Getting outdoors this winter 

Winter has arrived in Minnesota. Host Angela Davis talks with Anthony Taylor and Ashley Bredemus, two winter outdoors enthusiasts about changing our perception of winter and the opportunity the season provides to appreciate those around us.

Here are some of the tips they have on enjoying this Minnesota winter rather than just enduring it.

Find your community

When first learning to brave the cold, it may feel most natural to pick just one specific activity. While there may certainly be opportunities available with any activity you pick, Taylor reminds us that it’s more about the people we do it with than the activity itself.

“We’re always trying to build community,” Taylor said. Many callers agreed with one sharing their experience of moving to Duluth and having their children find a community in downhill skiing.

Another caller from Minneapolis also agreed, sharing their experience of shoveling snow and building forts and snow piles for his own children as well as other kids in the neighborhood.

Be prepared

Whenever we go outside during the winter, it’s important we put on the right gear. So too when participating in winter activities, it’s important that we have the right knowledge and preparation.

For Bredemus, this means camping with a large group when going in the winter. This way the costs for necessary gear goes down as it’s split up among everyone. Taylor adds to this, stating the importance of getting a quality introduction to the activity you picked; a place where the equipment is taken care of and you know where you are.

“That’s really our work,” Taylor said. “To get people to have an early positive experience getting outdoors, so they come out for a second day.”

Find opportunities

With the right gear and the right preparation can also come expenses. For those who can’t afford these kinds of introductory classes, or the gear required to participate in things like cross country skiing, there are many options.

For historically marginalized communities, Taylor’s own organization Melanin in Motion connects families to opportunities like snowboarding or skiing at a discounted rate. Bredemus in talking about her own blog stresses that the outdoors is for everyone. It’s not about the actual activity that you’re doing she said.

“You can be an outdoors person by planting a garden or dangling your toes off the end of the dock."

Guests: 

• Anthony Taylor is the senior vice president for Equity Outdoors for YMCA of the North and the co-founder of Melanin in Motion, which works to connect Black people to active outdoor activities. 

• Ashley Bredemus is co-owner of Birchwood Wilderness Camp at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota.

  She writes about being a “new outdoorsy” woman at thecabinseason.com.

Use the audio player above to listen to their conversation.

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