The five “coolest” ways to keep moving this winter
Aili Forster, Staff Writer
As the seasons change and cold weather comes along, opportunities to try out new sports open up. Some of the coolest winter sports include sledding, skiing and ice skating. Although it fails to get colder than 60 degrees in Los Angeles, these sports can bring the winter spirit to life.
One of the more elegant winter sports is figure skating. Figure skating is the fusion of dance and ice, as skaters mix in challenging spins while balancing on ice skates. The elegance of figure skating masks the amount of effort put into the beautiful performance. Samo student Sydney Ong (’25) shares her love for watching the sport.
“Figure skating is my internet rabbit hole. I admire their skill, like the amount of effort they put into their craft,” Ong said.
Another, more brutal, sport on ice is hockey. Though it can be dangerous, with skaters sprinting across the ice wearing razor sharp skates, many enjoy the sport regardless. Compared to figure skating, ice hockey is a team sport, which some say makes it even more fun. The combination of ice skating and competition makes hockey a fun way to mix multiple sports. The objective is similar to soccer, but, instead of a ball, players use sticks to attempt to shoot a puck into a goal.
One winter sport most people likely remember as a childhood memory is sledding. Despite there being indoor ice rinks available for figure skating and ice hockey, authentic sledding requires real snow, making it an outdoor activity. Depending on the height of the hill, sleds can go faster or slower. The exhilarating feeling of speeding down a hill is one that can only be experienced when sledding. Ella Joyce (’23) reflects on the winters she spent sledding as a child.
“Sledding is one of my favorite childhood memories. I always loved the snow, and sledding was definitely always something I did in the winter,” Joyce said.
The Olympic equivalent of sledding is bobsledding. Some may know about this sport from the 1993 comedic sports film “Cool Runnings,” which features four Jamaican athletes learning the sport of bobsledding in an attempt to compete in the Olympics. The sport is similar to sledding, and requires there be at least two people in each sled. The sled runs down a twisty and narrow ice track where sledders can move as fast as 93 miles per hour.
One of the winter sports that can only be done in the mountains is skiing. The sport is about balance, speed and control. The challenge with balance plays a big part, as the skier’s legs are strapped into two skinny long decks.”The decks easily slide on the snow, as the skier moves at extreme speeds down steep mountain slopes. However, there are also more calm ways of skiing, like cross-country skiing where two poles are used to push the decks forward on flat land. Skiing is a classic winter sport that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Portia Rossi (’25) reveals how skiing has been fun for her.
“I’ve been skiing since I was young. When you’re going down a mountain you get this adrenaline and you can go really fast, so sometimes you feel like you’re not restricted by anything,” Rossi said.
While most summer sports can still be played during the winter in Southern California, a new season opens up opportunities to try new sports. Despite the cold, winter sports can be just as fun as summer sports and can help people embrace the fun of the holiday spirit.
Climate.gov CC license by Aaron Feen / Contributor