It's never too early to start thinking about next year's vacation and we've got some great tips on how to plan a fantastic trip exploring beautiful Alaska.

Tucked away in the Savoy region, close to where France meets the borders of Switzerland and Italy, Les Arcs is probably not a name familiar to North American skiers and snowboarders. Read more »

The IOC voted in 2006 to exclude women's ski jumping from the 2010 Games, saying the sport didn't meet the basic criteria for an Olympic event. Read more »

If you've ever been riding down the street and had your pants cuff ripped asunder, there may be a revolution at hand. Read more »

The Mt. Bachelor ski area likely will delay its planned Friday opening because of warm weather and a lack of snow. Read more »

The way Figge sees it, she's been planning the expedition since she was 11 years old. Read more »

Fall has already walked through the door and made itself comfortable, but that doesn't mean those who appreciate the outdoors have to stay cooped up inside.  Read more »

The concept of birds flying south for the winter is a familiar one but for many birds that nest in the high arctic, the Pacific Northwest IS south. Read more »

The Puget Sound Partnership is considering ways to help the sound's resident killer whales in its plan to clean up the region. Read more »

The call of the wild is digital, broadcast from an 80-gigabyte computer duct-taped to a tree. Read more »

Jim Witty, the outdoor reporter for The Bulletin newspaper in Bend, died Monday of causes yet to be determined. He was 50. Read more »

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will begin accepting grant applications Dec. 1 from individuals and groups seeking financial support for volunteer projects that benefit fish and wildlife. Read more »

It's part of a major project by the Nature Conservancy to restore habitat for the endangered shortnosed sucker and Lost River sucker. Read more »

Working on his farm, Craig Wulfekuhle does not look like your typical media darling, nor does he want to be a celebrity. But millions of people already have seen the video of the 37-year-old risking his life to save a 3-year-old girl, and national news organizations keep calling. Read more »

Fishery managers in Washington and Oregon are seeking nominations for candidates to advisory committees that focus on sport and commercial fishing issues on the Columbia River.  Read more »

To protect fish and fish eggs during critical spawning periods, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is limiting the time when miners can dig or dredge for gold in certain creeks, streams and rivers. Read more »

Preliminary results of a study by a University of Montana graduate student suggest that lead bullets may be poisoning grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Read more »

An author of books on tracking, James Bruchac is among those hunters who forsake tree stands and blinds to stalk deer through the woods in what's called still hunting. Read more »

A fall survey along a stretch of the South Fork of the Snake River shows a 30 percent drop in rainbows and rainbow-cutthroat trout hybrids compared to a year ago. Read more »