• Whistler goes to the dogs

    By Thomas Kohnstamm, msnbc.com contributor

    Pet ownership is no longer just about putting a dog house in the backyard and sharing scraps from the table.

    Over 49 percent of American leisure travelers consider their furry friends to be part of the family, and 18 percent take their pets with them on trips, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The modern family vacation seems incomplete if our canine companions get stuck at home with a sitter or sentenced to the kennel.

    The family ski vacation is a tradition that is a natural fit for dogs, and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia leads the pack in this evolution.


    Consistently ranked as the best mountain resort in North America, Whistler was also the Host Mountain Resort for much of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. According to Paula Del Bosco, director of the local animal shelter WAG (Whistler Animals Galore) and organizer of the annual Whistler DogFest, “Whistler doesn’t just love dogs, it’s actually dog crazy.”

    That said, you can’t just show up with Fido in tow and expect everyone to accommodate you. The dog ski trip requires a fair amount of pre-planning. Enjoy Whistler is an excellent starting point to strategize your trip and has the most straightforward booking experience. They even have a section on their site specially designated for pet-friendly hotels.

    As for accommodations, the Westin is recommended for its comfortable suites that welcome canines, its bottomless supply of dog treats in the lobby and its unbeatable location just a few easy steps from the Whistler and Blackcomb gondolas.

    While you can’t take dogs downhill skiing in the resort, they can go cross-country skiing with you at Whistler Olympic Park. A short drive south of Whistler Village in the forested Callaghan Valley, the Olympic Park has a number of well-maintained dog-friendly trails and even specific dog-friendly parking lots. Skis, boots and poles can all be rented at the day lodge. If you are feeling a bit less ambitious, there are several off-leash dog-walking parks in Whistler including Rainbow Park and Alpha Lake Park.

    After a full day of outdoor activity, pamper your puppy with Shampooch Mobile Dog Grooming. Owner Shayla Libin comes to your hotel and grooms your pet in her professionally equipped, heated mobile van. She makes an extra effort to provide a comfortable, stress-free environment so that they come away not only looking good, but relaxed and rejuvenated. It’s the dog version of the après ski soak in the hot tub.

    And if you want to experience the amazing work that the Whistler community is doing with animals, stop in at WAG (Whistler Animals Galore). For nearly 30 years, WAG has rescued, cared for and found new homes for lost, homeless and unwanted animals.

    If you come to Whistler for spring skiing, make sure to check out DogFest, the canine carnival that graces the town every spring with competitions, exhibitions and dog parades complete with costumes. It’s a great time and all proceeds support WAG.

    Whistler is pioneering a broader movement of pet-friendly resort travel and proving that you need not choose between the enjoyment of the human and canine parts of our families.

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  • Chill out during Icebox Days in International Falls, Minn.

    Courtesy International Falls CVB

    A participant in the 2010 Icebox Derby hurls a frozen turkey toward a set of bowling pins.

    By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

    In the middle of January you could certainly be forgiven for wanting to spend the days curled up in a Snuggie, nursing cups of hot tea and feeding pages of your quote-a-day calendar to the fire in desperate anticipation of spring.

    Or you could head to International Falls, Minn., aka, the Icebox of the Nation, for the frigid festivities known as Icebox Days (Jan. 18–22). Now in its 32nd year, the five days of bone-chilling, teeth-chattering fun earns a tip of the tuque and top honors as January’s Weird Festival of the Month.


    “We do suffer some long, cold months,” conceded Faye Whitbeck, president of the International Falls Chamber of Commerce.  Whitbeck said that local officials came up with the festival in 1980 as a means to boost citizen morale and pump up the local economy.

    “We wanted to play up what we could,” she told msnbc.com.

    And how does one play up temperatures that typically hover between zero and -10 degrees? Apparently, by engaging in unique outdoor activities, including frozen-turkey bowling, smoosh racing and, for the truly hardy, the 5k/10K Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run (FYGBR).

    Take frozen-turkey bowling, which, as the name suggests, involves tossing a rock-hard gobbler at a set of bowling pins. “You know, I think we just felt a kinship with frozen turkeys,” said Whitbeck, who also provided the answer to a reporter’s question about where a bowler might put his or her fingers.

