I do not recall seeing snow before the age of 6. Since that age, I have become rather intimately familiar with the substance. However, in Austin, snow is infrequent to say the least. Therefore, on any occasion when it does happen to snow or ice over, the town goes absolutely crazy and shuts down. Schools cancel classes for any amount of fallen snow or ice on the road, simply because the locals do not know how to interact with this foreign substance.

Driving becomes rather dangerous for several reasons. First, people do not know how to use defrost in their car. Why would we? It's Texas. Second, people do not alter their speed while in driving in their vehicles. It's a good rule of thumb to slow down considerably when roads are iced over. But if there is a speed limit, many Texans will go that speed (or much faster) no matter what the conditions. Be it rain, snow, sleet, hail, we are going that speed limit. Nothing further illustrates poor driving in Texas during winter months than an incredibly dangerous but fun sport I helped pioneer, simply known as ice biking.

Ice biking is a bastardization of several activities, including, but not limited to, follow the leader, demolition derby and curling. In order to play, there needs to be someone who is "it." Contrary to the popular and ubiquitous playground game tag, being "it" is being top dog. The object of the game is to ram whoever is "it" and knock them over on their bicycle. The catch is that the only way to knock the "it" person over is by grinding tires. This is further complicated by the streets being iced over, allowing for a skidding effect like none other. The ideal location to play ice biking is in a secluded parking lot or cul de sac as oncoming traffic can have negative consequences.

I have played ice biking several times and have been lucky not to be seriously injured. This is because I always wore a helmet and I know how to control my skids. It's not really recommended for anyone to play ice biking unless he or she enjoys mixing a certain amount of inherent danger with fun. Also, persons over the age of 13 should not play as testosterone does more harm than good. If you must play this sport, I recommend using a mountain bike with good traction and wide tires.