50 Reasons To Love Winter

Photo: Courtesy Scott Sperley

10 IT’S SWELL SEASON
Tornado Alley’s storm chasers may be doomed to a life on the road. But in Oregon, gale watchers enjoy all the comforts of home—and then some. Check into Cannon Beach’s Stephanie Inn —complete with plush, oversize furniture, Jacuzzi tubs, gas fireplaces, a four-star dining room, and oceanfront balconies—and watch as a theater of surging tides explodes against 235-foot Haystack Rock right outside your room. 2740 S Pacific St, Cannon Beach; 503-436-2221

11 CONQUERING THE COLD

Columbia’s new line of Omni-heat jackets and boots gives a proper stiff arm to Old Man Winter. The jackets’ reflective lining is purported to help you retain 20 percent more heat. And the boots boast an internal electric heating system that’ll warm up your toes when wool socks throw in the towel. Stick that in your corncob pipe and smoke it, Frosty.

12 SOMEONE ELSE CAN DRIVE TO THE MOUNTAIN

And you can just sit back and relax. During January Portlanders can catch the bio-fueled “Nordic Ski Bus” bound for the Tea Cup Nordic Area, where the 12 miles of cross-country trails are among the most fastidiously groomed in the state. $25

13 YOU CAN CHOOSE OWN ADVENTURE

If it involves snow, ice, and mountains, odds are Oregon Peak Adventures, Mazamas, and Timberline Mountain Guides can lead you up, around, or into it, from family-friendly Nordic lessons to full-on winter survival classes. In other words, these guides might be the only people who love winter more than you.

14 OUR FACES GET AN UPDATE

Mix up your makeup routine with the good-for-the-planet brands stocked by Camellia Pure Beauty, such as Southeast Portland’s Alima Cosmetics. At the very least, pick up the locally made Alchemellia’s healing lip balm. This botanical-based formula keeps kissers crack-free, even after a long day stuck in the lift lines. 4759 NE Fremont St; 503-287-4645

15 TRAMPOLINE DODGEBALL IS REAL!

Why it took more than 10,000 years of human civilization for dodgeball and trampolines to come together, we don’t know. We do know that Sky High Sports Floors … Trampoline Walls—which opened in Tigard in October, hosts regular all-ages dodgeball tournaments that’ll have your inner Vince Vaughn positively giddy. Sky High also gives the 5-and-under set a chance to aim and hammer with “Munchkin Mondays.” And kids 8 and under do battle on a dedicated court. That ought to put a little bounce in everybody’s step. 11131 SW Greenburg Rd, Tigard

17 EXCUSES FOR PAMPERING
Whether flying down the slopes or shooting between downtown’s skyscrapers, winter winds leave many a face feeling like a piece of Oberto beef jerky. Soften things up with facial from Root. For the hourlong skin nutrition treatment, which includes a respite in the sauna ($85), the Zenned-out Northeast spa’s delightfully calm estheticians use a line of handmade organic skincare products from Hungary to rearrange your face—the right way. 2526 NE 15th Ave; 503-288-7668

16 WINTER BEER ISN’T JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

Despite its Yuletide moniker, your best chance to savor a bottle of Portland’s Upright Brewing’s spicy seasonal Noel comes after the Christmas giddiness has worn off—and the credit card bills start rolling in. This sublime Belgian-style cherry winter warmer is peppered with star anise, cinnamon, and allspice, and limited to about 15 cases. It won’t get bottled until late January, so you’ve got something to look forward to after the holidays.

18 WATERFALLS FREEZE

During cold, wet winters—like this one—look for a concentration of crystallized gushers between Corbett and Ainsworth State Park in the Columbia River Gorge, where as many as five frozen giants, some more than 600 feet tall, can be found.

19 GRAY IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHADES

From mid-December through February as many as 18,000 gray whales hug the Oregon coast, bound for their calving waters in the lagoons of Baja California. Search for their telltale spouts at the edge of Cape Lookout, a rocky headland in Cape Lookout State Park that cleaves two miles into the sea. whalespoken.org

20 CRABS GET FAT

Winter’s nutrient-rich ocean currents fatten Dungeness crabs like hazelnut-finished hogs. Down in Newport, you can charter a boat and haul them out of the bay yourself. But if you lack such salty gumption, chart a course instead for Veritable Quandary. Here, the Dungeness crab benedict, doused with a decadent cipollini onion hollandaise sauce and served with sautéed spinach and potatoes, invites waves of winter cheer. 1220 SW First Ave; 503-227-7342

21 THIS BEACH STAYS DRY

Opened in October, White Sands indoor sand volleyball courts offer a taste of the beach, sans frostbite. Owner Brian Chapman trucked in loads of pillow-soft sand from Florence for the facility’s four courts. Luxurious, it ain’t (the courts are set in a warehouse by the Hillsboro airport), but with leagues for every ability level, tournaments, and Bob Marley blaring, it’s the one place you can dig your toes into the sand this winter—and keep them. 1600 NE 25th Ave, Hillsboro; 503-781-8022

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Published: January 2011