HERE
NH’S ALL-INCLUSIVE SKI RESORT TICKET
Zip over to Pats Peak in New Hampshire on Saturdays and get everything from a lift ticket and gear rentals to a snow tubing pass for as low as $49. The all-inclusive Pay-One-Price (POP) program runs through the end of the 2017-2018 season, and includes nighttime skiing and snowboarding on beginner to expert trails. From 3 to 10 p.m., you can get a lift ticket, rentals, ski and snowboard tips on the beginner’s slope, and access to bonfires and live music for $49; snow tubing included 5-10 p.m. Show up earlier and take advantage of the Step Up to POP Tickets, paying $59 for the same package 2-10 p.m., $69 for 1-10 p.m., or $79 for noon-10 p.m. Tickets valid for all ages; rental equipment available on a first-come, first-served basis. 888-728-7732, www.patspeak.com.
CELEBRATE THE BLUES AT CLUB PASSIM
Don’t miss country blues masters Paul Rishell and Annie Raines at Club Passim in Harvard Square, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. The unlikely duo first performed together in 1992 at a Boston bar, when Raines was a 22-year-old harmonica ace and Rishell was a 42-year-old country blues guitarist—and have since recorded six albums together, including Moving to the Country, which was the W.C. Handy Award Winner for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year in 2000. The Club Passim performance marks the first stop in their silver jubilee tour, which also takes the couple to The Parlor Room in Northampton Feb. 18, the South Shore Folk Music Club in Kingston March 3, and the Homegrown Coffeehouse in Needham April 7. $23 Club Passim members; $25 nonmembers. 617-492-7679, www.passim.org.
THERE
FREE STOPOVER TRIP TO THE AZORES
Fly to Lisbon, Madeira, or Porto — all in Portugal — and get a free stopover in the Azores for up to seven days. Azores Airlines’ new stopover feature lets you hop off in the Azores, an archipelago with nine islands, on your outbound and inbound journeys to and from Boston. Stay up to seven days with no additional stopover fee. With time to explore, go whale watching and hiking, and then savor cozido (a traditional Portuguese stew) before heading to your final vacation destination. Prices start at $742 round-trip from Boston to Lisbon or Porto, and $698 round-trip to Madeira (on sale for $596 round-trip to Lisbon or Porto, and $550 round-trip to Madeira if booked by Jan. 22 for travel between Feb. 2 and April 18). 800-762-9995, www.azoresairlines.pt.
SELF-DRIVE TRIPS BY ADVENTURE VEHICLE
Pick a road-worthy or an off-roading Polaris vehicle and go on a fun new adventure at more than 20 wilderness locations nationwide. Polaris Industries has launched Polaris Adventures, a national network of ride and drive experiences that you can explore on new state-of-the-art Polaris vehicles. Pick your destination, from tall forests, mountain passes, and desert paths to snowy trails. Then choose from the latest off-road RZR side-by-sides, snowmobiles, or highway-licensed Slingshots, open-air roadsters with the latest navigation and safety technology. Then hit the road. Vermont-based Bear Rock Adventures, for instance, has partnered with Polaris to offer a trip located on the Ride the Wilds trail system, which includes 1,000 miles of interconnected trails complete with waterfalls, mountain tops, and a working maple sugar house. www.adventures.polaris.com.
EVERYWHERE
KEEP THE POSTCARD-WRITING TRADITION ALIVE
Send a thank-you note, a holiday greeting, or a postcard from your travels without having to shop for note cards and stamps. Oliver Kray, a German street artist and designer, has developed MyPostcard, a handy and easy-to-use tool for sending real postcards and greeting cards to people in this digital age — it blends the personal touch of a tangible card with the ease of technology. Using the MyPostcard app or website, design your own card or add your photos and message to one of 10,000 existing templates. Then insert an address and purchase the card. The company will print, stamp, and send the card to your recipient anywhere in the world. The app works on Android and Apple devices, or use MyPostcard’s website. Now go send Mom and Dad a thank-you note for those holiday gifts, and your BFF a postcard from your winter adventures. Prices start at $1.99 for postcards and $3.99 for greeting cards. www.mypostcard.com.
TAKE YOUR SKIS AND BUDDIES ON AN ADVENTURE
Secure your skis or snowboards on Yakima’s new FatCat EVO, a sleek and aerodynamic roof rack that offers extra space for handling skis up to 136mm wide at the tips, and multiple snowboards. The mount, now four inches wider than previous models, comes in two sizes: The FatCat EVO 4 fits four pairs of skis or two snowboards, while the FatCat EVO 6 holds six pairs of skis or four snowboards. The easy-to-install mount works with round, square, factory, and most wing-shaped crossbars (no tools required), and comes with a clever built-in lift kit so you can raise the height of the mount by 6.5 inches to accommodate skis with larger bindings. The EVO has two mounting positions; the new HangOver clamp location lets you mount the bar so that it extends out over the side of the car, making it easier for you to access your gear, and giving you more space to fit other roof mounts (think mountain bike and kayak carriers). A lock secures your gear when you run into the coffee shop en route to the slopes. $229 (EVO 4), $279 (EVO 6). 888-925-4621, www.yakima.com.
KARI BODNARCHUK
