What are your winter outdoors hobbies?

[Quintillus]

Back when I was younger, the answer was pretty much "none, I play Civ all winter long." Ohio winters are cloudy and kind of depressing, sometimes you get snow and it's beautiful, but just as often it'll be 37 degrees and rainy (3 degrees for the Celsius folks). Civ offered reliable conditions in all seasons.

But as I grew older and discovered the scarf and proper winter attire in general, I gradually grew tired of hibernating inside all winter, and found that outside time lifted my spirits even if it was cold. Most importantly, I found some activities that I enjoyed doing outside in the winter weather.

Thus this thread, asking, what do you do outdoors in the winter?

My two winter outdoor hobbies are hiking and skiing, specifically alpine (downhill) skiing. Hiking is great as long as it isn't muddy, snow and even ice are not bad to deal with, so if it's below freezing, all the better. And some areas are even more beautiful when covered in show than they are in the summer, spring, or autumn. A cold but sunny winter day is near-ideal hiking weather, IMO.

Skiing is my newest hobby, and has been a blast. I never skied as a child, so I'm not very good yet, but have been learning rapidly. There have been a few bruises and falls along the way, but only minor injuries, and I figure if Jimmy Carter learned to ski at 62 (and Rosalynn Carter at 59), then I ought to be able to learn how to ski in my 30s. And it's made me much more excited about the cold months.

There's a lot I haven't tried yet. Snowshoeing. Ice fishing. Cross-country skiing, or the biathlon. Tobogganing. Luge, bobsledding, or the skeleton (which looks terrifying). I've only ice skated once, so no ice hockey, bandy, or curling yet for me. Surely some of our resident CivFanatics have taken up these hobbies?

 

[Zardnaar]

Not much it's usually cold and wet. Snow at least is interesting but we get a light dump 1-3 days a year.

Not into snow sports they're expensive and a 3-5 hour drive away.

Going out for dinner count?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

3C in February is what we in Canada call a nice warm day. It got to more than that today, and even though I was wearing my lightest jacket, I felt overdressed. The handibus driver was in shirtsleeves. This is the month when we expect chinooks (courtesy of an ocean current out in the Pacific, though I'm two days inland).

This whole thing reminds me of the 1988 Winter Olympics. It was held in Calgary (90 minutes south of here). My grandmother wanted me to record the Opening Ceremonies, which was an adventure. It was shown on at least 4 different channels, none of which took commercial breaks at the same time.

That year got me started on becoming an Olympics junkie. It was the games of the Jamaican bobsled team, Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, Alberto Tomba, the Battle of the Brians, and the absolute embarrassment of the NBC executives who insisted on holding the Games in February because that's a sweeps month and they wanted the massive ratings boost it would give them.

The Canadian officials tried to explain why February was a really bad time. Calgary gets chinooks in February. Early morning may be sub-zero. Within a couple of hours the temperature is above zero. And then it gets into the teens. The snow starts to melt, and people shed their coats. Some play golf.

The NBC execs didn't believe them. And that's why, one morning, they poked their noses out the window and promptly screamed, "WTF HAPPENED TO ALL THE SNOW???!

Those of us reading this in the paper had a good laugh. The Calgary officials said, "We told you so."

And then they promptly got busy making artificial snow so they could run the skiing events, 'cause parts of that mountain were basically bare vegetation on the lower slopes.

This was also the time when one of the premier news anchors in the country, Lloyd Robertson, informed everyone that because so many foreign visitors were disappointed that it wasn't the time of year when the Calgary Stampede was happening (that's in July), there would be a mini indoor Stampede rodeo, with the usual events. Robertson further informed us that the day's events had included ladies' barrel wrestling.

Well, I literally did fall off my chair laughing. I suspect much of Western Canada did likewise. The editorial in the paper the next day made it clear that Robertson's goof - that he never batted an eye about, so it was obvious that he had no idea what a ridiculous thing he'd said - would be remembered by those of us who heard it.

Anyway, I watched as many events as I possibly could, even the ones I'd never heard of. What really grabbed my attention was the figure skating and the Battle of the Brians. Both of them were so good that it was impossible to predict which of them would win. It came down to one little error for Canadian Brian (Orser) in the long program so American Brian (Boitano) won. And Canada's Elizabeth Manley pulled off a surprise silver medal in the ladies' singles figure skating. Everyone was so focused on the Battle of the Carmens (East German Katerina Witt vs. American Debi Thomas) that there was hardly any stress put on Manley and when Thomas kept making mistakes, Manley skated flawlessly.

