Winter

As readers who live in cold climates will likely already know, winter is not kind to concrete. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a polymer additive that mimics natural antifreeze.

We tested six popular models of cars and crossovers on the snow and ice at the Redline Ice Winter Driving Experience in Colorado to find the answer to the question: How good is your car on snow and ice? Here’s what we learned this year.

Although heated gloves have been around for some time, the things are generally pretty thick and bulky – best-suited to activities like skiing. Candle Apparel has designed a more dextrous alternative, in the form of its "city-oriented" Candle gloves.

It's important to treat frostbite quickly, as it can lead to gangrene and ultimately amputation. A new spray gel could help, allowing for highly-effective treatment in places where it might not otherwise be possible.

​If there's one thing that many North American cities need this winter, it's help in snow removal. That's likely why Colorado-based Left Hand Robotics is currently sold out of its SnowBot Pro, which autonomously brushes snow off of sidewalks while avoiding pedestrians.

We once again found ourselves at the annual Colorado Winter Driving Encounter put on by our friends at Rocky Mountain Redline. The event pit eight vehicles from various manufacturers against the snow and elements of Colorado’s high country in the winter. The results were both fun and informative.

​Steel-spiked winter boots may be great on the ice, but on bare concrete or flooring – not so much. It was with this in mind that Canadian entrepreneur Darrell Bachmann created KickSpike boots, which feature spikes that pop in or out of the sole at the kick of a button.

​If you live someplace that gets cold winters, then you'll be familiar with the practise of plugging in your car's engine block heater on frigid nights. Doing so can be difficult, however, plus you may forget to unplug it when driving away. That's where the Q-Plug comes in.

​Ravean has been producing different self-heating outdoor accessories for several years now, from vests and hoodies to sleeping bag liners. Now the company is developing a battery-powered heated glove with a recent Kickstarter launch exceeding its goals just days after it went live.

One of the innovative young brands that really impressed during the recent ISPO Munich show, Advenate has several multipurpose tools for backcountry snow sports. The headliner is an avalanche shovel that includes a probe in its handle and a light, compact emergency shelter in its blade.

​Security researchers from Cisco’s Talos intelligence team have analyzed samples of the malware​ directed at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and verified that a cyber-attack did occur and was aimed at disrupting the event.

We traveled to ISPO Munich to see the latest in European outdoor, action sports and fitness gear and innovation. As usual, the "world's largest sports trade fair" didn't disappoint. Beyond the Swedish electric dirt bikes and Land Rover smartphones, the show had dozens of interesting innovations.