From the Editor

Summer may be peak travel season, but for my money, November remains one of the best travel months of the year. It begins with the remains of fall foliage, winds its way through Thanksgiving and the heart of football (can you say road trip?), and ends with the first run on the slopes.

View our annual roundup of Rocky Mountain ski resorts in the Been There section. If you haven’t been in a while, this is the year to go back. From Telluride to Reno and just about everywhere in between, mountain ski resorts have poured millions of dollars into renovations and improvements. As we say on the cover, it gives new meaning to the words fresh powder.

Wherever your travels (or your skis) take you this November, happy trails and good reading.

From the Readers: No Bones About It

Michael McDermott’s article on New York firefighter Richie Othmer (“Firehouse Rules,” September) reports that Othmer “made his bones” in five years. The author never explains this, and Google and several other research sources are silent. Other than dice and the basis of creature structure, what are bones?

Charles Wiley
New York, N.Y.

The author responds: It’s an expression equivalent to “paid his dues” that implies passing a series of informal tests imposed by colleagues before gaining acceptance as one of their own. It’s about demonstrating under pressure that someone has what it takes to do the job, and that comrades can trust that person to “cover their back” whenever the need might arise.

In “From the Editor” in the August 2006 magazine, Michael Buller refers to the Texas Longhorns as “the defending NCAA champion football team.” I would like to point out that Texas was not the NCAA champion football team last year. The NCAA does not crown Division 1 champions. It only crowns champions through sanctioned tournaments (such as basketball, baseball, and Division 1-AA football). While Texas may be referred to as national champions or BCS champions, they were not NCAA champions. For D-1 football, there is no such thing.

Max Bertram
Knoxville, Tenn.

Editor’s note: Good point. I’d like to say I intentionally wrote “defending NCAA champion” to spur the NCAA to sanction what is already the de facto reality. But in truth, it was just my subconscious writing it how I — and much of the sporting world — see it. Thanks for bringing me back to reality.

We welcome letters from our readers Letters about this magazine should be sent to the Editor, Continental magazine, 99 Bedford Street, Floor 5, Boston, MA 02111, or e-mailed to continental@pohlyco.com. Letters must be signed and include the writer’s address, daytime telephone number, and e-mail address, when possible. We reserve the right to edit letters for space and clarity.

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