It’s 8 degrees in Minneapolis.  When I step out the front door, the cold air burns my nostrils and the glare off the snow makes me squint.   My breath forms a cloud that lingers in front of me.  When the cloud blows away, I see her:  my older sister, Lisa, is lying face down in the snow.

“Where have you been?!”  she calls.  “I dug an entire room while you were gone!”

Ah, the snow fort.  It’s finally cold enough to make a snow fort.  Snow forts tend to collapse if you make them when it’s warmer.  And they are hot inside.  When you grow up a half-day drive from Canada, you learn early on that it’s never too cold to play outside.

Best Tip:  It’s never too cold to play outside.

– Make this your mantra.

• Skiing with Young Kids     • Skiing with Teenagers