Winter Crest Ski Resort and Lodge

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

Now that the rush of the holidays is over it is time to get out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors of second life. One delightful place to visit for a day or more that I checked out is Winter Crest Ski Resort and Lodge.

The helicopter drops you off at the entrance and one can see it is ready for fun with the snowballs for a fight sset to get visitors started. It covers two regions with easy access and a notecard will inform you where to go and what not to miss.

I decided to check in at the Lodge. Rooms are available with one to three bedrooms and many amenities. An extensive lobby leads to the bar and dining room.

There is a crackling fireplace warming nearby seating . The huge glass walls allow everyone to enjoy the outside falling snow while being comfortable . It is perfect for after a day of skiing. The staff on duty can help with many questions if you talk with them

I went to check out the Mountain that has several ski slopes for your pleasure.

At the top is a wonderful lodge where one can gain strength for the next run down the slopes. There is a choice of snowboard, skiis , sled.

 

On another slope have a seat at the Sip and slide for a few minutes and have a hot drink . There are tp boards to take you to the various slopes on the regions.

Horseback riding is another popular activity . Get a horse of your choice and take a ride along the trails to check out the terrain.As you ride you will see large elegant cabins which are also for rent with 1-3 bedrooms so friends and families have a larger place to stay.

I stopped at the artic maze to give it a try and warmed up at the outside fire after going through the icy path.

Back at the lodge I spent sometime at the indoor gym and sauna before dinner. Skating on the huge pond is fun . There are skates and several choices of skating balls available if you did not bring your own. It is fun to travel to a place that provides all the things you need without packing . Have a great time there and enjoy all the offerings.

 

I think I need some quiet place now.  

  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Unbreakable%20Love/134/95/28

Gemma Cleanslate 

 

Christmas Places: Rebel Yell and Christmas Town

By Gemma Cleanslate

CHRISTMAS IN SANTA'S HOMETOWN Rovaniemi Lapland

Christmas at Rebel Yell is always special because of the depth of decoration and the many activities available to all visitors. Skating, snowboarding,skiing, sledding... take your pick, If it too cold outside you can go bowling or play pinball.

This year they have a marvelous display of the hometown of Santa, Rovaniem in Lapland. Read the history at the entrance. 

Santa is there and is so proud of his home he is showing it off in so many ways.

He is driving couples around in a sleigh, having dinner with people, listening to their wishes , supervising his elves at the workshop and doing a wonderful job!

I even found him having a happy dance on top of his train.
He has set up horses for riding with your honey, or alone. I found a fishing hole and sat for a while trying to catch something to no avail but it was fun.

The Gingerbread Bakery is filled with goodies and I had to stop for some roasted chestnuts on my walk through the village. 

There were many visitors wandering the town and nearby woods on horseback checking out all the venues  . Go visit! 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/REBEL%20YELL%20HEADQUARTERS/81/102/25

After that visit I stopped at the Holly Jolly Cafe at the Christmas Expo  for a live show   DaliLu  (DaliLuuDj)  and group singing. She has a lovely delicate soprano voice that charmed the audience. It is great to see the good that the Expo does every year for the ACS and this year was no exception.

Well it was a bit later than other openings however Laura Liberty got it done. I was so happy to see Christmas Town come to life again. This venue has everything! There are shops where you can pick up anything you have forgotten for decor, numerous outfits for any party, and much more. One thing I always like to visit is the New Years Eve shop. Check out all the decor you need and food and drinks , of course , Champagne .

This year there is a new item I think, unless I missed it last year... Jigsaw puzzles you can buy and actually make own photos into a puzzle~! The old make your own card is still available to work with and take home. There are spots around the lovely ice lake where you can just sit , relax by the fire and watch the skating. There is also a scary sled ride if you have the nerve. Look for the underground entrance and good luck!

Skating here is so much fun. The ice is delightful and one can use the skate balls or  your own AO. The best part is entering the magnificent Castle. This is an experience you must not miss.The ride through is a guided tour that takes you back in time to all the favorite old and newer Christmas movies beloved by all. I am happy to be reminded of those not to miss again on TV.

There is a music attachment to use while skating through. I love it!

Hopefully Santa will be there and you can get a picture before you leave.  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Belle%20Vie/115/215/149

Gemma Cleanslate

The Emerald Crystal Golf Course

By Gemma Cleanslate

 About 8 or 9 years go in Second Life, I started to learn how to play golf with my friend Alarice. Not miniature golf but full golf on a course of 18 holes. I cannot recall why we stopped, perhaps the course closed. But I let it go and never restarted. I think I liked it at the time  but did not have time to get very good at it.

