There is more to winter travel than skiing and snowboarding. Nontraditional winter sports and activities have sprouted up all over the world, catering to adventurers who crave new ways to get their adrenaline pumping.
Here are our ten favourite out-of-the-ordinary outdoor sports for your next winter vacation.
1. Polar bear swimming in Korea
Each January in Busan, thrill-seeking locals jump into the freezing cold water of the Korea Strait in nothing but their bikinis and swim trunks. The Polar Bear Swim competition has taken place at Haeundae Beach every year since 1988. It is the Korean way of welcoming good health in the new year. Get ready to run 10 meters across the sand, leap into the icy water, and then swim 80 meters toward the finish line. Even though it is technically a race, the Korean Tourism Organization ([url=http://www.visitkorea.or.kr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]www.visitkorea.or.kr[/url]) points out that the Polar Bear Swim is less about competition and more about spreading good cheer.
2. Ski biking in Colorado
If bicycling in the snow sounds like trouble, try riding a bike outfitted with skis instead of wheels down snowy slopes in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Durango Mountain Resort ([url=http://www.durangomountainresort.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]www.durangomountainresort.com[/url]) has long offered ski biking as one of its winter activities. The ski resort holds an international ski bike festival once a year for participants and spectators alike. Be sure to take a lesson or two before going out on the slopes for the first time; it is not as easy as the YouTube videos make it look.
