Winter Sports Word Search

About this puzzle

Snow and ice sports from backyard sledding to the Winter Olympics: racing downhill (skiing, slalom, ski jump), sliding (sledding, toboggan, bobsled, luge), on the ice (figure skating, ice hockey, curling), on a board (snowboard, halfpipe) and across country (snowshoe, biathlon). Some are thousands of years old — people have travelled on skis and snowshoes for millennia — while snowboarding joined the Olympics only in 1998.

The default layout is Medium on a 13×13 grid. Easy, Medium and Hard each use their own checked layout of the same words, and every one can be printed in standard or large print on US Letter or A4.

Word notes

Curling

Players slide granite stones across the ice while teammates sweep in front to change their path and speed.

Biathlon

Combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

Bobsled

Teams of two or four push the sled at the start, jump in and steer it down an icy track.

Luge

A sled ridden feet first, lying on your back.

Slalom

A race weaving between gates.

Toboggan

A long, flat-bottomed sled with a curled front; the name comes from a word used by Indigenous peoples of eastern Canada.

Halfpipe

A U-shaped ramp of snow where snowboarders and skiers perform tricks.

Try this after the puzzle

Sort the sports into those you could try in a park after snowfall and those that need special tracks or rinks. Watch a short clip of curling or biathlon and explain the rules in your own words. Younger children can draw themselves doing a winter sport from the list.

All 14 words

Skiing · Snowboard · Sledding · Curling · Biathlon · Bobsled · Luge · Figure Skating · Ice Hockey · Slalom · Ski Jump · Snowshoe · Toboggan · Halfpipe