What's up, thanks for stopping by!
I have a pretty interesting blog post for you today.
I found some off beat winter activities to bring some spice into an otherwise dreary season.
5. Heliskiing
I just found out about this sick sport last week, and have been fascinated ever since.
Basically, heli-skiing is skiing down slopes that you can only access via helicopter.
It's dangerous, risky, and expensive, but if you can muster up the courage and cash, you will see sights that not many else have seen.
Canada and Switzerland are very popular destinations for this sport, however Germany and France outlawed it due to it's environmental impact and danger.
4. Cold Water Swimming
To be 100% clear, you need to train yourself over time to be able to withstand temperatures below freezing, and never go ice swimming alone.
Mother Nature is beautiful and loving, but also unforgiving.
3. Skijoring
I also had no idea what this word meant when I first came across it. But after I learned it derives from Norway, it made sense.
Skyjoring is an off-beat winter sport where horses, dogs, cats, or vehicles pull somebody on skis.
Yes, cats. The image cracked me up too.
The most common form of skijoring is using dogs, where the skier provides power with their skis and poles, and and the dog adds additional power by pulling and running.
2. Ice Yachting
No, this isn't where super rich people take their yachts into the arctic.
Ice Yachting is the sport of racing and/or sailing iceboats, or ice yachts.
Most of the time, they are built to run over ice instead of through water, but they are known to do both.
This is very popular in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Norway, and Sweden, but is also practiced in the Great Lakes.
1. Ice Cross Downhill
This is a seriously intense sport.
Basically, people race each other downhill on ice skates at over 50 MPH.
It's dangerous, controversial, and even just nerve-racking to watch.
Red Bull has sensationalized the sport since 2001 after beginning it's annual "Red Bull Crashed Ice" event, where they build massive tracks in city centers to hold a championship.
Me personally, I'll take chilling in ice water over risking having a razor sharp ice blade go thru my face at highways speeds.
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What did you think of today's article?
Questions about ice water swimming?
Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading, stay warm out there!
Dan Jacobs
Author / Ice Man / Handstand Junkie / Plant-Based Wildman
FNDN