If you live in the Inland Northwest you are all too familiar with the massive draw this region has for skiers and snowboarders, snowshoers and snowmobilers. But maybe you don’t ski or board. Maybe you don’t enjoy the cold. Maybe you simply want to have some fun off the slopes for a change. Here are a few of Spokane’s many attractions that will get you out of the cold and still having fun this winter.
Laser Quest
Code name: Kake. Age: 15. She’s on a solo mission through a three-story maze engulfed in fog and lit only by the glow of neon paint under black lights. She’s come here with her family. They’re out there somewhere, waiting for her. But this time they’re not on the same team.
She enters the maze and heads for the top floor to get a view of the layout. She’ll have to move fast. She’s not concerned about her father – he’s too sneaky to be much competition in a Laser Quest match. Her mother and sister, however, know to move lots and shoot even more. They’ll be tough to outscore.
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A red laser beam cuts through the fog from across the enormous room and her vest lights up with a hit. Kake ducks behind a glowing barrier while her equipment resets. Then she’s off in a new direction, intent on seeking out the long-range shooter. There are so many alcoves, twists, turns and dead ends. It’s nearly impossible to get a bearing. The levels below resound with laughter and laser gunfire, cries of surprise, disappointment and victory. Another beam through the fog shows the shooter’s position. Kake pops out and scores her first of many hits. Then she’s moving once again, heading down into the bowels of the labyrinth into the thick of the action.
She ducks behind a glowing barrier while her equipment resets. Then she’s off in a new direction, intent on seeking out the long-range shooter.
Fast Kart Indoor Speedway
After a thorough training brief, I don my helmet and climb into my machine. The race official starts the engine and I slap my visor down and ease onto the track for the practice lap. The yellow flag is out. As I approach the end of lap one, the checkered flag waves and I hear the other racers’ carts burst into action. I stomp the gas pedal to the floor. The engine revs and my heart pounds as I throttle through the straightaway at over 30 mph. Every corner, every curve, the track itself becomes a pinpoint of focus as I fi ght for a better position amongst my fellow racers. Trapped behind the cart ahead, I’m passed on the outside. The driver takes the corner wide and fast. His back tires break loose and he drifts through the turn, tires throwing rubber, then shoots off down the track to drift the inside of the next turn. It’s a thrilling battle for first place I do not manage to win. But as I walk from my machine, I’m content with the idea that I’ll need more practice.
Get Air Trampoline Park
The excitement is not without merit. They slip on their official trampoline park socks and suddenly they’re gymnasts, circus performers, superheroes able to leap tall buildings in a single trampoline-assisted bound. Front fl ips, gainers, moon leaps; they can do it all. They race through the ninja course as if it were a mere playground. They bound into the foam pits, twisting, flipping and flying as if gravity had no hold. But there is one obstacle where they’ve met their match, their evil arch-nemesis. The swivel-ladder. Like some kryptonian parasite, this device seems to drain their powers, sap their strength. No matter the strategy, nor the angle of approach, they are helpless to overcome. It’s also where they share the most laughs. And they swear as they retreat, they shall return to conquer another day. N
By Toby Reynolds
Photography By Joel Riner
As Featured In: Winter/Spring 2018 SPO Edition
