Maxim February 2017

It’s no secret that I’m much more of a mermaid than a snow queen—but after my first time skiing a few years ago in Argentina, I was hooked! There are lots of places in the world to ski (and snowboard; I love them both) but Aspen is one of my favorite places because it’s so magical. They say it smells like Champagne in Aspen, but for me it’s exhilarating and clean and promises adventure. It’s the perfect blend of rustic and luxury. I’m fortunate to have a dear friend with a house there, so last time I was in Aspen over spring break he insisted we visit the places where the locals go. Here are some of my favorites, including the three most romantic. After all, with Valentine’s Day coming…

A fresh snowfall has a way of instilling a sense of peace and tranquility into the natural landscape. That is, until you hop on the Summit X 850 E-TEC, the latest snowmobile from Ski-Doo. Designed specifically for steep slopes, its Rotax engine pumps out 165 horsepower with 30 percent quicker throttle response than previous models. Even the seat of the Summit X 850 E-TEC has been made with mountain riding in mind. Comfortable enough for long trail rides, the mountain seat is purposefully compact, enabling gymnastic powder riding and maximum mobility for ascending the tallest peaks. Brembo brakes and HPG Plus shocks mean this machine can tackle the most impossible terrain.…

Dodge Challenger If there were a Mount Rushmore of American muscle cars, the Dodge Challenger would no doubt be carved in it. Now, with styling cues taken from the legendary 1971 model, the 2017 Challenger has taken this uniquely American category to an entirely new level. There are 10 new models to choose from, including the T/A 392, with a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 producing 485 horsepower, and the SRT Hellcat, with a supercharged, 707-horsepower Hemi that makes it the quickest and most powerful production muscle car ever. The basic Challenger SXT starts at just over $27,000, but the real game changer—the Hellcat—runs for around $64,000. That’s still a bargain, though, considering your only competition on the road will be Italian supercars that cost four times as much. Stick-averse drivers can…

Some automotive collaborations stand above the rest. Ford and Shelby come to mind, or the long-standing romance between Ferrari and Pininfarina. But few have excelled like the tandem of Aston Martin and Italian coach-builder Zagato, beginning with the sublime early-1960s DB4 GT Zagato racecars, one of which sold at auction in 2015 for $14.3 million. Now the partners have outdone themselves with the 2017 Vanquish Zagato Volante. The open-top version of the Vanquish Zagato Coupe, the Volante features Aston Martin’s aluminum-alloy V-12 engine, which harnesses 592 bhp to launch the convertible from zero to 60 in a projected 3.7 seconds, topping out in the neighborhood of 200 mph. The car boasts carbon-ceramic brakes—which are necessary to maintain control while braking at those speeds. With a price tag of around $850,000…

i Moto Confederate • Engine: Air/oil-cooled triple-camshaft pushrod dry-sump 56.25º V-twin four-stroke, with onepiece forged crankshaft, two valves per cylinder, toothed belt camshaft drive, and machined 6061 billet-aluminum crankcases • Displacement: 2,163 cc • Output: 145 hp, 170 lb-ft torque • Wheelbase: 62.5 inches • Top speed: More than 165 mph Birmingham, Alabama’s Confederate Motors, Inc. is America’s premier builder of stunningly designed two-wheeled works of art. To call the 145-horsepower, 165-mph Confederate G2 P51 Combat Fighter a mere motorcycle is an injustice to its brilliant design and painstaking construction. Philosophically, the P51’s design is inspired by bikes like Peter Fonda’s Captain America Harley-Davidson chopper in Easy Rider, though in practice the bare aluminum machine has an art deco vibe from an earlier time. And it is an obvious tribute…

Cognac is gunning for its turn in the spotlight, but first it has a reigning champion to unseat. Whiskey has dominated the luxury spirits world for a decade with long-aged products and experimental offerings. But the iconic producers of French brandy are starting to replicate whiskey’s success by changing their way of doing business. In the world of aged spirits, cognac remains somewhat of a mystery. While whiskey makers regularly print age statements and explain cask finishes, most bottles of cognac, which is a specific type of brandy, are packaged with little more than a couple of letters from the cryptic “VS, VSOP, XO” grading system. Cognac ages many of its products for decades, but XO only covers brandies that have aged a minimum of 10 years. Part of learning…