Yellowknife (Jan 21/05) - With less than eight hours of daylight to enjoy all Yellowknife has to offer, there are those who may prefer to hibernate or vegetate during the depths of winter.

But to avoid the grip of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition marked by a state of depression due to lack of sunlight, Andrew Morton, facilities manager for the City of Yellowknife, says endless activities await people once they decide to make the move to activity.

If you don't get outside and get active this winter, you may have to find yourself sitting in front of one of these lights, as shown by pharmacist and Shopper's Drug Mart owner Daryl Dolynny. - Dorothy Westerman/NNSL photo

"We have the facilities here in the city. They are funded by taxpayers and should be used," Morton said.

From a daily swim at the Ruth Inch pool to public skating at the Multiplex, there is no lack of opportunity for exercise for the motivated.

Morton's list of suggested activities includes curling at the curling club and skiing on the many cross-country trails at the Yellowknife Ski Club.

Children or the young-at-heart can also get away from the television or computer by bundling up and dragging the toboggan to one of the three coasting hills in the area - one behind Aurora College, one at Parker Park, just off Finlayson Drive, and the third at Bristol Pit, near the airport.

Since getting outside in the winter has more than one benefit, it is good to know what activities are available.

While winter tourists always get the full enjoyment out of our Northern city, one suggestion to help residents get active might be to play tourist for a while.

Deleigh Rausch, operations manager at the Northern Frontier Regional Visitors Centre in Yellowknife, said there are many options for keeping fit and active.

"Many people ask about dog sledding," Rausch said of one of the uniquely Northern activities often overlooked by residents.

"It's usually a special thing for tourists or for when family visits," she said.

"We also get a lot of questions about ice fishing and snowmobiling," she added.

Because many people go to work in the dark and go home in the dark, pharmacist Daryl Dolynny says SAD is a reality for some Northerners.

For that reason, his store sells a powerful light designed to replace missing sunlight and combat the disorder.

"It's an alternative to drug therapy," Dolynny says.