Outdoor Reads: Is science is on skiing’s side? Is archery the new hot hobby?

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out!

• More outdoor retailers might want to start focusing on archery. Perhaps thanks to the Hunger Games, archery is gaining popularity. This article reports that more people are enrolling in archery classes. The beauty of the activity, the story said, is that it can be done anywhere and archery ranges are everywhere.

• One should always consult science when trying to choose between two fun activities. This story looks at the scientific reasons why skiing is more fun than snowboarding. One thing is certain, the article said, and that’s both sets of enthusiasts agree fresh snow is the most fun.

• Maybe it’s scientifically based, but in any case, snowboarding is in decline. According to this Boston Globe story some say new ski technology is making skiing easier and attracting people back to the sport.

• Speaking of skiing for fun, this story warns parents of children learning to ski to keep the focus on fun when they’re giving them lessons. Wait until they express interest — don’t force it — and keep them interested by making it exciting. If that isn’t something you could do, consider ski school!

• Companies making stuff for functional cross training programs like CrossFit is all the rage these days, but we still haven’t tried those workouts. We might now. We found this Shape story that discusses the reasons CrossFit could be good for runners. When we only run, we only train our muscles to do that one movement but CrossFit incorporates a multitude of functional movements that makes people stronger runners.

• It’s that time: We’re doing all our Christmas shopping. If you’re still looking for a little guidance, this story might come in handy. It has gift recommendations for the fitness enthusiast in your life. A few cool ones on the list are Honey Stinger Energy Chews and a Osprey Hydration Pack.

• If you’re lucky, your female partner is a bad-ass outdoorsy gal who likes cool toys, gadgets and gear, oh, my! This Seattle Times story has broken down what gift to buy your lady love depending on what sports she’s into. Tubbs Snowshoes got some love, as did Nemo and Redington.

• The Denver Post recently wrote a nice little feature on Pagosa Springs, Colo.-based Voormi. The article dives into the history of the company founded by Dan English, who used to work in software, and how it sources local wool to blend for its products.

• We don’t know about you, but we can still feel some of that turkey stuffing jiggling around so we’re going to follow the advice we read in this article and take a hike. If you’re in the Tucson area check out some of the trails featured.

• Sometimes you only want to rough it as far as the yurt. We love yurt camping in the winter and if you haven’t done it — especially in our home state — you should give it a go. This story outlines the top 10 things to do in Colorado and in addition to yurt camping there’s seeing a concert at Red Rocks and climbing a ’14er.

Did you read anything awesome this week? Email us because we want to read it too.