Cabin Fever Festival & Woman of the Wilderness Competition Poke Fun at Winter

People who live in mountain towns will be the first to admit you have to be a little hearty and sometimes a tiny bit crazy to embrace all that winter offers in the Colorado Rockies. The third annual Cabin Fever Festival & Woman of the Wilderness Competition in Gunnison on Feb. 9 is all about celebrating the mountain lifestyle while poking a little fun at what is required to be a woman and kid of the wilderness.

The activities begin Gunnison’s Jorgensen Park at 10:30 a.m., with the Woman of the Wilderness (WOW) competition running from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. In this series of events, women go head-to-head in fun competitions such as snowshoeing, water hauling, elk bugling, husband hollering, hay bale tossing, log sawing, marksmanship, roping and stump balancing. The winner receives a trip to Costa Rica for a stay at The Luna Lodge.


The 2007 Woman of the Wilderness Competition was won by Gunnison resident Rebecca Dussault, who competed in the 2006 Olympics in Nordic skiing. The cost to register is $35 by Feb. 6 or $45 the day of the event. The registration form can be downloaded at www.sagemountainschool.org.

A Kid of the Wilderness competition will be held at Pac Man Pond from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Youngsters can demonstrate their snow kid skills with a skating and ice obstacle course, snowhill climb, snow angel making and snowshoeing. Registration for Kid of the Wilderness is free.

A chili cook-off also will heat up Cabin Fever Festival, with master chili chefs recognized after community judges select the best chili in two categories: meat and veggie. The cost to enter the chili cook-off is $20, with a deadline of Feb. 6. Chili tasting and judging are available for a fee. Other foods also will be available to purchase.

Winners of the competitions will be announced at the Carhartt Ball, featuring an auction, raffle, acoustic music by Chris Coady, other live music and dancing at the Ol’ Miner Steakhouse in downtown Gunnison. Tickets cost $5 and include a free raffle ticket.

Cabin Fever Festival and WOW benefits Sage Mountain School, a not-for-profit educational organization in Gunnison. For more information, call the school at (970) 641-4110.