Why does Michelle Obama need two Twitter accounts?

Michelle Obama is on Twitter! That was big news on Thursday, the first lady’s birthday. The White House announced that Mrs. Obama had launched a new Twitter account, @FLOTUS, and lots of folks chimed in with messages welcoming her to the world of micro-blogging social media.

But hold it – wasn’t she already on Twitter? We’ve been following @MichelleObama since the beginning of the 2012 presidential campaign. Is this a reboot, a dual account, or what? Is it the equivalent of the grand opening of a store that’s been in business for months?

Sort of, yes. Except it’s a retail establishment that has two branches kept separate for legal reasons.

RECOMMENDED: Michelle Obama: 10 quotes on her birthday

The invaluable Mashable has the full story here. The @MichelleObama feed is paid for and run by the Obama/Biden political campaign machinery. That’s why it was so active during the summer and fall, as it exhorted everybody to get out and vote, and in general pushed the fortunes of the incumbent presidential ticket. It’s an overtly political use of social media.

The first lady’s Pinterest site is run the same way. Most of those photos of her and her family, and favorite recipes (grilled peaches with yogurt and pistachios?), and exhortations about “why we vote” were put up by campaign staff.

Mrs. Obama’s new @FLOTUS handle reflects her official White House duties, however. It’s run by people from her office who are executive branch (and hence official US government) employees.

Legally speaking, @FLOTUS tweets will have to be stuff that deals with her official duties and the nation as a whole, as opposed to President Obama’s political fortunes. Thus on Thursday she tweeted “Join me and Barack for #MLK Day of Service” after thanking everyone for sending birthday wishes.

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Hmm. @FLOTUS has sent three tweets, and it’s got more than 78,000 followers. That’s a pretty good tweet-to-listener ratio.

Most of this social media stuff is done by staff, of course. The few that she sends herself are supposed to be signed “-mo.”

Is the White House actually good at social media? We think that question can be answered definitively only by someone more versed in the dark electronic arts than we are. But from our point of view, it’s a pretty shrewd operator. Take the White House petition site. You can put up a petition on anything, and if it reaches a certain signature level in a certain period of time, the White House will respond with its point of view.

Most of the coverage of this “We the People” effort has focused on the weird stuff: petitions for Texas to secede, to deport CNN’s Piers Morgan, and so forth. And responding to them has to be a pain for staff. Mother Jones has a piece on Friday in which anonymous staffers gripe about having to spend time actually writing about why the US won’t build a Death Star, and things like that.

But to us, “We the People” really is a clever technique for harvesting e-mail addresses. When creating an account to sign stuff, you can check whether you want to receive missives from the White House. Most of the petitions are in fact about real policy – the need for more or less gun control, for instance. What the White House may get out of this is a continually growing list of voter contact information segmented by policy interest. To push the president’s new gun policies, for instance, they may send targeted e-mails to pro-control addresses, urging them to contact Congress.

We think this because media organizations do the same thing with interactive questionnaires and quizzes. We figure out who’s interested in what kind of stories and we direct those subjects their way.

Surprised? Don’t be. Building brand loyalty – everybody’s got whole new ways of approaching this old problem in today’s Internet age.

RECOMMENDED: Betty Ford to Michelle Obama: How seven first ladies have changed the office

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Nicole Richie Sets Yet Another Trend - But What Is It?

Stylewatch
Style News Now

01/18/2013 at 06:30 PM ET

Jason Merritt/Getty; Sara De Boer/Startracks; Steve Granitz/WireImage

Three shows down, and a lot more to go! So far, we’ve spotted tons of great trends at the Golden Globe Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards, however, three have totally stood out to us — two because they’re so rampant, and one because it’s so unusual. Let’s break it down:

Up: 50 shades of blue. From powder to navy, the red carpet has been a sea of oceanic shades so far. On the lighter end of the color spectrum recently were Nicole Richie in a periwinkle Naeem Khan gown, Jessica Chastain in a seafoam Calvin Klein Collection number and Lucy Liu in a sky-blue floral-print creation. Ladies like Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum and Amy Adams, however, slipped into deep, midnight hues. Who’s got dibs on baby and royal blue? We think we’ll find out soon.

