What started out 21 years ago as a celebration of Marmot Basin’s 25th anniversary is now one of western Canada’s premier winter festivals. The annual Jasper in January Festival is a two-week celebration of winter...

 fun that combines big savings on Marmot Basin lift tickets and Jasper hotel rooms with a host of events that take place throughout this Rocky Mountain community of Jasper.

The festival gets underway on Friday evening, January 15, with the Kick Off Party at the Whistle Stop Pub. Just across the street from the Whistle Stop is the historic Athabasca Hotel, known to locals and regulars as the “Atha-B”, where the band Ten Second Epic will perform live and rock the night away. The festival continues for 16 fun-filled days winding up on January 31st.

The Jasper Street Party was a new event last year and will take place this year on Saturday, January 16th on Patricia Street. Street performers, snow sculptures, bonfires, music, live performances and activities for the whole family take place between 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm bringing Jasper’s town centre to life. This was one of the most popular events last season and is sure to be a big hit again this year. Other notable events include dual slalom fun races at Marmot Basin, a skating party and Cabane A Sucre at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the oh-so-popular-and-always-sold-out, Annual Chili Cook-Off at the Jasper Activity Centre, the Chef Competition at Earls Restaurant, the Ducks Unlimited Auction at the Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre and the list goes on and on.

The Jasper in January Festival is also an opportunity to enjoy all of the wonderful winter activities Jasper National Park has to offer. Unlike other purpose built resorts, Jasper offers a truly authentic mountain experience in one of North America’s largest protected wilderness areas. The alpine skiing experience at Marmot Basin is better than ever with the new Canadian Rockies Express high speed quad chair, the longest high speed chairlift in the Rockies and the largest new chairlift development in North America for this winter. Marmot has also opened the new Rogers Terrain Park in the lower area of the mountain and it is bigger and better than ever before. And with lift tickets reduced by 25%, skiers and boarders will pay less and spend more time skiing and snowboarding. Other winter activities include ice skating on frozen lakes, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, exploring the magical depths of Maligne Canyon with a professional guide or just taking in the breathtaking beauty of this, the most majestic of Canada’s Rocky Mountain National Parks.

Jasper hotels offer great savings on ski and stay packages throughout the festival. Find them, along with a list of events, at: http://www.skimarmot.com/