Winter often finds itself the least favored of the seasons. In much of the world, its chill and snow can disrupt even the most carefully laid travel plans, and its arrival prompts many to retreat into hibernation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a 2024 Rasmussen Reports survey found that only 10% of Americans consider winter as their favorite season, making it the least popular among the four.
But if you can brave the cold, the fleeting winter is full of amazing outdoor activities. So, regardless of the groundhog and its shadow, here are a few ways to enjoy the ice and snow before spring blows in.
Skip the Caribbean, Head to Québec
Québec City is probably one of the most winter-happy destinations in North America, and, if you’re anywhere in the vicinity, you may have time to catch the tail end of the 71st Carnaval de Québec, which runs through February 16. Stay in the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which overlooks Old Town and the St. Lawrence River and sits less than three minutes from the festivities. During the carnival, you’ll want to visit Bonhomme’s Ice Castle, and you should watch athletes scramble and paddle their way through the ice canoe races.
In the spirit of cold plunges, you can also take a snow bath. Adrenaline junkies (and kids at heart) should hit the Dufferin Terrace Toboggan Slide, just outside the Frontenac, where thrill seekers race at speeds up to 43 miles per hour. After dark, check out a night parade on February 15, hit at least one of the evenings of live shows at the outdoor concert venue Loto-Québec or wander through Scotiabank’s Lumiglace Ice Sculpture Garden.
If you can’t make it in time for the carnival, Montréal en Lumière starts on February 27 and continues through March 9. Food plays a starring role here, as the Programmation Gourmande Banque Nationale assembles some of the city’s most celebrated chefs, and a network of more than 60 restaurateurs converges for the Les Bonnes Tables Air France. DJs, concerts and installations of light take over after sunset.
One star of the fête is the Loto-Québec Skating Loop. Elevated eight feet above the ground, this 1,000-foot-long aerial skating course winds through the festival, creating an immersive sensory experience with sound and hundreds of colorful LED light tubes. This activity is free and provides a cool perspective for taking the sights of the festival and the surrounding city. Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Four Seasons Hotel Montréal and Four-Star Ritz-Carlton, Montréal are less than two miles from the action.
Harness the Sled
Humans have strapped dogs to sleds for transportation and for moving goods across the snow for at least 9,500 years. The use of dogsleds spread throughout the Arctic Circle, but it wasn’t until the Yukon Gold Rush of 1896 that they gained broad popularity. While the era of working dogs peaked about 100 years ago, sled dog racing remains a sport (with the 1,000-mile Alaskan Iditarod as its “Super Bowl”), and the activity has become popular at northern Canadian and U.S. resorts. Most mountain towns, such as Aspen and Telluride, offer dogsledding adventures, but the program at the Four-Star Paws Up Montana dude ranch, 35 miles outside of Missoula, is one of the best.
Overseen, trained and housed by 21-time Iditarod racer Jessie Royer, the team of Alaskan huskies at the resort will “mush” guests through the snow, often in the vicinity of Placid Lake. The exact routes vary, depending upon the snow conditions. Paws Up offers one- and two-hour adventures; on the longer one, in addition to playing with the dogs and going for a ride, you’ll learn to drive the sled. Though Royer will likely be unavailable because she’s still an active racer, Paws Up activity manager Tyler Muller says.
And while you might expect all sled dogs to look like Siberian huskies, Muller explains, “The Alaskans all look a bit different, and Jessie only will run the dogs that truly desire to run. She learns this when they are young, and the dogs that show promise get trained.”
Tune Up Your Skiing or Riding
Skiing and snowboarding are sports like golf or fly fishing, where even experts can continue to evolve and take their games to the next level. No matter your skill, you should treat yourself to a lesson before the snow melts. Just one hour with a skilled professional ski or snowboard instructor can help elevate your turns, build your confidence in powder or improve your technique in the bumps or trees — and with improvements in standards throughout the industry, now is the perfect time to sign up for ski school.
Ski instruction has evolved dramatically over the past few decades, and the PSIA-AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America – American Association of Snowboard Instructors) has been the envy of other teaching organizations since its inception in 1961. Gates Lloyd, chair of PSIA-AASI’s school management committee for the Rocky Mountain region, says, “We’re in the process of alignment because when the regions organized, they stood alone, so each developed uniquely and ran its schools at it saw fit. This is going to be a really big deal across the industry.”
For instructors, this will mean adopting new approaches for learning outcomes and experience as well as assessment criteria and activities on snow. Alignment throughout ski schools is already in process, so whether you plan to hit the slopes near Aspen’s Five-Star The Little Nell or Four-Star The St. Regis Deer Valley, lessons should feel fresh.
This week, we revealed our 2025 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards. Click here to see the list of winners.
