Winter Sports

Harila and Tenjin summitted all 14 peaks between April 26 and July 27.

These Climbers Just Set a New Record for Ascending the World's 14 Highest Peaks

Kristin Harila and Tenjin Sherpa completed the series of climbs in just over three months

Rapid snowmelt may affect Utah's ski industry, which contributes billions of dollars to the local economy each year.

Dust From the Drying Great Salt Lake Is Wreaking Havoc on Utah's Snow

Last year, the snow melted 17 days earlier because of dust, which warms more quickly than pure white powder, a new study finds

Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains received record-setting snowfall this year, which likely inspired more people to go skiing and snowboarding.

Ski Areas Reported More Visits Than Ever This Past Winter

Heavy snowfall—particularly in the Rocky Mountains—attracted record numbers of American skiers and snowboarders

Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands in Colorado extended their seasons this winter.

Ski Resorts in the Western U.S. Will Stay Open Into the Spring and Summer

Slopes in California, Utah and Colorado are extending their seasons after record-breaking snowfall

Lake Champlain, which is located on the border of New York and Vermont, is usually popular for ice fishing. 

Three Fishers Die After Falling Through Ice in Vermont

Ice fishing competitions on Lake Champlain have been canceled after an unusually warm January

Banff Sunshine has pioneered snow farming, which involves setting up miles of fencing across its highest terrain to capture large amounts of wind-blown, natural snow.

This Canadian Ski Area Doesn't Make Snow—It Farms It

Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Alberta is in the perfect position for piling up powder

President Joe Biden speaks at a ceremony to create a 53,804-acre national monument in the mountains of Colorado.

Biden Declares His First National Monument at Colorado's Camp Hale

Once home to the Ute Tribes, the site later became a military training base for the skiing soldiers who fought in World War II

Skier visits nationwide reached an all-time high during the 2021-2022 season.

This Past Winter Was the Busiest Ski Season Ever

As the pandemic still raged, more and more Americans took part in the snowy sport

Photographer Jeff Schultz and painter Jon Van Zyle have co-created a series of artworks capturing Alaska and the sled dog community.

For 50 Years, Dogsled Teams Have Been Testing Their Mettle at the Iditarod

Three men who have lived and breathed the Alaskan race for much of its history recall how much has changed—and what has stayed the same

South, by Joan Mitchell, 1989.

A New Appreciation for Artist Joan Mitchell

The painter was also a formidable presence on the ice

Ski jumpers use aerodynamics and physics to overcome gravity – at least for a while.

The Freaky Physics of Ski Jump

Olympic ski jumpers do everything they can do counteract the effects of gravity and fly as far as they can down hills

Fireworks fill the sky over the "Bird's Nest" arena in Beijing on January 30, 2022

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

As you watch the Beijing Winter Olympics, enjoy this guide to the history, science and thrills of the worldwide athletic competition

In the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, the USA's Hannah Teter (above: in action during the women's snowboard halfpipe competition) took home silver. Her boots are now in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Meet the Trailblazers in Women’s Olympic Snowboarding

The careers of Shannon Dunn-Downing, Kelly Clark, Amy Purdy and Hannah Teter are recognized in the Smithsonian collections; learn their stories

Snowboarder Shannon Dunn competes for Team USA in the 1998 Winter Olympics, where she won the bronze medal in half-pipe.

A Brief History of Snowboarding

Rebellious youth. Olympic glory. How a goofy American pastime conquered winter

The second ski was better preserved than the first, perhaps because it was buried more deeply in the ice.

Archaeologists Extract 1,300-Year-Old Wooden Ski From Norwegian Ice

Seven years after finding the first half of the pair, researchers have finally reunited the ski with its mate

The Dollar lift was 2,360 feet long and rose 634 feet in elevation.

How a Railroad Engineer From Nebraska Invented the World's First Ski Chairlift

The device was part of an elaborate plan on behalf of Union Pacific to boost passenger rail travel in the American West

70 percent of drowning deaths in Canada involve lake ice, and these accidents are becoming more common as climate change causes more temperature swings and moderate weather

Climate Change Causes Weaker, More Dangerous Lake Ice

Global warming causes temperature swings that leave ice weakened for days, with deadly consequences

With air temperature at -17 degrees Celsius and water at 1 degree Celsius, Finns take a dip in an unfrozen hole of water after a sauna session in Vaasa, Finland.

What Americans Can Learn From Winter-Loving Cultures

With large indoor gatherings off-limits, the Covid-19 pandemic is giving everyone more reason to stay outside

A team photo of the 1919 team that won the Pacific Coast Hockey Association championship

When the Stanley Cup Final Was Canceled Because of a Pandemic

In 1919, a second wave of cases of the previous year's flu lead to the sudden death of the hockey championship

Pierre de Coubertin first publicly proposed reviving the Olympic Games in 1892.

Speech That Inspired the Modern Olympics Is Now the Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia Ever Sold

An anonymous buyer purchased the manuscript, penned by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin in 1892, for $8.8 million

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