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The Adventure Zone

Past stories The Calgary Stampede Moraine for Life Adventure Relay Monarch Redux Rockies Bird Festival Arctic Winter Games Bolivia's Acotango Mount Kilimanjaro The Drambuie Pursuit Canadian Aboriginal Festival Mountain Mania Adventure racing Manitoulin Island Star Party Celebration of Light Algonquin Park Ottawa Race Weekend Maple syrup festival Cain's Quest Have Snowshoes, Will Travel Quebec Ice Hotel In the Eye of the Storm Arctic Aurora Borealis Canada's 'Deep South' Agawa Canyon Ablaze Mahone Bay Boat Festival Vancouver Island's rocky trail Wild Women Expeditions Eco-Endurance Summiting Canada Gourmet getaway Yukon Arctic Ultra Canadian Wind Riders Winnipeg's urban pathways Canoeist/artist Bill Mason Take a hike Whitewater kayaking The 2005 Sea Cavalcade Moonstruck - Adventure racers Delta Marsh Birding Festival Climb for conservation The Eagle has Landed Gold Rush Trail Whistler Film Festival Fit to ski Whyte Museum of the Rockies Cheakamus Challenge "Super Dave" Norona Ontario's French River region Cabot Trail Relay Race Point Pelee Festival of Birds Canmore Ice Climbing Festival Winterlude Yeti Mountain Snowshoe Series Golden Horseshoe Orienteering Club Banff Mountain Book Festival Haliburton Highlands Sand Sculpture Championships BC Mobility Society Bathtub Race Championship Bike Month Running off the road Birds of a Feather Grand Plans in Grand Cache Le Festival du Voyageur Raid Ukatak Around the World Alone November culinary adventure Mountains in Miniature In the Belly of the Dragon Raid the North Extreme!! Making a splash! Volunteer for nature Cycling for sustainability Working for Wildlife Whale of a time Canadian Death Race Mont Tremblant Skiing Nanook of the North Eco-challenge Climate Change Caravan Royal Regatta Unleash the hounds World Cup mountain bike race Yukon River Quest On top of the world Canada's World-Class Heritage Gliding across the silver screen Marathon Madness National Ski and Snowboard Week Christmas Bird Count Banff Festival Adventure racing Coast-to-coast trek Whitewater rodeos In praise of parks Watching Canada's wildlife Canada's Highest Peak Alaska Adventure Racer

If you're looking for winter shut-ins during February, don't go to Ottawa. By day, the icy streets of the nation's capital may teem with demure civil servants. But in its off hours, Ottawa rocks to the beat of Winterlude.

It all began in 1979, when one of the chilliest, snowiest capital cities in the world threw a great big party to showcase the little-known joys of winter. The build-it-and-they-will-come concept succeeded and 26 years later, Winterlude draws more than 600,000 visitors each year, more than one-third of whom come from well beyond the Ottawa region.

In 2004, Winterlude, which spans three weekends from February 6 through February 22, kicks off with its first-ever street dance. Featuring the Dominican Republic's Tropicalissimo dancers, with giant puppets, percussion and pyrotechnic effects, it's a hot start to what promises to be the frostiest festival yet. Earlier in the day, ice carvers in the Casino du Lac-Leamy Crystal Garden rev up their imaginations and their chainsaws to create gigantic dinosaurs that will roam the landscape during the "Prehistoric Times" competition. In the Canadian Snow Sculpture Showcase, teams of carvers will turn massive blocks of white stuff into Canada's physiographic regions. The schedule is also filled with wild ice slides in Gatineau's Snowflake Kingdom, horse-drawn sleigh rides, dogsledding, hot air balloons, the Winterlude Triathlon, the Keskinada Loppet cross-country ski race and a game of shinny starring NHL alumni. Winterlude's pièce de résistance, of course, is the Rideau Canal, which beckons visitors to lace up a pair of skates and head out on the world's longest skating rink.

During February, it's great to be Canadian and Ottawa is the place to be. For a complete calendar of events for Winterlude 2004, visit www.capcan.ca/winterlude