Love Snow? Love the Outdoors? Check Out These New Winter Sports!
Are you someone who thrives in cold weather? Do you find outdoor activities in the winter invigorating. Do they make you feel fully alive? You’re not alone. Here are some new ways to enjoy yourself outside in the winter in the Great White North:
Snow Biking—The Two-Wheel Version of a Snowmobile
There’s no better way to get away from it all, to find your own wilderness, than on a snowmobile. You can make your own tracks deep into untouched terrain, where your only companions are the birds and beasts. Imagine having the snowmobile experience on two wheels. That’s the essence of snow-biking. Take a motocross bike, replace the rear wheel with a snowmobile track and affix a ski in place of the front wheel. It takes a little practice to get your sense of balance—much more so than with a snowmobile, but it’ll take you places a snowmobile can’t.
Fat Biking—When You Want to Hear Only the Sound of Your Breathing
For more hardcore enthusiasts, fat biking offers many of the same experiences you can get with snow biking, but you’ll be generating all your own power. Take a mountain bike…the 29-inch wheels are recommended…and swap out those already large tires for some really fat ones (some can be up to five inches wide, but the larger they are, the less mobility you’ll have).
Ski Biking—A Bicycle with Skis at Both Ends
Also similar to a mountain bike, the “Sno-Go” has skis in place of both the front and the rear wheels. You can use it on groomed trails or forge your own path. It’s particularly adaptable to ski-jumping. Learning how to use one is like riding a bike!
Snowkiting—Using the Power of the Wind
With snowkiting, enthusiasts strap on a large kite and use wind power to fly across snow at great speeds and even launch into the air, similar to hang gliding. The kites may be inflatable or may be made of foil and typically have four lines to maximize control. For the daring, you can ski off the top of a mountain and float through the air like a parachutist.
Snow Surfing—Hanging Ten on the Snow
Similar to surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding, this sport involves a single board with no bindings. Because you’re not strapped in, you can do many of the same tricks skateboarders perform. It takes some practice to get your balance, but then the sky’s the limit.
