Replying to Camera Gearing Suggestions

Hey Newschoolers,

I'm going to be doing some big trips this year, and I want to document the bejesus out of them with something. One or two of these are going to be ski trips (so, temperature changes and all that--I hear that can be difficult for a DSLR?) and the other few are going to be biking trips. Not against having a bag to carry in.

A little background: I did a two-year stint at an art college in Minneapolis for 35mm photography, but never did too much for action sports or anything like that--and barely broke into too much digital before ending up in an entirely different career. So, decently accustomed to metering and things like that--but definitely didn't keep up with the digital market.

Any truth in the DSLR claims? What do you guys use for shooting in those conditions? Sorry if this question has been asked a million times.