Win a Trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics

The winter Olympics are close to home this year, and its not too late to plan a trip to Vancouver to witness the festivities. And if you enter Tourism Vancouver's 2010 Winter Games Sweepstakes, you'll have a shot at the "Gold" prize package, an all-inclusive three-night stay at a swanky Vancouver hotel, plus tickets to select alpine and hockey events and the closing ceremony.

But a trip to the games doesn't have to mean sitting on the sidelines: Only 10 percent of Whistler Blackcomb's slopes will be strictly for Olympians—that leaves 7,500 acres for your own skiing enjoyment. If your other costs are covered (the Gold prize is worth almost 10,000 bucks!), you can spring for a few lift tickets.

Enter here. 

—Greer Schott

ADVENTURE Wins Top Travel Journalism Awards

Excuse us while we gloat, but ADVENTURE won 5 awards—two golds and three silvers—in the 2009 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which honors the best in travel journalism.

• Gold: Article on Adventure Travel, Contributing Editor Kira Salak, "Trekking Bhutan's Higher Planes"

• Gold: Magazine Photo Illustration of Travel Article, George Steinmetz, "Best of Adventure/Africa's Eye in the Sky"

• Silver: Grand Award - Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year, Editor at Large Bob Howells

• Silver: Magazine Photo Illustration of Travel Article, Christian Pondella, "Last Look/Ice Climber"

• Silver: Environmental Tourism Article, Mark Sundeen, "Namibia's Magnificent Beast"

Thanks to all our contributors for all their great work.

Norway is the Most Desirable Place to Live, According to UN

Norway, the land of fjords, Vikings, vodka, and blonde hair, is now also the most desirable place to live, according to the United Nations.

The UN’s Human Development Report 2008/2009, done annually, ranks Norway numero uno because of the country's human development index ratings, which evaluates certain criteria, including educational factors, gender equality, and life expectancy (Norway’s is a not-so-impressive 74).

Australia comes in number two this year, followed by Iceland (last year's number one), Canada, and Ireland. The U.S. is relaxing at spot 13, one bump down from 2007/2008, with a life expectancy of 72—not too shabby considering Zimbabwe’s heartrending 38.

And, perhaps prophetically, we featured Norway as one of our Best New Trips in the World in our November issue (on newsstands October 20), complete with an adventure guide. —Michelle Faber; Photograph by Steve Casimiro

Our Favorite Adventurers on Twitter - Updated 9/2

Who better to follow in 140 characters or less than our favorite explorers? We've put together a roster of tweeters, from eco-activist David de Rothschild to alpinist Ed Viesturs, to keep an eye on the ever-changing world of adventure. 

This list is by no means final, so keep checking back to see who's been added. And, as always, tell us who we left out in the comment section below. We're particularly interested in adding gear manufacturers, conservation groups, and outfitters that are tweeting, so if you're out there, let us know.

Of course, you can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/ngadventure

See the full list after the jump.

Malaria Jumped to Humans From Chimps, According to NG Emerging Explorer

Text by Annie Hay

A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that scientists may have determined that the origin of the disease malaria was initially introduced to humans by chimpanzees, as reported in the Washington Post. 

Continue reading this story >>

Photograph courtesy of Pierre Holtz, UNICEF

In the News: Tragic Plane Crash in Iran Raises Questions

Text by Annie Hay 

An Iranian Caspian Airlines plane bound for Yerevan, Armenia, crashed today at 11:30 a.m. local time in the Iranian Qazvin province, about 75 miles outside of Tehran. The plane, a 1987 Tupolev 154, was reported by witnesses as seeming to suddenly drop from the air and plunge to the ground, exploding upon impact with the ground. Witnesses interviewed by Iran's INSA news agency reported seeing flames while the plane was still in flight, but sources could not be confirmed. Iranian television and rescue personnel have announced that all 168 passengers and crew members have been confirmed dead.

Founded in 1992, Caspian Airlines has a spotty safety record, including a high number of crashes involving aging Soviet-era planes. The recent crash brings up old questions about the effectiveness of Western sanctioning targeting the government of Iran. Without an infrastructure for plane-building, Iran has had to import its airline fleet, and since Western sanctions against the country were created after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, has been heavily reliant on older Soviet-designed planes. Read more in this New York Times article.

The Adventure Life with Steve Casimiro Molokai Wins Development Fight, But At High Cost

Text and photos by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

The hand-painted signs are posted on trees, mail boxes, and front porches all across Molokai. “No to La’au Point”, they say, or simply, “No”. Living’s not so easy on the Friendly Isle, where jobs are scarce for the 7,500 residents, as I found out when the magazine sent me there last November to shoot a cover. But the people cling to their way of life, resisting the tourist pox of other islands, and have doggedly fought the proposed La’au development on the pristine southwest corner of the island.

Now the developer has fought back: The Singapore-based landowner closed its beautiful lodge at Molokai Ranch and fired all 120 employees.

Continue reading this story and see more photos>>

Environment: Putting Greenbacks Where the Green Is

Good news for the good guys: $60,000 is up for grabs for two environmentally focused nonprofits.

As of today, March 15, Redwood Creek Wines, a Modesto, California-based vineyard, is accepting submissions from U.S. nonprofits with grand plans—but meager means—for their Greater Outdoors Project, an initiatve aimed to “help maintain or improve America’s wide-open spaces.”

The winning organization will get a $50,000 grant; the runner-up $10,000. In addition to the cash prize, the top nonprofit will land a national advertising campaign set to run in outdoors magazines—including ADVENTURE—in December.

Applications and guidelines are posted online today through May 15. After that, a panel of judges—including our 2007 Adventurer of the Year, long-distance hiker Andrew Skurka—will review the submissions.

But the public gets the final say: From June 15 through July 31, you can head to Redwood Creek’s site to check out the judges’ top five picks, then vote for your own favorite. The winning projects will be announced at the beginning of August, so stay tuned.

--Andrea Minarcek