AFFAIRS

CONSUMER

Slippin' Down The Slopes

With extraordinary cunning and skill, a consortium of gay travel agencies from Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Washington, and New York have combined their skill and special knowledge to offer a fantastic-and inexpensive-ski week, March 2-9, 1986, in Breckinridge, Colorado (as opposed to Breckinridge, Myra).

FISCHER

VACUUM

The slopes at Breckinridge are strongly preferred by Denver gay people to the slightly more touristy Aspen, so you'll meet lots of interesting blond locals. And you'll have just the place to bring them home to: you get six luscious nights in a two-bedroom, twobathroom condominium with a heated pool. You'll be located within two blocks of the most popular lifts in Breckinridge, and

Photography by Bill Cullum

provided with lift tickets good for two additional Summit County ski areas; unlimited transportation will be provided to you and yours, and your lift ticket is honored at all the slopes. And there are 15 new trails to traverse, which gives a total of over 26 miles of powdered beginner and intermediate trails. Expert skiers will act as guides (be still, my beating poles!). If that weren't enough, on the

last night of your sojourn, Saturday, March 9, you'll be whisked off to the Executive Tower in beautiful downtown Denver, giving you the opportunity to sample some of Denver's exciting nightlife. All this for the unbelievably low price of $577 per person including round trip New York/Denver flights. If you don't go on this trip, you're nuts. For details, write Reservations World at

2118 Avenue X,

Brooklyn, New York 11235-2993, or call them at 718-934-3126 or 800-221-6574. And tell them we sent you. But what to wear? And where to get it? Why, the Scandinavian Ski Shop (40 West 57th Street; 212-757-8524), where there are three floors of ski equipment, for sale or rent, and the very latest fashions in skiwear. Photographer Ric Casbarro, who certainly isn't nuts, is on his way to Breckinridge, and is magnificently dressed for the trip. He's wearing an Italian Anzi Besson cotton poplin jacket lined with warming poly fill, available in a variety of colors for $320. Under the coat, Ric sports a 100% wool sweater with leather patches from the same designer, also

available in a snowy rainbow of colors for $190. His tight, stretchy, revealing pants are made of wool and polyester and they keep him extremely warm. They have stirrups to hold them in place; Ric describes them as "very supportive." Available in black, blue, and navy for $146.50. And warming his feet are a handsome pair of waterproof after-ski boots, available in gray and brown for only $44.95. His skis are Fischer Vacuum Technic RS (giant slalom) with angled sidewalls ($289), and his poles are by K2 ($35). The bindings on those nifty skis are Salomon 747s, and are $114.95. Best of all, the boots: eminently comfortable Salomon SX81... rear entry! They're carefully volume measured for ankle support ($299). And what would skiing be like without a pair of $32.50 Apina Powder OTG anti-fog, doublelensed goggles? As you can see, Ric is utterly prepared for any slope he fancies.

NEW YORK NATIVE/DECEMBER 23-29, 1985 29