NPR Blogs

Winter Blahs Got You Down? 'Crowboarding' Video Can Help

By Bill Chappell

Published February 25, 2014 at 3:43 PM EST

With parts of the U.S. engulfed once more in a polar vortex that has brought crippling winter storms to large swaths of the country, it might seem that this winter will never end.

If the snow and ice have cramped your style, you might take cues from a clever crow that has a taste for winter sports.

The bird was filmed on a pitched rooftop in Russia, perched with what looks to be the lid of a mayonnaise jar. He hops into the lid and slides down the side of the roof, flapping his wings to keep his balance. When he reaches the bottom, he does what many of us might do — he heads back up to the top for another run.

The video was posted on YouTube in April of 2012, but it wasn't until a link was posted on Reddit this past December that the crow video became popular. It now has more than 1.8 million views.

"Somebody should leave a bunch of mini snowboards on rooftops in the winter for the crows to play with," commented a Reddit user named mucsun. A response (and an idea for our headline) came from non4prophet, who said, "I would watch crowboarding."

Here are some other ways you can distract yourself from the winter — kind of like making lemonade out of lemons. These are on our short list of great winter videos. Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments.

This slowly spinning ice disk in a North Dakota river is mesmerizing. It was spotted last November.

If you've spent time without power, or need a reminder of humans' ability to survive in the wilderness, we offer this glimpse at the time-tested , featuring Dick Proenneke's year living on his own in Alaska.

Of course, winter won't last forever. And even animals that are well adapted to live in snow might be dreaming of going for a nice swim in the sunshine. That's what this moose did, in a pool in Redmond, Wash., last year.

And for more daily reminders of the beauty that our weather and skies can produce, you can always check out the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, which captures striking images from atop the dormant volcano Mauna Kea. Visit the most recent two-hour loop for an example.