Winter workout gear: 9 ways to embrace the cold
No need to hibernate this time of year. Here’s some fun, innovative gear to help you get out, get moving and stay fit this winter.
1. Riding high
The ski bike has been around for decades, but never for under $1,000. Enter the economical, aluminum-framed SkiByk SB100, which mates dual-suspension mountain-bike components with two 99 centimeter (38 inch) skis. Easy to learn (one or two runs on the bunny slope and you’re good), they’re now legal at many resorts, including Mountain High in Wrightwood. $989, skibyk.com
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2. Snow scooting
Think Razor scooter with a snowboard on the bottom instead of wheels. Designed for terrain parks, the Black Ice Snowpark Scooter can handle half pipes, rails, boxes and kickers. $639, microkickboard.com
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3. Stay in touch way out there
Do you like to ski, bike, kayak or hike off the grid? The waterproof and rustproof GoTenna Mesh, clipped onto your clothing, keeps you connected with the world even without any cell service or Wi-Fi. $179, gotenna.com
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4. Pitching coach in your hand
This regulation-size, full-grain leather baseball has a brain inside. Paired to its PitchTracker app via Bluetooth, it measures metrics like velocity, spin rate, extension, time-to-the-plate and timing delivery, and allows for video capture so you can check correlation between form and results. $99 plus $9.99 a month subscription, diamondkinetics.com
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5. Pool running at home
Personal trainer Jennifer Conroyd, founder of a popular deep-water running class, has built an app that guides you through pool workouts that allow you to burn calories while saving your knees from wear and tear. The package includes the three-workout app, a flotation belt, elastic tether and Bluetooth headset. Online instructional videos teach correct pool-running form. $159, fluidrunning.com
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6. Snug snowshoes
The Tubbs Panoramic makes fit, always an issue with snowshoes, easy and precise with its new, exclusive Boa Closure System. Just reach down and spin a dial that tightens a web around your foot instantly. $249.95, tubbssnowshoes.com
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7. Warmth on the go
Is it a blanket, a jacket, a hammock warmer or a sleeping bag? The versatile Kammok Bobcat trail quilt, just 19 ounces can be cinched around your feet and/or legs with an elastic draw cord, and has snaps that convert it into a light sleeping bag. $199, kammok.com
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8. How far is it?
TecTecTec’s new ULT-X, its most advanced golf laser rangefinder, accurately measures distances up to an amazing 600 yards – precise within one yard. It also lets you know when you’ve locked on to the target and is approved for tournament play (because you can disengage the slope function used to calculate elevation-adjusted distances). Less than half a pound, it features three scanning modes for measuring distances. $249, us.tectectec.com
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9. Personalized stepper
Still determined to stay indoors? OK then, this one is for you: When you download its app, Bowflex Max Trainer builds a unique workout program for you through an initial fitness assessment and analysis of data from your previous workouts. And it keeps changing as you get fitter. The M6 model is $1,699, and the M8 starts at $2,299. Workout subscription is $149 a year. bowflex.com
