Winter opens the door to brand new sport experiences like skiing, ice skating, and snowboarding. But there are other off-the-radar winter sports that like ice floating and fat biking that are taking off now. Here's a guide to lesser-known winter sports that you can sign up for this year.
Biking across snow, that's what fat bikes are about, with tires that are at least 3.8 inches wide and made with extra traction so they can navigate different levels of snow without sinking. Many fat biking places operate as a cooldown for Nordic skiing. In fact, Nordic ski areas stock fat bikes amongst their rentals. There are fat biking championships and events that one can be a part of, including Colorado-based Fat Bike World Championships.
A sport where you race iceboats, also called ice yachts; it is popular through the Scandinavian region, Poland, and the UK. Thus, there is no other place where you do take part in the sport than in Mazury, a lake district, in Poland. Let your hair free and feel the searing winter breeze while you sail across the country's Great Mansurian Lakes. Before you dive into the sport, a small training session in sailing is advised. The iceboats tend to reach extremely high speeds, sometimes becoming difficult to control.
Another simple and enjoyable winter activity which attracts hordes of people is snow kiting. A sport where you are pulled across the snow by a kite, the wind will propel you across the snow and sometimes, even in the air. The kite is similar to a small parachute and functions like a sail. Those who have done this before can go upto to the speeds of 100 KMs an hour, but for the faint-hearted, we recommend a basic class in snow kiting safety.
Lapland in Finland sees a host of offbeat winter sports like snowshoe hikes, reindeer and snowmobile safaris, and more. The most unusual surely is the sport of ice floating in a lake. Participants are asked to put on a thick (generally orange coloured) survival suit which are designed for Arctic expeditions. And then you float in icy waters of frozen lakes.
Very different from your usual skiing, this sport requires you to put on your ski gear while being pulled by a dog, horse, or a motor vehicle. Often, one to three dogs are used. As the skier, you provide the initial power using your skis while your friend helping you out adds further drive by pulling with all their might. A sport like no other, we recommend you sit out if you do not have previous skiing experience. Events involving skijoring around Europe and USA are pretty common.
A sport where you race iceboats, also called ice yachts, it is popular through the Scandinavian region, Poland, and the UK. Thus, there is no other place where you do take part in the sport than in Mazury, a lake district, in Poland. Let your hair free and feel the searing winter breeze while you sail across the country's Great Mansurian Lakes. Before you dive into the sport, a small training session in sailing is advised. The iceboats tend to reach extremely high speeds sometimes becoming difficult to control.