Learning how to make Italy's favourite food ? video

Chef Gabriele Bonci has turned Italy's favourite food into an art form, earning him the title the 'Michelangelo of pizza'. Now he is teaching others how to make gourmet creations at his Rome pizza school

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Video: Helicopter crashes while installing Christmas tree in New Zealand

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There are always a few injuries sustained while setting up a Christmas tree, but this one takes the cake. A helicopter in Auckland, New Zealand clipped a large structure and crashed while helping set up a large Christmas tree yesterday. According to NYC Aviation, the pilot sustained minor injuries and there is "no word on the condition of the tree."Video: Helicopter crashes while installing Christmas tree in New Zealand originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The 15 Best BootfittersSki Boot Fitting Inc.: Vail, ColoradoStart Haus: Truckee, CaliforniaThotics Shop: Snowmass, ColoradoMt. Bachelor Ski & Sport; Mt. Bachelor, OregonMount Snow Boot Works: Mount Snow, VermontGreen Mountain Orthotic Lab: Stratton, VermontBOOTech Inc.: Aspen, ColoradoSnowind Sports: Reno, NevadaPark City Ski Boot: Park City, UtahFootloose Sports: Mammoth Lakes, CaliforniaRace Stock Sports: Waterbury, VermontThe Custom Foot: Englewood, ColoradoNorthern Ski Works: Killington and Ludlow VermontInner Bootworks: Stowe, VermontSome things to think aboutBootDoctors: Telluride, CO and Taos, NM

We spend a lot of time reminding you to see a good bootfitter?got wide feet? See your bootfitter. Narrow? Bootfitter. Gotta have custom footbed? Bootfitter again. Stance alignment? Hot spots? Heel lift up? You get the picture. We figured that it was about time we gave you some help in finding a good one. So we teamed up with the pros from America's Best Bootfitters and Masterfit University, who help run our annual boot test, to help you start your quest for happy feet this season.

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Ode to Becoming a Skier

In central Illinois where I grew up, there is no horizon. The country is so flat, the corn stalks so high, that unless you?re looking down from an herbicide sprayer or throwing yourself out of a second-story window, it feels like one giant corn maze. It?s not easy to escape, especially if you?re a young, poor wilderness nut longing for hills taller than the local garbage dump.When people did get away, they flaunted it. The first time I saw a lift ticket was my freshman year in high school. It was the type of Catholic school where half the parents worked nights to pay the tuition and the other half paid it with their pocket change. Those strange, waxy talismans dangling from the other half?s puffy jackets were a subtle reminder that, despite our uniforms, there was a line. Was it a lift ticket from Ajax or some Wisconsin mom ?n? pop? Had they transcended the bunny hill? Or had they watched Adam Sandler movies in the condo all day? It made no difference. That tag meant they were part of an elite alternate universe of ski weekends, schnapps, and chalets. The rest of us had corn in our teeth.No one in my family had ever skied. Every four years during the Olympics, we dutifully snickered at the downhillers? nut-hugging suits, and then forgot the sport existed. Skiers were the feather-haired douchebags of ?80s movies. Ski towns were where the upper crust stored their furs. Skiing was an unforgivable extravagance.Eventually I grew up and moved to the Rockies. The first time I saw a mountain, in the late ?90s, I knew how the pygmies in The Forest People must have felt when they peered beyond their thick jungle curtain and tried to grab the tiny houses in the distance. Driving toward the mountain, I was afraid we?d crash into its base. Eventually, I met my own clan of Mountain People and spent that first summer exploring every chance I got.But when my friends hit the ski swaps I hung back. This was the main event, they insisted. Wading trout streams, biking through autumn aspens, all that was just passing the time between ski seasons. It was late January before I gave in. I realized that none of them had feathered hair, and half couldn?t even pronounce ?Givenchy,? much less afford it. If they left lift tickets on their jackets, it was an oversight.Looking down the barrel of my first bunny hill, I felt the weight of that ski snobbery and everything about my life it represented. As the ground began moving beneath my wobbling V, I left it behind, slowly skidding into a new life.

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Spicy Pumpkin Soup for Fall

Spicy Pumpkin and Ginger Soup
? 1 cup cubed chicken breast? 3 cups pumpkin, cubed? 1/4-cup scallions? 1 stalk Thyme? 1 cup yellow yam, cubed? 1 tsp. ginger? 4 garlic cloves? salt and pepper to taste
Cook all ingredients together on the stovetop until pumpkin and yam are soft. Remove from heat and remove thyme stalk. Cool, then blend all ingredients until smooth, and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top (optional).

