‘Souper’ Sunday offers football alternative at Mount Spokane

Unfulfilled by the unofficial national holiday for body-bruising men and million-dollar commercials, a growing group of women is breaking away from big-screen TVs and into the great outdoors of Mount Spokane on Super Bowl Sunday.

The fourth annual Women’s “Souper” Bowl will feature snowshoeing and cross-country skiing activities for all abilities, plus food and prizes on Feb. 1.

The event will be based at the , and nordic trails, where free snowshoe rentals will be available, said Genevieve Mann-Morris, event co-organizer.

Participants can arrange in advance for discounts on cross-country ski rentals from Mountain Gear, Fitness Fanatics and REI, she said.

A minimum donation of $25 to the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant is requested.

Activities include a classic or skate cross-country ski race starting at 10 a.m., as well as guided snowshoe treks, self-guided ski tours, prize drawings and a super lunch of soup, fresh bread and cookies, she said.

Women who make a 5-kilometer loop will find treats and a warm fire waiting for them at the halfway point in the Nova Hut.

The event grew from about 80 participants in 2007 to 140 last year, she said, noting that about 200 girls and women are expected this year.

The outdoor activities are a perfect antidote for the blahs inflicted on this football-inspired national day of sitting, eating and drinking.

Snowshoeing burns twice the calories as walking at the same speed, said Cindy Green, a Spokane County Health District educator who co-organizes the event. Both cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are a workout for legs, arms, abs and buttocks as well as the cardio-vascular system, she said.

“Most of the women trying it for the first time try snowshoeing and they just love it,” said Green, who’s helped with the Souper Bowl for three years. “The general impression is that it’s easier than they’d expected. They’re usually with friends or a group of women and it’s just a relaxed and fun introduction.”

Meantime, some women push for their personal best in a timed nordic skiing event with it’s own set of awards.

The Souper Bowl has evolved into a fundraiser in this 20th anniversary year for the Women’s and Children’s Free Restaurant, which serves free meals at St. Paul’s Methodist Church, 1620 N. Monroe St.

The restaurant chefs will be making the soup for the Souper Bowl, Mann-Morris said: “They have a lot of experience. Last year they served 30,000 free meals to women and children.”

Preregistration has benefits, she said:

•The first 100 to register will receive a free cloth shopping bag from REI.

•All who preregister will get two tickets entered into the prize drawing.

•Reservations for the shuttle bus will be on a first come basis.

The shuttle bus is new this year. It will depart at 8 a.m. from the Mountain Gear parking lot at 2002 N. Division, stopping at Mt. Spokane High School at 8:30. The bus will depart Mount Spokane for the return trip at 1 p.m.

Cost is $15, which is a good deal considering that people who drive vehicles to the state park’s trail system must have a Washington Sno-Park permit, which costs $10 a day or $60 a season.

The timing of the event has pros and cons. Ending at 1 p.m., that leaves plenty of time to get back home for the 3 p.m. Super Bowl kickoff.