Adventure: Snowy Holidays Without the Skis

Anyone can ski or snowboard. But during the winter season, there are plenty of more unusual ways to enjoy the frosty outdoors, from ice-fishing to snowshoeing. American companies such as Alaska Snow Safaris offer backcountry snowmobile tours that wind through scenic wilderness and end each night in cozy cottages (snow mobile-alaska.com). Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park touts dog-sledding, ice-climbing and even sleigh-ridingfollowed by a dip in one of the park's hot springs (yellowstonewinterguide.com). There are even plenty of opportunities for night owls; Wanderlust Tours offers starlight snowshoeing treks in Oregon's Cascade mountains (wanderlusttours .com). And adventurers in the Canadian Rockies can snuggle under blankets and listen to tales of winter magic on moonlit dog-sledding tours (ultimaterockies.com).

Bon Voyage Snow Adventures has put together a whimsical multiday snowmobile tour of Quebec, where cold weather is celebrated during the Winter Carnival, which includes the construction each year of an ice hotel (bvsnowadventures .com). Those seeking an adrenaline rush can strap on a harness and go snow-kiting in Norway's Hardangervidda, where the mountain plateau creates ideal conditions for beginners and pros alike (visitnorway.com). Angling fanatics can catch dinner ice-fishing on Lithuania's Neringa Spit, where the frozen lagoon is home to freshwater cod that weigh as much as 20 kilograms, and local vodka can help combat the cold (tours lithuania.com). Visitors to Lappland, Sweden, can glide through Europe's largest nature reserve on the Silent Way's intimate dog-sledding tours, retiring each night in a quaint lodge with a home-cooked meal (dogsleddingadventures.com). Because snow is not just for skiing.

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