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Sled Dogs

Recently the dog sled sport and tourism activity has been under a lot of scrutiny. At present there is no law enforcement who inspect, license or regulate companies that offer sled rides (although several organizations recommend food, water, exercise and kennel size standards). Many operators are pushing for new legislation that enforce an industry standard.So are there reputable dog sled companies out there? Should the industry be banned? What type of conditions are sled dogs kept in? Are the animals healthy and happy? Do they enjoy their work? With my nine year-old niece in tow, I set out to Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains to discover more about dog sledding operations. Dog sledding was a popular activity at this historic hotel until the 1940s when the U.S. government confiscated the dogs to help with the war effort. And it wasn't until last year ? almost seventy years later ? that the sport returned to the Pocono Mountains through a contracted Colorado-based company, Snow Caps Sled Dogs.We arrived at the property on a thirty-degree morning in February. Owner Jared O'Neill greeted us, presented waiver forms, and introduced us immediately to the dogs. There are twenty-four pure-bred Siberian huskies on site at this Pennsylvania-based location, and all of them were transported from Breckenridge at the restart of the Skytop Lodge program.Classified as a member of the Working Group by the American Kennel Club, the Siberian husky has a desire and willingness to work. It's believed that huskies originated from within the Chukchi Tribe off of Siberia. These dogs have a soft, silky undercoat and coarse top layer of fur. "Huskies can withstand temps to sixty, seventy below ? really that extreme," Jared told me. "But like any dog, they're going to adapt to their surroundings. If I brought them inside too much, their coats would thin out ?�they would adapt to being in a warmer climate. Then it wouldn't be fair to have them out in the cold. The reason that they're so well-suited for this is because they live outside, and Mother Nature prepares them for whatever season is around the bend."A high-energy animal that requires stimulating daily activity, huskies have been historically linked to the dog sledding sport. "This is a dog that really needs exercise," owner Jared said as he prepared the sled for our ride. "That's why these guys are in shelters all the time... people get them and then don't run them. Huskies are easily bored because they're so intelligent... they're notorious for chewing up the house. Here's a dog that you can't just put in the backyard to tucker himself out... you literally have to put them in a harness and have them pull you in a bicycle for five miles. That's the proper way to own this type of dog."According to Jared, their AKC-registered huskies have diverse bloodlines. "When we breed, it's always about the health and brains of the dog," Jared said. Even at quick glance, it was obvious these huskies weren't bred for show-quality characteristics, as several had bi-color eyes and one displayed floppy ears...The male and female huskies at this facility live in outdoor separate, fenced areas, as most of them are intact. In each enclosure, the dogs have their own roofed house filled layered straw bedding. The dogs were chained to a center pole secured just in front of their house. This pole had a rotating top, allowing the dog to move in all directions without entangling its chain. All the huskies seemed healthy. Their eyes were clear, coats were shiny. They were full of energy and personality. Jared told us that a veterinarian examined them just two days before. Perhaps most of all, the dogs adored people ? so much so, in fact, that they licked my niece's face and cuddled into our open arms...When conversation turned to the Whistler event, Jared commented that "it's truly unfortunate that kennels out there would do such a horrific thing. The best thing for our guests to do is to come out and see how we operate because the health and happiness of our dogs is our number one priority. Just one tragic incident shouldn't taint all the quality businesses out there ? we are raising pet-quality dogs. They retire and become house pets. We would never think of destroying one of our own kids."Retired Snow Caps dogs, according to Jared, are always adopted by the public. Period. "We make sure they're friendly, socialized. We train them with positive reinforcement, and they learn to love their work and love people. At around eight to ten years of age they retire," explained Jared. If a dog is not adopted, for whatever reason (which has yet to happen in Jared's experience), he said that he'd take ownership of the animal himself. When a husky is up for adoption, Snow Caps sets up a meeting with the potential owner to determine if the dog and individual are a good match. There is no adoption fee, but owners are required to return adopted huskies to Snow Caps if they need to relinquish the animal at any time. ?As Jared determined the six dogs to join our sled team, the facility became alive with barking and howling, as if raising their voices to volunteer. The dogs are rotated on runs, and only a few display the Alpha leadership required to properly guide a team from the front. The chosen animals, harnessed two-by-two ?�Diesel and Simba in the lead, followed by brothers Gimlei and Sherpa, and then Mongo and Sumo ? were anxious to get moving down the trail.Unlike some other companies, Snow Caps allows guests to drive the sled dogs yourself. Dog sledding involves lots of balancing and, at times, breaking. While I had anticipated calling out "Mush!" to the team, the huskies in fact follow other commands: hike (go), haw (left) and gee (right). "These are all commands used for draft animals ? this dates back to the Gold Rush," Jared explained. I found my equilibrium on the sled, just as excited as the huskies to get started. I was unsure how fast they would run and relied on my balance beam experience as a youngster to keep me steady while on the move. Even with both feet planted firmly on the brake, the dogs were collectively strong enough to drag me an inch or two while we waited for our command.The snowmobile in front of us roared to life, and Jared called out "HIKE!". Each husky broke into a run, and I felt an immediate inclusion in the pack mentality.As they ran and hugged the curves, slopes and straightaways of the trail, I bent at the knees, shifting my weight with theirs, tightly grasping the sled's worn wood handles to avoid tumbling off...These particular dogs seemed to love their work. As a dog lover and owner of two adopted pooches myself, I kept thinking how much my Shepherd/Lab/Rottweiler cross would enjoy pulling a dog sled. After a few short-distance runs rotating between myself and my niece as musher, the huskies were given a break to rehydrate and rest. In total, the sled dogs ran about three miles during our ride. When we returned to the main base, the dogs were given about 2 cups of high-carb broth and beef soup, which they happily slopped up. Learn more about the Siberian husky and the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. And check out this amazing photo of a Husky in Iceland. You can also go visit these dogs and Snow Caps Sled Dogs at Skytop Resort. Photo Credits: Jodi Kendall, Royce RazgaitisVideo Credits: Jodi Kendall, Royce Razgaitis