Down: Red lips. Surprisingly, Julianna Margulies was one of the few stars sporting a classic cherry pout on the red carpet this week — most celebs went for nudes, pinks and dark, vampy shades. Expect to see more bold beauty choices — like Jessica Alba’s juicy citrus lip, Kaley Cuoco’s plum pout and Julianne Moore’s funky fuchsia smile — throughout the rest of awards season.

Up: Thigh-high slits. Sorry, Angelina: Eva Longoria and other daring stars are stealing your right leg’s thunder. Though Longoria earned the title of “Most Gam-Baring Gown” the night of the Globes, she saw some stiff competition from Lea Michele, Miranda Kerr, Halle Berry, Katharine McPhee and Claire Danes — all of whom showed off their never-ending stems in super-sexy designs. Can the hemlines possibly get higher for next week’s Screen Actors Guild Awards? They just might!

For more on up-and-coming trends, check out our thoughts on floral print, red accessories and sexy minis.

Tell us: Which trends are you excited to see more of on the red carpet this awards season? Vote in our poll below! 

–Jennifer Cress

PHOTOS: SEE OUR FAVORITE DRESSES OF AWARDS SEASON — SO FAR!

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Lilly drug chosen for Alzheimer's prevention study

Researchers have chosen an experimental drug by Eli Lilly & Co. for a large federally funded study testing whether it's possible to prevent Alzheimer's disease in older people at high risk of developing it.

The drug, called solanezumab (sol-ah-NAYZ-uh-mab), is designed to bind to and help clear the sticky deposits that clog patients' brains.

Earlier studies found it did not help people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's but it showed some promise against milder disease. Researchers think it might work better if given before symptoms start.

"The hope is we can catch people before they decline," which can come 10 years or more after plaques first show up in the brain, said Dr. Reisa Sperling, director of the Alzheimer's center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

She will help lead the new study, which will involve 1,000 people ages 70 to 85 whose brain scans show plaque buildup but who do not yet have any symptoms of dementia. They will get monthly infusions of solanezumab or a dummy drug for three years. The main goal will be slowing the rate of cognitive decline. The study will be done at 50 sites in the U.S. and possibly more in Canada, Australia and Europe, Sperling said.

In October, researchers said combined results from two studies of solanezumab suggested it might modestly slow mental decline, especially in patients with mild disease. Taken separately, the studies missed their main goals of significantly slowing the mind-robbing disease or improving activities of daily living.

Those results were not considered good enough to win the drug approval. So in December, Lilly said it would start another large study of it this year to try to confirm the hopeful results seen patients with mild disease. That is separate from the federal study Sperling will head.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's. Current medicines such as Aricept and Namenda just temporarily ease symptoms. There is no known cure.

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Online:

Alzheimer's info: http://www.alzheimers.gov

Alzheimer's Association: http://www.alz.org

___

Follow Marilynn Marchione's coverage at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

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Wall Street Week Ahead: Earnings, money flows to push stocks higher

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With earnings momentum on the rise, the S&P 500 seems to have few hurdles ahead as it continues to power higher, its all-time high a not-so-distant goal.

The U.S. equity benchmark closed the week at a fresh five-year high on strong housing and labor market data and a string of earnings that beat lowered expectations.

Sector indexes in transportation <.djt>, banks <.bkx> and housing <.hgx> this week hit historic or multiyear highs as well.

Michael Yoshikami, chief executive at Destination Wealth Management in Walnut Creek, California, said the key earnings to watch for next week will come from cyclical companies. United Technologies reports on Wednesday while Honeywell is due to report Friday.

"Those kind of numbers will tell you the trajectory the economy is taking," Yoshikami said.

Major technology companies also report next week, but the bar for the sector has been lowered even further.

Chipmakers like Advanced Micro Devices , which is due Tuesday, are expected to underperform as PC sales shrink. AMD shares fell more than 10 percent Friday after disappointing results from its larger competitor, Intel . Still, a chipmaker sector index <.sox> posted its highest weekly close since last April.

