Posted on 16th Nov 2011 @ 12:01 PM

Our favorite winter sport is ergonomic chair racing. This is when you stay indoors, and scoot from one conference room to another without ever standing up. It has the advantage of being extremely kind to your spine and joints, while never actually requiring you to leave the comfort of your heated office. However, we understand that many people prefer to actually go outside and (shudder) exercise during the winter. For these people, we present a list of the very best ergonomic products for actual winter sports.

1. Astro Ultralight Collapsible Hiking & Skiing Poles

Ski poles never looked totally comfortable to us. Unless they have a neat, ergonomically-designed grip like these do, it seems like your hand would just freeze up. And if you're skiing, enough of you is already freezing up already. You don't need to add your muscles to the mix.

2. Sports Skate Mate Lace Puller

Anyone who has ever been ice skating can attest to the fact that lacing up your skates is one of the hardest parts of getting out on the ice. (OK, that and all the crazy people on the rink who seem intent on mowing you down.) These lace pullers make it easy to lace up your skates … and get out of them in a hurry and over to the snack bar for some cocoa.

3. MSR Evo Snow Shoes

If we ever do become super outdoorsy people, this is the first thing we'll buy. We will then become the kind of person who breaks out the snow shoes as soon as there's even two inches of snow on the ground. We'll walk to 7-Eleven and the grocery store like we're on some kind of wilderness trek. You may then feel free to make totally ergonomic snowballs and throw them at us as we trek by.

4. Ski Grip - Ski Carrier Handle

Ergonomic sports equipment is one thing, but what you really need is a better way to carry all your gear. This ski carrier is cheap at less than $9, and highly rated: 8 out of 9 reviewers on Amazon gave it 5 stars. Our favorite review starts with: "We actually use them!" There is no higher compliment for any ergonomic product.

5. Aluminum Body Ratchet Tie-Down

OK, so this item isn't as much fun as the rest of the stuff on our list, but it does help you secure more fun things to your car. Sometimes it's the little things that make everything great -- for example, the tie-down that keeps your snowmobile from flying off your vehicle.