500k = Private halfpipe in an exotic location just for you

Hard to know if the economy is really that bad after hearing about this one. At least it isn't affecting Red Bull and Oakley, as they paired up to build this private halfpipe for Shaun White recently for him to train in. From basecampsilverton.com: "This is Shaun White's just-completed halfpipe on the backside of Silverton Mountain, in the shadow of Storm Peak. This is just below the famed 'Grande' and the 'Hanging Valley' and 'Hidden Valley' runs, in an area shown on the map as 'The Lake'. The pipe was built by Red Bull (with some pipe dragon assistance provided by Oakley), just for Shaun's training purposes. The box at the bottom of the pipe is a custom-built foam pit for practicing new tricks..."

At 12,300' the only way to get there is by sled or heli. When we first heard of this, the rumor mill wasn't sure if it was true, but some friends who just returned from Silverton acknowledged seeing it in real life, and recent news articles are confirming it as true.