{"id":93731,"date":"2020-01-10T12:46:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T20:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=93731"},"modified":"2025-01-10T13:23:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T21:23:12","slug":"unique-winter-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/unique-winter-events","title":{"rendered":"Come Snow or Shine"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><em>A version of this story appeared in the winter 2020 issue of\u00a0<a href=\"\/blog\/uncommon-path\">Uncommon Path<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Yes, the days are short, and the weather may not be everyone\u2019s ideal. But we still have some festive events and experiences to bring us together.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bermudaraceweekend.com\/\">Bermuda Triangle Challenge<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Bermuda<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 17\u201319, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Swap your parka for short sleeves, hop on a two-hour flight from many East Coast cities and compete in a half-marathon or marathon, plus a miler and 10K. (The \u201cchallenge\u201d part is doing three races in three days.)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i>It took Leonard Mucheru, the Bermuda challenge 1-mile record holder, 242\u00a0seconds to finish.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gobreck.com\/event\/international-snow-sculpture-championships\/\">International Snow Sculpture Championships<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Breckenridge, Colorado<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 20\u201329, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For elite teams, it takes around 96 hours of focused chipping and carving\u2014without power tools\u2014to create mind-boggling art from 20-ton blocks of Colorado snow. For spectators, it\u2019s easier: Wander the Riverwalk Center, admire, then vote on your favorite.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cWe drove 8 hours\u2014from Wichita, Kansas\u2014just to see the sculptures.\u201d \u2014fan Lori Ewert<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_118053\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118053\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-118053\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Copy-of-GettyImages-161013198_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C672\" alt=\"International Snow Sculpture Championships,\" width=\"1024\" height=\"672\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118053\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Karl Gehring\/The Denver Post via Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/plungemd.com\/\">The Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Sandy Point State Park, Maryland<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 23\u201325, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>January temps in Chesapeake Bay can dip below 40\u00b0F, which makes this plunge especially polar, but the sting is mellowed somewhat by sharing the experience with more than 10,000 others. (This is the largest of dozens of polar plunges in the U.S.)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cJust keep running. Don\u2019t<\/em><em>stop until you\u2019re chest-deep.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><em>\u2014Maryland City Volunteer Fire Department member Jon Butler on his strategy for getting in the frigid water<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a href=\"http:\/\/ourayicepark.com\/ouray-ice-festival\">Ouray Ice Festival<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Ouray, Colorado<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 23\u201326, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Welcoming novices and pros alike, the festival is on its 25th year. For climbers, the 100-plus mixed and ice routes in this narrow box canyon are like a glistening theme park. End your day with a soak in the Ouray Hot Springs Pool.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/thegreatnorthernfestival.com\/\">The Great Northern<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: St. Paul, Minnesota<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 23\u2013Feb. 2, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This festival has three di\ufb00erent components: the St. Paul Winter Carnival, which features ice palaces and snow mazes; the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships; and a popular urban loppet (a cross-country ski race).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_118054\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118054\" class=\"wp-image-118054\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/PWED7N_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024\" alt=\"The Great Northern Festival \" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118054\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Joe Mamer Photography\/Alamy<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/taoswinterwinefest.com\/\">Taos Winter Wine Festival<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Taos, New Mexico<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Jan. 30\u2013Feb. 2, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A ski-in, ski-out lamb roast party is one element of a homegrown four-day event that includes dozens of featured wineries, wine-pairing dinners and seminars about champagne, caviar and blini.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.camdensnowbowl.com\/toboggan-championships\/\">U.S. National Toboggan Championships<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Camden, Maine<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Feb. 7\u20139, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This competition takes sledding to the next level. The field\u2014open to all\u2014maxes out at 425 teams. The crowd of spectators tops 6,000. The chute is 440 feet long, and sleds can reach up to 40 mph, skimming an extra quarter mile on the runout across frozen Hosmer Pond.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_118049\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118049\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-118049\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/AP_18041744870085_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C660\" alt=\"Competitors at the U.S. National Toboggan Championships\" width=\"1024\" height=\"660\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118049\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.argeorgia.com\/seatosea\">Sea to Sea Expedition Race<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Florida<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Feb. 27\u2013Mar. 1, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Pile onto a bus with your teammates, disembark at a surprise starting line somewhere on the Gulf Coast of Florida and start strategizing: You and your team have to reach St. Augustine, on the east coast, in the shortest amount of time\u2014usually around 72 hours\u2014by paddling, trekking and biking to checkpoints along the way. Sharpen your skills before you go with <a href=\"\/events\/a\/watersports-kayaking\">kayaking clinics<\/a> and <a href=\"\/events\/a\/outdoor-skills-navigation\">navigation workshops at REI.