Don’t let frigid temperatures freeze your motivation to get out and do something. Sure, winter’s in full swing, but there’s still plenty to do. And just because there’s snow on the ground doesn’t mean the outdoors is off limits. In fact, the fun is just beginning!

All things ice

Revel in the wintry season by sipping on what’s deemed ‘the nectar of the weather’ by Andrea O’Neill, director of marketing at Casa Larga. The vineyard will host its fourth New York Ice Wine Festival to celebrate a winter-only specialty: ice wine.

To make traditional ice wine, vineyards leave grapes on the vines to freeze after harvest season. Once temperatures hit 17 or 18 degrees, they’re picked and pressed frozen.

‘The juice that comes out has a rich, almost syrupy, honey-like consistency,’ O’Neill said.

Along with tasting samples from the 11 wineries currently slated for the event, visitors can shop at vendors and savor food from local restaurants. They can also test their connoisseurship with the ice wine challenge. Participants must distinguish a true ice wine from an iced wine, made with grapes chilled in a freezer.

‘It’s something fun,’ O’Neill said. ‘And we’re always trying to raise awareness of what true, traditional ice wine is.’

Kickin’ it in Canada

Do you enjoy carving through fresh powder on huge slopes? Have you grown frustrated living in the country with the world’s oldest legal drinking age?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then SnowJam 2012 is a must-go for you. Students travel from SU to Montreal for a weekend of skiing at Mont-Sainte-Anne resort and Campus Vacations-sponsored partying, according to Campus Vacations’ website.

This year, the trip takes place from Friday, Jan. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 29, with an option of one extra night in Montreal. For $329, students are given two-night accommodations, two-day lift tickets and a wristband for CV parties at clubs in Quebec City. Don’t forget, the drinking age in Quebec is 18, so come prepared for some wild nights.

Dashing through the snow

When the beaten hiking trails of Labrador Hollow Unique Area are packed with 8 inches of snow, hikers are required to carry a pair of snowshoes or cross-country skis for safety purposes. It’s also a good excuse to take advantage of the picturesque wintry paths.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, the Skyline Trail will be open for snowshoe-clad hikers and other locations will be available for cross-country skiers to enjoy from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to syracuse.com. So bundle up and head outside for an adventurous afternoon. And don’t forget to bring your camera.

Take the plunge

If cold weather is your thing, celebrate the snow in Skaneateles, N.Y., on Jan. 28. Winterfest 2012, the town’s annual opportunity to flaunt its seasonal offerings, crams an array of snowy activities into one three-and-a-half hour festival.

According to skaneateles.com, visitors can take a stroll amongst ice sculptures, chow down at a chili cook-off and see sled dogs in action. But more hardcore cold enthusiasts can dare to take part in one of the festival’s calling cards: the Polar Bear Plunge.

Adventurous Winterfest goers can cool down by dressing up in ridiculous costumes and submerging themselves in Skaneateles Lake for an ice-cold swim. If Syracuse winters are too tame for you, test your endurance by going for a chilly dip during Winterfest.

Stay warm, Oswego

When else will visitors have the opportunity to clad themselves in crazy costumes and go sledding, or participate in a treasure hunt through the chilly snow? Well, probably never in one weekend.

The seventh annual Warm Up Oswego Festival will take place on Feb. 3 and 4. The festivities begin at Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon in downtown Oswego and the Oswego Y Armory. Jackie Sheffield, a member of the Warm Up Oswego Festival Committee, said this year’s event is expanding to include a bonfire and a snow sculpture contest.

However, one mainstay is the Costume Sled Race at 3 p.m. Saturday. ‘It seems to attract the college kids,’ she said.

Other events include a Hot 2K Trot fun run, performances all throughout the day, arts and crafts, and fireworks by Pyrotecnico over the Oswego River.

—Compiled by The Daily Orange Feature Staff

Published on January 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm