by Cameron Scott

Created on: November 24, 2009

There is no shortage of fun winter activities to do outside on a cold winter day. Some activities, such as skating, require a bit of planning ahead. Others can erupt spontaneously. Never underestimate the power of the humble snowball fight to wipe away those winter hibernation blues!

SLEDDING

You don't need much in the way of equipment to enjoy winter sledding. A clean inner tube, a plastic sled, a saucer with a smooth bottom, or even just a strip of smooth plastic that's large enough to sit on: any of these will do. If they don't have a handhold or built-in hole, punch a hole into the plastic to hang onto. Wooden toboggans are also popular, but they cost a bit more. If you're handy with wood, you can build your own. Just be sure to sand and wax out all the splinters!

Find a good, snow-covered hill, the kind which is just steep enough that you slip now and then while climbing up it. You are going to be doing a lot of climbing. Bumps are okay, but it should be free of debris like loose branches all the way down and then some. Climb all the way to the top. Then balance yourself on your sled or piece of plastic, point yourself toward the bottom of the hill, and let gravity do the rest.

Sleds can go very fast. For safety, your path all the way down should be empty of trees. The bottom of the hill should have a nice slide-out area which doesn't intersect with roads, fences, creeks, or rivers. Always sled sitting down, never standing up.

SKATING

Find a rink, lace on some skates, and go gliding across the ice. Skate around the rink with some friends, or find a pick-up game of hockey or ringette. Learn the basics of how to figure skate. Don't worry about being wobbly at first. Everyone is.

The only real rule here is to be respectful of others. Everyone's out to have a good time on the ice. Most rinks will have set times for recreational skating, for hockey games, and so on. That way people who like different activities don't get in each other's way. If you're really new to skating, a pair of knee pads won't hurt. Odds are good your other end is already padded enough!

BUILD A SNOWMAN

Pile together a bunch of snow and watch your creation take shape. If you're artistic, turn it into a real snow statue. It does require sticky snow, but most snowfalls happen close to the freezing mark anyway.

DOWNHILL AND CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Because of the specialized equipment and locations, downhill skiing requires some planning ahead and can get very expensive. Maybe that's why I like

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