall routes of Yosemite,and the awe inspiring Lotus Flower Tower in the Yukon as well as making a solo ascent of Mt McKinley (Denali) in Alaska.

Nigel is also an accomplished skydiver with over 1,000 freefall descents and was one of the logisticians for Richard Branson on his round the world balloon project.

He has written several topical books on adventure and also worked in adventure photojournalism.

"Such a lifestyle has given me fantastic access to the world of adventure in all habitats and environments", Nigel said. " The Idea of an Adventure News Bulletin seemed so logical, as over the years friends, colleagues and acquaintances from across the world have always shared information about their plans and future aspirations for great adventures.

One day I looked at my address book and realised that at High & Wild where I plan all the special projects, we could compile up to date information on nearly every topic of adventure from weather and environmental conditions,to the "who, where, when and why" of adventures and exploration as they happen.

"There are some great adventures being planned and deployed and few people know where to access such information. Now there is a "one stop shop" that people can subscribe to, and it is free of charge.

"He added, "We expect the service to be used by media professionals looking for a good story, and updates, as well as adventure enthusiasts who are stuck at a desk dreaming of their next adventure.

To view and subscribe email news@highandwild.co.uk or go towww.highandwild.co.uk and click on the news scroll bar of the front page.

GordonsGuide.com Launches Educational Travel Category

Adventure Travelers Show Growing Interest in Learning and Education

FRESNO, Calif., Aug. 17, 2006 -- Gordon's Guide - Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide, the leading publisher in adventure and active travel, has launched its newest travel category -- Educational Travel -- athttp://www.gordonsguide.com/. The site offers 10,000 trips to 3,000 destinations in 126 countries, for vacationers of all ages, making it the largest online marketplace for adventure and active travel.

"More and more travelers are incorporating education and learning into their vacation experience, such as learning a new language abroad," said TimothyE. Gordon, founder and CEO. "We are seeing more families scrapping traditional travel plans for more meaningful and interactive vacations.This trend will continue as more vacation providers accommodate the growing demand so this category will expand.Whatever the trends may be, adventure and active travelers will find what they're looking for at GordonsGuide.com.

"As part of the Educational Travel category, travelers can choose to learn about the world of art from Art History Abroad, where instructors teach on site and expose travelers to the many beautiful treasures of Italy andLondon. For those desiring to learn a new language and cultural immersion,Languages Abroad, a leading language-travel organization, offers to teach 30 languages in 50 countries with a variety of travel options and programs to suit travelers needs.

Additional categories at GordonsGuide.com include archeological tours,eco-tourism, culinary vacations, safaris and special interest travel categories such as family camps, women's travel and corporate team building adventures. The site also offers dude ranches, heli-skiing, ATV vacations,houseboating, surfing camps, whitewater rafting and four and five-star resorts and unique retreats worldwide.

GordonsGuide.com is designed to help active travelers easily research adventure vacations, comparison shop and communicate directly with vacation providers worldwide to ask questions and learn of trip availability via electronic requests. Travelers can navigate quickly through the site and find exactly what they are looking for without encountering frustrating,dead-end or irrelevant searches.
Once travelers find their ideal vacation, they can click on direct links to vacation providers to book trips.

About the Company

Founded in 1997, Gordon's Guide - Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide is a leading publishing company focusing on one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Based in Fresno, California, the company publishes highly regarded magazine-style travel guides and an award-winning website,GordonsGuide.com, the premier information resource for active travelers,offering the finest adventure and active vacations from around the world.Gordon's Guide has partnered with premier vacation providers and resorts such as O.A.R.S., GAP Adventures, Dean Cummings H2O Heli Guides, IntrepidTravel, Backroads, Fairmont, Vail Resorts, Hilton Caribbean, Forever Resorts, Intrawest, ARAMARK Parks and Resorts and Delaware North just to mention a few of the vacation providers on the site. Forbes Magazine has awarded GordonsGuide.com "Best of the Web" for seven straight years.

10,000 Trips, 3,000 Destinations, 126 Countries - 1 Web Site.

Media Contact:
Hilda Martinez
Gordon's Guide - Adventure & Active Travel Worldwide HildaM@GordonsGuide.com(559) 490-2800 ext. 128
http://www.gordonsguide.com/

British Underwater Film Festival Launched for 2007

The UK's largest scuba diving magazine, DIVE, announces the launch of a major underwater film and photography competition.

London, UK (PRWEB) August 6, 2006 -- Following the enormous success of the first British Underwater Image Festival (BUIF) in 2006, images are now being accepted for the 2007 event. BUIF is to be held on the 16-18 March next year at the Birmingham NEC as part of the Go Diving! show which is part of The Outdoors Show.

The competition is aimed at all abilities, from professional television documentary makers to first-time photographers. Finalists will be exhibited and shown at the NEC during the Outdoors Show.

Thousands of pounds worth of prizes are on offer to the winners, and will be announced in the coming months. The best 50 prints from the Open Category, ten from the Portfolio Category and ten from the Digital Compact Category will be displayed on the walls outside the DIVE theatre, while six finalists in the film categories will be shown throughout the show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

'Last year's inaugural BUIF showed just how much talent there is out there and this year we want to uncover even more so we've raised the stakes,' said DIVE editor Simon Rogerson. 'It will be another magnificent showcase of new and existing talent in underwater imaging.'

Print categories

1. Open - anything goes

2. Digital Compact: Images must have been taken with a digital compact camera

3. Portfolio, six prints to be arranged in two rows of three


Special prizes

1. Best British Image of show

2. The people's choice (chosen from images submitted to a monthly competition on www.divemagazine.co.uk).

Video categories

1. Professional category: 30-minute maximum documentary-style

2. Liveaboard category: ten-minute maximum open style (must have been filmed by a resident liveaboard or dive centre videographer)

3. Amateur category: ten-minute maximum short, open to all comers - suggested categories include scientific; imaginative; humorous; storyboard and holiday

Full details about the BUIF can be found on DIVE magazine's website. Entry forms can be downloaded from the site and a full set of rules is available.

BUIF is run by DIVE magazine – the UK’s largest circulation scuba diving magazine.

Contact:
Jane Morgan, DIVE Magazine, +44 208 332 88423

Big Mountain Heliskiing, Bella Coola Heli Sports’ Newest Tour, Recco Locator Systems Offers Chance to Win a Free Heliskiing/Heliboarding Trip

“Bella Coola Heli Sports was the first heliskiing operation in the world to use the Recco Locator System as part of their line up of safety equipment”.

Bella Coola BC (PRWEB) August 3, 2006 -- Big Mountain Heliskiing, Bella Coola Heli Sports’ newest tours, and Recco Locator Systems ® offers the chance to win a free five day heliskiing/heliboarding trip for two.

BCHS was the first heliskiing operation in the world to use the Recco Locator System as part of their line up of safety equipment. Recco is an avalanche rescue system utilized by more than 500 rescue organizations worldwide to assist in the efficient location of burials. Recco technology enables rapid directional pinpointing of a victim’s precise location using harmonic radar. The two-part system consists of a Recco detector used by organized rescue groups, and Recco reflectors that are integrated into apparel, helmets, protection gear or boots. The reflector is permanently affixed, requires no training for use and needs no batteries to function.

Although similar in search procedure to transceivers, the Recco system is not intended for self-rescue nor is it an alternative to transceiver use in the backcountry. Complementary in function, the system is an additional tool that does not interfere with other rescue methods such as avalanche dogs, transceiver searches or probe lines. The Recco system facilitates a faster organized search for rescuers and provides skiers and snowboarders with one more chance to be found in time.

Bella Coola Heli Sports and Big Mountain Heliskiing provides the Recco system at no cost to all of their guests and staff. Once mounted in boots, helmets or clothing the locators are theirs to keep. Many clothing manufacturers are now including the reflectors in their apparel as does our partner, SOS sportswear.

Imagine yourself and a friend in 1.5 million acres of the most sought after heliskiing/heliboarding on the planet. With the capabilities to heliski/board on your arrival and departure days this gives you a possible 6 skier days in Bella Coola’s big mountains.

Website: http://www.bigmountainheliskiing.com

WorldSki.co.uk for Ski & Snowboard Holidays, Hotels, Ski Hire Rentals, Lift Passes and Ski Extras Online

Leading independent ski and snowboard operator WorldSki offers skiers & snowboarders some of the best deals for the coming 2006/07 ski season for holidays and ski extras.

(PRWEB) August 4, 2006 -- Leading independent ski and snowboard operator WorldSki has great deals for the 2006/07 season for ski & snowboarding holidays in Europe and North America. WorldSki offers people the right deal on ski holidays, ski accommodation and ski extras; simply compare the prices and book online.

WorldSki continues to offer skiers and snowboarders the best deals, and new for 2006/2007, WorldSki.co.uk has a “Special Offers” by country section, offering users a quick and easy guide to some of the best value ski accommodation deals in Europe and North America, such as France from £79pppw and the USA from as little as £99pppw.

WorldSki offer simple and convenient online booking for the all important ski extras. Lift passes, equipment hire and ski cover and other items can still be booked even if the actual holiday arrangements have been made elsewhere. Get a quote and book online and save; there are many great deals on liftpasses booked online with WorldSki. WorldSki offers winter sports travel insurance cover for as little as £9 for each individual, single trip cover, when booked online.

The great savings on accommodation and the ski extras combined with a simple booking method means that WorldSki continues to offer its customers real choice, convenience, flexibility and value for money on this season’s winter sports holiday.

Website: http://www.worldski.co.uk
Phone: +44 778 995 1750