Awesome Winter

Here’s a fun winter activity – a tractor that pulls 28 people on innertubes around a frozen lake. This ride can be enjoyed in Heihe, China, a popular destination for tourists from nearby Russia. We see no reason the same can’t be done anywhere you have a tractor, a frozen lake, and a bunch of rope – the more powerful the tractor, the more people you can pull.

We already know it’s possible to drive a car on a frozen lake using sawblades instead of wheels. The guys from CboysTV attempted the same feat with a dirt bike. To pull off the crazy stunt, they fabricated 100-pound steel sawblade wheels for both a dirt bike and an ATV. The blade wheels work shockingly well, though falling off could be deadly.

Getting all the snow off your car when you park it outside can be a pain. Chinese automotive company NIO shows off an unconventional use for its SkyRide active suspension system: making its flagship ET9 sedan shake off a thick blanket of snow like a cold puppy dog. Just don’t do it inside the garage, ET9. Good boy.

Diesel Brothers Heavy D and Diesel Dave know a thing or two about modding vehicles. For this build, they outfitted a Tesla Cybertruck with an upgraded suspension and giant snow tracks. This clip teases us with footage of their CyberTrax electric pickup dashing through the snow. They plan on releasing a full-length video on YouTube soon.

Some skiers shoot first-person video using action cameras, but for a third-person view, you need a camera operator on skis. Alexander Rydén is a professional action sports photographer who follows his subjects down the slopes at speeds up to 117 km/h. In this video, he talks about some of the gimbals and rigs he uses to capture the perfect shot.

Much of America has been gripped by a deep freeze this week. One interesting effect of the deep freeze is something known as Arctic sea smoke – a vapor that forms when frigid air blows across warmer water. EarthCam captured this amazing time-lapse footage of the phenomenon as it occurred over Lake Michigan across from downtown Chicago.

This special edition of Gerber’s Fastball knife features a Dark Urban Blue aluminum handle, laser engraved with a winter scene. It has a 3″ plain-edge Wharncliffe blade made from stonewashed S30V steel. Opens easily with a finger flipper and a smooth ball-bearing mechanism. Available in limited quantities exclusively from the Gerber online shop.

Parking your car outside in the wintertime can suck. The Scrape Buddy makes getting ice off your windows easier with its ergonomic design and strong, diamond-polished acrylic edge. Its 5″ wide blade scrapes away ice quickly, and it’s small enough to keep in your glove box. It’s available in clear or blue.

This puffer jacket from Faherty looks great in Koi Blue. Its lightweight poly fill keeps you warm without bulk and compresses to fit into your suitcase. Up front, you’ll find a pair of zippered handwarmer pockets and a small button pocket. Its high neck eliminates the need for a scarf on chilly days, and elastic waistband and cuffs keep cold air out.

Here’s a fun family project if you live somewhere the temperature stays below freezing for days on end. The ABC Allred Family shows us how easy it is to build your own backyard igloo from blocks of ice and a dash of food coloring for extra flair. You can make the ice bricks in aluminum foil trays and then cement them together with a mixture of snow and cold water.

Keep your head comfy this fall and winter with Melin’s A-Game Scout Thermal Cap. Its exterior is made from high-quality Merino wool, while its brim is covered with premium Nappa leather and a suede under-visor. Its materials are antimicrobial, and a perforated vinyl layer under the wool helps regulate your temperature and resists water absorption.

While the guys from Overdrive didn’t go as fast as these drivers did on the ice, it still looks like they had a blast learning how to control go-karts on a frozen lake in Finland. Despite having studded tires, and a modest amount of power, making karts do what you want them to on the ice takes a good bit of practice.

Looking for something fun to do with the kids when it’s below-freezing outside? Inland Iglu helps you build a backyard winter fort. Just set up the frame, connect a garden hose, and its mesh will catch mist from the water and freeze into a sturdy ice shell. They also make smaller versions in rocket, castle, and pirate ship shapes.

We’ve had the pleasure of driving a customized Nissan Altima with snow tracks. This build from Garage 54 is the low-budget equivalent of that, using a janky old Lada and fitting it with dual rear tires wrapped in metal tracks. It’s definitely not the most agile vehicle in the snow, but it is able to drive on some sloppy powder.

You’d think that a bullet train whooshing by you at 200 mph might be jarring, but this video of Japan’s Shinkansen high-speed railway zooming by in the snow is oddly soothing. YouTube channel It’s railway! shared this compilation of footage captured on snowy days at the empty Kurikoma-Kōgen Station.

This special-edition Swiss Army knife from Victorinox has beautifully engraved walnut wood scales featuring scenes from a nordic winter. The pocket knife features 12 useful functions, including two blades, a can opener, screwdrivers, a bottle opener, a wire stripper, a punch, scissors, a hook, and more. Limited to 10,000 pieces.

Inspired by the jackets worn by armored vehicle crewmen in WWII, this quilted jacket from Relwen combines warmth, practicality, and military style. Its shell is made from a woven nylon-cotton blend with a recycled poly fill. It has multiple pockets, including a zippered chest pocket that’s perfect for a phone.

Could your winter jacket use an extra warm-up on cold days? The CALDO-X is an insulated puffer jacket with built-in heating panels in its upper back, collar, and front pockets. Attach an 8000mAh+ USB power bank (not included) to the USB connector, and the jacket will heat up. Offers three temperature settings.

Olympic champion snowboarder Pierre Vaultier takes us on a thrilling ride down a skinny snow pump track in the Alps. The man-made course is packed with moguls and jumps and is so narrow that the slightest wrong move lands him on the ground below.

Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen kicked off 2022 with an icy start. His first F1 drive of the year wasn’t on a regular track but on a snowy GP Ice Race circuit in a race car equipped with special studded tires and chased down speedway racer Franky Zorn on his motorcycle.

Titas Zanders of RRW Studios created this modern and minimal deck of cards with a chilly winter theme. Limited to just 100 decks, each card features crisp shapes illustrated in gradients of ice blue, white, and grey. Printed on crushed linen with a smooth Air-Cushion finish by Cartamundi.

With all the snow this winter, it’s a great time for sledding. Don’t have a sled? Snowfeet’s Assled comes to the rescue by strapping a sled to your body. The foldable, aerodynamic snow sled lets you cruise downhill sitting, on your back, stomach, or knees, while you control stopping and turning with your heels.

Created for sub-zero conditions, the Wolf Creek Parka is the warmest, most rugged coat that Voormi has ever made. It’s built in the USA from a soft and cozy goose-down undercoat and the outfitter’s proprietary Surface Hardened Uc Dual-Layer Insulation, a thermal powerhouse for dry, reliable protection. Also available without fur.