British Columbia’s Red Resort adds mountain

Imagine, if you will, the meeting.

The eager young branding consultants, sweat beading on their upper lips. The PowerPoint presentation. The client, hands steepled, eyebrows raised, expecting the Big Idea.

Wait for it…

“Mountain.”

And so the world of marketing keeps turning with this bit of brilliance: Red Resort, formerly Red Mountain, will henceforth be known as Red Mountain Resort.

At least that’s the way I pictured it. But then Erik Kalacis, the Rossland, B.C., resort’s vice president of sales and marketing, burst my little bubble.

He claims they did it all by themselves, in-house, with a minimum of folderol.

This was hot on the heels of a rebranding effort undertaken a couple of years ago, wherein the word “mountain” was initially banished.

“The name was reviewed because there are a lot of Red Mountain entities in Rossland,” Kalacis offered by way of explanation. “But the first person to ski down Red Mountain did it 110 years ago. That equity, you can’t buy.

“It was more important to celebrate what we are and celebrate the legacy of the name and put the word ‘mountain’ back into our name.”

So back it goes. What remains is the same 2,900 vertical feet of (as they describe it) “phenomenal tree skiing, wide-open glades of champagne powder and easy-to-access backcountry” we’ve all come to know and enjoy.

And Red Mountain’s standing as Canada’s second-oldest ski resort (just after Mont Tremblant outside Montreal) goes unchallenged, no matter what they call themselves.

In celebration of the new name – or perhaps in the hope that no one else will notice and mock all the navel-gazing over one little word – the resort, I mean mountain resort, will throw a free lift pass your way between Dec. 1 and 24 or between March 16 and 31 for every night you book through central reservations. That number is (877) 969-7669.

The offer presumes double occupancy for hotel accommodations or quad occupancy for condo or chalet accommodations. You get two or four lift tickets, respectively.

Find more information about Red Mountain at www.redresort.com.

Cache the fever

My brothers weren’t allowed any toy guns, so they built their own out of scrap lumber. After-school television was off-limits, too, so we created radio programs, magic shows, puppet theater – and, as I’ve mentioned before, my cousin, Trevor, and my brother, Brett, composed the Banquet Frozen Fried Chicken opera.

We also sent each other on a lot of treasure hunts. And now, all these years later, the Wenatchee Convention and Visitors Bureau would like us to revisit the cruelty of our parents, brought up to date for the digital age.

Geocaching, a treasure hunting game, uses the Internet and a GPS device to guide participants to the metaphoric pot of gold – or the actual John Tesh CD, as the case may be.

According to www.geocaching.com, “The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the Internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches.”

Wenatchee has planted about 200 caches in the hills, riverbeds and parks within 20 miles of downtown. The CVB will loan you a GPS unit if you need one; call ahead to (800) 572-7753 to reserve it or to get answers to your questions.

There’s more about cache coordinates at the Web site address above.

Cruise West, young man

It’s not too early to plan your 2007 vacation.

And Cruise West would like you to spend it aboard the Spirit of Columbia.

The family-owned cruise line offers one of the few overnight trips to Prince William Sound, with its 3,500-mile shoreline accessible only to small ships.

The “Glacier Wonderland” package includes four or five days sailing among glaciers in search of sea otters, seals and mountain goats. The fare starts at $1,099 per person based on double occupancy, and departure dates run from May to August.

Or you can board the Spirit of Alaska for “Best of Both Worlds,” Cruise West’s most popular offering. You’ll spend nine or 10 days exploring Denali National Park, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait and other attractions between Juneau and Ketchikan.

This trip is also available from May to August for $3,299 per person based on double occupancy.

You’ll find plenty of detail at www.cruisewest.com. Or call (888) 851-8133.

Regional events

“Crazy Mountain Christmas, Nov. 24, Big Timber, Mont. Santa will be in attendance, as will a horse-drawn wagon, refreshments and “hometown hospitality.” (www.visitmt.com; 406-932-5131.

“Edmonds Christmas Ship Community Sing-Along, Dec. 6, Edmonds, Wash. Watch the Christmas ships sail by and raise your voice in song. (www.snohomish.org; 425-771-0268)