User:Erkehoe/Winter sports

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Snow sports, or winter activities are sports played on snow or ice that could be competitive or recreational in nature. Most are variations on skiing, ice skating, or sledding. Traditionally such games were only available in colder regions during the winter months winter, but artificial snow makes such activities more accessible to a larger audience, as well as making them available all year round.

If you live in a milder climate the use of Artificial ice has been more commonly used to provide ice rinks the ability to have events like ice skating, ice hockey, para ice hockey, ringette, broomball, and even speed skating. In speed skating, a frozen circular track is used but in some facilities it is combined with an enclosed ice rink or the rink itself will be used. Alternatively, ice cross downhill will be seen using a track that varies in elevation and steepness along with a combination of different bends and curves. Longer distance events such as tour skating can only be performed in an outdoor setting in order to utilize the natural ice that is provided from various lakes, ponds, and marshes

History[edit]

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. The Norway and Swedish olympics started incorporating winter sports into their Nordic Games, and eventually other countries started adapting the winter sports into their olympics as well. Originally, the plan was to keep olympic sports together under one event and program, but due to environmental demands of some sports, it had to be separated.

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.

In the European Alps, St. Moritz became a popular winter resort in 1864.

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.