Winter sports

{{Short description|Sports or recreational activities which are played on snow or ice}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{multiple image | perrow = 2 | total_width = 400 | align = right | direction = horizontal | image1 = USA I in heat 1 of 2 man bobsleigh at 2010 Winter Olympics 2010-02-20.jpg | width1 = | image2 = 12-01-20-yog-674.jpg | width2 = | image3 = 2020-01-11 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (2020 Winter Youth Olympics) by Sandro Halank–0220.jpg | width3 = | image4 = Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Bryan Rust (33744033514).jpg | width4 = | image5 = Skier-carving-a-turn.jpg | width5 = | image6 = Snowboarding.jpg | width6 = | footer = Several winter sports. Left to right, top to bottom: bobsleigh, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, skiing, and snowboarding }}

'''Winter sports''' or '''winter activities''' are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?query=winter+sports&title=21st|title=winter sports, noun|work=Chambers 21st Century Dictionary|access-date=22 February 2010}}</ref> Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice.

Artificial ice can also be used to provide ice rinks for ice skating, ice hockey, para ice hockey, ringette, broomball, bandy, rink bandy, rinkball, and spongee in a milder climate. The sport of speed skating uses a frozen circular track of ice, but in some facilities the track is combined in an enclosed area used for sports requiring an ice rink or the rink itself is used. Alternatively, ice cross downhill uses a track with various levels of elevation and a combination of bends. Long distance skating ({{aka}} "marathon skating") such as tour skating is only performed outdoors and uses the available natural ice from frozen lakes, ponds, and marshes. Tour skating at times includes speed skaters, though tour skates are more common.

Common individual sports include: cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, speed skating, figure skating, luge, skeleton, bobsleigh, ski orienteering and snowmobiling.

Common team sports include ice hockey, ringette, broomball (on either an indoor ice rink, or an outdoor ice rink or field of snow), curling, rinkball, and bandy. Based on the number of participants, ice hockey is the world's most popular winter team sport, followed by bandy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html |title=Bandy destined for the Olympic Winter Games! |access-date=17 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017132109/http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html |archive-date=17 October 2018 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Winter sports at times have their own multi-sport events, such as the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Universiade.

==History== thumb|Skating in the 17th century Snow and ice during the winter time has enabled sliding as a means of transportation, using sledges, skis and skates. This also led to different pastimes and sports being developed in the winter season as compared to other times of the year. Naturally, winter sports are more popular in countries with longer winter seasons. [[File:Affiche_Davos_Jahres-Kurort_1560_m.jpg|thumb|1901 Davos travel poster]] In the European Alps, St. Moritz became a popular winter resort in 1864.<ref>{{cite news |last=Potter |first=Everett |date=21 November 2019 |title=St Moritz, The Birthplace Of Winter Sports |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/everettpotter/2019/11/21/st-moritz-the-birthplace-of-winter-sports/?sh=7f796e57330f |work=Forbes |access-date=4 March 2022 |quote=You can make a strong case that the origins of modern winter sports lie here, starting in the 1860’s with hotelier Johannes Badrutt, who welcomed a steady stream of well-heeled British guests to his small Kulm Hotel.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7UPqDwAAQBAJ | title=Travel Journalism and Travel Media: Identities, Places and Imaginings | publisher=Springer Nature | author=Ben Cocking | year=2020 | pages=9 | isbn=9781137599087 |quote=The launching of the Cook excursions in Britain (1841), the appearance of the first Baedekker guide (1843), the inauguration of a winter "season" in Saint Moritz (1864), the creation of Yellowstone (1877): these were the important markers of its growth path [mass tourism].}}</ref>

In the early days of the Olympics there was not much differentiation between the summer and winter games. These confusions would span from around the late 1890s until the early to mid 1900s. During this time, some sports considered to be winter sports and played or performed during the Olympic Winter Games today, would be held during the Olympic Summer Games. It was originally wanted to keep all of the Olympic sports together under one event and program, but due to environmental demands of some sports, it had to be separated.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Martínková |first1=Irena |last2=Parry |first2=Jim |date=2020-11-27 |title=Olympic Winter Games, 'Cold Sports', and Inclusive Values |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2020.1860942 |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |volume=37 |issue=13 |pages=1236–1251 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2020.1860942 |s2cid=233215108 |issn=0952-3367|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

While most winter sports are played outside, ice hockey, speed skating and to some extent bandy have moved indoors starting in the mid-20th century. Indoor ice rinks with artificial ice allow ice skating and hockey to be played in hot climates.

Outdoor winter sports will likely be severely impacted because of climate change in the next century.<ref>Bradford, Nick (2019) [https://www.neefusa.org/story/climate-change/future-winter-sports-and-recreation The Future of Winter Sports and Recreation] National Environmental Education Foundation</ref><ref>Bürki, Rolf (2003) [https://www.cipra.org/en/publications/642 Climate Change and Winter Sports: Environmental and Economic Threats] CIPRA.org</ref>

==List of winter sports== '''''Note''''': the Olympic rings next to a sport indicates that this particular sport is included in the Winter Olympic Games, as of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The Paralympic logo indicates the same for a sport not in the Olympics but in the Winter Paralympic Games.

