The Great and Secret Salt Heist That Saved the Sochi Olympics

The Great and Secret Salt Heist That Saved the Sochi Olympics

Believe it or not, salt is an incredibly important tool when you’re trying to keep a ski mountain running during a warm spell. Unfortunately, the organizers of the Sochi Games did not believe this fact, and late last week, that oversight almost ruined the Olympics.

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Gas-powered Snowboarding: Not an Winter Olympic Event

Many parts of the country are covered in a ton of snow right now. How do you get around when everything looks like the North Pole? Behold the Powerboard Gas-powered Snowboard! This strange looking vehicle combines the power of a snowmobile with the freedom of a snowboard.
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It is a powerful way to navigate through winter wonderlands. It has a rugged frame and is powered by a 6-1/2 horsepower engine that effortlessly glides over snowy terrain. Its tank-like rubber track uses 1 3/4″ snow lugs and flexes as you lean in the direction you wish to go for wide, smooth turns. It will transport riders up to 250 lbs. and has a top speed of 18 mph.

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It will only give you up to two hours on only 3/4-gallon of gasoline though. Too bad they can’t combine this idea with the solar-panel snowboard for some extra power. Check it out in action in the video below:

It looks like an awesome way to get around during winter, and sells for $2,500(USD) over at Hammacher Schlemmer.

[via This Is Why I’m Broke]

Portlandia, Measles, Frank Gehry: What's Ruining Our Cities This Week

Portlandia, Measles, Frank Gehry: What's Ruining Our Cities This Week

All those fake feminist bookstores are spelling trouble for Portland’s real feminist bookstores, infectious diseases are threatening our public transit riders, and Frank Gehry keeps puking Fruit Loops all over our cultural institutions. It’s all this week in What’s Ruining Our Cities!

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The luckiest deer in the world

The luckiest deer in the world

If you thought you had problems with the snow, be happy that at least the snow—and the ground itself—is not exploding under your feet, like it happened to this deer. I can’t believe he survived that one. Watch the video, because it’s even better.

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What 12 inches of snow fall overnight looks like in 45 seconds

Is winter going to end anytime soon? Doesn’t look like it. Here’s GoPro footage capturing more than 12 inches of snow piling up over one night. It starts falling quickly and then slows down a little bit in the middle until it starts raging in the end. It’s like you expect the snow to come to a stop but it keeps going past that point. Like seeing the Earth is expanding its belly.

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Our Efficient New Skyscrapers Are Raining Chunks of Ice Down On Us

Our Efficient New Skyscrapers Are Raining Chunks of Ice Down On Us

On a particularly cold, sunny day recently, thousands of people arriving in Lower Manhattan were forced to reroute their commute—because huge slivers of ice were cracking off of the One World Trade Center and plunging hundreds of feet down onto the street. And the WTC isn’t alone.

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Sex-Changing Frogs, Corn Espionage, and a Time-Traveling Greenhouse

Sex-Changing Frogs, Corn Espionage, and a Time-Traveling Greenhouse

Rising and falling in this week’s landscape news: the rise of artificial snow and the fall of a Chinese agricultural spy, the rise of corn and the fall of male frogs.

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Tell Me You Wouldn't Buy This Snow-Fighting Fire Plow

Tell Me You Wouldn't Buy This Snow-Fighting Fire Plow

Sick of shoveling the snow off your sidewalk? Well, the good folks of 1925 have a brilliant idea for you: just set it all on fire.

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An RC Snowplow Lets You Shovel Your Driveway From Your Living Room

An RC Snowplow Lets You Shovel Your Driveway From Your Living Room

This six-wheel-drive remote control robot snow plow is the best thing to happen to snowy mornings since able-bodied kids desperate for an allowance. Powered by six 24-volt 127RPM electric motors, its 52-inch wide blade can clear a sidewalk in one pass, and your driveway in no time, all from the comfort of inside your toasty-warm home.

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Awesome dad builds giant luge track in his backyard for his family

Awesome dad builds giant luge track in his backyard for his family

When life gives you snow, don’t just make a snowman. Make a giant luge track in your backyard for the whole family! A Dad in Minnesota does that every year to have some fun with winter and the track is pretty impressive with great slopes, windy turns and expertly designed snowbanks. Just look at his whole family slide down. How fun!

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