Winter Sports For This Season
Are you fed up with sitting around dormant once the weather turns icy cold? If you are looking for a fun winter pastime grab your cold-weather gear because here are some of the more interesting winter sports to try for fun in the snow.
Snowshoeing
With a thick layer of snow everywhere, hiking is out of the question so invest in a pair of snowshoes to carry on enjoying the great outdoors with friends and family. Traditionally, snowshoeing was vital if you wanted to get about. Now people do it for the exercise and just for the fun of it. No expensive equipment is needed. Just warm clothing and winter boots and a little determination to get started.
Snowshoe packages provide opportunities to explore the snowy countryside with others. To enjoy snowshoeing to the max, nothing beats the majestic Austrian Tyrol. You’ll love the winding trails that take you to quaint mountain huts deep in the alpine hills. Take your binoculars to see eagles and ibex on en-route.
Biathlon
It has to be the biathlon if you are looking for an activity that falls in the category of grueling. The Olympic Biathlon is a combination of rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. It takes skill and physical endurance. Call it a long-distance race with minutes added to your time for every shot you miss. You’ll do well if you can manage your breathing to calm your thumping heart for a steady aim at tiny targets.
These days, there are many skiing and shooting clubs to get you started. Although you are out on this unusual sport in the middle of winter, training on roller skis and tarmac happens year-round. So, if you feel like trying it, the season isn’t a barrier to giving it a go.
Fat Biking
Snow can make things tricky but doesn’t get in the way of cycling when your ride is equipped with the right tires. Fat tires, to be precise. With fat tires, you glide over wintery terrain easily and enjoy old-fashioned cycling along the way.
Fat biking comes to us from snow-clad Alaska where cycling was adapted to deal with extreme snow conditions, but it has become a popular winter sport since. In Europe too. From Geilo in Norway to the French Alps, there are numerous winter fat bike tours if you fancy spending quality time on snow-capped bike trails. Tuscany is one of the very best places to visit with opportunities to wind your way through ancient villages for stunning views of medieval castles.
Mountaineering
If you rate yourself among the fittest people on the planet, plain hiking isn’t going to be challenging enough. Try the tough guys sport of winter mountaineering instead. This takes conquering terrain complicated by wet rock, ice, sleet and snow. Of course, you’ll need the right climbing and winter hiking gear to avoid frostbite, unless you plan on being superhuman minus a finger or toe.
Hiking in snow on its own is different enough but mix in some climbing and there’s a whole new level of hard. The workout is intense so don’t even try if you are not mentally and physically conditioned for the cold weather. You can always start small. Some of Britain’s hilly haunts are perfect for winter hiking beginners. You can progress on the hiking trails in stunning North Wales and go up Snowdon or take on the challenges of the highest UK’s highest peak, Scotland’s Ben Nevis. If you start feeling like an expert, it could mean you are ready to take on the Himalayan trails or even the mighty Kilimanjaro.
Dog Sledding
This is an ancient practice used by ancient American-Indian cultures, but you can have great fun learning how to master a dog sleigh team today as a winter sport. Huskies are great to be around and spend time with. They are energetic and social but when it comes time to take to the trail, they’ll happily run all day.
In the arctic regions of Europe and North America, there are many places to enjoy dog sled racing. One epic race is the 1000-mile long Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska. The first annual race was in 1973. It’s run each year since to commemorate a run to Nome with needed antitoxin during the diphtheria epidemic of 1925. It became known as the ‘1925 Serum Run’ and is considered the epitome of endurance by dog and man.
Snow Kayaking
It’s like extreme sledding and certainly a sport, in its own way. This adrenaline-charged activity involves waxing up your craft and sending flying down a steep hill with you in it. Yes. You use the paddle to change direction as you’re skimming down mountainsides at breakneck speeds. It’s a different experience and one heck of a workout on your core.
Shovel Racing
Think old Christmas movies and cute kids riding snow shovels down snow-white slopes. Well, now you can live the dream. There’s a whole shovel riding championship to check out in New Mexico. You will be greasing up riding metal shovels down ski slopes along with several other nostalgic grown men and women. Hold tight and expect thrills at anything up to 70 miles per hour.
Shark Ice Fishing
You may have tried ice fishing for perch or walleye, but how about testing your limits even further to fishing for sharks in ice holes? It will test your endurance as you go up against Greenland shark up to 21 feet long and weighing in at more than a thousand pounds. It will be a challenge to land one and the experience of a lifetime.
Speed Flying
To get a brand new adrenaline rush this winter, try the perfect hybrid of paragliding and skydiving. You behave like a skier but wear a skydiving-like parachute. You’re on your own and free to use your skis to control a rapid descent down the mountain. It’s James Bond style action for an awesome sense of achievement when you cross the finish line.
For sure, when it’s snowy it’s tempting to stay in nice and cozy and veg out in front of the TV. But look at the scale of the fun you’ll be missing sliding off mountains, winter activities with dogs and up close and personal with Greenland sharks. The snow is not just for making snow angels. Winter activities take snowballs. Get wrapped up and warm up to experience the magic of winter outdoors as you stay fit. Whatever winter sport you eventually choose will wake you up for the winter and reboot your systems. You’ll feel so good you won’t want to hurry into spring.
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