Men's Journal

Photo credit: Lon Beale/Sandboard.com

Shake up this weekend by giving your favorite winter activities a new twist. Go sans snow by boarding the sand dunes in Oregon, tour Yellowstone’s hotbed of hydrothermal terrain by snowmobile, or tame the winter wind by snowkiting in Utah.

By Diane Kahng and John Cookson

Sandboarding, December 18-20th

Florence, Oregon

This weekend, trade the packed slopes for the rolling dunes and frostbitten fingers for a flurry-free adventure at Sand Master Park, which bills itself as the world’s first sandboarding park. You won’t need to jet to Brazil or Egypt to try this arid alternative to the alpine run. Nestled in the Oregon coastline along Route 101 is a stateside Mecca for this fast-growing sand sport. Begin on the forty-foot practice ramp at the park to get a feel for the difference between coarser sand and softer powder, and then take on Sand Master’s forty-acre expanse of dunes, offering everything from gentle slopes to steep ridges. Board rental for 24 hours ranges from $10 for discount models to $35 for special purpose sandboards with high-end bindings. Rentals may be used on or off the premises, which is great as over 200 acres of dunes lies on the park’s horizons.

TRAVEL and ACCOMMODATION

Fly to Florence Municipal Airport, which is near the park. After a day of zipping down the dunes, aim the nose of your car either north or south on the 101 and drive. There are clusters of campgrounds strewn along the Pacific highway, including a number of unusual habitation options for rent, such as the odd yurt.

Yellowstone National Park, December 18-20th
Rocky Mountain Range, Wyoming

Pack your mittens and get ready to rev up a snowmobile at Yellowstone National Park. As of last Tuesday, the park opened its roads to 318 commercially guided BAT snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches. These snowmobiles have four-stroke engines that are cleaner and quieter than the traditional two-stroke so visitors can lessen their carbon footprints. While you can only stick to the groomed park roads riding the park’s vehicles, visitors are free to hike, snowshoe and cross-country ski off the beaten path.

The 3,500 sq. mile park is renowned for its wildlife, and early winter can be a good time to see bears, elk, bison, and wolves before they go into hiding. While spying on wildlife and checking out famous landmarks like Old Faithful, the thermal features in the background will offer a stark contrast to the frigid temperatures. Yellowstone boasts about one-half of the world’s hydrothermal features, including hot pools, mud pots, steam vents and geysers. In fact, you may want to trek out to a hot pool on your skis, dip in, then head to a nearby lodge to setup camp. Outdoor camping this time of year is recommended only for the bravest of souls. Check out this page for fees and reservations.

For even more opportunities to ski, Big Sky Resort is just a few miles south of the park. Lone Mountain is also famous for cross-country skiing, also offering courses for beginners.

TRAVEL and ACCOMMODATION

Since Yellowstone is shared by three states (Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho), you have your choice of airports from Cody and Jackson, WY, Bozeman and Billings, MT, and Idaho Falls, ID. Check in at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge that opens tomorrow, Friday, December 18^th and make sure you look into their travel packages offered throughout the year.

Snowkiting Wasatch Plateau, December 18-20th

Mt. Pleasant, Utah

For those set on the snowy slopes but looking for a twist, try snowkiting. Skyline Drive in Utah has become a watershed for the sport in the last five years, drawing kiters from across the globe to its snowpack terrain of ridge-runs and flat expanses. The formidable winds sliding along above the tree line here make it the perfect place to unfurl your foil and launch out into this sport. Kite Utah is one of several outfitters in the area that can get you up and flying. An intro clinic, which runs $75 for 1-2 hours, is geared for those with little to no previous kiting experience and covers a range of topics from equipment to flight theory and micro-meteorology. By the end of the course you should understand all the gear, have a basic knowledge of kiteboarding, and be able to fly all models of kites. Or, make a weekend of it by signing up for a snowkiting camp, starting at about $250 a person, which outfits you with a cabin, meals, and lessons for one night and two days.

TRAVEL and ACCOMMODATION

Fly into Salt Lake City International Airport, and then drive the I-15 and US-89 south to Mt. Pleasant. For a place to stay, Kite Utah recommends the Skyline Motel (435-462-3312, $60.00 per night), the Horseshoe Motel (435-463-9330, $65.00 per night), the Wind Walker Guest Ranch, the Willow Creek Inn (435-283-4566), and Skyline Mountain Resort (435-426-9590).

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