Trampolines can still be used during the winter season with no trouble. Some winter factors do make using them more dangerous such as snow and high winds, but on dry winter days they are not only safe, they are beneficial to use.
Trampolines are easily one of the funniest methods of exercise ever invented and are only made better by the fact that parents and kids can enjoy them. In the spring and summer, at least, and for fall too, but what about during the winter? Should we use trampolines then?
To learn more about the real risks of using a trampoline during the winter, the precautions you can take, and the benefits of going through with it, keep reading the info below.
Related Reading: Can You Put Trampolines On Concrete?
The Risks of Using Trampolines in the Winter
While our trampolines don’t look as appealing during the cold, gray days of winter, our natural sense of self-preservation tends to warn us that it wouldn’t be a good idea to use them during the winter. But what are the risks we face if we do?
Moisture
Moisture from rain and snow can definitely be troublesome because they make the trampoline crazy slippery. While sliding around on slippery trampolines can be funny to watch, it can still be dangerous, especially if you have a trampoline that doesn’t have a net.
Wind
It isn’t just any wind that can become a danger where trampolines are concerned. It’s in areas that can receive winter gusts of 60mph or more that should pay attention because that’s all it takes to send a trampoline flying across your yard, into your neighbor’s yard, or down the street.
Freezing Temperatures
As a compounding issue, moisture from rain or snow that is frozen is even slipperier than before.
Heavy Snow
Many areas get snow, but for the areas that not only receive heavy snowfall and also stay cold enough so that the snow lasts for several weeks, all of that snow also has the potential to ruin the trampoline. Families that receive feet of snow that do not shovel it off (carefully!) can put a prolonged strain on the mat, frame, and springs.
Protection Tips
As much as we want to enjoy our trampolines all year round, we want to be sure that it’s safe, and a good way to do that is to follow the protection tips below.
Perform Winter Trampoline Care
Easily the most important thing you can do to ensure winter trampoline safety is to perform winter trampoline care. This involves taking steps to take care of your trampoline to keep it safe from what winter has to offer.
Winter trampoline care, therefore, includes
- Removing frame pads and storing them while not being used.
- Clearing snow from the mat after snowfall
- Using a weather cover or tarp while the trampoline isn’t in use
- And periodically inspecting the mat, frame, and springs for any signs of rust, ripping, or other signs of wear and tear and potential compromises to safety.
Use Sandbags
If you are in one of those areas that can get dangerously high winds where trampolines are concerned, it’s wise to weigh down the stands of the trampoline with many sandbags. Even if these gusts are only occasional, most of us don’t bother trying to look up tomorrow’s wind speed so it’s better to be on the safe side.
The Benefits of Exercising Outside in Winter
Using trampolines is of course a form of exercise even if it feels more like tremendous fun than a chore, which as adults we normally attribute to exercising. However, in addition to being a really fun physical activity for the whole family, you get plenty of the same benefits from using it in winter as you do in the summer.
You and Your Family are in the Fresh Air
This means you are filling your lungs with air that is free of the germ and bacteria build-up that typically occurs indoors, especially in the winter because everyone tends to stay inside.
Everyone gets Valuable Nutrition
Even in winter, going outside to expose just your face allows your body to receive the vitamins and nutrients in the air and from the sunshine, which is namely vitamin D.
Everyone Receives Mental and Physical Health
Did you know that doing things outside more will help to improve your eyesight, your sleep, and your general mental health? These are all scientifically proven.
Minimizing the time you spend looking at a screen will slow down computer vision syndrome (CVS) and nearsightedness. True, you can still achieve these same benefits by doing chores around the house inside, but that’s not as fun.
Where sleep is concerned, your improved sleep will come from more than the energy you expend from using the trampoline. Our internal clocks, our circadian rhythm, is dictated by the 24-hour cycle of the sun which we routinely screw up because of our work schedules combined with our duties around the house. Early morning exposure to the sun can help get your internal clock back on track.
Finally, spending time in the beauty and charm of nature has been known to boost serotonin (the chemical that makes you feel good), improve attention span, and increase brain activities in areas associated with empathy and stable emotions. You certainly won’t get the same level in your backyard as on a nature trail, but you’ll still get a degree of these benefits.
Continue Reading: Can You Put a Trampoline on Decking? [SAFETY TIPS]
Conclusion
Now you know how to keep yourself and your family safe on the trampoline this winter. When you’ve taken the precautions outlined above, you can rest assured, knowing that your trampoline isn’t going to hurt anyone trying to use it and have fun this winter.
It might not sound like much fun to use a trampoline during the winter, but you must have had the desire to use it but wondered if it was safe. That’s why you went online and searched for the answer to that question, right? And you found the answer! Here’s to happy hopping!