Winter Isn’t So Bad!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

If you’ve spent some time on the Carlson School MBA website or have attended any of our events, you can probably tell we have a great program, both academically and socially. But you might still be left with one lingering question, “could I survive a Minnesota winter?” Yes you can! It’s not even the coldest state in the US (okay fine, it’s the 4th coldest). But luckily Minnesotans have made the best of it! Here’s a list of some of my favorite things that a Minnesota winter has to offer:

  • Tailgating: The Carlson School Sports Business Club hosts tailgates at each Gopher Football home game. This week’s tailgate had the added bonus of a chili cook-off with the Carlson Partner’s Club! 
Tailgating

Look at that Carlson ingenuity – a generator with 6 crock-pots attached! 

Tailgating

Disclaimer: I requested that they try to appear warm for this picture.

  • Fun Events: For the past four winters, St. Paul has hosted Red Bull Crashed Ice with a crowd of more than 100,000 people converging at the Cathedral to see the high-speed race to the bottom of a long ice track. 
Crashed Ice event
  • Eating: My favorite thing to do throughout the winter is use the chilly weather as an excuse to check out some of the city’s amazing restaurants! In fact, USA Today readers ranked Minneapolis/St. Paul as having the best local food scene this year!  Many of the restaurants on this list may be outside of an MBA’s food budget, but a quick Yelp search will uncover some hidden gems throughout the cities.
  • Ice fishing: Okay, full disclosure - I haven’t been ice fishing just yet. But I know it will be a blast when I finally get out there. If you are unfamiliar with this great Midwest tradition, check out Deep’s blog post on his first time ice fishing with our classmates last winter. 
  • Ice skating (heated and indoors!): The Depot Indoor Ice Rink is another fun and low cost weekend activity. Although you might have to check your ego at the door as children zoom past you while you’re slowly scooting toward the wall.