A winter lover's lament: No snow or cold, now what do I do?

Keith Uhlig, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·5 min read
Unseasonably warm winter weather so far has meant no snow for cross country skiing, and whatever ice there was on the lakes in the southern half of Wisconsin is gone. For outdoor exercisers like me, that's meant I've had to do more bike riding. This photo was taken on a ride along the Wisconsin River in Wausau on Dec. 27, 2023.
Unseasonably warm winter weather so far has meant no snow for cross country skiing, and whatever ice there was on the lakes in the southern half of Wisconsin is gone. For outdoor exercisers like me, that's meant I've had to do more bike riding. This photo was taken on a ride along the Wisconsin River in Wausau on Dec. 27, 2023.

It happened in a split second. One moment I was happily pedaling my bicycle on my favorite pathway along the Wisconsin River; the next I was lying on the ground, my legs tangled in the frame of my vintage Specialized Sirrus road bike.

What happened? A quick appraisal determined that as I was turning through a bend on Wausau's River Edge Parkway, I hit a stretch of thin, invisible ice. The front wheel went to my right, my body went to the left and there I was, sprawling on the pavement.

Every Wisconsin cyclist who rides through the winter months can expect these kinds of mishaps. Winter biking, while not quite edging into what I consider unreasonably dangerous territory, isn't safe, either. So I take on some blame for insisting on riding on Dec. 28. But in this case, the bulk of the fault rests on our unseasonably mild winter conditions.

Why? Because with temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, most of the roads were wet but had plenty of traction. But this area of the River Edge Parkway, which runs adjacent to Wausau's world-class whitewater course, features smooth and slick decorative concrete that was also, somehow, colder than the blacktop of most of the pathway. The whitewater course, which should be 80% iced over by now, is completely open and free. So there's bound to be more moisture covering the nearby surfaces. The result? Crash.

It is unseemly to complain about moderate, comfortable weather conditions in the midst of a Wisconsin winter. But these are unprecedented times. Ordinarily, I would be embracing this season with gusto, embracing snow-covered trails through our forests on Nordic skis. If there was no snow, I would be wild skating on the area's river backwaters, lakes and ponds.

Rick Zahn of Stevens Point skates on Jordan Pond in Portage County, north of Stevens Point. The ice was about four inches thick on Dec. 15, when this was taken. But warm weather and rain has since ruined the wild skating conditions in the area.
Rick Zahn of Stevens Point skates on Jordan Pond in Portage County, north of Stevens Point. The ice was about four inches thick on Dec. 15, when this was taken. But warm weather and rain has since ruined the wild skating conditions in the area.

Beating the winter blues

I dreaded winter for most of my life. I would plunge into a pit of gloom each February. My self-prescribed antidote is to go outside for some form of exercise every day and embrace the opportunities only winter has to offer, and I start looking forward to cross-country skiing and ice skating sometime in September, giving myself weeks to get psyched up for cold and snow.

Which leads me all to the question: What do I do now? I'm feeling a bit unmoored by the cognitive dissonance of it all. The old winter-hating Keith would be rejoicing. Now I'm just floundering.

And worrying, to be honest. While meteorologists say this bout of warm weather is related to El Niño, a short-term blip in weather patterns, one can't help but think of the long-term impact of the warming global climate. Whenever I start thinking about that particular problem, I immediately stop myself. It's just too big to grapple with on my own, other than trying limit the amount of pollution I create.

Meanwhile, my aim is to make the most of each day, no matter the weather.

For help on that front, I called Minocqua Winter Park, a Northwoods cross-country skiing destination, to find out what winter lovers are doing up there. The park has no snow, I was told, but people were welcome to come for hiking, running and disc golf.

Dan Clausen, the owner of the park's ski shop, said temperatures have been cold enough near Minocqua to allow him and other wild ice skaters to glide across area lakes. He didn't want to say which lakes, because conditions can change quickly. But, he said, forecasts call for a dose of colder weather through the New Year's holiday.

"I'm predicting world-class ice skating," Clausen said. Ooo. I feel better already, and I predict I'll be driving north sometime this holiday weekend, looking for ice-covered lakes.

Henry the golden doodle looks out at open water on Christmas Day. This photo was taken on Lake Keller, just north of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the temperature was nearing 50 degrees.
Henry the golden doodle looks out at open water on Christmas Day. This photo was taken on Lake Keller, just north of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the temperature was nearing 50 degrees.

Take a cold-water plunge?

I also spoke with Ben Ruyle of Baraboo. Ruyle is an ultramarathoner and cold-water plunger who hates hot weather and loves the cold. He's bummed there hasn't been any lasting snow so far this season, but he's also recovering from ankle surgery, so he hasn't been able to get out much anyway.

But he said he will soon be jumping into the Baraboo River or nearby Devil's Lake. He's found that submerging his body to his neck for about five minutes leaves him feeling great, once he passes the initial shock of a cold-water dunk.

"I like to do things that are mentally tough," Ruyle said. "I want to be comfortable doing things that are uncomfortable."

Counterintuitively, the milder weather might extend his cold-water dunks. There's no ice to get through. Even so, he's hoping for snow and cold.

"I love winter," he said. "And snow is beautiful."

Although I've read about cold-water plunges and have jumped into cold water from time to time, I haven't felt the pull to do it on a regular basis. Talking with Ruyle has me thinking. Maybe? Probably not. My comfort level with discomfort is not as strong as Ruyle's. I won't rule it out, though.

More trail running could be an antidote

Maybe I will need to incorporate more trail running into my outdoor routine. Although I regularly jog around my neighborhood, I might be better served to get out on the bare cross-country ski trails at the nearby Nine Mile County Recreation Area, like some other Wausau-area Nordic fanatics do.

Rachel and Greg Kresse are top-notch Wausau-area Nordic skiing coaches and athletes. When I talked to Rachel about how they are coping with the warm weather, she sounded crestfallen. Last year by this time, she said, she and Greg had skied a dozen times. The Wausau area didn't have enough snow for skiing at that point, but they regularly traveled north, often to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, to get their ski legs.

This year not even the U.P. has had consistent snow. So the Kresses are lifting weights and walking with ski poles. Greg is doing "hill bounds" with his poles on Nine Mile's ski trails.

"What else can you do?" Rachel said.

Wait. We can wait for snow. It's bound to come, right? It has to come. Meanwhile, I plan to add in some trail running to my regular jogs, and keep riding bikes. And doing my best to keep the wheels down and my body upright.

Keith Uhlig is a regional features reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin based in Wausau. Contact him at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him at @UhligK on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram or on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Warm winter weather quashes hopes of winter-sports lover