British Columbia Magazine

Last week, CBC Radio invited British Columbia Magazine to share some budget-conscious spring-break travel ideas on their B.C. Almanac program. The half hour flew by as I chatted with host Mark Forsythe and listened to some great tips from callers.

As I said to CBC listeners, B.C. residents can view local travel as an opportunity, not a hardship, during these economically uncertain times. Travellers come from around the globe to enjoy what we have right on our doorsteps.

In our magazine’s Spring 2009 issue, international publishing sensation Nick Bantock—creator of the Griffin & Sabine books—demonstrates just how rewarding local travel can be on a whimsical tour of Saltspring Island, his Gulf Island home. You can read the full story online—and don’t miss the chance to enter our Saltspring Getaway Contest!

Here are some other ideas we shared on B.C. Almanac. There are exciting opportunities for every budget and in every region of the province—and plenty of good reading here on our website for even more ideas.

Vancouver Island

* Quirky alleyways of Victoria’s Chinatown are fun to explore with children; small imported toys for pocket change.

* Great deals on Victoria hotels; check in with Tourism Victoria online.

* Intriguing shores . . . for beachcombing and viewing eagles, seals, otters. Read associate editor Jenny Manzer’s article about Qualicum Beach.

Vancouver, Coast, and Mountains

* Vancouver: Daytrip to Granville Island’s sensory-rich public market on the fun little False Creek Ferries.

* Walking the Seawall is always free. Give the kids coloured pencils to makes sketches of the Stanley Park totem poles.

* XÁ:YTEM Longhouse Interpretive Centre in Mission: tours, workshops, pithouses, Transformer Stone.

* Check out Hostelling International Canada’s selection of budget B.C. accommodation. We also hear good things about The Upper Deck Guesthouse hostel on the Sunshine Coast.

Thompson Okanagan

* At Big White and Silver Star ski hills, purchase adult accommodation and lift tickets during spring break, and children 12 and under can ski for free.

* Cross-country ski or snowshoe on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

* Look for Ogopogo, the Loch Ness-like monster of Okanagan Lake. Bring binoculars.

Kootenay-Rockies

* Nakusp Hot Springs is open year round. Cheapest dip? Wednesdays, $4/person. Bring a self-contained camper for off-season stays, just $18/night.

* Two-night family packages at Fairmont Hot Springs; $368 for two adults and two children—includes “eco-adventure” activities such as wildlife tracking and snowshoe fondue.

* For snowshoeing, skiing, or winter camping, B.C. parks around the province offer a cheap and satisfying family outing. See assistant editor Shanna Baker’s profile of six top winter parks in Frosty escapes, online.

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

*The Cariboo-Chilcotin region has some of B.C.’s best cross-country skiing. Historic Barkerville is closed in winter, but the restored buildings of the old townsite make for an intriguing ski destination.

Northern British Columbia

* Just outside of Prince George, Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park is a premier backcountry skiing and snowshoeing destination. Read our full magazine profile of Sugar Bowl-Grizzly Den online.

* Check out the Ski and Stay in Spring packages at Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers, promising “sun, snow, and savings.”

To celebrate the launch of our Spring 2009 issue—including a truly unique travel piece on Saltspring Island—we’re inviting readers to enter our Saltspring Getaway Contest. You could win a $200 gift card for accommodation on this charming Gulf Island, plus $50 in spending money, and a chance to meet artist/author Nick Bantock, creator of the international bestselling Griffin & Sabine books. Click here for complete contest details; open to adult residents of Canada, excluding Quebec.

When we invited Nick Bantock to create original artwork for our spring feature, “Nick Bantock’s Saltspring,” we could hardly wait for the results. The artist is known worldwide for his collages. The wonderful abstract images he created to depict Saltspring, his island home, are indicative of how the artist sees the world. For Bantock, it is more meaningful to convey the essence of a place than to provide a literal view.

“If you show someone a photograph of a tree next to a beach in front of the water on Saltspring,” he says, “you’re not giving them anything other than ‘This is how it is.’”

To represent Ganges, Saltspring’s main commercial centre, the artist dreamed up a new species: the “flizzard”—half lizard, half fish. “In summer, Ganges is very much a tourist place, but in winter, it’s more for the locals, so I created a creature that’s half and half, to represent its duality.”

Evocative, imaginative, and mysterious, the final artwork beautifully evokes the spirit of Saltspring Island. See Bantock’s delightful creations in our online photo gallery. To see more of Bantock’s artwork, visit his Saltspring studio/gallery, The Forgetting Room (250-537-0096), or browse his website: www.nickbantock.com

The results are in! Jane Lustenberger of Invermere, British Columbia, has placed first in our Snowman Photo Contest, which closed January 10, 2008.

The quirky smiles and Medusa-like tresses of Lustenberger’s snowfolk have an offbeat charm, and the diffused sunlight, long shadows, and winter fog give the composition a warmth and magic that our judges found irresistible.

Thanks to everyone who submitted an image to our contest. To see all the delightful winning entries, visit www.bcmag.ca/snowmancontest.

The deadline for our Snowman Photo Contest is fast approaching. All entries must be received by January 10, 2008.

Send us photos of your favourite snowfolk, whether whimsical or downright weird (surely you can do better than my “Crime-scene Sally” here!) and you could receive a free one-year subscription to British Columbia Magazine. Winning images will be posted on our website.

For full contest details, visit www.bcmag.ca/snowmancontest/.  If you need a little inspiration to get you started, check our our “Frosty escapes” photo gallery, featuring “live-action” snowmen by professional photographers David R. Gluns and Adam Gibbs.