    “Anywhere they fit,” she said.

    And smoosh racing? Smooshing, it turns out, is an activity in which teams of four strap their feet to 8-foot 2x4s — think cross-country skis with more weight, less maneuverability and three other people trying to coordinate strides — and race down a snow-covered street.

    Courtesy International Falls CVB

    Smoosh racers wrap themselves in the Canadian flag during last year's Icebox Days in International Falls, Minn.

    “You can imagine the synchronicity that’s required,” said Whitbeck. This year, the festivities will include the first-ever kids’ smoosh race, which, as anybody who has watched small children ski or skate knows, promises its own brand of amusement.

    Personal mortification aside, though, the biggest test of cold-weather courage during Icebox Days is the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run, which operates under the motto of Only the Bold Run the Cold.

    Of course, as part of Icebox Days, it’s only fitting that runners have been known to show up in grass skirts, Bermuda shorts and the occasional bumblebee outfit. With up to 300 competitors expected, the race is like a reunion, says longtime participant Bob Conner, drawing competitors from around the Upper Midwest and nearby Ontario.

    Conner, in fact, has run in every race since the first one, chalking up his accomplishment to “sheer luck, some determination and an unknown amount of insanity and very good fortune.”

    He also gives credit to event organizers who have never canceled a race due to excessive cold, although they apparently considered it in 1981 when the temperature dipped to -28 degrees, which plunged to -78 with the wind chill.

    “People were worried as heck because the conditions were just brutal,” he told msnbc.com. The solution? “They cut the 10K down to a 5K.”

    Fortunately, participants and spectators should have an easier go of it this year. Daytime highs in the nation’s Icebox are expected to be in the single digits during the week with the weekend seeing balmy temperatures about 10 to 20 degrees warmer.

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    Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

  • Winter surprises at Niagara Falls

    Mary Umbricht / UGC

    Niagara Falls

    By Lygia Navarro, msnbc.com contributor

    Picture Niagara Falls, and it’s likely an image of a summer getaway of picnicking and slow strolls near the waterfalls. While the vast majority of tourists visit in the summer, they certainly miss out on Niagara’s cold-weather riches. Here are the highlights for a trip to Niagara Falls this winter — and since the Falls are half American and half Canadian, don’t forget that passport.


    Bird sightings
    With many bodies of water covered in ice, migratory birds searching for food descend on the Niagara River each winter, where churning currents supply millions of small fish such as smelt and shiners. “The Niagara River is a magnet for gulls and other waterfowl,” says Kayo Roy of the Niagara Falls Nature Club, which offers winter outings. (The Club conducts annual bi-national bird counts, and last month tallied 59,347 birds from 98 species.)

    A prime bird-watching perch is in New York on Goat Island, nestled in the Niagara River between Bridal Veil and Horseshoe Falls, and part of Niagara Falls State Park. At one end, gulls soar in the mist of the cascades (nearly half the world’s gull species stop through), and as you walk around the island, you’ll find ducks feeding in the rapids, geese resting on tiny islands, and solitary swans bobbing peacefully along.

    Ice wineries
    The Niagara area is a booming cool-climate wine-producing region. Wine trails on both sides of the border are active throughout the winter, with wineries offering tastings, special events with live music, and meals prepared by local chefs to compliment local wines. (For more information see http://niagarawinetrail.org and http://wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com.)

    Jackie Connelly, owner of Niagara Landing Winery in Cambria, N.Y., says that in the slower winter season, vintners have more time to show visitors the behind-the-scenes craft of making wine. Growers just harvested their specialty dessert ice wine grapes, made with the concentrated juice from frozen grapes at the first strong cold snap, but visitors can taste past years’ yields in Ontario at the Niagara Ice Wine Festival from Jan. 13-29, or at most local wineries in both countries.


