Inland Northwest Covered In Winter Fun

Well, it’s finally beginning to look a bit like winter. So, here’s a roundup of ideas for fun in the snow:

The 13th annual Freeze Yer Buns Run is coming up Saturday in the Methow Valley community of Twisp, attracting about 600 “colorfully and oddly dressed individuals.”

Distances are 2k or 10k, and the grand prize is a trip to Hawaii. For information, call (509) 997-2926.

The McCall Winter Carnival in central Idaho is Feb. 2-11, featuring an international ice sculpture contest, snowmobile races, parades, fireworks and other family activities.

For more information, call the McCall Chamber of Commerce at (208) 634-7631.

Rainbow Adventures, a Montana-based tour company offering trips for women over 30, has a cross country skiing/ snowmobiling trip to Yellowstone National Park from Jan. 27 through Feb. 4. The cost is $1,350; for information, call (800) 804-8686 or (406) 587-3883.

In case you missed The Spokesman-Review’s incredibly useful annual ski guide, first published in November, we have a few copies left.

It contains 32 pages of information about 45 ski areas in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

You’ll discover what’s new at various hills, learn about prices and package deals, and find millions (well, dozens) of useful phone numbers.

Plus there’s lots of advertising for lodging and ski packages.

Copies of the guide are $2 apiece, including postage. Send cash or a check (payable to The Spokesman-Review) to the address at the bottom of this column.

The Dancing Bear inn, a hostel in Nelson, British Columbia, has an amazingly good package deal with the nearby Whitewater ski resort.

For $48 (Canadian) per person, per day, you get a night’s lodging, a continental breakfast and a lift ticket.

For that price, naturally, you’ll be sharing a room with other travelers. For information, call (604) 352-7573.

The new Lone Peak Tram at Big Sky opened a few weeks ago, making the Montana resort the nation’s leader in vertical skiing with 4,180 feet.

The tram also opens an additional 1,200 acres of expert terrain. For information about skiing and weather conditions at the resort, call (406) 995-5900.

Speaking of ski lifts … No Washington ski area uses the type of chair or lift technology that was involved in a recent fatal accident at British Columbia’s Whistler resort, according to the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association.

“We want to reassure Northwest skiers that our lifts are safe and secure,” said the group’s president, Doug Campbell. “In the past 15 years, there have been three lift-related fatalities in the U.S. and some 5.5 billion lift rides.”

Flowers in February: The Northwest Garden Show, largest in the West, is Feb. 7-11 at the Convention and Trade Center in Seattle.

More than 80,000 visitors are expected to attend the show, which will include five acres of gardens, 300 commercial exhibits, and more than 80 seminars.

An orchid display of more than 900 plants from around the world also is featured. For information, call (206) 224-1700.

Flicks and fairs:

The fourth annual Children’s Museum Film Festival in Seattle is Feb. 3-19, featuring international films for the entire family and a day of short films on Feb. 19. Call (206) 441-1768.

Artfair/Seattle, featuring what organizers say is some of the finest modern and contemporary art ever assembled in the Pacific Northwest, runs Jan. 25-28 at the Westin Seattle Hotel.

About 50 exhibitors from around the world will be featured. There’ll also be presentations, panel discussions and interviews with artists. Call (206) 624-7363.

Slow tours: Alaska Snail Trails offers tours of Alaska for people who have impaired mobility or just prefer a slower pace.

The tours are offered during summer and cost around $2,530 per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, call (800) 348-4532 or (907) 337-7517.

, DataTimes MEMO: Send information about travel opportunities around the Pacific Northwest to: Travel Editor, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.