I found I enjoyed Olympic hockey as well, much more than regular NHL hockey. They're not allowed to fight as much, so there's more skill involved.


As for winter sports I've done personally... tobogganing when I was a kid, and very reluctantly participating in cross-country skiing in gym class in high school. I thought it was insane to take us out on the lake that in summer was a wetland for birds, but oh well. And one of the things I had to do during my practicum as a first-year B.Ed. student in college was snowshoeing. Snowshoes are practical, but I can't honestly say I enjoyed it. Skating was never part of my winter, as I've never learned. That's enough to make one a social outcast in some circles, btw. My Grade 1 teacher was determined to make me ashamed that I couldn't skate, so I'd learn. I did play hockey, though - floor hockey, and wasn't bad at it. I also helped keep watch for cars for the kids playing street hockey. You have to be ready to get that net off the road immediately when a car comes.

 

[Tee Kay]

I feel a lot more comfortable in a jacket or coat and scarf than in shirt and shorts, so I love going out in winter.

Doesn't snow where I live (typical temperature range is 4 - 18 degrees C). "Going to the snow" is driving to Mount Buller or similar about three hours away where there's sometimes enough snow for skiing if it's a good season, but a trip runs into hundreds of dollars per person per day and I don't earn that much.

Feels like Australians are embracing winter a bit more, particularly the younger generations. Older generations can move to Queensland for their all-year round warm weather I guess.

 

[Darsnan]

Skiing is my newest hobby, and has been a blast. I never skied as a child, so I'm not very good yet, but have been learning rapidly. There have been a few bruises and falls along the way, but only minor injuries, and I figure if Jimmy Carter learned to ski at 62 (and Rosalynn Carter at 59), then I ought to be able to learn how to ski in my 30s.

Similar to you I didn't start downhill skiing till I was older, specifically 48. My youngest had picked up snowboarding the year before, so I'd sat in the lodge that first season, but once I saw she was hooked I bought myself a pair of skis for the next season and taught myself to ski: by the end of the first day I was going to the top of the mountain and taking the easy trail down (about a 6 minute run), which is pretty good considering I'd never downhill ski'd before.

That was ten years ago. Nowadays I tackle black diamonds, and as long as I don't do something stupid (like last years season ending tumble down a double black diamond) then I'm pretty good, and I've created lots of memories from my seasons out on the slopes:

My companies ski club at Gore mountain in northern New York last year (I'm in black in back):

My daughter (on the left) when she was a snowboard instructor at the local mountain:

Not a picture of me, but it sure looks like me and my running mate surveying the Lies run at Gore. This is the most challenging run I've completed:

D

 

[Zardnaar]

Crap summer this year. Mostly 15-19ish. Very few hot days 25+.

 

[Quintillus]

Those are great stories, Valka, especially about NBC not trusting the local Calgarians (Calgaryites?) to know what to expect weather-wise. It's interesting to hear that not skating can make one an outcast in Canada. It's a relatively rare skill here, although probably more common in the northern states. We did play floor hockey in school growing up, though. I still remember the time the puck hit my knuckle - no long-term injury, but definitely painful. I suppose that's part of why the pros wear gloves.

No snow in Melbourne? I'm a bit surprised, I would've expected that far south to mean snow in the southern hemisphere winter. I wouldn't have tried skiing if it were that expensive here, either. Some of the popular resorts out west are pretty darn expensive, or so I hear, but while not cheap, the midwestern options are more moderately priced. A season pass good at three of the four Ohio ski areas, for example, costs approximately 1/3 of Mt. Buller's season rates, after currency conversion. Maybe there aren't as many skiing options in Australia so the ones that exist are very pricey?

And wow, that looks like quite the experience, Darsnan! I'm glad I'm not the only one here who learned as an adult. I was wondering last week when I was out, how many of the kids/teenagers here have parents who are just sitting in the lodge, missing out on all the fun, when some of those parents might not be much older than I am? Granted there are also school outings so it wouldn't have been all of them, but better late than never, IMO. And taking the easy trail down on the first day is quite good! I stuck to the bunny hill the first day, bumbled down the easy trails the second time, and by the third time was fairly decent at the easy trails and attempting the moderates.

