Tag: winter sports

Watch dogs tear it up in the 2024 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

On your mark, get set, mush!

Do you love dogs? And snow? The sixth annual 2024 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is beckoning.

“The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge showcases the remarkable partnership that’s possible between humans and canines and has become one of the West Central Mountains’ most iconic winter events,” race founder and organizer Jerry Wortley said in a statement.

Events kick off with Meet the Mushers on January 20 at the Ponderosa Center in McCall, Idaho, where the public can get up close to the people who drive the dogs. The 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race runs January 24-25, starting and finishing at North Shore Lodge & Resort. Then come the main events, 100- and 300-mile races starting on January 29.

Mushing dogs in the snow.
Photo by Melissa Shelby, courtesy of Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

“Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” Idaho Sled Dog Challenge co-founder and trail coordinator Dave Looney said. “Our elevation change is 36,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles. So the dog care and the pacing and the attention they have to pay to the terrain is really important, because there’s a lot of up and down. One musher said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is like climbing Mt. Everest — twice.”

Dogs pulling a musher through the snow.
Photo by Melissa Shelby, courtesy of Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is the only 300-mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48 and one of only three such events for the Iditarod in the contiguous continental U.S. So you can expect to see some of the world’s top mushers in action.

A person in a coat holding a dog.
Photo by Melissa Shelby, courtesy of Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

How long does it take to finish such a long and grueling race? Well, that’s a bit unpredictable. Organizers expect the 100-mile race to end January 30, while the 300-milers will cross their finish line somewhere between January 31 and February 1.

A dog sled racing through a snowy forest.
Photo by Melissa Shelby, courtesy of Idaho Sled Dog Challenge

If you are feeling the call of the Idaho wild, consider volunteering. The race needs more than 200 volunteers to help with handling dogs, managing parking, setting up and staffing checkpoints, providing food, operating ham radios, and assisting at the start and finish lines.

Start planning your winter getaways to these 6 sensational ski resorts

Get ready for the slopes.

In 1914, Colorado’s Howelsen Hill Ski Area officially opened. Now, over 100 years later, the site stands as the oldest continuously operating ski area in North America. The past century has seen ski resorts evolve into increasingly more complex and exciting destinations. In the United States, there are hundreds of ski resorts for winter sports enthusiasts to choose from. The trouble is choosing which ones to visit in your limited vacation time.

Lucky for you, Outdoors Wire has compiled a list of six sensational U.S. ski resorts. Make trip planning easier with this round-up of some of the country’s best skiing spots.

The world’s most picture-perfect places to learn cross-country skiing

Pack your bags, it’s time to ski!

For those of us who would rather glide along peacefully than torpedo down mountains, cross-country skiing provides a way to get some exercise and enjoy the whitest days of winter. It’s a sport that offers an excellent cardio workout while being low-impact on your joints. Skiing also uses both upper and lower body strength and improves your balance. Plus, cross-country skiing will make your wrists, legs, and collarbone feel safer than downhill skiing.

If you’re a beginning cross-country skier, easy, well-marked trails and a few lessons will give you confidence and improve your technique. Independent sorts can pick up tips from a how-to-ski book. But for those seeking hands-on experience, you can’t go wrong by visiting these six ski destinations for beginners. Here are some of the best places to learn how to cross-country ski.

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Learn how to snowshoe with these 5 tips for beginners

Strap on your snowshoes and get outside!

Want to take up a winter sport but avoid the risk of broken bones? You can still get out in the gorgeous, glistening snow without hurtling down a mountain with two skinny sticks attached to your feet. Snowshoeing is a quiet, delightful sport that gets you outside, burns calories, and is accessible to most people who can walk. You just need warm clothes, a pair of snowshoes, and a snowy trail. With minimal practice, you’ll soon be enjoying a walk through a snow-muffled landscape, admiring ice crystals sparkling in the evergreens. If you want to learn how to snowshoe, here are a few tips to get you started.

Snowshoes that help you float above the snow in any situation

These snowshoes let you trek through the snow without sinking into it.

Snowshoeing is the most accessible winter sport. It’s just like walking, but on giant feet that keep you suspended over the snow. Snowshoes have a long and proud history. Scandinavian people attached pieces of leather to wood blocks to add stability for snowy walks. Other iterations have been extremely long and narrow, while others were practically round. People have tried just about everything to keep from sinking into the snow.

Nowadays, snowshoes have taken a techier turn with durable, lightweight materials, ice-gripping crampons, and cleats. Find specialized snowshoe designs for everything from walking in the snow to climbing mountains and running. If you want to get out and explore snowy trails this winter, here are some excellent snowshoes to get you started.

Watch: Chairlift changes direction, causing chaos at resort

A chairlift malfunctioned and began going backward at a high speed, forcing riders to jump before the chair crashed at the terminal.

A chairlift at a South Korean ski resort malfunctioned and began going backward at a high speed, forcing riders to jump to safety before the chair crashed into a pileup of chairs at the terminal.

