Winter: a great time to play and learn — and to save as well

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 12/29/2002

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Hang in there: A few more days, and the holidays will be over. Winter, however, will still be very much with us, so why not enjoy the season with a variety of activities whose prices won't necessarily give you the shivers. Among them:

At the seventh annual Winter Trails showshoe festival, the slogan is "We'll bring the snowshoes; you bring your feet." The event will be held Jan. 18 in locations across the nation including the Weston Ski Track in Weston and the Green Mountain Club in Waterbury, Vt., and on Feb. 15 at Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colo. Attendees will be able to try out different types of snowshoes, and participate in guided walks, children's obstacle courses, fun races, and seminars. All events are free.

(The fine print: There could be parking or site maintenance fees.)

Visit www.wintertrails.org.

This one's for women only. Heather Paul, a former US Telemark Team member and X-Games competitor, will bring her "Ultimate Groove" Telemark Clinics to New Hampshire's Loon Mountain on Jan. 4, Feb. 6, and March 6. These clinics offer instruction in telemark technique and stress adventure and camaraderie. K2 telemark equipment is provided along with other items to try, such as Marmot outerwear. The day begins with a yoga session to to put both body and mind at ease. The package cost is $199 a person.

Visit www.loonmtn.com, www.ultimategrooves.com, or call 800-229-LOON.

Waterville Valley College Week is Jan. 5-10, with ski, stay, and party packages starting at $55 per person, based on a three-night minimum. For those who can't make it to the New Hampshire resort for the week, daily lift tickets are $25 with a valid college ID. Plus there's still time to get the Threedom Pass for College Students — $249 provides access to Waterville Valley, Loon Mountain, and Cranmore Mountain every day all season.

Call 800-GO VALLEY, or click on www.waterville.com.

Elderhostel, a Boston-based not-for-profit educational travel provider for those 55 and older, is sponsoring learning opportunities around the country, for $500 or less. The five-night program packages include everything but air fare: lectures, activities, excursions, lodgings, and meals. In January and February programs, participants can explore winter migratory bird habitats, learn to cross-country ski, savor the music of Romantic composers, discover historical surprises in the US Constitution or visit a Civil War fort in the Deep South.

Call 877-426-8056 or visit www.elderhostel.org.