Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

PB Snowkiting As fun as skiing and snowboarding are, they can be rather limiting sports. Unless you live in the mountains or near big ski resorts, you probably don't have access to great skiing/riding, and unless you have a big vacation fund you may not be able to afford numerous trips to destination resorts. If this is the case, snow can be a gloomy annoyance and winter can be a long, cold, dull season. Luckily,...

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She snows while I sleep, making the world new again.

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It's cold outside...But don't leave your bike cooped up all winter. Just prepare yourself better with these tips from Matt Haughey. Keeping your head warm, while wearing a helmet. Keep your torso warm. Keep your legs warm. Keep your feet warm. Photo from Wisc.edu Via.

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Ten-year-old’s don’t usually ask for 30-gallon air compressors for Christmas. But Forest Pearson did. He had a vision of using one to build his own snow machine. The compressor coupled with a pressure washer and ingenuity, Forest transformed his backyard into a private ski slope. I think he could rule the world someday. (Hopefully not in the Dr. Evil kind of way.) Via.

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Check out Brecken the Golden Retriever getting his groove on in the North Dakota snow. Shake it Brecken!

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Forbes Travel recently listed the top 20 snowiest ski resorts in the world. Along with their annual snowfall in inches, here's who made the cut:Mr. Baker Ski Area, Washington: 641"Niseko resort, Japan 595"Alta Ski Area, Utah: 525"Alyeska Resort, Alaska: 513"Kirkwood Mountain Resort, California: 473"Stevens Pass, Washington: 471"Sugar Bowl, California: 464"Grand Targhee Resort, Wyoming: 463"Snowbird Ski Resort, Utah: 461"Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort, Oregon: 430"Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort, BC: 407"Powder Mountain, Utah: 400"Solitude, Utah: 399"Whitewater Resort, BC: 397"Boreal...

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Winter is by far my favorite time for backpacking and camping. Still, there's no reason to be a hero: instead, STAY SAFE.Avoiding HypothermiaDress in warm layers. Stay as dry as possible. Protect yourself from wind, rain, and snowDrink plenty of water Eat high-energy foodDon't work yourself too hard.Recognizing HypothermiaShivering. ASlurred speech.Loss of coordination. Confusion.Apathy Irrational behavior.Read all the tips from Outdoors.org

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This video would be funnier if I knew nobody was hurt! 

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"Mounting snowboard bindings on to your snowboard deck is very easy and a great way to understand how to adjust and tweak your own setup on or off the hill." [sic]

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This classic documentary is a production of the National Film Board of Canada.    

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I'm totally gonna DIY one of these...   

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  Perfect soundtrack too!    

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Recently I moved to California, north of San Francisco. I spent last winter out here, so I know what to expect, but it still hasn't really sunk in that as November, December, and January progress, the landscape will get greener. I associate the winter months with snow, slush, and bare trees and bushes (from my years in the Midwest). Out here, though, winter is the rainy season, so that's when everything blooms.Snapped this pic yesterday...

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With the right frame of mind, and some adequate preparation, winter will soon become your favorite season for backpacking and hiking. Here's eight steps for making sure you have the best, and safest, time.Step One. Make your goal simply to be there in the intensity of winter beauty and wildness.   Step Two. Allow everything to slow down Step Three. Plan more time in a sleeping bag. Step Four. Look at adaptation and unpredictability as...

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My friend Cora called me this afternoon and said she was thinking about coming out to California in January. Three minutes later we had decided that if her trip to El Potrero Chico (climbing in Mexico) doesn't work out -it doesn't look like it will- she would fly out here (San Francisco) and we would take a backpacking trip instead. "I knew you'd be up for it," she said. "I knew all I had to...

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When snow boarding in extreme places safety should always be paramount.  Snow conditions, weather, exit plan and equipment should always be taken.Here in Antarctica we always snowboard with a harness and rack on, each person in the party will carry the same so in the event of some one going down a slot or over a cliff an immediate rescue can be carried out.  We carry a Z pulley set up with either snow stakes...

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 An informational tale...“I’m going to dig my own grave,” I announced. None of the other people clustered around the fire looked alarmed. In fact, a few of them smiled.It was late afternoon on Saturday, February 11th, at a campsite on Boulder Lake in northern Minnesota. The others were fellow college students. We were out here for a night of winter camping. Snow trenches, or, more evocatively, “snow coffins,” are body-sized holes you dig out of the...

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