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Hotel review: Jolyon's at No 10, Cardiff

A new Cardiff hotel ticks all the right boxes for Niall Griffiths, from the food to the decor, the huge beds to the friendly staffCardiff, Europe's youngest capital, is going through its brash and bright late-teens phase and isn't short of hotels, from budget backpacker bunkbeds to rockstar luxury, though there aren't too many boutique options.Welcome then, to Jolyon's at No 10, younger sibling to Jolyon's in Cardiff Bay, (which opened in 2003) and which has been open since August. In a previous life it was an architect's office and had lain derelict for 10 years, crumbling and ivy-crawled, until, two years ago, Jolyon Joseph saw its potential.Jol's eye-catching design and quirkiness abound in the new hotel, from the Moroccan chandelier kaleidoscoping the lushly papered stairwell walls to the rococo chairs and the child's-bed headboard used as a corner table in one of the suites.Even the smoking area is inviting ? all gazebo'd and tinkling water-featured, with bronze cherubs and scallop shells hovering over a lily pond. And this munificence seems to infect the clientele in the open-to-non-residents Cwtch Mawr (meaning "big hug") bar.My partner and I spent half an hour with our table neighbours singing the praises of the magnificent triple-fried chips (which accompanied chilli and lemon prawns, butter bean stew and local cheeses). Moretti beer on draught, too. Can't go wrong.The bar soon got busy, but the dark wood and maroon decor, and the tactful lighting, as well as the attentive staff, kept the atmosphere cosy and relaxed. Multi-coloured lighting enhanced the sensation of sanctuary.You are close enough to the city centre here for the bright abandon of it to be felt as a nearby fact but there's an air of pleasant remove to this welcoming and wonderful place. It's full of hidden jewels: Japanese plunge pools in the suites, light therapy Jacuzzis, mini-kitchens hidden in wardrobes, spectacularly grand and ornate bedsteads.The suite names (Orpington, Venetian, etc) suggested a theme, but the link eluded me, even when Jol offered us a clue ? that he had refrained from calling one of them "Bombay".There are no leeks or daffodils or red dragons rampant, yet the place's identity nevertheless remains somehow Welsh: the Wales of rich wood and cool smooth slate and expansive vistas. It's individual without in any way being twee.In the morning ? after a deep sleep in a bed big enough to get lost in and a bath that filled in an instant ? over a breakfast of Glamorgan sausages and field mushrooms, I remembered something that Jol said the night before, which made me laugh: You can be a duck here.So there's the link for the room names, and why not? Nothing wrong with ducks. I'll be back, quacking.WalesCardiffHotelsUnited KingdomNiall Griffithsguardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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