 However, my friend, Bergie is an expert and has played in SL for years and offered to teach me to play again so off we went. I met her and two other friends, Beertje and Particle and our philosophy teacher Herman Bergson (also and expert, at the Emerald  Crystal Golf Course.  We picked up our clubs  and went over to figure out the playing hud at the putting green. I was terrible! It took ages for me to figure out the hud (not reading all the directions of course ) but finally got enough practice  to say “lets try the real holes” and off we went.

 The first time we played was a disaster. It took a while . At one point I got twisted around and ended up driving the ball at the wrong hole!  Practice is the  answer. The following day  I found the driving range and spent time there so that I would improve. Finally I read the manual and tips to doing well was able to get the hang of it. I played 9 holes by myself , took my time and did beautifully. The hud helps choose the trail of the ball and marking it, showing the wind, making it much easier to play better.

 After a few games I decided to buy my own clubs with the hud and a score card. I had been using the very inexpensive rental clubs. I believe these clubs that I purchases can be used at other courses too. There are many others in SL but my friends were members here so this is where they play. It is now ready for Halloween!!

The course is very well laid out with 18 holes. There are lovely greens, beautiful trees and shrubs around the course.  Water surrounds many of the greens ( it is a good thing we have a derender option in SL, it comes in handy).  There are horses grazing, deer standing not afraid of us at all and other wildlife to be seen. Halloween has arrived already!

Not only is this a golf course but the owners have a skeet shooting area and some other interesting activities. They also have events at the  19th Hole club so it is a busy region. Try it if you are looking for something different to do in Second Life. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dark%20Sun%20Island/38/55/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Chamonix City

By Gemma Cleanslate

If you want your absolute fill of winter sports, don’t miss the Chamonix City sims. “Fantastic winter sports community inside Second Life! Sims located to the west of Braggiani. Come visit GOHA ice hockey, and try out hockey, snowboarding, cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating, and more. Everything is free! Chamonix-Mont-Blanc  was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics (the first Winter Olympics). It has been described as "the death-sport capital of the world". GOHA in slGlobal on line hockey association  offices in neutral zone.. can join and get all equipment free.”

This is another superb area where you can experience all the snow fun you want. It is here all year long. There are several landing places in the  regions for different venues. I like the small park after you cross the huge bridge from the mainland sims. Here you find a teleport to some of the sports arenas as well as a lift to the town in Neutral zone town. The Neutral Zone has some interesting offices..GOHA... one for the cheerleaders group.. one for the women’s wrestling group and more.

 I enjoy using the lifts to get around to the fun places for your own winter sports. Besides the great down hill ski slope there is a wonderful ski jump where you can practice or compete for your distance. I did well to get to the bottom on my feet first time! I really need practice but I did manage 35 m before crashing to the ground, tried again and got to 43m . Bobsledding is one sport I have not seen around except for in Chamonix city. That was a hoot! Practice or compete for time on the board. I need practice here too! There is a lift to reach the tops of the hills to participate in all these activities.

Take a friend or two and go over to check out all the wonderful areas . The arenas are all set for games and you are invited to join the group to find out more. Walk around the Neutral Zone town and stop in.

One thing I did before I left was to hop on the pod that took me over the bridge to the mainland sims and took me up the Amundsen road and up into Hanson on the Hanson road. It was a great tour by interesting places. This landmark will put you by the teleporter in the park.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Neutral%20Zone/219/189/62 .

Gemma Cleanslate

The Aero Golf Club

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

Long before becoming a reporter for the SL Newser, this bunny was hopping to the four corners of the grid, in search of the next been there done that.  A friend and I would take turns introducing the other to a new place and  activity. One of these adventures took place at a golf course. I had never tried real life golf, other than on a computer simulation, so was game to try it in SL. Turned out, I really liked it, although I couldn't explain why. Hoping to introduce our readers to this fun adventure, we searched for a golf sim, to re-learn the game and take notes on the back of the score card of the things we liked.

Our first pick was a place called the Aero Golf Club. But we soon learned of several other great clubs. From the landing, we pass through the clubhouse, noting large meeting rooms on either side. They must have some big events and tournaments here. Out on the back patio, you'll see a large pool on your right and to the left there is a kiosk, where you join the club, to be allowed to play there (free) and get a HUD and golf club.

The golf club is what they call a loner and is good for 24 hours and only at Aero. You can always get a new loner club for each time you come, or click the [?] on the HUD to learn where to buy your own, use anywhere kit, which even comes with it's own holes.