Following a recent underperformance, an upside surprise from Apple on Wednesday could trigger a return to the stock from many investors who had abandoned ship.

Other major companies reporting next week include Google , IBM , Johnson & Johnson and DuPont on Tuesday, Microsoft and 3M on Thursday and Procter & Gamble on Friday.

CASH POURING IN, HOUSING DATA COULD HELP

Perhaps the strongest support for equities will come from the flow of cash from fixed income funds to stocks.

The recent piling into stock funds -- $11.3 billion in the past two weeks, the most since 2000 -- indicates a riskier approach to investing from retail investors looking for yield.

"From a yield perspective, a lot of stocks still yield a great deal of money and so it is very easy to see why money is pouring into the stock market," said Stephen Massocca, managing director at Wedbush Morgan in San Francisco.

"You are just not going to see people put a lot of money to work in a 10-year Treasury that yields 1.8 percent."

Housing stocks <.hgx>, already at a 5-1/2 year high, could get a further bump next week as investors eye data expected to support the market's perception that housing is the sluggish U.S. economy's bright spot.

Home resales are expected to have risen 0.6 percent in December, data is expected to show on Tuesday. Pending home sales contracts, which lead actual sales by a month or two, hit a 2-1/2 year high in November.

The new home sales report on Friday is expected to show a 2.1 percent increase.

The federal debt ceiling negotiations, a nagging worry for investors, seemed to be stuck on the back burner after House Republicans signaled they might support a short-term extension.

Equity markets, which tumbled in 2011 after the last round of talks pushed the United States close to a default, seem not to care much this time around.

The CBOE volatility index <.vix>, a gauge of market anxiety, closed Friday at its lowest since April 2007.

"I think the market is getting somewhat desensitized from political drama given, this seems to be happening over and over," said Destination Wealth Management's Yoshikami.

"It's something to keep in mind, but I don't think it's what you want to base your investing decisions on."

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak and Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

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IHT Rendezvous: Can Armstrong be Redeemed? How About Galliano?

LONDON — While Lance Armstrong was (not quite) baring his soul to Oprah this week, a very different celebrity, the disgraced London fashion designer John Galliano, was taking a small step on the path to redemption.

Two years after he was ousted from Dior in the wake of his arrest for a drunken, anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar, Mr. Galliano is to make a modest comeback at the New York design studio of Oscar de La Renta.

As Eric Wilson writes over at On the Runway, many had speculated that the man described as “the prince of romantic glamor” would never work in the fashion industry again after his downfall in 2011.

However, with the support of fashion luminaries such as Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington of Vogue, he appears set for rehabilitation.

“As far as a comeback strategy, working for Mr. de la Renta in a casual capacity, practically an intern, is, in effect, a way of testing the waters,” Eric writes.

The downfall of the Gibraltar-born, London-raised designer came after two patrons of a bar in the Marais district of Paris accused him of making an anti-Semitic slur.

An online video later surfaced that showed a previous incident in which a bleary Mr. Galliano told fellow customers in the same bar, “I love Hitler” and “people like you would be dead” and “your mothers, your forefathers” would all be “gassed.”

All the more surprising, then, that among those who welcomed the 52-year-old designer’s return was Abraham H. Foxman of the Anti-Defamation league.

The head of the American anti-Semitism watchdog group said on Friday, “Mr. Galliano has worked arduously in changing his worldview and dedicated a significant amount of time to researching, reading, and learning about the evils of anti-Semitism and bigotry.”

The A.D.L. had met the designer on numerous occasions and hoped to work with him in the future as a spokesman against bigotry.

A Paris court fined Mr. Galliano €6,000, or $8,000, for racial insults after he offered his apologies, and last year President François Hollande stripped him of the Légion d’Honneur that he was awarded in 2009.

The designer’s behavior was widely blamed on drug and alcohol addiction, which he’s sought treatment for over the last two years.

