13 ideas on how to 'surthrive' this winter

The Outside/In team gathers around the proverbial fire to share our best ideas towards becoming better friends with winter. The dream is to not just survive, but thrive — dare we say, to “surthrive” — and embrace the season, both the cold and the cozy.

This year, we’re joined byMara Hoplamazian, climate and environment reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio, who shares their tips for enjoying the season.

Tips for ‘surthriving’ outside this winter

1. Embrace the waffle knit thermal. It’s one of my favorite base layers. If I'm going out and I’m going for more of a button-down-shirt instead of a sweater look, I can wear a waffle knit underneath and still be warm. - Felix
2. Make plans with a new-ish friend, maybe specifically someone that you kind of want to impress a little bit. Making plans with someone with whom your friendship is still developing is a special level of commitment, and if you're having trouble getting motivated to get outside, that can help. - Justine
3. Try winter sunbathing. It seems like a paradox, but on cold days, I feel warmer when I'm outside in the sun, versus when I'm inside with the heat on. I bring a picnic blanket to my local park with a friend, and we sit on the picnic blanket and let that sun warm us up. - Felix
4. Build a darkness survival kit. This year I'm making myself a darkness survival kit. I switched out the batteries in my old headlamp. I'm ordering a high-visibility vest to wear on my nighttime walks, and also probably a box of glow sticks. I also got a moon calendar so I can see what days are going to be best for getting out to appreciate the moonlight. - Mara
5. Play pond hockey! A couple of years ago, I got into playing pond hockey. I think it's a way more accessible, fun version of hockey: you need skates and a stick, but that's pretty much it. There's no net; we just use a four-by-four piece of lumber. The sound of the puck hitting the wood on the icy pond… it’s so satisfying. - Nate

Justine Paradis

On-screen recommendations

1. “Outer Range.” This is a show about a rancher in Wyoming who finds a giant mistake-in-the-universe hole in the ground… And then really weird stuff starts happening. What I love about the show is that it takes all the tropes of the modern western – the stoic cowboy, rodeos, lots of tough masculinity – and then completely flips them on their head. It's the Western version of “Twin Peaks.” - Nate
2. An all-winter trilogy marathon. When the pandemic started, my pod at the time and I each picked our favorite trilogy and then watched all of them. I got to watch a bunch of movies I probably never would have elected to watch on my own. And since a lot of us picked trilogies that were important to us as kids, it was a really fun way to get to know each other's inner worlds. - Mara
3. “Kiss the Ground.” I bring up the documentary “Kiss the Ground” any time I'm talking to someone and the topic of agriculture comes up. It’s about regenerative agriculture, a potential climate solution that involves planting perennials, crop rotation, and other techniques, which also overlap with permaculture anddo-nothing farming. - Felix 
4. Everything by Julio Torres. I recommend picking a creator and watching, reading, or listening to every single thing they've ever made. Right now, I specifically suggest this person be Julio Torres. He’s got a special on HBO called “My Favorite Shapes,” which is just unlike any comedy special I have ever seen, and he writes and stars in “Los Espookys,” also on HBO. He also wrote a children’s book. When you engage with someone who works across different mediums, you get to see the connections between the things they do. It's a nice way to discover new stuff. - Justine 

rawpixel.com

Cozy off-screen ideas

1. Linocut printing. It’s like a woodcut, but it’s easier. You get a little tool and a slab of linoleum, and then you carve out a design, roll on some ink, and make a print. You can get a kit for $20 or so, and there's a ton of tutorials on Youtube. I think of myself as pretty bad at art generally, but there's something freeing about it about linocut printing. - Mara
2. Take tea to the next level. Here is my vision: find a beautiful teapot and treat yourself to some nice loose leaf tea. Then, when you prepare the tea, pay attention to steep times and water temperature – if you get it just right, you can “unlock” a new world of flavor. I think paying careful attention to flavor can have a very beautiful calming impact on your brain (it’s science). - Justine
3. Don't Skip Out on Me by Willy Vlautin. The book is about a teenage ranch hand in Nevada who wants to prove himself as a boxer in Arizona. Needless to say, it doesn't go as planned. The writing is so grounded in what it's like to live in the modern rural West, or even modern rural America: gas stations, fast food, open country. And it's got one of the most heartbreaking, surprising endings I've ever read. - Nate
4. Consider a typewriter. I purchased a typewriter last winter and I actually really like typing on it. It's a very satisfying clack, clack, clack, clack, clack. The nice thing about a typewriter as opposed to a laptop is fewer distractions, and plus, when you make a mistake, you have to just keep going. There’s no backspace – well, technically there is, but the ink is already on the paper, so just keep going. - Felix

 This week’s episode also features Betsy Dawkins, Cholla Foot, Juliet Cox, Anna Buckwalter, and Two Maine Mermaids in Portland, Maine.