They may not shovel the snow from your driveway, but they’ll do their best to warm you up with laughter.
The Snowed In Comedy tour returns this winter for another live comedy show, featuring Canadian funnymen with a penchant for snowboarding.
This annual cross-country tour began nine years ago with Just for Laughs winner Dan Quinn, who decided one snowy evening in a Fernie bar, he would do stand-up to pay for his snowboarding trip. He grabbed a powder map and was amazed at how many ski hills B.C. has. Other comedians soon asked to join the tour.
The idea became, “If we lose money we lose money, but if we make money, we split it,” Quinn said.
What started off as a two-week snowboarding trip expanded into a six-week adventure featuring 32 tour dates across Canada.
The tour is still revolves around snowboarding, which the comediens do for about five days a week after shows at or near ski-hill locations.
Snowed In stopped in Salmon Arm last year, where Quinn said they received a standing ovation.
“We were completely sold out. It ended up being a really cool venue… It kinda had a cool, funky vibe. It was one of my favourite shows.”
This year’s tour features: wild man MC Craig Campbell, Canadian Comedian of the Year nominee Pete Zedlacher, Canadian laugh off winner Paul Myrehaug, Quinn, Arj Barker and Seattle Comedy Competition winner Damonde Tschritter.
Quinn said Barker, who played Dave in the cult-favourite Flight of the Conchords TV series, performs because it’s one of his favourite tours.
“Here’s this guy who is super successful, taking a break to play in Salmon Arm,” said Quinn.
Each comedian performs his own stand-up comedy and writes separately from the group.
“We write a new set every year. Throughout the year you work on this new set for Snowed In,” said, adding the first night is usually less planned as the comedians don’t work with each other during the year.
“As the show goes on, each night the show starts changing…,” he said.
“There’s no set theme – it just to be funny.”
The show takes place at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 21 at the Salmar Classic.
Quinn said he started stand up in 1993 after a roommate told him his jokes were “actually funny.”
As a young boy, he was a fan of Steven Wright, but it wasn’t until he saw an ad in the newspaper for a comedian that he decided to give it a shot.
Quinn has made numerous appearances on TV and radio, and has won the Canadian Comedy Competition at Just for Laughs in Montreal. He has done Comedy Now on CTV, The Debaters, Sirius XM radio and won Best of the Fest at the Hubcap Comedy Festival in Moncton.
Tickets are available at www.snowedincomedytour.com.