Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Will You Plunge With The "Penguins"?

The winter months provide the opportunity to enjoy festivals and gatherings that celebrate all things icy and cold. Looking for an adventure where you can chill out with carvers and climbers? Try this:

The 50th Annual Whitefish Winter Carnival kicks off with a Penguin Plunge (a hole is cut into Whitefish Lake and participants take a dip to raise funds for charity). Visitors will also enjoy an old fashioned Main Street parade, ice sculpting contest, a kiddie carnival, battle of the bands, pie social, torch-light ski parade, cross-country ski race, hockey tournament, a figure skating demonstration and more. The festivities are open to the public and most are free. February 6-8, 2009. Contact: 1-877-862-3548; www.whitefishwintercarnival.com

Friday, January 09, 2009

Telluride Opens Revelation Bowl


Telluride has never been a mountain short on variety. It has long been an ideal destination for families toting skiers and riders of all ages and abilities. With long cruisers, terrain parks, bump runs, and the steep chutes of Gold Hill for the more fearless, Telluride offers an incredibly wide variety of terrain.
However, Telluride’s latest addition, its first lift-served expansion since 2001, has put it on the short list of elite destinations for big-mountain skiing. The Revelation Bowl, Telluride’s first lift accessed bowl, brings an entirely new dimension to an already world class mountain. The 50-acre high-alpine bowl sits on the northeast face of the mountain and is a magnet for snow blown off the adjacent Gold Hill, making Revelation a new priority on powder days.
Skiers can make laps on the Revelation high-speed quad, which rises to a blood-thinning 12,670 feet. With stunning views of the San Juan mountain range that are second to none, I am hard pressed to think of another mountain on this continent that can match the experience of Telluride’s Revelation Bowl. – Alex Hayes