20/20 Sports & Fitness
20 ways to quicken your pulse in 20 spots around the globe. BY KEN MCALPINE
 1 FIRM YOUR CORE AT EXHALE SPA Any fitness expert will tell you that your body’s center -- the abdominals, the glutes -- is where strength begins and, in many cases, unravels. Exhale spas offer the basic spa stuff, but it’s their Core classes -- unique exercise routines that combine the likes of yoga, Pilates, tai chi, and weight training into a ruthlessly efficient workout -- that are catching the attention of everyone from fitness fanatics to professional dancers. There are currently spas in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and New York. Soon to come is a South Beach outpost at the new beachfront Traymore Hotel. Or sculpt in private by ordering an exercise DVD on their website. (212) 249-3000, www.exhalespa.com
2 TAKE A DIFFERENT KIND OF NAPA WINE COUNTRY BIKE RIDE Cycling trips through California’s famed wine country are not new, but San Francisco’s LifeCycle Adventures offers something a bit different. Yes, over several days you’ll wheel through the stunning vineyard-scape (pictured left) of Napa and Sonoma, but you’ll often do it at a challenging pace -- five-mile climbs, gruesome sprints -- accompanied by serious coaching (everything from bike handling to nutrition) and scientific analysis, the whole lot customized to your specific goals. If you know what a bicycle power meter is, this trip’s for you. (888) 669-2453, www.lifecycleadventures.com
 3 FLY-FISH AND DOWNHILL SKI IN STYLE AND SOLITUDE Cast a line for world-class trout (pictured below), but cast your thoughts ahead. Three Forks Ranch, on the Colorado-Wyoming border, has 200,000 acres of private wilderness and the trout nirvana of the Little Snake River. And as the seasons wind on, don’t forget that the ranch is just north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and, for no extra cost, they’ll chauffeur you via limousine to Steamboat and provide you a personal ski guide adept at avoiding the crowds. (970) 583-7396, www.threeforksranch.com
4 RUN THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA One of the world’s iconic structures and one of the most unique half-marathons (pictured above) you’ll ever run. The 13.1-mile course, located three hours north of Beijing, has four miles of roller coaster wall -- including 1,800 steps -- before descending to paved, dirt, and gravel roads through farming villages. The race, in its 10th running, is held in May. Word to the wise: Prepare for thigh-busting downhills. Need more conquest? Run the marathon -- held the same day -- and conquer the route twice. (619) 298-7400, www.kathyloperevents.com
5 PLAY ON THE MONKEY BARS IN MADISON, WISCONSIN Madison’s Monkey Bar Gymnasium, and founder Jon Hinds, both have a reputation for cultivating fitness that, like those monkey bars you remember, is fun and taxing at the same time. No mirrors or weight machines at Hinds’ gym. Using just your body weight, and simple tools like medicine balls, pull-up bars, and jump ropes, Hinds’ exercises bring your full body into play -- just like in the real world. Don’t live in Madison? Join online. They’ll put a program together for you. (608) 663-7511, www.monkeybargym.com
 6 SPLASH, HIKE, AND RIDE YOUR WAY ABOUT SARDINIA This enormous Italian isle, roughly 9,300 square miles, is home to a commensurate length of pristine Mediterranean coastline, some of Europe’s loveliest. Ciclismo Classico takes advantage of this on their eight-day Sardegna Multi-Sport adventure. Swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing -- there’s little you won’t do in the water. On dry land you’ll bike and hike, discovering fishing villages, Roman ruins, a culture still very much intact, and how to make pane frattau, a dish made with traditional flatbread. (800) 866-7314, www.ciclismoclassico.com
7 BIKE FROM MONTREAL TO QUEBEC On the eastern side of the Great White North, Butterfield & Robinson offers a six-day spin from Montreal to Quebec City with a wealth of scenic and culinary gifts along the way. You’ll explore Montreal, via bike friendly streets, and pedal out into rolling farmland, following the St. Lawrence River into Quebec City. Along the route, you’ll stop for the likes of artisanal cheeses, gourmet mushrooms, and fine wines. There’s good reason it’s called La Belle Province. (866) 551-9090, www.butterfield.com
8 FAMILY MULTI-PLAY IN MAINE Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island is as diverse a playground as you’ll find. You can climb pink granite, hike to the tops of mountains, and kayak among dozens of offshore islands beneath osprey-swept skies. Over six days -- via bike, hike, and sea kayak -- Backroads takes families from Acadia south to Castine, Camden, and Rockport. Plus there are nice touches like lobster bakes and fresh-baked blueberry pies, and climbing lessons for the kids. (800) 462-2848, www.backroads.com
9 HELI-BIKE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA First came heli-hiking, the chance to enjoy an empty spring alpine meadow at 6,000 feet, substituting seven minutes of chopper ride for hours of uphill slog. Endless Biking has now taken the only logical next step, ferrying skilled mountain-bike riders, via chopper, to various B.C. mountaintops, and leaving them to enjoy thousands of feet of swooping descent along wooded trails. Want to freshen up your off-road skills first? Sign up for one of their one-day skills camps. (604) 985-2519, www.endlessbiking.com
10 LEARN TO STAND-UP PADDLE ON MAUI Big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton first brought Stand-up Paddling (SUP for short) mainstream attention, and Hamilton is known for his devotion to practical fitness. Surfers and others in the know have taken it up for its outright fun and its ability to hone everything from balance to abdominal strength. The boards are big, between 10 and 12 feet. Just standing on them and paddling (pictured here), much less catching waves, takes pointers. Take a lesson with Maria Souza’s Stand-Up Paddle Boarding School. (808) 579-9231, www.standuppaddlesurfschool.com