Next, we find the first tee, just a few steps from the kiosk. A large marker gives the tee number and it's par and has an arrow on top, pointed to the hole. Two small blocks mark the starting line Aim your body in the direction of the hole, then select the Driver from the HUD. This does several things to set you up to shoot. The head of the club adjusts shape, you are posed to hit the ball, a small cloud emits a tail to show direction and strength of wind and a pointer on the ground allows you to aim, using left and right arrow keys. Having  aimed in the right direction, you must now decide how hard to hit the ball. Click and hold down the left mouse button, in a clear area like the sky. As you keep it held down, a bars meter adds bars and changes color, as it reaches the maximum power level. Letting the button up allows the swing to begin and hit the ball. As the ball travels, it leaves a cool strobe light trail, which remains as you approach it. To get you to the ball's exact location, a large ball marker hovers above it. When you are close enough to click the marker, it will TP you to the ball. From this position, we follow the same steps as before, facing the direction of the hole, picking a club from the HUD, aiming and hitting. After you sink your putt in the hole, a look around the perimeter of the green will find the arrow that points to the next tee.

The HUD and club are simple to use and, after only a few holes, you begin to get pretty good at using them. Playing golf at Aero  is way better than a mere golf simulator, for several reasons.  The sim is a beautiful park-like setting, with a very enjoyable music stream. You can't help but find yourself thinking that this would be a great place to bring a friend or date. There are several places for small gatherings, like  a gazebo and the beach.

On my last visit to gather a few last details and pics, my radar picked up an avatar moving about the sim. Moving to their location, there was nobody to see. Then she welcomed me to which the reply was "Hi invisible lady". We worked out that a glitch in my viewer was keeping her from rezzing, while she could see me and my Newser Reporter tag. She told me about the golf world, in SL. I followed her as she finished her last few holes, although she was invisible, by following the bouncing ball. When her round was finished, she took me to two more golf sims and I could see her in those. We quickly looked around Hazeltine Golf course, then went to Claremont Pines to meet Ben Sauber, a top competitor on the circuit. My hostess qlued me that they use voice, when playing, so I turned it on. Having only recently upgraded to voice, I was amazed at how much the added dimension increased the fun. 

We highly recommend golf, in SL. My good friend, Doc Philly, liked it so much, he went out and bought his own set of clubs. Perhaps you'll catch him there, shooting some rounds.

Lavender (233, 127, 25)
 

"Sha"

AERO Golf Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

Golfing, it must be the coolest sport around the world!

The AERO Golf Club was created by Kaja Ashland and Marcus Bremser, who are also the owners of the club, and the opened in November 2013. Although this isn’t the first golf club within the Second Life environment, it’s a cool and nicely created club.

The number of visitors depends on which time of the day and which day of the week you there. But actual numbers on how much visitors were not given. But they have large club of golfers that come in and play regularly.

How to golf in AERO Golf Club :

To play golf, you must first join their group, and then you get a “Golf HUD” and a “Golf Club” handed to you. You must accept it to go further. This is done to keep order on the golf terrain and to keep it’s landscape nice. Another reason is that they want to avoid everyone using the golf club as a sandbox. So, only group members can rez the golf ball and other things to start playing. You need to wear both the HUD and the club in order to play golf.

Then you must move your avatar to the first hole, which are indicated by the red-white indicators. On your Golf HUD there are three words : “Putter”, “Wedge” and “Driver”. Those are the type of clubs to make your tee get towards the hole. Physics do have an effect on gameplay, so natural effects like wind, weather conditions and the golf ball also reacts to ground shape and other objects on the track.

Once you putted a hole, you can move on to the next tee, which is clearly indicated with arrows with “ Next tee”. Before you start to try to push your golf ball towards the hole, you can adjust the direction of your throw by using your arrow keys. More precise targeting is done by holding down the Shift-key and the arrow keys on your keyboard.

On screen there is always the wind speed in mph. Once you are ready to golf, just click on “Driver” and then you can hold down the left mouse button until the speed indicator from green towards red, allowing you to adjust the speed of your throw.

To hit your golf ball, you can release the left mouse button. Your avatar now shows an animation of a golfer hitting his golf ball towards the hole. Once your golf ball has landed somewhere on the course, it will show a marker where the ball is. To teleport towards the golf ball, you need to click on the marker, your avatar will teleport there instantly.

There are 18 holes to complete before finishing the game. I haven’t completed a game of 18 holes myself yet.

There are basic and advanced tutorials, which are available at tee number 1 under the white tent.

In my personal opinion : this is the coolest golf club that I have visited in Second Life so far. But I have only visited one golf club in Second Life, haha ….

You can find AERO Golf Club at this location :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lavender/128/86/28

Wesley Regenbogen

Tis the Season

Yes, it is the winter sport season. Second Life has many wonderful places to participate in more than one sport. My favorite has always been ice skating. Skiing is fun too, and sledding.

I took a tour of the quite a few sims that already have skating ponds and rinks set up for you. At most you will find free skates, male, female and unisex available. At some you will also find some couples skating poses, and also snowball throwing prims to pick up. I sat on a reindeer at one.

Some of these slurls will take you directly to the skating area, but there are a few that you will have to search around a bit. That is ok too since the sims have other interesting things going on besides skating.

