Hear ye, hear ye! Winter is fast approaching, and it is time for our fifth annual ‘surthrival’ special, in which the Outside/In team reframes the endurance sport that is winter. We’ve got suggestions for thriving during the cold-season, which we hope will help you positively look forward to dirty snow banks and single-digit temperatures.

This year, though, there’s a twist. A listener asked us for advice on what to do before the snow starts to fall, when it’s gray and bleak. This is that dingy in-between period, known in New England as ‘stick season.’

Host Nate Hegyi is joined by Kate Dario, Taylor Quimby, and special guest Zoey Knox, offering suggestions for indoors and out, on-screen and off, and both serious and silly.

Featuring Eric Diven and special guest Zoey Knox.

Tips for getting outside

Auroras in New Hampshire. Photo by Zoey Knox.

Get starry-eyed with a night sky app — I use an app called Night Sky. It really helps me in getting excited about going out after dark. It feels like I'm on a scavenger hunt when I'm going out to look at the moon, or I'm going out to look at a specific star that's supposed to be really bright tonight. It kind of romanticizes the darkness, rather than it being something to avoid. — Zoey Knox
Time-shift work, and walk everywhere — I believe you can make any city walkable if you try hard enough. I will walk to lunch even if I'm the only person on the streets. I bought recently (sort of a big girl purchase, but I use them every day) the Sony Over-ear Bluetooth headphones. They actually keep your ears really warm, which is nice. — Kate Dario
Road race BINGO — Find a local race (there's a lot of holiday half marathons in December, even up north) and enjoy it as a spectator sport. You can look up race routes at runningintheusa.com, bring some lawn chairs and snacks, and then pull out your BINGO card. You can copy ours here or make your own using a free bingo card generator. — Taylor Quimby (idea courtesy of NHPR’s Christina Phillips)
Get your cold-weather camping on for FREE — My tip for going outside is something called ‘dispersed camping.’ Essentially it’s free camping. You can find places online, just Google “public lands camping.” Once you’ve located a spot, go up a logging road, find a turnout. Pitch your tent. Start a fire. Go for a hike the next morning. — Nate Hegyi

On-screen recommendations

Home for Christmas (Netflix) — Everyone is all “Euro-summer this, Euro-summer that.” Well, let me put you on Scandinavian winter. This Norwegian rom-com has lots of Christmas decor, cozy Scandinavian scenes, and a very silly and cute moment involving two mittens that are welded together so you can hold hands in the cold. — Zoey Knox
Somebody, Somewhere (MAX) — It's a feel good and very funny show centered on a platonic friendship. I could tell more about the plot, but there's almost no point — not because it's not interesting, but because it is truly a show about relationships. This is a 100% heartwarming and authentic watch. — Taylor Quimby
My Brilliant Friend (MAX) — You get to see a lot of Italy. You get to see a lot of drama. It's funny. It's beautifully shot. It has amazing costumes, it has amazing performances. It's an epic. You can get swept up in it, and I think it's great for the winter when you want to be somewhere different in time and place. — Kate Dario
Make Spotify playlists for (or with) your friends — I think building a playlist is a really fun way to kill time and to expose people to new music. A couple of ground rules: You got to think about flow. This is a playlist that should not be shuffled. Vibe: It can be bittersweet, joyful, whatever you're feeling, but it's got to have a vibe. And finally, a great playlist has a surprise, a curveball. Dig into an artist's resume, find that deep cut, and surprise your friend. Here’s our playlist for you!

Non-screen indoor recommendations

Read (and cook) with Ina Garten — So I have been reading Ina Garten's new memoir, “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.” It’s the literary equivalent of her handing you a fresh baked tray of brownies. I literally threw a dinner party this weekend because she was talking about coconut cupcakes, and I was like, “if I don't make a coconut cake this weekend I don't think I'll make it.” I did just that, and it was soooo good. — Kate Dario
Start a letter-writing habit — As an adult, most of the mail I get is packages or bills. And that is so boring. But getting (and writing) letters is so fun. There is a tornado in my living room when I am writing letters. Everything's coming out; I've got the fancy pens, I have stickers, I have stamps… I even got a wax seal for Christmas a couple of years ago. Trust me, it’s worth it. — Zoey Knox
Make some new friends at pub trivia — If you're like me (you're getting older and your friend group is dispersed across the country) then it's time to make new friends. And since moving to New Hampshire, my wife and I have noticed that it seems like every brewery has like a weekly trivia night. Find the best one and make it a thing. There are lots of regulars, and it’s a good way to get out of the house and meet new people. — Nate Hegyi
Play a delightfully sophisticated board game about zoos — Ark Nova is the perfect game for an animal-loving Outside/In fan. Now fair warning… if you have not played a board game since Sorry, Scrabble, or Monopoly, this might not be your thing. But if you are into Settlers of Catan or Wingspan, or some of these other a little bit more complex games, this is a pretty great way to spend a few hours.

This game makes building enclosure and placing animals feel like a real accomplishment. Photo by Taylor Quimby

Want to suggest your own ‘stick season’ activity? Email us at outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER.

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Produced and mixed by Taylor Quimby.

Additional panelists: Kate Dario and Zoey Knox.

Edited by Rebecca Lavoie

Our staff includes Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Marina Henke.

Executive producer: Taylor Quimby

Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio

Music by Blue Dot Sessions

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

If you’ve got a question for the Outside/Inbox hotline, give us a call! We’re always looking for rabbit holes to dive down. Leave us a voicemail at: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). Don’t forget to leave a number so we can call you back.

Audio Transcript

Note: Episodes of Outside/In are made as pieces of audio, and some context and nuance may be lost on the page. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors.

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