 11 TAKE A DISNEY ADVENTURE WITH THE FAMILY Disney uncorks eight new family adventures in 2009, and you and your Mouseketeers will be surprised by the levels of activity, though happily, in Disney fashion, sport and fitness often give way to wonder and fun. Disney does a masterful job of plunging the youngsters full-bore into the great outdoors on trips to places like the Galapagos (pictured left), Glacier National Park (white-water rafting down the Flathead River), and the Alps (how about a whooping 12-mile bike descent?). (877) 728-7282, www.adventuresbydisney.com
12 UPGRADE YOUR FITNESS LEVEL IN ARIZONA Athletes’ Performance was originally founded with elite athletes in mind. Now, with all the elite infrastructure in place -- top conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists, machines to test oxygen uptake and, ruthlessly, body fat -- Athletes’ Performance in Tempe offers their “Executive Experience,” a four-day workshop for folks like us that, taking personal goals into consideration, addresses everything from training (you’ll work out twice a day) to nutrition (your meals are also nutritional seminars). To ensure it doesn’t end there, they send you home with your personalized training schedule. (480) 449-9000, www.athletesperformance.com
13 MULTI-SPORT THROUGH YELLOWSTONE AND GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK O.A.R.S. offers the chance to explore a very wild Wyoming -- hiking, kayaking (pictured below), and rafting through the less-trod backcountry of two of America’s most iconic national parks. Kayak on Yellowstone and Jackson lakes, raft down the Snake River, hike through wind-ruffled meadows, and camp beneath the stoic Tetons. A long-time outfitter with all the right permits, O.A.R.S. gets you to tucked-away places. Smoking geysers, still lakes and wild rivers, trout fishing: Teddy Roosevelt would approve. (800) 346-6277, www.oars.com
14 PLAY BALL WITH THE YANKEES There are plenty of fantasy baseball camps, but only one Yankees’ aura. The 2009 Heroes in Pinstripes camp, held in South Florida in early November (real baseball players are occupied during the spring), sees you take batting practice, turn two, and talk story with the likes of Bucky Dent, Goose Gossage, and Yogi Berra. And, in the Big Game, you’ll take on the pros. Spine-tingling touches like your own locker, pinstripes hanging within, add to the memories. (215) 766-0582, www.heroesinpinstripes.com
 15 ENJOY YOGA HANG-TIME IN BROOKLYN Unnata (Sanskrit for “elevated”) Aerial Yoga (pictured above) combines traditional yoga with an aerial twist: Students perform yogic poses supported by a nylon sling. Sounds trippy, but the reasoning is sound: You get yogic stretching and strengthening without the pressure on the head and neck that is inherent in certain terra firma poses. It’s easy for beginners --gravity insists on perfect alignment -- and everyone gets improved spinal flexibility, muscle strength, and, yep, plain fun. (646) 205-3210, www.aerialyoga.com
16 HIKE THROUGH ENGLAND’S BRONTË COUNTRY This hike is in Brontë country, as in writer Emily Brontë, poet and author of the romantic classic Wuthering Heights. Something for mind and muscle, Wayfarers offers six days of trekking (you walk eight to 12 miles a day) through places like Yorkshire’s Haworth Village, where Emily and her two sisters (also writers) were raised. Windswept moors, ancient farmhouses, and an education in the culture and landscape that shaped the Brontës’ lives, along with much of British literature, are all part of the package. The July 26 trip is planned for women. (800) 249-4620, www.thewayfarers.com
17 SMARTBIKE IN CITIES AROUND THE WORLD Do the world and yourself a favor by biking around town instead of driving. An inspiration of Clear Channel Outdoor, the first SmartBike system went live in Rennes, France, in 1998. SmartBike stands (pictured left) are now a familiar sight across Europe. You swipe a card or type in a code, and the rack releases a bike. In Washington, D.C., a $40 annual fee gives you access to bikes stationed throughout the capital. www.smartbike.com
 18 LEARN TO KITEBOARD ON VIRGIN GORDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Kiteboarding is about as close as you’ll come to kicking off gravity, and there is no more pleasant place to learn to fly than the balmy, protected waters of Gorda Sound (pictured right), also happily home to the Bitter End Yacht Club. The resort has a great staff of patient instructors: The learning curve for kiteboarding is akin to snowboarding, so the first three to four days you’ll get your ego sorely bruised. Then prepare for the ride of your life. (800) 872-2392, www.beyc.com
19 CLIMB A VOLCANO -- OR FOUR -- IN AFRICA Aptly named Adventures Within Reach offers a unique take on the traditional Mount Kilimanjaro climb. Yes, you will attempt to walk to the top of 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (a trek that typically takes five to nine days). But you will also bookend this feat by hiking three other doable, but daunting enough, African summits -- Mount Kenya, Mount Meru, and Ol Doinyo Lengai. You’ll have to set aside 27 days. Why? Because they are there. (877) 232-5836, www.adventureswithinreach.com
20 TAKE A WALK ON AUSTRALIA’S WILD SIDE Australia’s Great Ocean Road, along the southern edge of Victoria, is one of the most spectacular seascapes in the world, with enormous offshore sea stacks and pristine beaches, the lot battered by huge waves. Most people drive the road, but Epicurious Travel leads a four-day hike, roughly nine miles a day, along the Great Ocean Walk, a trail through sweet-smelling eucalyptus forests with staggering views of plunging cliffs, and, no surprise, equally breathtaking gourmet food. 011-61-3-9486-5409, www.epicurioustravel.com.au
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