8 extreme activities that will get you outside this winter

Skijoring is another older winter sport–it was part of the 1928 Olympics–that is finding new fans. It’s kind of like dogsledding, but with fewer pups and cross-country skis. It’s great exercise for you and your canine companion. (Special thanks to skijoring competitor Katie Woodward and her border collie Stella for sending us this photo!)

Popularized by Red Bull’s Crashed Ice event, ice cross downhill could be described as downhill skating on an obstacle course. Not for the faint of heart, this sport sees experienced skaters propelling themselves down an ice track that has sharp turns and vertical drops. Needless to say, the event is called “Crashed” Ice for a reason.

Snowkiting uses the skills learned in snowboarding and adds a kite to the mix. Although it’s been around for decades (a similar strategy was used by polar expeditions to cover long distances), snowkiting has seen a recent surge in popularity, particularly in northern Canada.

Now a competitive sport, snow boating will keep your kayak out of storage all winter long. Just wax the bottom of your craft, point it down a steep hill, and use the paddle to propel yourself though the snow.

Iceboats—boats outfitted with runners to slide over ice—have actually been used for hundreds of years. In Europe and North America, ice yacht racing has become a common sport, with crafts reaching speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour.

In Canada, snow shovels are a lot easier to come by than inner tubes. That’s why the premise of this activity makes so much sense—simply use your shovel as a sled. It might sound ridiculous, but shovel racing was even part of the Winter X Games—at least until it was banned from the competition due to injuries.

A modified version of sledding, inflatable air boards aren’t for kiddies—they can go up to 80 kilometres per hour. And you thought your childhood GT Racer was hardcore!

There’s no longer any reason to restrict your mountain biking to the warmer months. Considered the monster truck of bicycles, fat bikes have extra-wide tires that make riding over snow a possibility. They’ve even been used to ride to the South Pole!