The rainy weather last week was a welcome respite after months of scorching summer heat. If the rain has showed us one thing, it’s that winter is surely just around the corner.
For many, winter is a wonderful time of the year — a time for wrapping up, sitting by the fire and enjoying the Christmas season with friends and family. For many more, the winter months are long and depressing.
Having lived in Alaska for two years, I consider myself well-versed in the subject of winter. Not warm fuzzy fairytale winter, but bitter, icy, never-ending winter where the sun doesn’t rise until noon and sets just a couple of hours later. At the University of Alaska you can check out special lights that mimic sunlight to cheer you up; however, in Utah you must cheer yourself up by other means. By staying active during the winter months, even those who hate the season can find a reason to enjoy it.
Skiing is perhaps the most common winter activity among Utahns — so common, in fact, that most people just assume that you ski. I can’t count how many conversations I’ve had that started, “Where do you ski, bro?”. This is because in Utah we are privileged to have “the greatest snow on earth.”
Skiing allows you to escape the inversion and spend a quality day in the fresh mountain air with friends and family. Unfortunately, skiing is far from being a cheap leisure activity. Although after your initial purchase of skis, boots and poles you’re relatively set, you still have to shell out absurd amounts of money for a ski pass. Even those looking to ski for only a single day end up paying well over one hundred dollars at each of the major resorts.
Fortunately, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives when it comes to staying active in the winter months. Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are great ways to get the same exercise and fresh air as downhill skiing, but they don’t break the bank. Utah’s local canyons and trails are a beautiful place to strap up the snowshoes or skis and get your heart going.
Finding a fun activity that is also good exercise is vital to staying mentally healthy through the winter months. Once you get in the habit of regularly exercising in the winter, you will shed the feelings of sleepiness and melancholy and begin to see winter as the wonderful playground you knew as a child. What’s more, when spring rolls around and it’s time to hit the beach, you’ll find you’re in far better shape than if you had hibernated for four months and lived off of microwave pizza and Netflix. So, if you’re like me and find yourself constantly awaiting the arrival of spring, buy a pair of skis or rent some skates, and you may just find yourself wanting winter to last forever.
— Samuel Foglesong