Fun Winter Snow Activities

The core of the winter season is upon us, and what better way to have fun than to play in the snow? We recently enjoyed our first snow day off from school and had 4-6 inches of snowfall in our community. Many students were outside enjoying the excitement of winter activities. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic, we were able to find ways to revel in some outdoor fun while still staying safe.

Children and adults raced down hills sleigh riding, participated in snowball fights, made snow angels, created snowmen, went ice skating, played ice hockey, caught snowflakes on their tongues and took long, peaceful walks in the snow. After a long day in the fresh air, many people enjoyed creating their own snow cones using freshly fallen white snow with flavored juices and syrups or drinking some hot chocolate. Some fun winter sports and activities that many people often partake in are skiing, snow tubing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, dog sledding or mushing (with Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes), building igloos (snow huts) and making ice sculptures (ice carvings). Even the thought of riding in a horse-drawn carriage or horseback riding in dusty, newly fallen snow sounds appealing to me!

One magical winter attraction that interests me is seeing the frozen “Ice Castles” which are created and built using hundreds of thousands of icicles that are carefully hand-placed by professionally skilled ice artists to create fairy tale castles. These “Ice Castles” include frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains, caves, icicle-adorned archways and beautiful LED-lit sculptures. It certainly sounds like a winter wonderland to me!

Additional outdoor winter sports and activities that are interesting include ice fishing, riding a snow mobile, cross country skiing and bobsleighing. Snow-kiting, or kite skiing, is an activity in which people “use kite power to glide on snow or ice”. The skier uses a large kite to travel across snow and give them power over large jumps in the air. This sport is quite similar to water-based kiteboarding, but with the footwear used in skiing or snowboarding since the terrain is different. Many kiteboarders nowadays use foil or inflatable kites.

Another winter sport that captivates me is “curling”, where players “slide stones, or rocks, on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles”. It is related to shuffleboard and is often called “chess on ice”. One would require precision and accuracy and need four members per team to play this sport.

In the winter months, families and friends enjoy getting away at snow-filled mountain villages, staying in rustic log cabins, peaceful resorts, or tranquil ranches. To top it off, if these places are equipped with roaring fireplaces or bonfires, families can enjoy reciting stories as they roast marshmallows or make s’mores, creating many unforgettable memories together. Winter is definitely a great season to have “snow-much-fun”!