Tag Archives: winter sports

Teaching Your Preschooler How to Ski

Are you going to teach your child how to ski? If there is no ski hill nearby, you can help your child learn how to ski. It may be easier to begin with an adult wearing Yaktrax or snow boots, so that you can easily move around your child and pick her up when she falls down. The most important skills for skiing, in my book? Learn how to stop. Please, don’t do what my brother did, yelling at other skiers to scatter as he barreled down the ski hill. Teach your child how to make a “pizza” with her … Continue reading →

Taking Your Preschooler Skiing – What Equipment Do You Need?

I love cross country skiing. Considering that I live in the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics where downhill skiing prevails, I am a bit of an oddball. I remember my first skiing experience – in Norway, a much more logical place for cross-country skiing. On rented skis, I stood at the top of a small hill, and with a gentle push I was off, hurtling downwards on a relatively steep slope, right towards the traffic on the road below. Needless to say, I exited that skiing experience rather quickly by bailing to the side of the ski hill. … Continue reading →

Secret Ski Spots

The recent winter storm that pounded the Colorado Mountains has many skiers heading for the hills. That’s the problem. Every down-hiller and his brother will be clogging up the lift lines at popular ski resorts from now until the snow melts. If the thought of dealing with huge holiday crowds at ski resorts is making you reconsider gearing up to shoosh into the new year you’re in luck. Ski experts just released a list of 10 mountains in the United States where the trails are first-class and the wait times are minimal. The only catch: reaching them requires effort and … Continue reading →

Winter Adventure Travel Packages—Yellowstone

You’ll never convince my brother that bird watching is a sport (my mom’s cousin tried for 3-hours one Easter to no avail). But, what about wolf watching? Some nature enthusiasts consider it the ideal winter sporting event and the trend appears to be catching on. As I continue my series of blogs spotlighting various tours for those of you who don’t mind braving the frigid temperatures to spend time in the great outdoors, I’m focusing on Yellowstone National Park. The world-renown park is the site of a unique travel package being offered by the Yellowstone Association. The non-profit organization runs … Continue reading →

Winter Adventure Travel Packages—New England

So you and your family have spent past holidays skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and dog sledding and now you are looking for a more challenging winter activity. Well, you’ve found the right blog. As I continue my ongoing series spotlighting various tours catering to die-hard winter sports enthusiasts, today I’m turning my attention to one adventure you won’t soon forget—ice climbing. Warning: This adventure is not for the faint of heart or those who are not in good physical condition. Eastern Mountain Sports’ (EMS) three-day mountaineering course is the perfect introduction to the world of ice climbing. If you want to … Continue reading →

Skiing In Japan

Oh, how soon we forget. When my brother recently informed me he was planning to spend a week snowboarding in Japan I thought, “Japan?” I’m sure he knew exactly what I was thinking because he broke the silence with, “Hello… Nagano.” Of course… Nagano. Those of you with better memories probably don’t need to be reminded that Nagano, Japan hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. And, while they may not be as well known as the Rockies or the Alps, Japan’s powdery slopes are magnets for winter sports enthusiasts just the same. Japanese mountain villages like Niseko are becoming increasingly popular … Continue reading →

Walking in a Winter Wonderland – Snow shoeing

Show shoeing is a fantastic winter sport that most of us can do and is the equivalent of walking in the snow – without slogging in the snow. Whether you enjoy skiing or not, snow shoeing is worth checking out and what other way can you go walking in a beautiful winter wonderland while getting a good workout at a same time. Your body generates a great deal of body heat and will burn a great many calories during snow shoeing and you’ll discover that it’s far from a cold sport at all. One of the greatest boons of snow … Continue reading →

Winter Sports – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Just about now you may be missing the swimming pool and your bathing suit, but the winter months have their own sporting gear and sports for you to enjoy. Wintertime is a great time for winter sports and to stay active this winter season, here are some of the best sports of winter for you and your family to indulge in. So stay active and check out these winter challenges: Ice Skating – You don’t have to be Dorothy Hamill to strap on a pair of ice skates and go for a simple spin around the ice – an hour … Continue reading →

When Is My Child Old Enough to Go Skiing?

With so many areas seeing their first snows in the last few weeks, let’s answer a question that many parents have. When you love skiing and you enjoy skiing, you really want to share that joy and that love with your children. More often as not, we are confronted with the concern of when we can take our children out there to enjoy this great winter wonderland and the wonderful world of snow skiing. So, when is my child old enough? Kids are old enough by about the time they are two years old if they are coordinated, relatively fearless … Continue reading →

The Season for Skiing

It snowed in several places this weekend. Snow – that complete and total sign of winter arriving and where there is snow – there is skiing. Skiing is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise and no matter how cold it is outside, one of the things I remember most about skiing is that you can actually get hot on a 4 degree day as you plow your way downhill whether it’s a green, a blue or a black. (Admittedly, I’m a bit of a coward, I prefer the greens – the blues are just too steep for me … Continue reading →