Men's Journal

Weekends are about freedom and the dawn of Spring means a glut fresh of choices: put your endurance to the test in the western mountains of Montana, revel in the final days of winter at a snowboard festival in British Columbia, or stuff yourself with oysters at the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans.

By Nate Storey

Grizzly Man Adventure Race, April 18
Greenough, Montana

Put your endurance to the ultimate test this weekend in the western mountains of Montana as the grueling Grizzly Man Adventure Race gets underway across 65,000 acres of rugged terrain. Go solo or grab a teammate and prepare for a minimum of 10 miles running, four miles paddling, and 20 miles cycling through the Lubrecht Experimental Forest ($120, Register and see required equipment list here, see race rules here). On Friday night, adventure racers will receive their instructions, maps, compass, and coordinates of checkpoints where a provided passport must be stamped. At dawn on Saturday morning the race will commence and participants will be given 10 hours to make it to all check points and back to the Wilderness Post at Paws Up Resort. The river section of the race can be taken on with any paddle driven craft: canoe, kayak, raft, or wooden barrel — if you’ve got the chops. The foot course and bike trek are a mix of trails, hills, and knee-deep snow. The winning co-ed team will receive $400 towards their 2009 USARA Nationals registration. Anyone who wants to scale it down can opt for the Black Bear Challenge ($90) with less terrain and no paddle section. After pushing yourself, indulge in the free spaghetti dinner and Big Sky Brewery beers.

Travel and Accommodations:
Only 30 miles from Greenough, Missoula’s international airport is your best bet. The Paws Up Resort is both the start and finish line of the race and has a special $220 rate for cabins per night. Camping and other lodging options are available in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest.

Telus Ski & Snowboard Festival, April 17-26
Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

For a smorgasbord of board sports, live-music, art, and nightlife head to Whistler Blackcomb this weekend for the kick-off to the week-long Telus Ski & Snowboard Festival. Start a jam-packed Friday at the Skate and Deploy where the underground parkade has been transformed into a dynamic skate course with spinning DJ’s providing the fuel for the competition. In the afternoon, get an early jump on next year’s riding by testing the 2009-10 ski and snowboard gear at the Demo Park. Take a break for charity at the 7:30 p.m. presentation of Supernatural, a presentation about a mountain biking journey around the world ($10; zeroceiling.org). An auction will follow. The night ends at the Skate of the Art Party, a gallery of photo and skateboard deck-art exhibits. Saturday begins with a foodie free-for-all as chefs endure 30-minute time constraints in the Whistler Chef Challenge at 11 a.m. An expected 15,000 people will gather to watch pro-skiers hurl into the night’s sky at the World Skiing Invitational Big Air comp, with the winner taking home $10,000 in prize money. Explore the 8,100 acres of mountain terrain on Sunday or listen to music at the Zune Concert Series at the Skier’s Plaza.

Travel and Accommodations:
Fly into Vancouver and make the two-and-a-half hour drive to Whistler. The TWSSF two-night, two-day package starts at $82 per person, per night, and includes a two-day lift ticket.

2009 French Quarter Festival, April 17-19
New Orleans, Louisiana

Head down to bayou country this weekend and join the masses (435,000 attended last year) getting jazzed up at this year’s French Quarter Festival. About 450 musicians will take to 18 stages playing authentic New Orleans funk, contemporary jazz, and rhythm & blues, among other genres. Start off the morning on Friday with the Cajun dance band Bone Tones and their eclectic mix of accordion, twin fiddles, guitar, and triangle at the Woldenberg Riverfront Park (complete music schedule here). Come nightfall, get loose at historic Pat O’Brien’s in the heart of the French Quarter for the T.G.I.F. (Thank Goodness It’s Festival) kickoff party ($65, order tickets here). On Saturday, do yourself a favor and eat a Po-Boy before the 12 p.m. ACME World Championship Oyster Eating Competition at the Old US Mint. Finish off your weekend in the Crescent City by watching jazz musicians throw down at the Battle of the Bands in the Audubon Aquarium Plaza.

Travel and Accommodations:
New Orleans is accessible by all major airlines and has many hotel options, but the The Courtyard New Orleans near the French Quarter is minutes away from the festival and is showing reasonable rates at $199 per night.