A winter sport is one of the best recreational activities. Most popular winter games are skiing, ice skating, and sledding. With the passage of time, these have become a necessity for every youngster. Domestic and international tournaments are held. Studies reveal that sports like cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, figure skating, luge, and snowmobiling keep you physically and mentally strong.
Based on the number of participants, ice hockey has become the best winter sport in the world. Some very exciting Winter Sports that could change the fate of the sports industry in 2017 are discussed below.
Ice skating
Ice skating is all about moving yourself on ice with the help of ice skates. People love this sport because of a lot of reasons. First of all, it is a good physical exercise. Moreover, ice skating is an excellent way to provide you with non-stop entertainment and moments of leisure. You can enjoy ice skating on specially prepared ice surfaces (arenas, tracks, parks). The first organized skating club was the Edinburgh Skating Club, founded in the 17th century.
For admission to a club, you should pass a skating test. Currently, ice skating clubs are present in London, New York, and other major cities in the world, and the sport has gained international popularity.
Sledding
Sledding (also called sledging and tobogganing) is a worldwide winter activity. This sport includes carrying out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle. This vehicle is known as a sled. Four types of sleds are runner sleds, toboggans, disks, tubes, and backcountry sleds. This sport keeps your body active, strong, and fit. It is mostly played in Australia, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland. In fact, the modern competitive sledding began in the 18th century, in Davos, Switzerland.
In 1926, the International Olympic Committee announced that bobsleigh and skeleton were to be two major Olympic sports. Thus, rules were set to play these games. Nowadays, three Olympic sledding competitions are held every season.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is one of the finest recreational activities. This Olympic and Paralympic sport involves descending on a snow-covered slope while standing on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet. The sport was inspired from skateboarding, sledding, surfing, and skiing. First of all, people in the US began playing this game in 1960. It became a Winter Olympic Sport at Nagano, in 1998. In 2014, the sport was featured in the Winter Paralympics in Sochi. The pioneers of snowboarding are from the US, Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Europe. The very first competition to offer cash prize was the National Snurfing Championship, held at Muskegon State Park in Muskegon Michigan, in 1979.