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People say to enjoy winter outdoor activities. I literally know not a single person around here who goes cross country skiing or snowshoeing or camping, despite that fact that you can easily do that now. Maybe deeper Upstate is different. All exercise is indoors at the gym on a hamster wheel or walking from your car to the grocery store.
NJ is an awkward location for winter activities unless you're truly dedicated and willing to make vacations for them. People commonly do that for downhill skiing, less so for other winter hobbies. You may buy those snowshoes or cross country skis and go years between opportunities that last for more than a couple days to use them unless you're going to drive hours.
Further Upstate you can count on having a good chunk of winter where you can use those things, not it being a rare opportunity. I can only speak for the Binghamton area, but I was out at Chenango Valley SP last week snowshoeing and nearly the whole parking lot was filled with people out there for cross-country or snoeshoeing.
Also, while people certainly complain about the cold, they're far less paralyzed by it. It's been single digits here for most of the last week and people are mostly behaving normally, not dashing between buildings and staying home. You learn to layer and you own warm winter gear. When you do, the weather is much less bothersome.
You grow up going to Bristol Mt. around here and many have season passes. As a kid, there were afterschool programs where you could get bused right to the resort once each weeknight every week.
The thing with winter too is that people go out in jackets or winter coats that aren't properly secured, or without hats and gloves and then wonder why it's so cold. If you have proper gear, you can spend as much time outside as you want without getting cold and enjoy these activities. Granted, I suppose if the part of the country you live in doesn't have these activities as a part of the culture, then you may never learn to appreciate them.
I'm like you millerm277, I grew up skiing, sledding, snowmobiling...etc. So I love the winter activities.
I wear all the highest ranked gear for wintertime outside. I work outdoors most days so I pretty much know what works and what doesn't. I wouldn't be caught dead without wool / fleece hats and gloves (although when I work, gloves are not an option, as I need manual dexterity). Next year, I'm going to upgrade to rabbit fur mad bomber hat. My current hat works to about 5*, but its been well below that lately. Most NJ winters, 5* is plenty. Today it was -7.
Never wear jeans, always waterproof lined snow-pants or insulated Carhartts. And I swear by Red Wing Thinsulate work boots. Unfortunately I can't wear Pac Boots as I need a steel toe.
I'd love to have the option to just go out for winter activities, and work inside in the winter, but outside the rest of the year. My opinion would be the same as yours. We all basically yearn for the days of shorts and t-shirts. Everything is easier. No chance of falling down with a metal post in your hand. The diesel trucks always work. Hydraulic lines aren't freezing. Getting wet is no big deal. Doing laundry is a once a week thing, not a once a day thing. These aren't complaints, they're a fact of life. Out of 20 guys I work with, not one I've asked likes winter.
I agree. When winter is a playground opinion differ.
I'm wear about a thousand dollars and 25 pounds of cloths and freezing. And I'm getting sick of nothing works right. Lottsa trouble with the diesels past few weeks.
I agree. When winter is a playground opinion differ.
I'm wear about a thousand dollars and 25 pounds of cloths and freezing. And I'm getting sick of nothing works right. Lottsa trouble with the diesels past few weeks.
Same here. The cost of my winter wear is probably about the same. I've considered the Canada Goose Expedition jackets, but I can't bring myself to pay $1000 for a jacket that will probably rip with what I do.
I keep them in my coat pockets. Without these, I'd have frostbite. Truly a winter lifesaver. Zippo is the only brand I've found that will actually stay lit for 10-12 hours. They do offgas in a closed car so I drive with the window opened a crack.
I overheard a manager here talking about how its getting harder and harder to make money in the winter. The companies I work for routinely lay people off in November and rehire new people in March. So, winter is not just about people complaining, its also an economic issue. In Southern states, my line of work is done year round. For me, its given me the ability to travel South in the winter for a week here or there, but I am only able to do that because I never spend money the rest of the year.
The amount of snow and the cold don't really bother me per se. What really bothers me about upstate NY weather is the constant gloominess. In winter months, sometimes the sun doesn't make an appearance for weeks. Constant overcast weather makes everything look sad and lifeless. I like it a lot more when it's actually snowing. Winter here isn't too bad except for the grayness. I don't even skii or engage in any type of winter sports.
The amount of snow and the cold don't really bother me per se. What really bothers me about upstate NY weather is the constant gloominess. In winter months, sometimes the sun doesn't make an appearance for weeks. Constant overcast weather makes everything look sad and lifeless. I like it a lot more when it's actually snowing.
That's all part of it, for many. The clouds do get to me in winter. Maybe I suffer from SAD.
I normally like winters and it was a typical nice winter until late Jan... since then, a full month of mostly subzero temps, several times -20 to -30F... I'm not quite prepared for or accustomed to that. During that time, it's been sunny most days and that makes little difference... I now associate sun with extreme cold.
Don't think I've ever experienced such prolonged severe cold. I welcome some clouds and warmth up to 10-20F.
We've set a record for the coldest month ever on record...yep it's cold. But that's fine with me in January. I will still take a record cold January over a record hot July in the south any month, any time. I can still go out and enjoy this weather. In fact I'm going out tonight. You can't cool off in record heat without AC.
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