===Ice skating=== * Figure skating 28px * Short-track speed skating 28px * Speed skating 28px

===Skiing=== [[Image:Jeremy Teela 2002 Olympics.jpg|thumb|right|United States biathlete Jeremy Teela at the 2002 Winter Olympics.]] [[File:Salpausselkä 08.jpg|thumb|Ski jumping at Salpausselkä in Lahti, Finland in 2010]] * Acroski (no longer part of the Winter Olympics) 28px * Alpine skiing 28px * Biathlon 28px * Cross-country skiing 28px * Downhill skiing * Freestyle skiing 28px * Jack Jumping * Mogul skiing 28px * Monoskiing * Newschool skiing * Nordic combined 28px * Ski archery * Skiboarding * Skibob * Skijoring * Ski jumping 28px * Ski mountaineering 28px * Ski orienteering * Snowkiting * Speed skiing * Speed riding * Telemark skiing * Winter pentathlon * Ski-BASE Jumping

===Sledding=== [[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-09740-0004, Oberhof, II. Wintersportmeisterschaften, Bobfahren.jpg|thumb|right|An East German bobsleigh in 1951, Oberhof track, Germany]] Sports that use sleds going down ice tracks or pulled by something: * Bobsled 28px * Dogsled racing * Ice blocking * Luge 28px * Skeleton 28px * Wok racing

===Snowboarding=== * Alpine snowboarding 28px * Boardercross 28px * Para snowboard 24px * Slalom 28px * Snowskating * Slopestyle 28px * Snowshoeing

===Snowmobiling=== [[File:SnowmobilesYellowstone.jpg|thumb|A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park.]] * Free style * Snocross * Recreation * Cross-country * Hill climbing

===Team sports=== thumb|Based on the number of participating athletes, bandy is the second most popular winter sport in the world for men * Bandy * Broomball * Curling 28px * Ice hockey 28px * Ice sledge hockey 24px * Ice stock sport * Military patrol * Moscow broomball * Para ice hockey * Ringette * Rinkball * Rink bandy * Snow baseball * Snow rugby * Snow snake * Snow volleyball * Spongee {{aka}} Sponge hockey * Synchronized skating * Yukigassen (competitive snowball fight)

===Other sports=== [[File:Ice track racing in Tammisaari 1964 (JOKAVN4A2E33-2).tif|thumb|Ice track racing in Tammisaari 1964]] * Cold-weather biking * Barrel jumping - (discipline of speed skating) * Ice canoeing * Ice climbing * Ice cricket * Ice cross downhill * Ice racing * Ice speedway * Snowshoeing * Tour skating * Snow drifting<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.athleticsweekly.com/0/admin/blog/cross-country-for-the-winter-olympics/|title=Cross country for the Winter Olympics|access-date=26 July 2016}}</ref> * Snow golf<ref>{{cite web|title=Snow Golf|url=https://strictlysnowgames.com/snow-golf/|website=Strictly Snow Games|access-date=21 January 2017}}</ref> (not to be confused with Crackgar, indigenous Kalash snow golf) * Snow Bike (Cycling) * Snow Cross (Moto Cycling) * Snowboard Cross * Snocross * Snow Polo

===Recreational sports=== [[File:Bonhomme de neige (MuseumBellerive).JPG|thumb|Snowman]] Some sports are competed in (or simply enjoyed) on a more casual basis, often by children: * Crackgar (indigenous Kalash snow golf)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1905171/snow-golf-means-joys-laughter-feast-chitral|title = Snow golf means joys, laughter and feast in Chitral|date = 6 February 2019}}</ref> * Ice boating or ice sailing * Ice fishing * SheenAab Jung<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldsheenaabjung.com/ |title= World SheenAab Jung Federation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727013340/https://worldsheenaabjung.com/|archive-date=2021-07-27|access-date=2023-10-08}}</ref> (Jammu and Kashmir Snow Fighting) * Tobogganing * Snow bowling<ref>{{cite web|title=Snow Bowling|url=https://strictlysnowgames.com/snow-bowling/|website=Strictly Snow Games|access-date=21 January 2017}}</ref>

==Notable winter sporting events== * Winter Olympic Games * Nordic Games * World Cup * Arctic Winter Games * Asian Winter Games * Winter Paralympic Games * Winter Universiade * Winter Dew Tour * Winter X Games * Winter X Games Europe

==World Cup== * Bandy World Cup * Biathlon World Cup * Bobsleigh World Cup * FIS Alpine Ski World Cup * FIS Cross-Country World Cup * FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup * FIS Nordic Combined World Cup * FIS Ski Jumping World Cup * FIS Snowboard World Cup * Luge World Cup * Short Track Speed Skating World Cup * Skeleton World Cup (toboggan) * Speed Skating World Cup * World Cup in Ski Orienteering

==See also== * Winter carnival * Outline of sports * Outdoor activity

== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * Syers, Edgar; Syers, Madge (eds.) (1908) [https://books.google.com/books?id=v4k-AAAAYAAJ ''The Book of Winter Sports''] London: Edward Arnold {{OCLC|4531800}} * Dier, J. C. (ed.) (1912) [https://books.google.com/books?id=pAAjAAAAMAAJ ''The Book of Winter Sports, an attempt to catch the spirit of the keen joys of the winter season''] The Macmillan Company * Jessup, Elon Huntington (1923) [https://books.google.com/books?id=VKEiAAAAMAAJ ''Snow and ice sports: a winter manual''] E. P. Dutton & Co. * Cereghini, Mario (1955) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Azw_AAAAIAAJ ''Five Thousand Years of Winter Sports''] Edizioni del Milione * Liebers, Arthur (1971) [https://books.google.com/books?id=eVkWAAAAMAAJ ''The Complete Book of Winter Sports''] NY: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan * {{cite news |url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/sport_guides/default.stm |title = Winter Sports: Sport guides |website=BBC Online |access-date=22 February 2010 |date = 20 February 2010 }} {{refend}}

==External links== {{Wiktionary}} * {{Commons category-inline|Winter sports}} * {{Wikivoyage inline}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter Sport}} Category:Winter sports Category:Sports by type