With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in full swing, Ken Seabrook is off to Vancouver to oversee the printing of our Spring 2010 issue. (And if our Art Director should manage to catch a sporting event between press runs, or pose for a photo with a fuzzy Olympic mascot, who are we to judge?)

Here’s what you can look forward to in our latest edition.

“Kootenays: 4 hikes, 4 seasons” provides the answers to your most pressing Kootenay-adventure questions:

* Where can I hike a grand river canyon during the roaring spring run-off?

* Which trail will take me into eye-popping wildflower meadows this summer?

* Which fall month is best to hike among the fiery yellow alpine larch?

* Where can I find a string of cozy warming huts for a backcountry snowshoe trek?

“Slocan coffeehouses” takes you on a short trip up the scenic Slocan Valley, not far from Nelson, with java stops at hip shops including “Pony Espresso” and “Sleep is for Sissies.”

“Desolation Sound” will show you—with gorgeous photography by Saltspring Island photographer Ron Watts—why sailors, boaters, and paddlers sing the praises of this West Coast provincial marine park.

“It’s not easy, being green” explores the environmental issues threatening frogs around the world and examines what B.C. biologists are doing to help amphibians right now.

You’ll also find our regular departments:

Destination: Hippie Kitsilano–Vancouver in the groovy 1960s.

Echoes: Children on the Chilkoot Trail.

Outdoor Advisor: How to protect yourself from lightning in the backcountry.

Due West: Everything from Emily Carr murals and eco-cutlery to a Stonehenge-like site proposed for Barriere, B.C.

Visitors to the Vancouver Aquarium over the coming weeks will see a tower of canned salmon and tuna to rival any grocery-aisle display. The massive Ocean Wise Canstruction Inukshuk, on display through the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, was devised to show Olympic spirit while highlighting Canada’s Ocean Wise sustainable seafood program.

[photo: Meighan Makarchuk/Vancouver Aquarium]

Twenty aquarium staff members and 25 volunteers put in more than 400 person hours to construct the sculpture. It’s roughly three metres tall and about half that wide, made entirely of Ocean Wise-recommended tinned fish donated by Vancouver-based Raincoast Trading. The inukshuk symbol, a traditional marker for the Inuit people of Canada’s Arctic, inspired the official logo of the 2010 Winter Games.

How many cans did it take to make the inukshuk? Stay tuned. The Vancouver Aquarium’s CAN You Guess Contest runs until February 13. Guess the correct number of cans and you could win two tickets to an Olympic speed-skating event at the Richmond Olympic Oval, courtesy of BC Hydro. Enter in person at the Vancouver Aquarium, or online at www.visitvanaqua.org.

When the installation is dismantled, the cans of fish will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society for distribution in the community. The sculpture was created in cooperation with Canstruction Vancouver, the local chapter of a design/build competition that encourages creation of giant canned-food sculptures to help fight world hunger.

As the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games edge ever closer (Opening Ceremonies on February 12!), we have a special souvenir item designed to remind visitors of the best of British Columbia. Our new Souvenir Pack bundles together *four* exciting issues from 2009, British Columbia Magazine’s 50th-anniversary year.

Take it home for just $19.95! It’s like cramming your suitcase full of B.C.’s most spectacular landscapes, wilderness, wildlife, people, and history. Plus, you get a BONUS coupon inside, good for $5 off a one-year subscription to British Columbia Magazine.

The Souvenir Pack includes the current Winter 2009 “Do-it-yourself winter games” issue, in which our daring writers demonstrate snowy sports of the 2010 Winter Games. There is an insider’s guide for Whistler visitors, and some fantastic ideas for what to do in B.C. after the Games: from dogsledding to backcountry ski touring.

For this one-time Souvenir Pack, we’ve bundled up the last-remaining copies of British Columbia Magazine’s Summer 2009 “50 things to do before you die” special 50th-anniversary issue. This issue has a unique gatefold cover that opens up to show off every single cover of the magazine since the first issue was published in 1959! If you, or a friend or family member, missed this bestselling issue, this may be your last chance ever to get this keepsake magazine.

All four issues in the Souvenir Pack are chock-full of the spectacular photography, high-quality writing, and valuable travel secrets that have made British Columbia Magazine the most trusted travel companion in B.C. for more than 50 years.

The Souvenir Pack is available exclusively* on newsstands for a limited time, beginning February 1, 2010. Look for it on magazine racks throughout B.C., and at Chapters bookstores and selected pharmacy and grocery check-outs in larger cities in Alberta.

* Sorry, due to limited quantities, we are unable to ship the Souvenir Pack directly to customers.

Souvenir seekers won’t want to miss an exciting freebie now being offered on the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games website. The 160-page Vancouver 2010 Journal, valued at $17.99 and available in English or French, is available for FREE: yes, FREE!

The booklet includes blank writing pages, questions designed “to prompt Games memories,” special pockets for storing tickets and other Games-related memorabilia, as well as photography ideas. Reserve yours at www.vancouver2010.com/memories. (Peculiarly, residents of Australia and Palestine aren’t eligible to receive a copy.)

As the Games draw near, enthusiasts are snapping up Olympic keepsakes ranging from salt grinders to lapel pins to fancy sweaters and gold coins. As Jenny Manzer reported in “Capturing Quatchi” in our Winter 2009 issue, souvenir sales are expected to rack up $54-million in revenue by the time the last medal has been won.

In exactly one month, on February 12, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games will commence. Thousands will ascend on Vancouver, Whistler, and Richmond and an estimated three billion more around the world will tune in from home to cheer on competitors and get caught up in the global spirit.

