RECREATION / IRENE GARCIA : Access the Web for an Indoor Hike to the Great Outdoors

Got a new computer for Christmas? Now you can use it to expand your recreational horizons on the Internet.

Thanks to a new service on the World Wide Web, outdoor buffs needn’t leave the house to find out what’s happening in recreation around the world.

By accessing Adventure Sports Online, computer owners can get colorful, up-to-date information on everything from the weather conditions in a remote hiking trail to wacky anecdotes about a popular outdoor activity.

Adventure Sports Online covers canoeing, kayaking, whitewater rafting, mountain and road biking, skiing, fly-fishing, climbing and other outdoor activities.

The service provides extensive details on places to go, outdoor products and event and race information throughout the country.

News groups are also available for those who want to buy and sell used gear, find a paddling partner, fix a mountain bike or just tell a story.

Among the things Adventure Sports Online offers are weather and road conditions, river flows, permit information and travel information in foreign countries.

There’s also a recipe file for trailside chefs. Each category of the Online service accepts contributions from all over the world.

“It’s a great source for people who want to find out information,” said Ron Hilbert, co-founder of Adventure Sports Online. “We get right down to it. There’s not a lot of layers and you don’t have to search a lot to find the information you need.”

Hilbert and business partner Laurel King created Adventure Sports Online early last year and by summer it was on the Internet. Hilbert owned a whitewater canoeing school in Woodland, near Sacramento, for 13 years and King leads group bicycle tours in the same area.

After years in the outdoor and recreation business, Hilbert and King realized there was a demand for a service that provides detailed information for outdoor enthusiasts.

“At first we thought of a bulletin board, but that was quickly outdated,” Hilbert said. “So we got on the Internet. What else? These days it’s the only way to go.”

About 150,000 people around the world use Adventure Sports Online monthly. Hilbert says most users are from Canada and many are from the United Kingdom and Denmark. In the U.S., California has the highest number of subscribers.

“That could be because California has more computers per capita than anywhere else in the world,” Hilbert said.

The Adventure Sports Online can be found on the World Wide

Web at https://www.adventuresports.com.

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Steven Meyers, considered the Southwest’s best trout-fishing author and guide, will speak at a Jan. 18 dinner meeting of the Valley-based Sierra Pacific Flyfishers.

The group meets at the Encino Glen, adjacent to the Balboa Golf Course in Encino.

Meyers, who has degrees in psychology and photography, writes from his home in Durango, Colo. Among his most popular books are “Notes From the San Juans,” “San Juan Chronicles,” “The Nature of Fly Fishing” and “Streamside Reflections.”

Meyers’ presentation later this month will include a significant amount of technical information and it will focus more on why people fish than how to fish.

The dinner is $20 for members, $22 for nonmembers. Those interested in attending the presentation but not the dinner are invited to arrive at 8:30 p.m.

Information: 818-718-8566.

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The Great Western Outdoor and Recreation Show is at the Anaheim Convention Center through Sunday, and it’s worth the drive to Orange County.

The show has more than 500 exhibits featuring everything from fishing, camping and wilderness survival seminars to action sport displays such as river rafting, snow and water skiing, mountain climbing and horseback pack trips.

The world’s longest known recreation vehicle--85 feet long, with sleeping quarters for 12 and a garage area big enough to hold two Jeeps--is on display. A 24-foot climbing wall is available for those who want to try rock climbing.

An array of discount sports equipment is also for sale and so are campers, trailers, vans and vehicle accessories.

Admission is $7.50 for adults and $3 for children. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.