All that snow at Gore Mountain looks great, and wow, I will not be trying that Lies run this year! Looks like an awesome place for a ski trip though, so many trails and so much elevation change from top to bottom.

(And yes, Zardnaar, I'll give partial credit for going out to eat, especially if you walk there or walk around the area afterwards)

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Those are great stories, Valka, especially about NBC not trusting the local Calgarians (Calgaryites?) to know what to expect weather-wise. It's interesting to hear that not skating can make one an outcast in Canada. It's a relatively rare skill here, although probably more common in the northern states. We did play floor hockey in school growing up, though. I still remember the time the puck hit my knuckle - no long-term injury, but definitely painful. I suppose that's part of why the pros wear gloves.

It's Calgarians. Yep, the American TV execs thought they knew better than the locals, and that Pacific current did what it did anyway, so did the precipitation on the west side of the mountains, the warm air blew over the mountains, gave us a beautiful chinook, and melted the snow needed for the skiing events.

The events were still held, though delayed a bit while the artificial snow was made. Thank goodness most of the other events didn't suffer too much; I'm not sure how badly the cross-country ski and biathlon events were affected (biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and target shooting with a rifle).


My worst sports injury in school was getting hit in the head with a soccer ball. We were a bit short on compassion in those days, at that school. Nothing was bleeding, I didn't pass out, so they assumed I was okay. It never occurred to anyone to worry about concussion.

The inability to skate thing also bit me in high school. The gym teacher decided to take us roller skating, so when we got to the venue, I heartily wished I'd faked being sick to stay home from school. Nobody could understand why I was so wobbly and nervous, saying, "It's just like regular skating!" and being flabbergasted when I told them, "I can't do that, either!"

It was such a relief to get those roller skates off. I'm sure it's fun for the people who know how and who have good balance. My balance isn't good, and hasn't been for several decades.

So I guess the most accurate thing about me and outdoor hobbies is that there are some I like to watch on TV. My days of participating in them personally are over.

 

[Estebonrober]

Back when I was younger, the answer was pretty much "none, I play Civ all winter long." Ohio winters are cloudy and kind of depressing, sometimes you get snow and it's beautiful, but just as often it'll be 37 degrees and rainy (3 degrees for the Celsius folks). Civ offered reliable conditions in all seasons.

But as I grew older and discovered the scarf and proper winter attire in general, I gradually grew tired of hibernating inside all winter, and found that outside time lifted my spirits even if it was cold. Most importantly, I found some activities that I enjoyed doing outside in the winter weather.

Thus this thread, asking, what do you do outdoors in the winter?

My two winter outdoor hobbies are hiking and skiing, specifically alpine (downhill) skiing. Hiking is great as long as it isn't muddy, snow and even ice are not bad to deal with, so if it's below freezing, all the better. And some areas are even more beautiful when covered in show than they are in the summer, spring, or autumn. A cold but sunny winter day is near-ideal hiking weather, IMO.

Skiing is my newest hobby, and has been a blast. I never skied as a child, so I'm not very good yet, but have been learning rapidly. There have been a few bruises and falls along the way, but only minor injuries, and I figure if Jimmy Carter learned to ski at 62 (and Rosalynn Carter at 59), then I ought to be able to learn how to ski in my 30s. And it's made me much more excited about the cold months.

There's a lot I haven't tried yet. Snowshoeing. Ice fishing. Cross-country skiing, or the biathlon. Tobogganing. Luge, bobsledding, or the skeleton (which looks terrifying). I've only ice skated once, so no ice hockey, bandy, or curling yet for me. Surely some of our resident CivFanatics have taken up these hobbies?

I like hiking and I run on a trail near my house as long as the feels like is above 20... I'm in St Louis area so similar climate... can be bleak

 

[Quintillus]

The one time I went ice skating, the skates did not fit well, and I was bleeding around the back of the foot by the time the skating ended. It was good to get those skates off, too. In retrospect, I really should have traded them in for the next size up in rental skates, but I was too focused on not falling, which was only mildly successful. I think I made it around the rink once on my own without falling?

