Winter Olympic Sports - Finding the Hot Spots to Try Cold Sports in North Carolina

Even though NC might not be a mecca for winter sports, here are some spots to try out those cool Winter Olympics moves

Growing up in a place where snow days are called whenever patches of ice form on the road it took me a long time to appreciate winter sports. What is this snow? What is this sled or skate or ski or board? If you've never been exposed to something - anything really, much less frigid temps and an insane urge to go outside and play in the ice - then it can be hard to relate to something. And yet winter sports seem so appealing. Is it the elegance of figure skaters, the frightening speed of luge, or seeing someone seem to fl in the ski jump? And yet the lack of winter weather can make winter sports seem so inaccessible.

But not anymore! Check out these hot spots for cold sports in North Carolina!

(PS spoilers: I'm not a winter sport photographer...yet. So these photos aren't mine. They're licensed stock photos or they're courtesy of a teammate, enjoy!)

Skiing (various types), Snowboarding, and Sledding

While North Carolina isn't known for its slopes there are some ski resorts in the mountains where you can try out the various sports that involve sliding down a mountain. You might not find incredible powder but at least it's a chance to get your feet wet (possibly literally).

Check out ski resorts and towns in NC such as

• Sugar Mountain

• Beech Mountain

• Cataloochee Ski Area

• Appalachian Ski Mountain

• Wolf Ridge Ski Resort

Some out of state ski resorts that are also popular include Wintergreen in Virginia, and then Winterplace and Snowshoe in West Virginia.

For those interested in snowboarding there's a lot of crossover between snowboarding and skateboarding. In fact, many pros in one sport also compete professionally in the other.

If getting to the mountains is arduous you can try out skateboarding at a number of skate parks in the Triangle such as:

• Chapel Hill Skate Park

• Sk8 Cary

• Apex Skate Park

• Daniel Dhers Action Sports Complex

Ice Hockey and Ice Skating

If strapping on nice sharp blades and falling on your bum onto something cold and hard is more your style then there are several ice rinks in the area! Including:

• Polar Ice House Cary

• Orange County Sportsplex

• Raleigh Iceplex

• Raleigh Center Ice

• Polar Ice House Garner

• Polar Ice House Wake Forest

Be sure to check schedules for public skate hours. And if cheering on a local hockey team is your jam there's always the Carolina Hurricanes! (But for real, their games are a lot of fun!)

Curling

I absolutely did not believe I would ever have a chance to try curling until one of my Oiselle Volee teammates organized a meet-up at the local Triangle Curling Club! We tried it last weekend and had such a blast, and the curling club is being really proactive about having intro to curling sessions. Check out the schedule, go to a meet-up, and have some serious fun on the ice!

• Triangle Curling Club

Have you ever tried any of the Winter Olympics sports? Let me know in the comments which is your favorite or which one you'd really love to try!