The incident occurred Friday afternoon at Bears Town Ski Resort in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, as reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily.

For more than a minute, the chairlift was out of control with onlookers yelling to those on the ski lift to detach from their gear and jump. Once on the ground, some needed to duck their heads to avoid getting struck from the succeeding chair.

Instagram user bonocoo captured the mayhem.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZBYuDct3jV/

YonhapNews posted video on YouTube.

And onlooker Kimpurin also posted video.

Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, though a 7-year-old was taken to a hospital for mild bruises.

After operators managed to stop the chairlift, more than 100 riders were left stranded, some for more than two hours before being rescued, according to Snowbrains.com.

The Pocheon Police is investigating the incident, and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority was said to be checking the condition of all other lifts at the resort.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Hiker turns around, sees charging cougar, has seconds to react (video)

“It is still unclear what caused the accident and the resort will cooperate with the police,” a Bears Town Ski Resort official said.

The ski resort also made this statement: “We sincerely apologize to everyone who suffered damages from the lift accident and their families, and we are apologize to everyone who was shocked with the news. We will work with the related authorities to do a safety check and will do our best to make the resort a safe place to ski.”

Connecticut postpones winter high school sports until mid-January

Winter high school sports in Connecticut have been postponed until at least mid-January amid a statewide spike in positive COVID-19 cases.

Winter high school sports in Connecticut have been postponed until at least the middle of January amid a statewide spike in positive COVID-19 cases.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) announced on Tuesday following a vote by its Board of Control that practices for winter sports, including basketball, hockey, indoor track, swimming, wrestling and cheer and dance, would begin on Jan. 19, 2021.

Practices for winter high school sports in Connecticut were originally scheduled to begin next week, with competition beginning on Dec. 7. The CIAC’s postponement comes after Gov. Ned Lamont’s office banned the playing of high-risk youth sports such as wrestling for the remainder of 2020 earlier in November.
The CIAC says it will continue to remain in collaboration with Connecticut’s Department of Public Health, the governor’s office and state medical society’s Committee on the Medical Aspects of Sports leading up to the scheduled Jan. 19 start date for winter sports practices.
“CIAC Interscholastic athletics are an education-based experience that maintains in-person learning and the health and safety of our school communities as our top priority,” the CIAC said in a statement. “Today’s action supports our member schools while they continue to manage rising COVID numbers within their communities and experience widespread movements to distance learning.”
Connecticut has experienced a COVID-19 spike the last two weeks, as its seven-day rolling coronavirus positivity rate average has risen from 3.6% on Nov. 2 to 5.53% on Nov. 16.

Breaking: Ivy League cancels winter sports

The Ivy League has become the first conference to cancel all sports for the 2020-21 winter season, including basketball.

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In the same week we saw some basketball programs announce their entire season schedules, the Ivy League has announced their cancellations of the entire 2020-21 winter sports schedule.

Ivy League presidents voted to make that decision on Thursday afternoon and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports was the first to report it.

From the Matt Norlander/CBS Sports report:

This is not a shocking vote — far from it. Multiple Ivy League sources, dating back to early September, expressed pessimism about the notion that league presidents would allow for winter sports/a basketball season. Some programs have yet to even hold indoor workouts to this point. Added one source, “We don’t need money to play. In the Ivy League, it’s 100% a health and safety issue.”

As you may recall the Ivy League was the first conference to cancel their 2020 football season while the likes of the Big Ten and Pac-12 and MAC all followed suit, although all three ultimately reversed course and decided to play.

It remains to be seen if the Ivy League will remain on an island with cancelling fall sports or if other conferences will follow their lead before long.

College basketball is set to get underway in just two weeks.

Stay tuned and buckle up.

Montana delays winter sports, adjusts spectator numbers for fall postseason

The Montana High School Association executive board voted to delay the start of winter sports on Tuesday

The Montana High School Association executive board voted to delay the start of winter sports on Tuesday in an effort to flatten the curve amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to MontanaSports.com, the MHSA executive board approved a motion allowing winter sports practices in basketball, swimming and wrestling to begin on Dec. 7 with competitions being delayed until the first week of January. Basketball practices were originally scheduled to begin on Nov. 19, while wrestling and swimming were slated to begin two days later. However, Montana’s upward trend in positive coronavirus cases forced the MHSA’s hand, as limiting travel and exposure could help avoid a further uptick in positive cases.

According to MHSA executive director Mark Beckman, delaying winter sports will not impact the beginning of spring sports. The MHSA will re-evaluate its guidelines and restrictions during its annual November meeting and as needed throughout the winter sports season.

The MHSA executive board also adjusted its spectator policy for postseason action in football, soccer and volleyball. A maximum of six spectator passes per uniformed player, four for each alternate and manager, two for coaches and two for each cheerleader up to 12 total cheerleaders are now allowed. However, designated bands and student sections will not be allowed at postseason events, although students are eligible to receive spectator passes.

Local county health departments must approve the revised policy before it is enacted