“Under intense pressure to produce at least eight full collections a year, Galliano — like so many other artists — reached for sustenance and oblivion,” Suzy Menkes, the IHT’s fashion editor, wrote in November.

Another celebrity who has admitted to turning to drugs, but for very different reasons, is Lance Armstrong, the disgraced American cycling superstar who came clean to Oprah Winfrey this week.

Summing up the response among cycling and anti-doping officials, my colleague Ian Austen wrote: “Many characterized Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey as being more self-serving than revelatory.”

Has Mr. Armstrong done enough to pave the way for an eventual comeback or were his television appearances indeed self-serving? And what about Mr. Galliano? Should his repentance for his unpardonable remarks lead to a second chance at success? Does either celebrity — or both — deserve redemption? Tell us what you think.

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Thank You to the OpenStack Members Who Voted in the Individual Director Election

HP Cloud Services would like to thank all of the OpenStack® Foundation member/electors who participated in the recent Individual Director election.

The OpenStack Foundation regularly conducts elections for Individual Directors of the Foundation’s Board.  This process is very important for the legitimacy of the Foundation and for the health of the project. These directors represent the voices and interests of the developers and contributors to the OpenStack project as a whole, and of the operators of OpenStack-based clouds. Read more about Thank You to the OpenStack Members Who Voted in the Individual Director Election »

Linux/Open Source News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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The Bachelor's Sarah Herron: Having One Arm Helped Me Catch Sean Lowe's Attention

TV Watch

By Carrie Bell

01/18/2013 at 10:00 AM EST

Sarah Herron, 26, was determined to find love on The Bachelor – and she wasn't about to let having only one arm get in her way.

And as the advertising executive, whose forearm was amputated by an umbilical cord, received the first one-on-one date (and helicopter ride!) of the season, it seems her persistence paid off. She recently spoke with reporters on the phone from her home in Los Angeles about her connection with Sean Lowe, her disability and next week's shocker.

Getting the first date is huge.
It made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. ... I felt sparks and could definitely picture myself, as early as that night, building a future with him. But it is also a double-edge sword. ... I woke up the next morning realizing it was going to be a lot harder than I thought because I had to sit back and watch X number of girls go out with him.

Are you sure the feelings were real?
Everything is incredible, romantic and fairy tale-esque, so your emotions are so heightened. But I felt so strongly that night that Sean is this incredible guy that I've looked for all my whole life and could definitely see myself falling in love. It sounds crazy and very fast, but it was true.

Why is Sean the right match?
He's 100 percent authentic, patient, passionate, compassionate, creative, sporty, adventurous, good-looking and a gentleman. He's an adrenaline junkie who likes to travel. He has a very big heart and an awesome sense of humor. When you are spending time with him, he has this way of making you feel like you are this incredible, perfect woman.

Do you think your disability played a part in you getting that date?
My situation played a role in a positive way. It helped me stand out and catch his attention when I introduced myself to Sean. I hope it's because he saw me as a unique, strong, courageous individual and that I deserved the opportunity just as much as anybody else.

Were you nervous about being the show's first contestant with one arm?
I was worried about Sean liking me, but I was not concerned about what the public would say. I've grown up with that and have pretty thick skin. But I've been reading comments online. It has been incredibly positive and uplifting. Truthfully, I went on the show to meet Sean, not be a role model.

Was it an issue with any of the women?
If any of them thought it was bizarre or off-putting, they kept it to themselves and never made it an issue to my face. ... The girls were very sweet, welcoming and immediately bonded with me.

If it isn't you, which woman is the best match for him?
Lesley M. She's a cool, beautiful, wonderful girl with a great career and amazing body. I see this great spark between them.

Looks like the craziness starts next week.
This coming episode is going to be a pretty big shocker. True colors are coming out, there's a lot of drama and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds and what really happened. Sean does something that really surprised me. I didn't see it coming.

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Food service vulnerable to food allergy lawsuits

WASHINGTON (AP) — People with severe food allergies have a new tool in their attempt to find menus that fit their diet: federal disabilities law. And that could leave schools, restaurants and anyplace else that serves food more vulnerable to legal challenges over food sensitivities.

