Ballpark Estimate: $50 to $300 per club Want to improve your golf game? One of the easiest, and often most effective, ways to do this is to invest in a new set of custom fit golf clubs. This can maximize your performance and help you lower your score. Par for the Course Perhaps you’re an excellent…
Ballpark Estimate: $400 to $20,000 Are you an adrenaline junkie who secretly believes you have the “right stuff” to keep pace with Jeff Gordon? If so, then getting behind the wheel of a super-charged high-performance NASCAR stock may be just what you’re looking for. For the opportunity to put the pedal to the metal there are…
Ballpark Estimate: $700 to $5,000+ per ticket It is the dream of every American sport’s fan to attend the Super Bowl at least once in his or her lifetime. The cost for most fans is usually prohibitive, as attendees have to vie for hotel rooms that are sometimes booked years in advance and pay for airfare…
Ballpark Estimate: $100 to $2,000 Okay, pretend it’s winter and you’re a kid with a sled. You’re standing at the top of Killer Hill. No, make thatSuicide Hill. It’s the hill your parents told you to absolutely, positively stay away from because it was too dangerous. There are about a dozen other daredevils up there with…
Ballpark Estimate: $900 to $1,700 (new gear plus lessons) Do you have a passion for the great outdoors? Do you love to fish? Maybe you’ve always wanted to add fly fishing to your repertoire of outdoor adventures but were too intimidated by the casting process. Maybe you’re already a diehard bass fisherman who’s found himself on…
Ballpark Estimate: $20 to $100 an hour for private instruction Ready “fore” a game of tennis? If you want to really be on the ball, it’s a good idea to consider signing up for tennis lessons, either for yourself or for your child. Whether you want to take a tennis class to sharpen your skills and…
Ballpark Estimate: $200 to $2,000 Of the three sliding sports – bobsled, skeleton, and luge – luge is the fastest, with elite racers reaching speeds over 90 mph. Strange, then, that it’s also the sport where you lie on your back, stare toward the sky, and maneuver the course from memory while you steer with your…
Ballpark Estimate: $89 for a night’s lodging; $529 for an educational trip and membership If you’ve ever been to the White Mountains in New Hampshire, you know that breathtaking view you get as you wind around the narrow highway and see the looming expanse of Mount Washington’s rocky peak. While the mountain’s height (6,288 feet) sets a…
Ballpark Estimate: $2,500 to $8,000 At 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and the highest point in Africa. While there are some difficult and technical climbs on the mountain, the vast majority of those who reach Uhuru Peak have hiked there. It is a rigorous, high altitude hike, but requires…
Ballpark Estimate: $890 to $2,335 and up Unless you live within a stone’s throw of an outdoor climbing area, the easiest and most convenient place to learn how to climb is at an indoor climbing gym. In fact, these days, most outdoor climbers start out in a gym. Many of them get good fast indoors, and…
Ballpark Estimate: $5,500 to $7,000 (lessons and new gear) Hang gliding has come a long way since the 1890s when Germany’s Otto Lilienthal designed, built, and tested his series of gliders. Although he made over 2,000 test flights, his gliding career ended in disaster when, in 1896, he crashed from 56 feet in the air, breaking…
Ballpark Estimate: $850 to $5,000 Aconcagua (elev. 22,840 ft.) is the tallest mountain in the Americas and, outside of Asia, the tallest mountain in the world. Towering 4,000 feet above neighboring peaks in the Argentinian Andes, the “Stone Sentinel” draws climbers from all over the world who log the ascent as a training climb for the…
Ballpark Estimate: $200 to $250 per person for an hour long ride Gliding above the treetops in a basket with blue sky above, spectacular scenery below, and little more than the wind and a pilot to guide you: a ride in a hot air balloon can be an exhilarating experience. Hot air balloon rides are gaining…
Ballpark Estimate: $2,000 to $9,000. The 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine and is one of the most challenging long distance hikes in the United States. Less than 25% of all those who set out to complete this trek succeed. Cost isn’t the only factor in determining who succeeds in completing the AT,…
Ballpark Estimate: $8,000 to $13,000 Whether you’re joining a guided expedition or organizing a private climb, ascents of 8,000-meter peaks require a long list of highly specialized gear. We’ve assembled a list of the most essential, high altitude expedition gear, from the top of your head (balaclava and glacier glasses) to the tips of your toes…