skylab n.— «Already in the gold rush mountain of Diwalwal (Monkayo, Davao del Norte) they use the same Honda motorcycle differently—no side car but it accommodates as many as eight passengers. They call it “skylab,” for it...
valley fill n.— «Mountaintop removal is just what the name suggests. Peaks are cleared of trees. Giant steam shovels then scrape away the topsoil. The rock beneath is blasted away until the coal is exposed. Some blasts have lopped as much...
14-er n.— «As a man in his 70s, Dr. Reed started climbing the “14-ers,” as they are called: the dozens of mountains in Colorado that rise to 14,000 feet or higher. Friends said that on those steep mountains, where the air...
whale n.— «“Whale” season is in full swing up in Colorado’s high country, as the state’s ski resorts pump thousands of gallons of water through snowmaking equipment to create autumn’s signature-shaped piles of artificial snow...
fakenger n.— «“They’re dangerous,” says Larry Morris of nonmessenger—or “fakengers,” as he calls them—track bikes. Morris, 38, rides a largely self-built 9-speed Bridgestone mountain bike on the job for Western Messenger...
frozen chicken head n.— «The mountain is empty, nearly. The shadows are lengthening, and the valley lies in darkness 2000 ft. below. The snow is hardening into icy chunks beneath our skis. “Frozen chicken heads,” Dave Monte...