If you’re one of the lucky travellers who will be attending the Games in person, be sure to check out the Winter 2009 issue of British Columbia Magazine for great tips on what to do in B.C. during and after the Games.

Reader Eric Rossicci took advantage of a relatively quiet night in Vancouver recently to capture this dramatic shot of the Olympic rings illuminating Burrard Inlet. For more of Eric’s photos, click here.

Many of us soon will be enjoying some well-earned winter holidays. Are you wondering what to do with your free time, or maybe how to keep visitors or energetic children occupied?

Visit our free adventure database at www.shareyourbc.com for hundreds of fun, reader-recommended things to do in B.C.  You can search for activities by location (either close to home or choose to roam), or search by a specific winter activity, such as skiing, dogsledding, snowmobiling, or snowshoeing.

Here’s a fun idea contributed by B.C. visitor J.P. from Bridgeend, Wales:

* * *

Feel like Bond, James Bond!
Activity: Tobogganing
Location: Whistler

At the ages of 63 and 75, my wife and I tobogganed down Blackcomb Mountain in April, zipping past all the skiers, arriving at the very edges of the slopes then, apparently falling off the edge, hurtled down yet another slope. All this after the peace and tranquility of the high ski lift—perfect peace whilst being lifted over the snow, the bears, and the trees . . . just us and the blue, blue sky.

Coming down the mountain on the toboggan felt like we were taking part in a James Bond movie, being pursued by the “bad guys,” seeing the very edge of the white world in front of us and tripping over it, only to find yet another escape opening up in front of us. Fantastic! Utterly repeatable!

* * *

Whatever you decide to do with your time, have fun and enjoy the season. Happy holidays to all from the editorial team at British Columbia Magazine.

Here is a contest our ski-loving readers shouldn’t miss.

Enter the Great Mountain Giveaway today for a chance to win a five-day ski vacation in British Columbia for you and 19 friends.

The lucky winner will get to choose his or her destination from a selection of 13 B.C. ski resorts, and will receive one day of exclusive access to the mountain’s ski runs: no lift lines! The prize package, which includes free accommodation, lift tickets, rentals, and return airfare for 20, is being billed as “the most exclusive ski experience ever.”

The contest, sponsored by Tourism British Columbia, closes March 1, 2010.

[photo: Dave Wagg/Off Piste]

There are perks to being the designated photographer on a backcountry ski trip: the right to lay the first tracks in fresh powder. For our Winter 2009 article “The powderful Purcells,” David R. Gluns got to work and play in the mountains just outside his home in Nelson.

Between runs (and the occasional face-plant) Gluns snapped some breathtaking shots of the Purcell Mountains and of skiers at play on the snowy slopes. See our “Powderful Purcells” photo gallery for a selection of his best images.

For more on our Winter 2009 issue, click here.

Wondering what to give this year to the person who has everything? How about the entire province of British Columbia—neatly wrapped inside the covers of British Columbia Magazine.

Order online (www.bcmag.ca) or by phone (1-800-663-7611) for stress-free holiday shopping. Let our customer representatives  set up gift subscriptions for your friends and relatives, with your personalized message going out on every copy.

We also have a Holiday Gift Pack, for those who like to put a gift under the tree. The Holiday Gift Pack includes one copy of British Columbia Magazine and our 13-month scenic 2010 Wall Calendar for you to give NOW, and a certificate entitling your recipient to a full year of British Columbia Magazine—including a second scenic Wall Calendar for 2011!

You can purchase our Holiday Gift Packs in person this weekend at the West Coast Christmas Marketplace, at the Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre on 1190 Cornell Street in Abbotsford.  Tel: 604-850-1533 or 1-866-853-1533.

Hours are:

Friday, Nov. 27, 12 noon to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Save $2 on adult admission prices for the West Coast Christmas Marketplace by ordering advance tickets online: www.christmasshow.eat-vancouver.com/info_ticket.html

British Columbia Magazine will be just one of dozens of exhibitors at the marketplace, which features holiday decor, gifts, food, celebrity stage presentations, live music, and a maze of decorated Christmas trees.

It’s that time again. Art Director Ken Seabrook is ferrying over to Vancouver tomorrow to oversee the press run of our Winter 2009 issue. Here is your SNEAK PREVIEW of the new cover:

What’s inside? Here are just a few teasers:

* For our special, 14-page “Do-it-yourself winter games” editorial package, we challenged our writers to try snowboarding, biathlon, alpine skiing, luge, hockey, and speed skating in wintery sites around British Columbia. Their enthusiastic adventures—and misadventures, including inglorious face plants and downhill tumbles—prove that B.C.’s snowscapes, mountains, and frozen ponds are not just for elite athletes, but for every outdoors-loving British Columbia with a spirit of adventure.

* Meet British Columbia’s first Olympic hero, sprinter Percy Williams, who astonished the running world by taking not ONE but TWO gold medals in 1928.

* Sprinting cougars, wrestling bears, salmon swimming marathons! Our photo essay of outstanding wildlife “action photos” showcases athletic feats of strength, speed, and endurance from the animal kingdom.

PLUS

* Dogsledding in the Cariboo. Love those Huskies!

* Backcountry skiing in the Purcells.

* The 2010 Cultural Olympiad. *  A thrill ride on Whistler-Blackcomb’s Peak2Peak Gondola. * Environmental initiatives for a “greener Games.” * The Four Host Nations. * Legacies of 2010. * And more!