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If you get the chance on your next ski holiday to Chamonix or Courchevel (or any number of resorts) and want to wander off track, then it may suit you best to try one of these wacky winter getaways. Now, these are not your traditional horse-drawn sleigh ride or ever-fun snow tubing. No, they are very real pursuits of the half-wits of the slopes who believe that regular snow pursuits just don’t provide the adrenaline rush that it used to. Be sure to either be ready to die, ready to get very hurt or, if lucky, survive to tell about these next tomfoolery exploits.

Sailing on the Ice

There are plenty of places in Europe where beautiful mountain lakes freeze over and fill to the brim with ice. An alternative to ice skating or ice fishing or anything sane for that matter is ice sailing. This involves forming a sail on a sled or other bladed contraction to go sailing (really flying) across the frozen ice and tundra. If you’re  a seasoned sailor, then ice sailing may come a bit more naturally to you; if not, then be prepared to zoom till you either collide with something or flip ass-over-kettle. By the way, there’s no real method to stopping!

Play Like a Polar Bear

There is a club of fellas and ladies who gather together to take a dip in freezing water. The Polar Bear Club has been around for several decades and baptises wannabe members by making them swim in below freezing water (well, it sure feels below freezing). The not-yet iced-over water makes a great escape from a day of turmoil and offers you to turn your body blue. The ice-shock to the body is said to be a cure-all for most any ailment. You won’t be playing as much as running for the nearest place to get warm.

Shovel Skiing

There was a group of workers who needed to get down from a day of labour from atop the piste when the lifts were non-functioning. One way they did it, in fact, was by riding their snow shovels down the slope. The fun caught on and today there are shovel sledding races all over the world, with dedicated shovel-athletes competing for the top prize—clearing the snow from the patio decks! (Just kidding). The best shovel skiers have designed their own shovels for the events, and often come up with some crazy designs. As long as you can shovel with it, you can ski downhill with it in competition.

Bike Skiing

It’s not as far fetched as the title would have you believe. There are bikes out there, for real, designed to go down and across snow. There’s even an association of riders who mount their favourite snow bikes and head out on a cold day. At any rate, ski bikes can have a back wheel and a front ski blade or a blade on the front and the back. Riders can pedal around or glide downhill and use the some mechanics as skiing to turn, stop and throw snow at passer-bys.

Blade Runner

This is not about the famous science fiction movie or novel. This is probably one of the most dangerous skiing pursuits tried today. Blade runners simply jump out of a plane and head down a course of tall pylons. The person who makes it through by touching less and staying hovered above the ground usually wins. There are measurements about how far or below the torso must be to the “blades” or pylons and participants often jump out of the plan several thousand feet above the ski slope before aiming perfectly downhill. This sport is not for the inexperienced, that is for sure.

More  Unique Adventures To Try in 2010

At the end of January I introduced you to some unique and even crazy pursuits to pursue and peruse this winter if :

A. You’re tired of skiing or snowboarding or the whole scene; or

B. You just don’t have the skills to be flailing down those impossible grades anyway. Now, I’ve got an activity for those with a problem.

C. You just aren’t into moving that much when on your ski holiday. Well, the kids aren’t the only ones who get to play from this day forward. Here are some other No Skills Necessary (not too difficult) Adventures (in their own way!) to try out this year.

Snowmobiling

If you like mounting a jet ski in the summer and riding over waves and pulling off 360s, then you’ll love snowmobiling; especially if you don’t want to have to do any work whatsoever. Snowmobiling gives you the chance to go out and about, cross-country style without the calorie-burning workout.

Everyone knows the Spanish love to get into a vehicle and go crazy, so odds are one of the best places to try snowmobiling this winter is in Spain or France. In the Sierras and near Malaga is where most Spaniards become suicidal adrenaline junkies. The area has some great inflatable tobogganing runs too—both unique minus the physicalness.

Dog Sledding

Though I’ve mentioned it before with horses, sledding with dogs can be one of the most No Skills Necessary approaches to having an exercise-free ski vacation. All you have to do is hold on and every-so-often yell, “Mush.”–Yep, that easy! If you want a romantic ride with a lover at sundown or organize an inter-familial race through the back country, both become possible behind a few mutts. They even make sit-down sleds that come with your own guide—talk about the ultimate of lazy leisure.

Ice Fishing

This does not mean you are looking for frozen fish. Ice fishing is probably the penultimate lazy leisure pastime, good for drinking hot cocoa, beer or other Russian-made mixed drinks containing 90% proof Vodka. The really cool thing about ice-fishing is you get your own little cabin, or you can share it with a couple friends. There’s not much to do but veg about when waiting on half-frozen fish to get hungry, so bring a book, a story-telling friend or a bunch of your favourite magazines and laze the day away.

Resorts such as Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy and Kiruna in Sweden, along with anywhere that has lakes and ponds, but bring your own auger if you plan on going alone.

Igloo Building

If you’ve always wanted to see yourself huddled in your own snowcapped igloo, look no further this ski season. Igloo building may take a little more effort than ice fishing or snowmobiling, but if you take your time, you won’t work up too much of a sweat. Often, people carve castles out of the ice so it’s not too much to ask to construct your own dog-house size home in the snow is it?

The areas on the border of France and Spain in the Pyrenees is likely igloo central for some odd reason. Plus, your kids will really think it’s cool that you built them a snow fortress, even if it is just a pile of dug out snow. Snowball fights don’t exactly take too much energy as well. Make two igloos and use them as forts of protection during the snowball fight. I think it was Puy Saint Vincent in France that even has a igloo building competition each year, but I’ll have to fact check that for you. Have a happy No Skills, lazy leisure ski holiday this year!

On a day like today, you can’t do much. You can either hang out with buddies in front of the TV or update your facebook mood status every second, which sometimes can be fun. Just after I changed my status this morning, I got a call from my friend Marko.
¨Dude I know you’re as bored as me. Let’s go do something¨: he said. So yeah, why not go to Klagenfurt, the city just behind Austria-Slovenian border. On Sunday you can cruise around the city or make the first turn towards an indoor skatepark with a foam pit.

Because I couldn’t take my BMX with me, I had to be on rollerblades. I was actually laughing at myself when putting on the wheels on the blades of glory. Getting tunes into my ears with my brand new Skullcandy headphones and getting ready to skate took me at least half an hour. Easy times on a day like that.

Marko and Tim were already on fire doing some cool tricks. I just wanted to shred with friends and throw some rotations into the foam pit. Marko went for some double backys and flatspins and I wanted to throw some corks after flats. On a cork 10 I twisted my ankle IN(!) the foam pit and ended the day with a big smile and big ankle.

I guess that is what it takes to have fun! I’ll be cooling my ankle down tomorrow by surfing. Can’t stop at the moment. I just have too much fun.