A settlement stemming from a lack of gluten-free foods available to students at a Massachusetts university could serve as a precedent for people with other allergies or conditions, including peanut sensitivities or diabetes. Institutions and businesses subject to the Americans With Disabilities Act could be open to lawsuits if they fail to honor requests for accommodations by people with food allergies.

Colleges and universities are especially vulnerable because they know their students and often require them to eat on campus, Eve Hill of the Justice Department's civil rights division says. But a restaurant also could be liable if it blatantly ignored a customer's request for certain foods and caused that person to become ill, though that case might be harder to argue if the customer had just walked in off the street, Hill says.

The settlement with Lesley University, reached last month but drawing little attention, will require the Cambridge, Mass., institution to serve gluten-free foods and make other accommodations for students who have celiac disease. At least one student complained to the federal government after the school would not exempt the student from a meal plan even though the student couldn't eat the food.

"All colleges should heed this settlement and take steps to make accommodations," says Alice Bast, president and founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. "To our community this is definitely a precedent."

People who suffer from celiac disease don't absorb nutrients well and can get sick from the gluten found in wheat, rye and barley. The illness, which affects around 2 million Americans, causes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, and people who have it can suffer weight loss, fatigue, rashes and other problems. Celiac is a diagnosed illness that is more severe than gluten sensitivity, which some people self-diagnose.

Ten years ago, most people had never heard of celiac disease. But awareness has exploded in recent years, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Some researchers say it was under-diagnosed, others say it's because people eat more processed wheat products like pastas and baked goods than in past decades, and those items use types of wheat that have a higher gluten content.

Gluten-free diets have expanded beyond those with celiac disease. Millions of people are buying gluten-free foods because they say they make them feel better, even if they don't have a wheat allergy. Americans were expected to spend $7 billion on gluten-free foods last year.

With so many people suddenly concerned with gluten content, colleges and universities have had to make accommodations. Some will allow students to be exempted from meal plans, while others will work with students individually. They may need to do even more now as the federal government is watching.

"These kids don't want to be isolated," Bast says. "Part of the college experience is being social. If you can't even eat in the school cafeteria then you are missing out on a big part of college life."

Under the Justice Department agreement, Lesley University says it will not only provide gluten-free options in its dining hall but also allow students to pre-order, provide a dedicated space for storage and preparation to avoid cross-contamination, train staff about food allergies and pay a $50,000 cash settlement to the affected students.

"We are not saying what the general meal plan has to serve or not," Hill says. "We are saying that when a college has a mandatory meal plan they have to be prepared to make reasonable modifications to that meal plan to accommodate students with disabilities."

The agreement says that food allergies may constitute a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act, if they are severe enough. The definition was made possible under 2009 amendments to the disability law that allowed for episodic impairments that substantially limit activity.

"By preventing people from eating, they are really preventing them from accessing their educational program," Hill says of the school and its students.

Mary Pat Lohse, the chief of staff and senior adviser to Lesley University's president, says the school has been working with the Justice Department for more than three years to address students' complaints. She says the school has already implemented most parts of the settlement and will continue to update policies to serve students who need gluten-free foods.

"The settlement agreement provides a positive road map for other colleges and universities to follow," Lohse says.

Joan Rector McGlockton of the National Restaurant Association says that restaurants have taken notice of an increasing demand for gluten free options, "drawing attention to the importance of providing these options as well as the preparation methods involved in serving these options."

The group has a training program for restaurants so they will know what to do when food allergy issues arise.

Some say the Justice Department decision goes too far. Hans von Spakovsky, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who worked in the civil rights division of the Justice Department under President George W. Bush, says food allergies shouldn't apply under the disability act. He adds that the costs could be substantial when schools are already battling backlash from high tuition costs.

"I certainly encourage colleges and universities to work with students on this issue, but the fact that this is a federal case and the Justice Department is going to be deciding what kind of meals could be served in a dining hall is just absurd," he says.