<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_118057\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118057\" class=\"wp-image-118057 size-article_body\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/Copy-of-sea-to-sea-trek_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C600\" alt=\"Sea to Sea Expedition Race\" width=\"1024\" height=\"600\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118057\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: Randy Erickson<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"http:\/\/wasatchpowderkeg.com\/\">Wasatch Powder Keg<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Brighton Ski Resort, Utah<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Feb. 28\u2013Mar. 1, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With a slate of ski-mountaineering races\u2014from the Viking division (14 and under) to Heavy Metal (five climbs, 6,200 feet, 10 miles)\u2014the Powder Keg is one of North America\u2019s premier backcountry events.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trenaryouthouseclassic.com\/\">Trenary Outhouse Classic<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Trenary, Michigan<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Feb. 29, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tap into childhood soapbox-derby memories by making an outhouse from wood or cardboard. Or maybe out of tape and giant piano crates. This is your moment to attach that structure to skis and push it down Main Street in a race for cash prizes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_118056\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118056\" class=\"size-article_body wp-image-118056\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/A3WPXG_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C683\" alt=\"Competitors at the Trenary Outhouse Classic\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: aaronpeterson.net\/Alamy<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><a href=\"http:\/\/redlodgeskijoring.com\/\">National Finals Ski-Joring Races<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Red Lodge, Montana<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Mar. 14\u201315, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This Montana mountain town hosts a national ski-joring competition, where a horse and rider pull a skier at roughly 25 mph through more than 20 slalom gates and over four jumps. You also enjoy live music, a chili cook-o\ufb00 and more.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/winterwondergrass.com\/squaw\/\">WinterWonderGrass<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Squaw Valley, California<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Mar. 27\u201329, 2020<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bluegrass and mountain towns go together like pizza and beer. At Squaw, expect lots of sun, spring skiing and musical acts such as the Devil Makes Three and the Infamous Stringdusters.<\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/adventures\/trips\/namer\/southern-utah-weekend-mountain-biking.html\">REI Adventure Travel Gooseberry Mesa Weekend Mountain Biking<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: St. George, Utah<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Multiple dates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Gooseberry Mesa and the Whole Guacamole Trail, on the doorstep of <a href=\"\/blog\/travel\/zion-national-park-visitor-guide\">Zion National Park<\/a>, are iconic singletrack destinations\u2014all slickrock, sand, exposed hike-a-bikes and geological marvels. The four-day REI adventure travel trip provides a basecamp, tasty meals, guides and bikes; you just have to bring your own grit.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-article_body wp-image-118055\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/SU4_071119_96572_edit.jpg?resize=1024%2C768\" alt=\"REI Adventure Travel Gooseberry Mesa Weekend Mountain Biking\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><a href=\"https:\/\/jhmg.com\/class\/avalanche-level-1\/\">AIARE Avalanche Level 1<\/a><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: Jackson Hole, Wyoming<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date<\/strong>: Mid-December to mid-March<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Esteemed mountain guides run three- and four-day courses, which cover companion rescue, slope evaluation and route finding. Practice your skills with a full day of touring in Grand Teton National Park.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A version of this story appeared in the winter 2020 issue of\u00a0Uncommon Path.\u00a0 Yes, the days are short, and the weather may not be everyone\u2019s ideal. But we still have some festive events and experiences to bring us together. Bermuda Triangle Challenge Location: Bermuda Date: Jan. 17\u201319, 2020 Swap your parka for short sleeves, hop [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":118063,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1984,727,1934,2024],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-93731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-issue-2","tag-latest-posts","tag-uncommon-path","tag-uncommon-path-issues"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/unique-winter-events","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Come Snow or Shine","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/unique-winter-events","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/unique-winter-events"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/GettyImages-106163385_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/GettyImages-106163385_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["issue 2","latest posts","uncommon path","uncommon path issues"],"dateCreated":"2020-01-10T20:46:24Z","datePublished":"2020-01-10T20:46:24Z","dateModified":"2025-01-10T21:23:12Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Come Snow or Shine\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/unique-winter-events\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/unique-winter-events\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/GettyImages-106163385_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/GettyImages-106163385_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000\"},\"articleSection\":\"Snowsports\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michelle Flandreau\"}],\"creator\":[\"Michelle Flandreau\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"issue 2\",\"latest posts\",\"uncommon path\",\"uncommon path issues\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-01-10T20:46:24Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-10T20:46:24Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-10T21:23:12Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/GettyImages-106163385_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93731"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198703,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93731\/revisions\/198703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93731"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=93731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}