Winter activities are not just about skiing or snowboarding: there are many alternatives for those who want to try something away from the slopes. Some activities are extreme, whilst others are affordable for everyone: here are five winter sports to try during your next winter holiday.

#1 Ice Flying

Also known as ice sailing, ice flying consists in manoeuvring very light craft boats with blades and a windsurf sail on ice fields. It starts with a rush on the ice to push its hull on the track; then you grab its helm and start a real regatta, reaching speeds that can even exceed 35 knots.

#2 Skifox

Coming from the Austrian Alps, Skifox is one of the most popular alternate winter activities at the minute. An aerodynamic saddle is anchored to a single short and thin ski, plus a further two small skis are placed on your feet. After a bit of practice, you launch on to a high-speed track, in a delicate balancing game in which both the push and manoeuvres are fully controlled by the movements of the body.

#3 Snow Rafting

Snow rafting is an authentic winter adaptation of the river descent with the rubber dinghy: the difference is that you do it down a snowy hill. A paddle, almost the same as the one used in water rafting, governs the rubber dinghy and the craft is fitted with controls to brake and steer. Snowrafting is an adrenaline rush but a completely safe sport.

#4 Snowkite

Another adaptation of a sport typically practiced on the water is Snowkiting, which is the combination of kite surfing and skiing or snowboarding, depending on preferences. As the name suggests, snowkiting involves going up on your own skis or on a board to be towed by a kite on both snow-covered slopes and ice lakes.

#5 Sleddog

Once, it was the only means of transportation in the Nordic countries, which allowed travel over long distances through the snow. Nowadays Sleddog consists of hiking on sleighs drawn by Siberian Husky dogs. There are several international competitions for this discipline, which turns into a real race on the snow: far more often, however, Sleddog is simply a way to discover snowy landscapes accompanied by the faithful Huskies