I will have some more for you as we get further into the season. It will be a long winter in Second Life so take advantage of it, (with apologies to our Aussie friends). I will also keep an eye out for some cheap vacations to tropical islands.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Misty%20Acres/181/102/21

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Freyr/201/46/54

Chamonix City
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cross%20Check/138/95/62

Christmas Island rink
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Cape%20Wrath/192/207/21

Snowflake Island - Oopsy!!! Watch out, snowball thrower also and place for snowball fights set up
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hydra%20Isles/126/104/22

Christmas at Winter Holiday village
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Prohibition/130/157/31

Snow falls Island- have to tp from entrance, look on the board
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Requiem/40/139/22

Christmas Enchantment
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Torn/101/133/22

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vine/110/180/112

http://slurl.com/secondlife/WolfMountainResort/53/44/33

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gilmour/95/113/21

Aero Pines - (free winter outfits here too).

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Equus/42/204/22

Have a great time! See you somewhere!

Gemma Cleanslate

The Cheeky Cow Golf Course

I went off to see an sim I heard about, but instead found an interesting place next door. It is a wonderful Golf game sim called The Cheeky Cow. Marilyn Philbin and Taylor Revnik are the owners who seem to keep everything going. There are free golf lessons too.

I have never played golf in real-life. In SL, I have played mini golf on the Galaxy so I decided to check this place out and try it without lessons. What fun! I got lost after the first hole, and took a wrong turn. I spent a lot of shots falling down hill, into water, sand and then discovered I was on the wrong approach to the wrong hole! Good thing I was just practicing. I was not using the score hud which tracks everything you do and keeps score.

I watched some other people playing and realized, well, maybe I was not that bad. I invited Qwark to join me and Bejiita came along to try it . We had a riot and some cheating went on I am sorry to say, but we made our way around the first nine. I will definitely be going back to practice some more before I play with anyone again.

It is possible to rent clubs but I went the whole way and bought the clubs with the hud. At the entrance there is a store where you can buy all the clothing and accessories you want. And the free scoring Hud is on the wall in the store so look for it. There are golf tournaments often I see and the winners have amazing scores. You are invited to TP to a Haunted course if you like. Scary!!

It is a new adventure for me in SL and I will be playing for a while . There is also a “walkabout” and they call it, and it is a great place for a horseback ride. Look for some other fun things to do there too. My friend Alarice, who is a real-life golfer, and I will play soon. I have not even seen the second 9 yet but there is a tavern next to 18 which I popped into for obvious reasons.


Begin your adventure here: Kitykana (131, 234, 26)

Gemma Cleanslate

Winter Sports at Chamonix City

Now that the winter season is approaching, I set off to find some fun sims for you to visit. My first stop was Chamonix City. This is a sports sim named for the location of the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix , France in 1924. The town in real-life remains a winter sport destination, and here you have your chance to visit in SL. It looks like the GOHA, the Global Online Hockey Association, has been in SL for a long time. This is my first introduction to it.

When I arrived at the Town center, my first visit was to the Hall of Fame. A history of GOHA is there for your viewing, and tributes to those that have made their mark in the League since they started in 2006. Plaques and trophies are displayed honoring the players and their teams on three floors. The town itself is delightful, with the Community Center, and shops filled with freebies. You can pick up hockey shirts, skates, hats and scarves for the winter and more. I stopped in at the church where I found several hockey players prostrate before the altar praying, “We will be strong and play as a team.”

Next I took a tour of the area landing first at the Pond Hockey where I read, “ Pond Hockey is a special tradition for the Global Online Hockey Association since 2006. Enjoy a laid back game with no walls, relaxed rules, and a beautiful setting tuned specifically for Hockey! “ The pond is open the public for practice any time a game is not in progress.”

I flew over to the Breakaway Rookie Training area where all the information you need to learn how to skate and play hockey is located. There is an automated training tools map . There are explicit directions and hints at all the locations on the map to help you become a hockey player if you are interested. I think I will skip it ! LOL. But I did try the tips on skating! Very Helpful.

I located the arena where the games are played. While I was there, some players were practicing for a game. Sure enough at 1:00 SL time, a game started between the Foxes and the Blades. Just like real life , play was fierce. There was a penalty right away! The entire schedule is at http://www.globalonlinehockeyassociation.com/league/page.aspx?PageID=3300 . I saw that games are also televised on Treet Tv on Sunday. Take a look at the website for more information and news.

I found a down hill sky jump that was closed at the time. I located the public skating pond where I found more skates for the taking. There is a couples and a solo skating animation for you to use. I tried the downhill skiing and sledding. I also found an Events Center for performances . You can find those on the Calendar as well.

There is also snow boarding and you will find boots and board . The building is not far from the arena and is on the main road. This sim is definitely worth a visit. Lots to see and do . Take a trip over to the sims starting here at the Community Center . Wear your woolies!!!

Gemma Cleanslate