Whether the government is involved or not, schools and other food service establishments are likely to hear from those who want more gluten-free foods. Dhanu Thiyagarajan, a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, says she decided to speak up when she arrived at school and lost weight because there were too few gluten-free options available. Like Lesley University, the University of Pittsburgh requires that on-campus students participate in a meal plan.

Thiyagarajan eventually moved off campus so she could cook her own food, but not before starting an organization of students who suffer from wheat allergies like hers. She says she is now working with food service at the school and they have made a lot of progress, though not enough for her to move back on campus.

L. Scott Lissner, the disability coordinator at Ohio State University, says he has seen similar situations at his school, though people with food allergies have not traditionally thought of themselves as disabled. He says schools will eventually have to do more than just exempt students from a meal plan.

"This is an early decision on a growing wave of needs that universities are going to have to address," he says of the Lesley University agreement.

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Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

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Wall Street edges lower on earnings, China data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell modestly on Friday, a day after the S&P 500 rose to its highest level in five years, as a weak outlook from Intel was weighed against encouraging data out of China and a fourth-quarter profit at Morgan Stanley .

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 6.68 points, or 0.05 percent, at 13,589.34. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was down 2.60 points, or 0.18 percent, at 1,478.34. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 10.63 points, or 0.34 percent, at 3,125.37.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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IHT Rendezvous: Skiing vs. Snowboarding: What's the Coolest Mountain Sport Now?

In his New York Times travel article “Has Snowboarding Lost Its Edge?” Christopher Solomon examines why boarding has “lost its mojo” over the last several years. He writes:

One reason may be that snowboarding simply doesn’t have the rebel cachet that it once did. Skiing has appropriated everything from snowboarding’s swagger to its trendy clothing to technology like fat skis. Simply put, it’s cool to be on two planks again.

Chris’s article talks about the waning of snowboarding in the United States. The sport caught on later in Europe, where the picture now, he tells us, is more nuanced:

Traditional Alpine countries like France, Switzerland and Germany have seen sales from manufacturers to shops drop 15 percent over the last two seasons, thanks in part to aging riders stepping away from the sport, said Remi Forsans, an industry veteran and editor of BoardsportSOURCE, which covers Europe and Russia. But snowboarding is still growing among the youth of Russia and former Eastern Bloc countries, where the sport is still relatively fresh, Mr. Forsans said. Worldwide, snowboarding remains “more or less stable,” he said, with about 27 million snowboarders worldwide.

So what are the cool kids doing on skis these days? The answer is, everything boarders can do and more. The trends are as varied as the gear ski manufacturers are dreaming up every season. Specially designed skis were invented years ago to allow skiers to create their own versions of spectacular snowboarding events like half-pipe, big air and boarder cross. Fatter, longer, heavier skis have made it possible for back-country free skiers to trace faster, more direct lines down the slope and do better airborne tricks. The latest trends in this vein are “rocker skis,” bent upward in a bow shape, and the ever-increasing number of niche ski companies like White Dot and black crows.

Back-country ski mountaineering, or ski touring, until recently seen as an activity for grizzled, old-school mountaineers, has reemerged as an extreme activity for a younger crowd. Ski-touring gear, originally designed to facilitate uphill walking and climbing as well as the occasional trip down the mountain, has been reoriented toward more thrilling descents: The skis are fatter and more versatile and the clothing is more fashionable. The activity even has an updated name — free ski mountaineering — and a poster boy: Glen Plake, who became famous in the 1980s for pounding moguls and heli-skiing down impossible cliff-like faces. Mr. Plake can now be seen in a more mellow yet thoroughly modern context climbing the pointy peaks around Chamonix, France, in the latest touring gear.

If you are tempted by the video above, be aware that though the evolution of skis and other equipment has opened up the mountains to more people of all levels, none of the dangers have changed. Many dozens of people around the world die in avalanches, falls and other alpine accidents each year. Hire a professional with local knowledge and take all of the precautions he or she recommends. If you are not convinced, read this piece by John Branch.

Has skiing eclipsed snowboarding for good? Have you tried free ski mountaineering? What are your views on the future of winter sports? Let us know in the comments space below.

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