Utah has so much to offer in the winter. It has some of the most beautiful mountains in the nation, and the snow only magnifies the scene. The serenity of the snow-blanketed yards and the calm of falling snow define the winter season in Utah.

You know what else adds to the character of Utah winters? Watching your breath freeze in the air, nursing cold toes back to life and cramming your school locker full of snow gear.

Here are five other things we know too well about going to school in the wintertime.

1. Having no hope of school getting cancelled because of the snow

Many Americans are blessed with snow days, but Utah students almost never see the windows of heaven open up so much that the snow keeps them from going to school. And although the streets never seem to be plowed completely, the robust school buses pummel through and run over every kid's dream of a Utah snow day. Nothing stops education in The Beehive State.

2. Having to cram into the neighborhood carpool

You would have thought your neighbor's 15-passenger van would have been roomy enough for you and the neighborhood carpoolers, but once everyone zipped themselves into their hand-me-down snow jackets, that trip to school through the frigid air just got a little stuffier.

3. Walking down frozen steps like you're walking on egg shells

Many people have recounted the times when they walked uphill to and from school in knee-deep snow, so it didn't come as a surprise when Utah kids had to do the same. But to make that trip just a bit harder, ice rinks formed every morning and every evening on your porch steps.

The memories of slipping and bruising your tailbone haunt you as you slowly lower one foot at a time onto each step, taking extra care that your toes and heels hit the ground at the same time.

4. Hearing your dad's fan belt scream all the way to campus

Things you're grateful for every winter? A working defroster and heater in your car. Unfortunately, after sitting in subzero temperatures the previous night, your dad's old station wagon is going to squeal all the way to school, pumping out thick, musty, warm-ish air.

5. Being the first person to sit in that ice-cold desk at school

Sitting in a chair too warm has always been uncomfortable. Sitting in a chair too cold sends deathly chills up your spine. It also probably doesn't help that the school's airflow mirrors the thick, musty, warm-ish air of your dad's car.

Winter is daunting, winter is unavoidable, but it can be made much more bearable. You can avoid having to stand in the cold waiting for the bus and have your school classes come to you. An online school can help you weather the snowstorms by completely avoiding it.

Visit Utah Online School for a shot at going to school directly from the warmth of your home.

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