    Antique treasures
    When it’s time to take a break from the cold, head to one of the region’s many antique stores. Just outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Europa Antiques is housed in a converted brick church, and known for its reasonable prices and selection of stained glass.  Also on the Canadian side is Retro Mikes in Niagara Falls, which specializes in mid-century furniture, housewares and toys. In the historic town of Lewiston, N.Y., The Country Doctor is filled with glassware, jewelry and clothes — which can be easier to slip in a suitcase than an antique dresser.

    Bright nights
    Through the end of January, Niagara Falls, Ontario, is ablaze with the Winter Festival of Lights. Every evening at dusk, the Falls are illuminated with a changing array of colored lights, and a fireworks show kicks off at 9 p.m. on Fridays. Light sculptures of Disney cartoon characters lining the river boardwalk are particularly popular with children, as are those of indigenous Canadian wildlife on the Dufferin Islands, just south of the city. An unforgettable vantage point to view the whole scene is from the ice rink overlooking the Falls, where young and old can strap on skates and jam to oldies and rock hits into the night.

    Slideshow: Winter wonderland

    Liu Jin / AFP - Getty Images

    Winter has arrived in the Northern hemisphere. Take in the sights from North America, Europe and Asia.

    Launch slideshow

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  • Best North American airports for skiers

    Laura Coale / Denver International Airport

    Members of the Alpine Ski Club in North Carolina, from left, James Connors, Thomas Beutler, Derk Beutler and Joe Sirianni, pick up their gear at Denver International Airport on their way to Vail, Colo.

    By Harriet Baskas, msnbc.com contributor

    Some airports are kid-friendly; others seem made for the business traveler.

    But as winter approaches, it may be helpful to know which airports savvy skiers and snowboarders seek out — and where a boarding pass may be exchanged for a free lift ticket.

    Grab ‘n’ go
    No one wants to spend the first hours of a ski vacation hanging around the baggage claim area waiting for their gear to arrive.

    That’s why John Hanna, CEO of NimbleTravel.com, recommends Denver International Airport for its “wonderful, dedicated ski baggage return” and “easy transport to the slopes on the Colorado Mountain Express.”

    Michael Bociurkiw, founder and editor of My Savvy Traveller, gives props to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and any airport in a city that’s hosted a Winter Olympics. “You can be sure they are well set up to handle winter sports baggage,” said Bociurkiw. “YVR, for example, has a dedicated pickup area in international arrivals for oversized items, including skis.”

    Another perk for skiers at YVR is the frequent bus service to Whistler Village, B.C., via Pacific Coach’s YVR Whistler SkyLynx.

    Ski-friendly airlines
    When it comes to ski-friendly airlines, Bociurkiw gives a nod to Alaska Airlines. “They fly to many ski destinations and, like Air Canada, know how to handle checked skis and boards, including special packaging, handling, tagging and dedicated drop-off and pickup stations. Air Canada gives you the option of declaring oversized baggage during online check-in.”

    Travelzoo's senior editor Gabe Saglie notes that while most airlines impose strict dimension restrictions on ski equipment, a handful stand out for making it easier to take along skis and boots. “Delta and JetBlue allow skis to go on simply as checked baggage, with standard weight limits,” said Saglie. “And skis are free if they are your first — or only — checked piece of baggage on JetBlue.”

    Liftopia co-founder and CEO Evan Reece ranks Southwest Airlines as particularly ski-friendly. “The airline considers a ski bag or snowboard bag, plus your boot bag, an equal trade for a single piece of luggage,” said Reece. “So with a ski bag/boot bag and one other piece of checked baggage, there are no fees on Southwest.”

    Fly in. Ski free.
    The special section for ski and snowboard bags at baggage claim gets high marks at Salt Lake City International Airport, as does a program that allows arriving passengers to ski for free. Via the Park City Quick START (Ski Today and Ride Today) Vacation program, travelers may convert their airline boarding pass into a same-day lift ticket at Canyons Resort, Park City Mountain Resort or Deer Valley Resort.

    Skiers arriving at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport can also swap their boarding passes for free ski-lift tickets at Squaw Valley, on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, and at its sister resort, Alpine Meadows, just north of Tahoe City.

    Skiers and snowboarders: Did we miss your favorite airport? Please add your tips below.

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    Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter.

     

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