I do wish there were more winter sports on TV than just hockey. This time of year, it's pretty much hockey or basketball, which isn't really a winter sport. I enjoy watching the Winter Olympics because of all the other winter sports.

----

Props on running when the "feels like" is as low as 20. My lungs are more okay with strenuous activity when it's cold than they used to be, but I'm not keen on heavy cardio when it's that cold. Skiing, sure, it's all legs and if I breathe more than usual, I haven't noticed it. Hiking, yeah, it's easy enough to take a breather if the uphill is a bit long and steep, and that helps keep me warm. But running, bicycling, anything where I'll be breathing in lots of below-freezing air quickly, that's not my forté.

Did have a good time bicycling near St. Louis in September though. Crossing the Mississippi was a unique experience, by far the largest river I've ever crossed on my own power.

 

[Estebonrober]

The one time I went ice skating, the skates did not fit well, and I was bleeding around the back of the foot by the time the skating ended. It was good to get those skates off, too. In retrospect, I really should have traded them in for the next size up in rental skates, but I was too focused on not falling, which was only mildly successful. I think I made it around the rink once on my own without falling?

I do wish there were more winter sports on TV than just hockey. This time of year, it's pretty much hockey or basketball, which isn't really a winter sport. I enjoy watching the Winter Olympics because of all the other winter sports.

----

Props on running when the "feels like" is as low as 20. My lungs are more okay with strenuous activity when it's cold than they used to be, but I'm not keen on heavy cardio when it's that cold. Skiing, sure, it's all legs and if I breathe more than usual, I haven't noticed it. Hiking, yeah, it's easy enough to take a breather if the uphill is a bit long and steep, and that helps keep me warm. But running, bicycling, anything where I'll be breathing in lots of below-freezing air quickly, that's not my forté.

Did have a good time bicycling near St. Louis in September though. Crossing the Mississippi was a unique experience, by far the largest river I've ever crossed on my own power.

Yea when the wind blows it hurts sometimes. I'm right on the Missouri near where is meets the Mississippi. Lots of hawks, eagles, deer, and smaller wildlife. Lots of wildlife of the flying variety to watch... It's nice in its own way, but I'm easy to please. Bald Eagle flew right over me the other day, those guys are intimidatingly big. lol

 

[Thorgalaeg]

Same as summer hobbies.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yea when the wind blows it hurts sometimes. I'm right on the Missouri near where is meets the Mississippi. Lots of hawks, eagles, deer, and smaller wildlife. Lots of wildlife of the flying variety to watch... It's nice in its own way, but I'm easy to please. Bald Eagle flew right over me the other day, those guys are intimidatingly big. lol

Birdsong?

 

[Smellincoffee]

Running away from tornadoes.


More seriously, hiking. It depends on the weather, of course, but in Alabama the weather is intolerable for hiking for late spring / summer / early fall. When the temps start to stay down, I get itching to get out there.

 

[Quintillus]

Bald Eagle flew right over me the other day, those guys are intimidatingly big. lol

Yeah, I think I saw a couple in southern Missouri when I was there a couple weeks ago. Driving along this lightly traveled road with a bit of a drop-off to one side, and all of a sudden two very large birds with near-black and white feathers fly out from the area that was obscured. Didn't get a great view of them but certainly larger than the typical vulture that I'd see in Ohio.

Running away from tornadoes.


More seriously, hiking. It depends on the weather, of course, but in Alabama the weather is intolerable for hiking for late spring / summer / early fall. When the temps start to stay down, I get itching to get out there.

I am not envious of those southern tornadoes! I was in Tupelo last March when the Rolling Fork tornadoes rolled through. Definitely more serious than 99% of the tornadoes in my part of Ohio - probably the Xenia tornado of 1974 was the last one around here to cause as much damage as those did - and the locals said that while those were stronger than usual, late winter tornadoes were typical.

I did have a great time hiking in Alabama on that same trip. DeSoto State Park in the northeastern part of the state. Beautiful, scenic, a challenging trail, felt far away from civilization. Also cold, 25 degrees when I woke up and the 30s by afternoon, I saw some melting ice. Not too surprising as it's close to Alabama's only ski resort, but I was wondering if my "warm southern vacation" would wind up being just as cold as Ohio for a couple days there.