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Darren Tamelin took home the gold in the men’s 35 year and open category at the 2nd annual Dragon Tail Loppet at Panorama Mountain Resort on Saturday, January 9th. Distances ranged from 300 metres for the young kids to 11.5 kilometres for the youth and adult categories. PHOTO BY DAVID WEBSTER
Rave reviews draw more attention to valley STEVE HUBRECHT steve@invermerevalleyecho.com Efforts to showcase the winter wonders of the Upper Columbia Valley and entice more visitors here continue to bring provincial and even national attention. Destination BC’s latest press release on the best snow-centric fun to be had in the province lists Panorama Mountain Resort’s multiple rustic on-mountain huts as one of the top experiences in B.C. this winter. Calgary-based travel writer Sarah Deveau placed the valley’s Winter In Motion festival as one of the top 12 winter festivals in Canada in a recent Flight Network story. Last but not least, a recent provincial Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training press release touting the benefits of staycations for B.C. residents has pegged the Radium Hot Springs as one of the ultimate stay-at-home ways to unwind. The Flight Network story not only places the valley’s season-long Winter In Motion festival on the same list as Quebec’s City iconic Carnaval, but also gives it a shout out as perhaps Canada’s longest-running (in terms of how long it lasts each year) winter festival. “The story was on 12 of my personal favourite winter festivals, and I happen to love Invermere. The valley just has so much to offer in winter,” Deveau told The Echo. “With Winter In Motion running all season, you can come on several different weekends and always do something different.” On her most recent visit earlier this month, Deveau went ice-fishing with her family (“it was awesome and the kids loved it”) and winter paragliding (“I didn’t even know that was something you could do in the winter”). On previous visits, she has participated in pond hockey; gone Nordic skiing on the Whiteway; played snow golf; and taken in the Bon-
Panorama’s Summit Hut is one of three huts at the resort that have earned the kudos of Destination B.C. as one of the top attractions to experience in B.C. this winter. Photo by Kari Medig spiel on the Lake. The Destination BC press release expounded on the Mile One Hut, the Elkhorn Cabin and Summit Hut at Panorama, describing how they were “each built to resemble shelters that peppered the landscape during the fur trade era.” It then went on to describe, in enticing detail, a gooey cheese fondue next to the blazing outdoor firepit at the Mile One Hut; the indulgent melting cornucopia of Swiss Raclette at the Elkhorn Cabin; and the ultimate high altitude private cheese and chocolate evening fondue at the Summit Hut, which can be done by helicop-
ter, or — if guests are so inclined — can be followed by the unforgettable experience of a post-meal ski down in the night. “We are thrilled to have such a variety of on-mountain dining experiences, each offering its own unique style and flavour, “ said Panorama Mountain Resort marketing and media specialist Jamie Hurschler. “The guests love the huts. They are really different than dining in the village and not many ski resorts in Canada have different dining options scattered across the mountain as we do.” See A19